Tickets are still on sale! Don’t miss your chance to hear from others in our incredible lineup of writers this year. You can buy tickets by calling 604-885-9631 or 1-800-565-9631 (toll-free), visiting our office in person (5511 Shorncliffe Avenue in Sechelt), or online via Tickit. You can find more information about the Festival and the remaining events by perusing the 2025 Festival Program.

We have three sold out shows (Event #1, Event #14, and Event #15), but we still have tickets available for all other regular events.

It’s raining, it’s pouring!

This weekend is going to be a rainy one! Come prepared with jackets and umbrellas. The Pavilion is an open-air site, so even though it is covered – it can still get chilly during the events.

Hungry during your event?

We are pleased to announce the return of the Festival Café! We will have fresh and local flexitarian options including a gluten-free/vegan soup, an assortment of sandwiches, and a variety of sweets. Located near the book tent, the Café will be open daily from 8:30 am – 6:30 pm.

Once you’ve got your lunch, come check out the Beverage Booth! Located between Rockwood Lodge and the Book Tent, there are a variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic refreshments for sale. This year, you can find Sunshine Coast beer from Persephone Brewing and local cider from Banditry Cider.

Locally owned and operated, Strait Coffee will also be serving their delicious coffee and tea on site from Friday-Sunday! Their both will be located in front of Rockwood Lodge

Limited Parking on Saturday

If you are coming to the festival on Saturday morning or early afternoon (on August 16), please leave lots of time to find parking, or carpool, or travel by public transit. The Sechelt Farmer’s and Artisan Market is set up at the end of Cowrie Street until 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and it is very busy!

Shorncliffe Avenue will still be open for drop-offs/pick-ups, and we do have some limited parking for attendees with disabilities.

The post The 2025 Festival has begun! appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

Event A – Fiction Workshop: Creating Believable Characters with Caroline Adderson

The aim of this session is to people your stories and novels with characters who might walk right off the page. We will cover the meaning of names, explore techniques to deepen characterization, examine the hidden motivations of your fictional creations, trace their character arcs, and make sure that when they speak (and they will!) effective dialogue comes out of their mouths. Come prepared to write, read and share.

Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 11:30 am– 1:00 pm
Location: Rockwood Lodge Art Space (space is limited)
Workshop cost: $25.00

Event B – Festival of the Written Arts Coffee Hour

Sunday, August 17, 2025 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Festival site, beside the Book Tent
Cost: Free

Enjoy complimentary coffee and tea and live music while you share stories, talk books and mingle with other festival goers. No registration required!

The post Special Events at the 2025 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

Instead, bestselling novelist Iona Whishaw will be featured in a solo event on Friday, August 16 at 4:00 pm.

Iona Whishaw is a former educator and social worker whose mother and grandfather were both spies during their respective wars. She is the award-winning author of the Lane Winslow Mystery series, which has been called “highly entertaining” by Publishers Weekly, and described as “relentlessly exciting from start to finish” by Kirkus Reviews. Her eleventh novel in the series, Lightning Strikes the Silence (Touchwood Editions), was named by CBC Books as a Top 20 Bestselling Canadian Book of 2024 so far, and recently hit #1 on the BC Bestseller list. Iona lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband.

We thank Iona Whishaw for stepping in on short notice and hope you will join us in sending good thoughts to Kyo Maclear. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

If you have purchased tickets to see Kyo Maclear, you may use them to attend the event with Iona Whishaw and a new ticket is not needed. Please call or email the Festival office if you would like to request a refund or exchange your ticket(s) for another event (depending on availability).

The Festival office is located at the Rockwood Centre, 5511 Shorncliffe Avenue, Sechelt. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Phone: 604-885-9631 or 1-800-565-9631 (toll-free)
Email: summerintern(at)writersfestival.ca

The post Programming change appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

Caroll Simpson, author of Alone in the Great Unknown, unfortunately also had to cancel her appearance at the festival this year. Her fellow panelists Amanda Lewis and Ellen Schwartz will still be talking about their experiences off the beaten path, tracking the giant trees of British Columbia and living as a hippie homesteader.

