The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is proud to announce the publication of Monday Was a Simpler Time: Reflections on a Pandemic, an anthology of new work by sixteen Canadian artists.
Monday Was a Simpler Time is our response to the cancellation of the 2020 Festival of the Written Arts. We invited the writers we had hoped to present last year to submit previously unpublished work that would serve as a record of the range of experiences that has had such a profound impact on us in such a short period of time. These pieces are the writers’ reflections on the spread of COVID-19 and the isolation, fear and prejudice that came with it; racism and the push for meaningful change; the continuing effects of climate change; and how all this has affected our daily lives, our relationships with ourselves and others, with digital media, and our mental health.
This collection includes fiction, personal essays, poetry and comics from fifteen writers: Amber Dawn, Michael Christie, Jillian Christmas, Ivan Coyote, Farzana Doctor, Aislinn Hunter, Harold R. Johnson, Sarah Leavitt, Lucia Misch, Michelle Parise, Bill Richardson, Paul Seesequasis, Laura Trethewey, Jack Wang, and Iona Whishaw. The cover art was created by Charly Mithrush.
Although this book features voices from across the country, we are particularly proud that it is a local project. The copy editor, proofreader, cover artist and book designer are all residents of the Sunshine Coast. Thank you, Anna Nobile, Patricia Wolfe, Charly Mithrush and Derek von Essen!
This book is a legacy project; it is an archival record of the times we have lived through. It is a snapshot, or, in the words of contributor Michael Christie, “a time capsule of memory and witness.” Copies of this book were distributed to secondary schools and libraries on the Sunshine Coast (including Powell River), the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives, the Sechelt Archives, our public sector funders, literary organizations and media across the country. All proceeds from the sale of this book are going to the Festival’s Legacy of Literacy Endowment Fund.
This anthology is possible because of the support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council, and the District of Sechelt.
The book is available for purchase ($20) at the Festival office (5511 Shorncliffe Avenue, Sechelt). Non-Sunshine Coast residents can order a copy from the Festival office. An additional charge of $5 will be applied for shipping and handling. Please contact Jane Davidson (contact details below) to order by telephone or email and to arrange payment. You can also purchase the anthology at Talewind Books in Sechelt, EarthFair Store in Madeira Park, and Banyen Books in Vancouver.
Jane Davidson
Artistic and Executive Director
Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts
Email: ja**@wr*************.ca
Tel: 604-885-9631 or 1-800-565-9631