Special Events

George M. Abbott Wins Inaugural Al and Eurithe Purdy BC Award for Excellence

The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is pleased to announce that George M. Abbott is the winner of the inaugural Al and Eurithe Purdy BC Award for Excellence for his book Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now, published by UBC Press.

Abbott was announced as the winner at the opening of the 2026 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts on Thursday, August 13, and was presented with the $5,000 award by jury member and author Kara Stanley. As the current Chief Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission, George Abbott brings a rare insider’s perspective to Unceded, chronicling more than 150 years of BC-Indigenous relations and the failure to resolve Aboriginal title.

The three-title shortlist for the prize included One Arrow Left: The Memoir of Secwépemc Knowledge Keeper Cecilia DeRose, by Cecilia DeRose with Sage Birchwater (Caitlin Press), and Rufous and Calliope by Sarah Louise Butler (Douglas & McIntyre). Serving on the jury were Colleen Hourigan, retired educator and SCFWA board member; Brian Thomas Isaac, the award-winning author of All the Quiet Places and Bones of a Giant; and Kara Stanley, acclaimed author of Fallen and The Pain Project.

In awarding the prize, the jury praised Unceded as a “timely and meticulously drawn chronology of the historical injustices imposed by the government of BC, clearly demonstrating how current debates regarding First Nations’ rights and land titles are the direct result of a series of policy decisions by key government officials beginning in the mid-19th century. Abbott chronicles the dedicated actions of First Nation leaders who, despite enduring decades of dispossession and deep injustice, have persevered to pass on a legacy of resistance down through generations. This is a book of both impressive archival research and profound relevance for the contemporary challenges faced in creating a better, more just, future. This book is written in clear and engaging language and should be required reading for all British Columbians.”

Established by Eurithe Purdy in memory of her late husband, acclaimed Canadian writer Al Purdy, the award recognizes an outstanding work of fiction or non-fiction written by a British Columbia author and published by a BC-based publisher. “I was extremely pleased with the response to the first Purdy BC Award for Excellence,” said Eurithe Purdy. “The shortlist was exceptional, and Unceded is a worthy winner. My congratulations to all concerned.”

Special Events at the 2026 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts

Event A – Blue Pencil Sessions with Janine Young

SOLD OUT!

Register for a one-on-one meeting with Janine Young, a literary writer and the managing editor of Nightwood Editions. This 20-minute session provides the opportunity to get feedback from a publishing professional and learn about the editing process.

Janine Alyson Young is a literary writer from the West Coast of BC. Her short story collection Hideout Hotel was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award, and she has been toiling over her first novel ever since. She is also the managing editor at Nightwood Editions, an indie publisher which proudly works with emerging and award-winning authors. She lives on the unceded traditional land of the Skwxwú7mesh People in Gibsons, BC. 

Please note that the selected registrants will have to submit a writing sample by July 30th. More information will be provided.

Festival and day passes do not include admission to Special Event A. To reserve a ticket for the Blue Pencil Sessions, fill out this order form and the Festival Office will contact you (while supplies last).

Location: Rockwood Lodge Art Space
Date: Sessions on Friday, August 14, Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16
Cost: $40.00

Event B – Dialogue Workshop with Sam Wiebe

This event is supported by the Federation of BC Writers.

Join crime writer Sam Wiebe for a workshop on dialogue. He’ll discuss the difference between dialogue and real-life speech; how dialogue relates to character, pacing, voice, and plot; and why characters say one thing and mean another (even if they don’t know it).

Sam Wiebe is the author of the bestselling Ocean Drive as well as the Wakeland novels, one of the most authentic and acclaimed detective series in Canada, including Sunset and Jericho and The Last Exile. Guns Across the River is the latest in the series. His work has won the Crime Writers of Canada award, the Kobo Emerging Writers prize, and a silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and been shortlisted for the Edgar, Hammett, Shamus and City of Vancouver book prizes. The Last Exile is a finalist for the 2026 BC and Yukon Book Prizes’ Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Wiebe lives in New Westminster, BC.

Festival and day passes do not include admission to Special Event B. To reserve a ticket for the dialogue workshop, order at writersfestival.ca, visit the festival office in person or call 604-885-9631 (while supplies last).