We hope you will choose to attend these stellar events, but if you’ve already bought tickets and you wish to receive a refund instead, please contact the festival office at (604) 885-9631 or su**********@*************al.ca.

The post Changes to Event #12 and #16 appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

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.

The post 2023 Festival Writers appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

While we hope you will attend, please contact the festival office at (604) 885-9631 or su**********@*************al.ca if you wish to receive a refund instead.

Festival bookseller, Talewind Books, is one of the first booksellers in Canada to have copies of Joshua’s new book, Making Love with the Land, and it will be on sale–along with a selection of Joshua’s other books–in the book tent for the duration of the festival. Those who purchase one of Joshua’s books at the book tent can request a signed book plate which will be mailed after the festival. Thank you for your understanding.

The post Joshua Whitehead: Virtual Event appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

Kamal Al-Solaylee
S. Bear Bergman
Columpa Bobb
Cedar Bowers
Tania Carter
Ivan Coyote
Farzana Doctor
Norma Dunning
Frances Ekwuyasi
Shaena Lambert
Marsha Lederman
Jen Sookfong Lee
Andre Picard
Jael Richardson
Shelagh Rogers
Harley Rustad
Russell Wallace
Isabella Wang
Betsy Warland
Jesse Wente
Joshua Whitehead
Sam Wiebe

with

Megan Cole
Charmaine de Silva
Kathryn Gretsinger

and

The Fugitives

The post 2022 Festival Writers appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

Here’s a link to the Festival 2020 reading list. Sunshine Coasters: Bev Shaw at Talewind Books has many of these titles in her shop. The bookstore is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. If you’re not ready to venture out yet, you can order books by telephone at 604-885-2527 or online. The Festival Board and I are happy to provide free delivery. Just request it when you order your books. If you don’t live on the Sunshine Coast, independent booksellers throughout the province and across the country are finding ways to serve you. Please support them.

I thought I would share with you some of the sites I like to poke around in when I’m researching books and writers, both as a Festival producer and a curious reader.

The 49th Shelf is devoted to the promotion of Canadian books. You can browse their site and its extensive booklists, sign up for their digital newsletter, and find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Read Local BC is an initiative of the Association of Book Publishers of BC that promotes BC books and publishers and celebrates BC’s vibrant literary landscape. They’re also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

There’s a lot of great content on CBC Books for readers and writers. And while we’re at cbc.ca, you can find links to episodes of The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers and Writers & Company with Eleanor Wachtel. Sheryl MacKay, host of  North by Northwest  (weekend mornings on CBC Radio in BC) often interviews BC authors. Sheryl has also been posting reading recommendations from BC booksellers on the North by Northwest Facebook Page.

Books & Ideas, the monthly digital newsletter from the Vancouver Writers Festival, now has the Weekly Quarantine Edition. You can subscribe here.

Writing the Coast, a podcast series produced by the BC & Yukon Book Prizes, has launched its second season with an episode featuring Festival 2020 author, Michael Christie, in conversation with Megan Cole. Season one episodes are also available.

I’m looking forward to these events that are coming up very soon (all times are PDT):

Friday, May 29 at 7 p.m.: Around the Fire with Ivan Coyote and Sarah MacDougall, presented by Surrey Civic Theatres

Sunday, May 31 at 11 a.m.: Vancouver Writers Fest presents an event Celebrating Asian Canadian Writing in BC  featuring Janie Chang, Lindsay Wong and David Ly. This event will be moderated by Jen Sookfong Lee.

Sunday, June 21 at 4 p.m. Indigenous Voices Awards will be announced at a virtual gala.

A final note: we’re very excited about the upcoming publication of the 10th anniversary edition of Coastal Voices, an anthology of writing by Sunshine Coast K-12 students and a joint project of the Festival of the Written Arts and School District No. 46. We’ll have copies for sale after June 15. Please contact me by email if you’d like to make arrangements to purchase one.

Our virtual office is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can reach me by email at ja**@*************al.ca or leave a voicemail at 604-885-9631.

Until the next time, best wishes from all of us to all of you. Be well.

