We are pleased to announce the writers/artists who will join us at the 41st Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. For full author bios, photos and a downloadable planner, please click here.
Tickets go on sale June 5, 2023.
If you would like to see the 2o23 brochure (we can email you the PDF version or mail you a print copy) please contact the office by emailing info(at)writersfestival.ca.
EVENT# 1: Thursday, August 17 @ 8:00 pm
Adriana Barton, with Simon Paradis
Journalist Adriana Barton explores music’s profound effects on the human body and brain in her pitch-perfect book, Wired for Music. This event is a special collaboration with Sunshine Coast musician Simon Paradis.
EVENT # 2: Friday, August 18 @ 9:00 am
Tamar Glouberman and Hilary Peach, with Kate Braid
Delving into issues of women working in “non-traditional” fields, this event with Tamar Glouberman (Chasing Rivers) and Hilary Peach (Thick Skin) will be entertaining, fascinating and inspirational. Moderated by Kate Braid.
EVENT # 3: Friday, August 18 @ 10:30 am
Carrie Mac
As a writer for teens Carrie Mac has earned numerous prizes and accolades. Last Winter, her first novel for adults, is a haunting portrayal of a family and a community caught by disaster.
EVENT # 4: Friday, August 18 @ 1:00 pm
John Vaillant
Bestselling author John Vaillant takes us on a riveting journey in Fire Weather, his account of a colossal wildfire and a panoramic investigation of the rapidly changing relationship between fire and humankind.
EVENT # 5: Friday, August 18 @ 2:30 pm
JD Derbyshire
JD Derbyshire is a comedian, mad activist, performer, playwright and inclusive educator. Their one-person play, Certified, won two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. Miriam Toews calls Mercy Gene, JD’s debut novel, “an incredible book.”
EVENT # 6: Friday, August 18 @ 4:00 pm
Corinna Chong and Andrea Routley, with Megan Cole
Our short fiction showcase features the work of two accomplished and unique writers, Corinna Chong (The Whole Animal) and Andrea Routley (This Unlikely Soil). Expect to be illuminated by their readings and discussion on the craft of writing. Moderated by Megan Cole.
EVENT # 7: Friday, August 18 @ 7:00 pm
Angela Sterritt
In Unbroken, a remarkable work of investigative journalism and memoir, award-winning Gitxsan journalist Angela Sterritt shares how she survived life on the streets against all odds while also reporting into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
EVENT # 8: Friday, August 18 @ 8:30 pm
Bob McDonald
Bob McDonald is an award-winning and bestselling author and long-time host of CBC Radio’s science show Quirks & Quarks. He joins us to speak about his newest book, The Future is Now.
EVENT # 9: Saturday, August 19 @ 9:00 am
Jack Knox
Popular Times Colonist columnist Jack Knox is known for his witty, wry, heart-warming and hilarious writing. He has four BC bestsellers to his name including his latest, Fortune Knox Once.
EVENT # 10: Saturday, August 19 @ 10:30 am
Danny Ramadan
Danny Ramadan is an award-winning Syrian-Canadian author, public speaker and advocate for LGBTQ+ refugees. The Foghorn Echoes, his second novel, is the moving story of forbidden love between two boys in war-torn Syria.
EVENT # 11: Saturday, August 19 @ 1:00 pm
Tara McGuire
Tara McGuire, a former broadcaster turned writer, discusses her first book, Holden After and Before, a stunning hybrid work in memoir and fiction that explores grief, motherhood and the overdose crisis.
EVENT # 12: Saturday, August 19 @ 2:30 pm
Jen Currin, Conor Kerr and Cecily Nicholson
Jen Currin (Trinity Street), Conor Kerr (Old Gods) and Cecily Nicholson (Harrowings) are award-winning writers and truthtellers who use imagery, landscape and a sense of place to form unexpected poems that call for change and help forge connection and compassion.
EVENT # 13: Saturday, August 19 @ 4:00 pm
J. Edward Chamberlin and Theresa Kishkan
The Sunshine Coast is known for its excellent writers. Case in point: J. Edward Chamberlin (Storylines) and Theresa Kishkan (Blue Portugal and Other Essays). Both will read from their new books and speak to the power of storytelling.
EVENT # 14: Saturday, August 19 @ 7:00 pm
Tom Rachman
From the author of the international bestseller The Imperfectionists comes a new novel about a series of writers struggling around the world. The Imposters is Tom Rachman at his inimitable best.
EVENT # 15: Saturday, August 19 @ 8:30 pm
The Rockwood Lecture: The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould served as the Independent MP for Vancouver Granville, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence until her resignation in 2019. Her latest book, True Reconciliation, is a national bestseller.
EVENT # 16: Sunday, August 20 @ 9:00 am
Amanda Lewis, Ellen Schwartz and Caroll Simpson
Spend time off the beaten track with Amanda Lewis (Tracking Giants) recounting misadventures in the forest; Ellen Schwartz (Galena Bay Odyssey) sharing stories as a hippie homesteader; and Caroll Simpson (Alone in the Great Unknown) describing remarkable experiences in northwestern BC.
EVENT # 17: Sunday, August 20 @ 10:30 am
Janie Chang
Critically acclaimed author Janie Chang writes historical fiction drawing on family history and ancestral stories. Vividly rendered and set in WWI France, The Porcelain Moon is a tale of love, identity, and belonging.
EVENT # 18: Sunday, August 20 @ 1:00 pm
New Voices: Jessica Johns and Sheila Murray, with Megan Cole
These writers have created complex, captivating worlds with their debut novels. Jessica Johns’ Bad Cree was called “a masterwork of creeping tension,” by Eden Robinson while Sheila Murray’s Finding Edward was a finalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award. Moderated by Megan Cole.
EVENT # 19: Sunday, August 20 @ 2:30 pm
Laura Trethewey
Laura Trethewey is an author and ocean journalist whose writing captures our changing relationship with water. With The Deepest Map, she has written a tale of science, nature, technology and extreme adventure.
EVENT # 20: Sunday, August 20 @ 4:00 pm
Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
Between them Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson have won numerous book prizes, including the Giller Prize and the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. They’ve combined their considerable talents to create I Only Read Murder, the first volume in a comedic crime series.
EVENT # 21: Sunday, August 20 @ 7:30 pm
Tom and Kalissa Landa, with Steve Mitchell
Tom and Kalissa Landa are best known for their work with Vancouver band The Paperboys. Their electrifying performance will feature Celtic, folk, Latin and roots music. Joining them is Steve Mitchell, their longtime friend and musical collaborator.