Location: Rockwood Lodge Art Space
Date: Friday, August 14, 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Cost: $25.00

Event C – Writing Memoir with Donna Morrissey

SOLD OUT! Contact the Festival Office to be added to the waitlist

Just what the heck qualifies as memoir and how do you tell your story truthfully when everyone in it is still alive? In this workshop you’ll learn to distinguish between three types of memoir (book length, personal essay and narrative essay), decide which one works best for your story, and identify the main themes or ‘heart’ of your work.

Donna Morrissey is the author of the nationally bestselling memoir Pluck, which was a finalist for the Atlantic Book Awards’ Non-Fiction Award, and of seven acclaimed and bestselling novels, including the national bestseller Rage the Night. She won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Fiction for The Fortunate Brother; Sylvanus Now was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize; and The Deception of Livvy Higgs was a One Read pick for Nova Scotia in 2017. Her fiction has also won awards in the US and the UK, and has been translated into several languages. Born and raised in Newfoundland, she lives in Halifax.

Festival and day passes do not include admission to Special Event C. To reserve a ticket for the memoir workshop, order at writersfestival.ca, visit the festival office in person or call 604-885-9631 (while supplies last).

Location: Rockwood Lodge Art Space
Date: Saturday, August 15, 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Cost: $25.00

Event D – Festival of the Written Arts Coffee Hour

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

Location: Beside the Book Tent
Date: Sunday, August 16, 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Cost: Free

A new generation of storytellers: school writer-in-residence program launched on the Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and School District 46 – Sunshine Coast are pleased to announce the Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC) 2026 Writer-in-Residence program.

Funded in part by a generous Responsive Community Grant from the Sunshine Coast Foundation, the program aims to support a new generation of storytellers on the Sunshine Coast by offering students in-depth, week-long workshops with professional writers that will inspire them and help develop their skills and storytelling/writing abilities.

Kathleen Gros, a cartoonist and graphic novelist from Vancouver, was selected as the 2026 CABC secondary writer-in-residence. Gros travelled between Chatelech Secondary and Elphinstone Secondary from February 23-27 to deliver workshops on making zines (short magazines), publishing graphic novels and creating comics. She worked with approximately 50 creative writing, art and English students at each high school.

Gros’s most recent graphic novels include Carousel Summer, Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of), and Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of). She graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and currently teaches students of all ages at Place des Arts in Coquitlam, and teen students at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

The CABC elementary writer-in-residence is Tanya Lloyd Kyi, who is excited to be working with grade 5, 6 and 7 students at Roberts Creek Elementary during the week of April 20-24.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi is the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults and is an instructor at the UBC School of Creative Writing. Her most recent titles include The City of Lost Cats, Feeling Your Feelings, What Will I Discover; Our Green City, Better Connected (written with her daughter, Julia Kyi); and The Best Way to Get Your Way.

The Roberts Creek Elementary Writer-in-Residence program will culminate with a celebratory public event featuring Kyi and some of the student participants reading from their work. The event will take place on Friday, April 24 at 1:30 pm at the Roberts Creek Legacy Garden (or, in the case of inclement weather, the Roberts Creek Elementary School Library).

CABC is a joint initiative of School District 46—Sunshine Coast and the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts that brings writers into Sunshine Coast classrooms to talk about books and writing and encourage students to express themselves through both the written and spoken word. Each year CABC also publishes Coastal Voices, an annual anthology of student writing.

An Evening of Stories and Songs with Grant Lawrence and Friends 

The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is thrilled to be presenting An Evening of Stories and Songs with Grant Lawrence and Friends on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at the Pender Harbour School of Music.

Author, broadcaster and Sunshine Coast raconteur Grant Lawrence has created an outstanding evening of storytelling and songs. Grant will share stories from his bestselling books Adventures in Solitude and Return to Solitude, as well as his upcoming new book, Whale Tale. Between stories, songs will be performed by special musical guests Jeremy Fisher (Ottawa), Desiree Dawson (Vancouver) and Louise Burns (Vancouver Island).

Tickets are very limited! Doors will open at 6:30pm, showtime is 7:00pm. Tickets are $41.80 ($38.00 plus $3.80 in fees). Book sales courtesy of EarthFair Store.