Throughout the year, the Festival hosts several special events. Subscribe to our email notification service, and we’ll let you know when updates are posted to this site.
Event A: Blue Pencil Breakfast Sessions
Friday, August 16, 9:00 – 10:10 am
Saturday, August 17, 9:00 – 10:10 am
Thank you to everyone who registered for the draw to Event A. Registration is now closed and all spots have been filled.
***
Meet with Anna Comfort O’Keeffe—Publisher, Douglas & McIntyre and SCFWA board member—for 20 minutes to discuss your manuscript or book idea, one-on-one. Feedback from a publishing professional, plus muffins, tea, and coffee provided!
Location: Rockwood Lodge, Rockwood Centre, Sechelt
This event is free, but space is limited. Registrants will be selected by lottery and notified on July 15. Sponsored by Douglas & McIntyre
Festival and day passes do not include admission to Event A.
Event B: Writing Memoir and Family History, with Howard White
Friday, August 16, 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
This event is SOLD OUT. Please call 604-885-9631 or 1-800-565-9631 (toll-free) or email su**********@wr*************.ca to be added to a waitlist.
As the publisher of Harbour Publishing, Howard White has had a hand in publishing more memoirs and family histories than probably anyone else in BC. He has also dedicated many hours to helping first-time authors craft their stories into unique books that successfully evoke a sense of time, place and character. This workshop will offer tips for writing memoirs, as well as inspiration for those just getting started.
Location: Rockwood Lodge Artspace, Sechelt
This event is by donation to the Festival of the Written Arts. Space is limited. Sponsored by Harbour Publishing
Festival and day passes do not include admission to Event B. To reserve tickets for this special event, order here or call 604-885-9631.
Event C: Tribute to Bev Shaw (1959-2023)
Saturday, August 17, 12:00 – 12:45 pm
Authors and book lovers across Canada lost a friend and literary ally when Bev Shaw, owner of Talewind Books, unexpectedly passed away in 2023. Bev was an integral part of the SCFWA, our treasured friend and festival bookseller for 35 years, and her presence will be forever missed. Please join Bev’s family, friends, and fellow festival attendees for a special event to remember and celebrate Bev—her dedication to books and authors, her intelligence, and her wry sense of humour.
Location: Festival Pavilion, Rockwood Centre, Sechelt
This event is free, but a ticket is required.
Festival and day passes do not include admission to Event C. To reserve tickets for this special event, order here or call 604-885-9631.
Event D: Harbour Publishing’s Birthday Party
PostedSunday, August 18, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Harbour Publishing is turning 50, and what better way to celebrate than with birthday cake! Tea, coffee, and cake will be served by the book tent directly after Event #17. You’ll also have the opportunity to chat with the event participants and get your books signed.
Location: Festival book tent, Rockwood Centre, Sechelt
This event is free, but a ticket is required. Sponsored by Harbour Publishing
Festival and day passes do not include admission to Event D. To reserve tickets for this special event, order here or call 604-885-9631.
Authors from across Canada speak to students on the Sunshine Coast
Posted
Family Literacy Week in British Columbia is January 21-28, 2024, and to celebrate, School District 46 and the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts have partnered together to bring ten virtual author presentations to students January 22-26.
Featured authors include Kenneth Oppel, bestselling author of Silverwing; Karl Subban, whose book, The Hockey Skates, features his son, former NHL defenceman PK Subban; Kim Spencer, who won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for her middle-grade novel Weird Rules to Follow; and Samantha Beynon, who wrote School District 46’s Coast Reads pick Oolichan Moon, published by local company Harbour Publishing.
The authors hail from as far away as New Brunswick and Ontario, and as close as Gibsons. Local author and editor Kallie George is offering a writing presentation to intermediate students and will talk about her book series Wings of Olympus.
Other authors Zooming into schools during Family Literacy Week are Andrea Fritz, Natalie Hyde, Valerie Sherrard, Jack Wong and Karina Zhou, all of whom will inspire students and share information about their writing process and themes.
Canadian authors have visited School District 46 classrooms, both in-person and virtually, every year since 2007.
The literacy programming is organized by Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC), a joint initiative of SD 46 and the Festival of the Written Arts that was formed to support literacy on the Sunshine Coast by bringing authors in to talk about books and encourage students to express themselves through both the written and spoken word.