Jane Davidson, Artistic and Executive Director

The post Newsletter – May 29, 2020 appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

We encourage you to purchase books from your local independent bookstore. Talewind Books in Sechelt has many of these titles in stock. You can order by phone at 604-885-2527 or online and arrange curbside pick-up or request delivery. The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts Board and staff are happy to offer free delivery on the Sunshine Coast! You can arrange this when you place your order with Talewind. Delivery is not limited to the books on this list.

Wayne Arthurson
The Red Chesterfield
https://press.ucalgary.ca/books/9781773850771/

Maria Campbell
Halfbreed (republished Fall 2019)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/610927/halfbreed-by-maria-campbell/9780771024092

Michael Christie
Greenwood
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/588402/greenwood-by-michael-christie/9780771024450

Jillian Christmas
The Gospel of Breaking
https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/T/The-Gospel-of-Breaking

Christa Couture
How to Lose Everything (available August 2020)
http://www.douglas-mcintyre.com/book/how-to-lose-everything

Ivan Coyote
Rebent Sinner
https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/R/Rebent-Sinner

Amber Dawn
My Art is Killing Me and Other Poems
https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/M/My-Art-Is-Killing-Me-and-Other-Poems

Cherie Dimaline
Empire of Wild
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/600423/empire-of-wild-by-cherie-dimaline/9780735277182

Farzana Doctor
Seven (available August 2020)
https://www.dundurn.com/books/Seven

Aislinn Hunter
The Certainties (available August 2020)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/598772/the-certainties-by-aislinn-hunter/9780735276871

Harold R. Johnson
Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/603639/peace-and-good-order-by-harold-r-johnson/9780771048722
Cry Wolf: Inquest into the True Nature of a Predator
https://uofrpress.ca/Books/C/Cry-Wolf

Bruce Kirkby
Blue Sky Kingdom: A Family Journey to the Heart of the Himalaya (available September 2020)
http://www.douglas-mcintyre.com/book/blue-sky-kingdom

Sarah Leavitt
Agnes, Murderess
https://freehand-books.com/product/agnes-murderess/#tab-description

Michael Melgaard
Pallbearing
https://houseofanansi.com/products/pallbearing

Lucia Misch
The Problem with Solitaire (Is That It Can Be Hard To Tell If You’re Playing Yourself) (available June 2020)
https://writebloodynorth.ca/products/the-problem-with-solitaire

Alix Ohlin
Dual Citizens
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/577006/dual-citizens-by-alix-ohlin/9781984891761

Michelle Parise
Alone: A Love Story (available June 2020)
https://www.dundurn.com/books/Alone-Love-Story

Bill Richardson
I Saw Three Ships
https://talonbooks.com/books/i-saw-three-ships

Gregory Scofield
Thunder Through My Veins (republished Fall 2019)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/594978/thunder-through-my-veins-by-gregory-scofield/9780385692748

Paul Seesequasis
Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun: Portraits of Everyday Life in Eight Indigenous Communities
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/557013/blanket-toss-under-midnight-sun-by-paul-seesequasis/9780735273313

Bindu Suresh
26 Knots
https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/26-knots/

Laura Trethewey
The Imperilled Ocean
https://gooselane.com/products/the-imperilled-ocean

Jack Wang
We Two Alone (available June 2020)
https://houseofanansi.com/products/we-two-alone

Iona Whishaw
A Match Made for Murder
https://www.touchwoodeditions.com/book/a-match-made-for-murder/

The post Festival 2020 Reading List appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

The schedule of events and expanded bios will be posted in late April. Most of our events feature just one writer at a time. The events are one hour long with a half-hour (or longer) break between each event. Three events at the 2020 Festival will feature two or more writers. Authors will be available for signing immediately after their events and their books will be for sale at the onsite bookstore throughout the Festival.

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, May 27 at 8 a.m. by telephone and online at share-there.com.

Please give us a call or drop a line if you have questions. You can reach us by telephone at 604-885-9631 or 1-800-565-9631 and by email at in**@*************al.ca. The office is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The post 2020 Festival Programming appeared first on Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.