Welcome to the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts
The symbol for a 30th anniversary is the pearl and we think we have a beautiful cultured pearl of a festival for you this year. We are very pleased that the Quintessential Writers Group will be participating. In 1982, when they were part of a group called the SunCoast Writers Forge, Betty Keller, Gwen Southin, Rosella Leslie and Maureen Foss conceived the idea of an annual gathering of Canadian writers and readers in Sechelt.
Thirty years later, the Festival of the Written Arts is the jewel in the Sunshine Coast's cultural crown. A full slate of outstanding Canadian writing talent will be on hand to enhance the celebrations including longtime Festival favourites Peter Robinson and Wayson Choy.
Canada surely produces more top-notch female novelists per capita than anywhere else in the world. There are five of them here this year, along with two world-class poets, three big league mystery writers, and a broad sampling of our best non-fictionists and memoirists. We also have a couple of acclaimed novelists from down where the boys build the boats and some high-energy jazz to wrap things up.
Please consider this your written invitation to join the festivities August 16-19. No need to RSVP; just purchase your tickets and turn up.
Click here to find out how to purchase tickets.
Join us on Facebook2012 Schedule
Festival Planner 2012 (PDF, 360 KB)
Click names/events for photos and bios.
Thursday, August 16th, 2012
Event # 1: 8:00 pm - Wayson Choy
Friday, August 17th, 2012
Event # 2: 9:00 am - Gail Bowen
Event # 3: 10:30 am - Charlotte Gill
Event # 4: 1:00 pm - Michael Crummey
Event # 5: 2:30 pm - Douglas Gibson
Event # 6: 4:00 pm - The Quintessential Writers Group: Betty Keller, Rosella Leslie, Maureen Foss & Gwendolyn Southin
Event # 7: 7:00 pm - Lorna Crozier with Shelagh Rogers
Event # 8: 8:30 pm - Linden MacIntyre
Saturday, August 18th, 2012
Event # 9: 9:00 am - Ami McKay
Event #10: 10:30 am - Eric Paetkau & Howard White with Patrick Munro
Event #11: 1:00 pm - Patrick Lane
Event #12: 2:30 pm - Richard Wagamese
Event #13: 4:00 pm - Anne Michaels
Event #14: 7:00 pm - Peter Robinson
Event #15: 8:30 pm - Noah Richler -
Bruce Hutchison Memorial Lecture
Sunday, August 19th, 2012
Event #16: 9:00 am - Camilla Gibb
Event #17: 10:30 am - JJ Lee
Event #18: 1:00 pm - Joel Bakan
Event #19: 2:30 pm - New Voices: Robyn Michele Levy and Kim Clark with Sheryl MacKay
Event #20: 4:00 pm - Jane Urquhart
5:30 pm - Pebbles Restaurant Salmon Dinner
Event #21: 7:30 pm - Rebecca Jenkins
Venue
All ticketed events take place in the Festival Pavilion at Rockwood Centre in Sechelt, British Columbia. Click here for full contact information. Click here for maps.
- Please note that for security purposes, the Pavilion will be cleared after each performance.
- Taping and recording any event is prohibited.
- Use of cameras and video recorders is not permitted in the Pavilion.
- Parents are requested to remove noisy or restless children from the Pavilion.
- Please, no cellular phones during events.
- Patrons with physical disabilities are requested to call ahead if reserved or special seating is required. Limited parking for patrons with disabilities is available on a first come first served basis.
- Please, no dogs on the Festival site (with the exception of guide dogs).
Prices 2012
| Festival Pass (Events 1-21) | $250.00 | |
| Day Pass (Friday or Saturday) | $85.00 | |
| Day Pass (Sunday) | $75.00 | |
| Individual Events | $15.00 | |
| Pebbles Restaurant Salmon Dinner (Sunday) | $20.00 |
Note: Please read Guest Information, including
Important Info - The Fine Print.
Click here to find out how to purchase tickets.
Other Festival Attractions
As in previous years, the Festival site offers a variety of attractions.
During the day, the "Big Tent" (on the site of the former North Wing) is the place to browse and buy. You'll find all kinds of literary goods, including autographed books (and others) at the book sales table, and a wide selection of Festival fashions and souvenirs.
Also on display are posters and publications from The Alcuin Society, an organization dedicated to book lovers, the book arts, fine printing and reading.
You're also invited to participate in daily contests at the Rockwood gardens. Look for contest details posted on the bulletin boards throughout the grounds.
Self-Published Authors Under the Big Top
Sunshine Coast self-published writers have had a significant presence at the Festival for the past eight years. Once again returning and new-to-the-Festival authors, artists and poets offer a wide range of genres: humour, mystery, history and the legacy of family stories; picture books for and studies about children; books about self-realization, spiritual and physical fitness.
