Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts

09/04/2024

The SCFWA sadly acknowledges the recent and unexpected passing of author Darrel J. McLeod, who presented at the 2019 Festival of Written Arts to read from and discuss his spectacular debut book Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction in 2018. We were also honoured to have Darrel participate in our Festival’s special 40th anniversary event “Walking With” (along with Joseph Dandurand, Danielle Geller and Angela Sterritt) in September 2022. Darrel was a talented, generous, kind and beautiful soul who made friends and fans where ever he went. He will be deeply missed and we send our sincere condolences to Darrel’s friends and family.

This photo of Darrel was taken by Roan Mee at the 2019 Festival of the Written Arts.

08/24/2024

If you missed this year's festival, or you want to relive some of the highlights, we're excited to release our Festival 2024 Wrap-Up podcast, produced by board member Sean Eckford!

Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts board member Sean Eckford looks back on some highlights from the 2024 festival. For news, updates, tikcet and lineup information visit www.writersfestival.

08/20/2024

That’s a wrap on the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of Authors, and what an incredible literary journey it’s been! Celebrating its 42nd year, the festival once again stayed true to the vision of our founders by bringing together renowned literary figures, fresh new voices, and readers from across Canada, while nurturing our literary and cultural community and celebrating the written arts.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this event possible. To the authors, readers, panelists, moderators, musicians, staff, volunteers, and guests who gathered at the Rockwood Centre — your presence and participation were invaluable. We look forward to seeing you all again very soon!

08/09/2024

Amazing opportunity! 🤩 Saturday passes have been sold out for weeks, but we just had one come available! This pass for August 17 will give you access to events 9 - 15, including Ann-Marie MacDonald's SOLD OUT event at 7:00 pm. Please phone our office at (604) 885-9631 immediately if you are interested, because it won't last long...

08/08/2024

We'll be kickstarting the festival next week with best-selling author and journalist Naomi Klein, who will be in conversation with Mo Amir, host of This is VANCOLOUR.

From August 15-18, we’ll be featuring 21 amazing authors throughout this year’s Sunshine Coast Festival of Written Arts, with musical guest three-time Juno nominated singer-songwriter Jill Barber to close out the event.

Visit our website (or the link in our bio) to access our printable festival planner. Tickets available while supplies last.

08/07/2024

Kevin Chong is the award-winning author of several books of fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Rumpus, and more. He currently lives in Vancouver and is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus. The Double Life of Benson Yu was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Kevin will join the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #12, taking place Saturday, August 17 @ 3:00 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
In a Chinatown housing project lives twelve-year-old Benny, his ailing grandmother, and his strange neighbor Constantine, a man who believes he’s a reincarnated medieval samurai. When his grandmother is hospitalized, Benny manages to survive on his own until a social worker comes snooping. With no other family, he is reluctantly taken in by Constantine and soon, an unlikely bond forms between the two.

At least, that’s what Yu, the narrator of the story, wants to write.

08/07/2024

On a warm June afternoon in King’s Cove, an explosion disrupts the peace. Lane investigates and finds a secluded cabin with an injured, mute young Japanese girl hiding nearby. Meanwhile, at the Nelson Police Station, Inspector Darling and Sergeant Ames discover a dead jeweller and a live wire at the scene of a heist. As Lane searches for the girl’s family, Darling’s team uncovers a local connection that leads to Cornwall and a mining interest on the McKenzie River. Offices are ransacked, and someone is following Lane. Amidst ransacked offices and hidden threats, the latest Winslow mystery delves into old promises and persistent prejudice.

You can catch Iona at 6 on Friday, August 16 @ 4:00 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio. *Purchased tickets for Kyo Maclear are valid for this event.*

Silence

08/06/2024

We are very pleased to be able to present, along with the BC Arts Council, these Front Porch Grant Conversations for writers and other artists and cultural workers interested in knowing more about funding opportunities at the BC Arts Council. During the Festival of the Written Arts you can sign up for a 15-minute session with Program Advisor Michelle Benjamin.

08/05/2024

NEW PODCAST! With the Festival just around the corner, Artistic and Executive Director Marisa Alps and Festival Vice President Sean Eckford sit down to talk about some of the authors who will be presenting at the 42nd annual Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, running August 15-18, 2024.

Festival board member Sean Eckford and Artistic and Executive Director Marisa Alps look ahead to the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, August 15 -18. www.writersfestival.ca

08/05/2024

🚨SOLD OUT 🚨
Looking for professional advice on how to write a memoir? Publisher of Howard White will be joining the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event B: Writing Memoir and Family History, with Howard White on Friday, August 16, from 11:45 am – 12:45 pm.

Howard will be sharing his years-long career advice in his workshop that offers tips for writing memoirs, as well as inspiration for those just getting started.

This event is by donation to the Festival of the Written Arts but hurry space is limited! Visit our website at the link in bio.

08/04/2024

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. The eleventh novel, “Lightning Strikes the Silence,” was recently named by CBC Books as a Top 20 Bestselling Canadian Book of 2024 so far. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband.


Whishaw will join the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #6, taking place Friday, August 16 @ 4:00 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio. *Purchased tickets for Kyo Maclear are valid for this event.*

ABOUT THE BOOK:
On a warm June afternoon in King’s Cove, an explosion disrupts the peace. Lane investigates and finds a secluded cabin with an injured, mute young Japanese girl hiding nearby. Meanwhile, at the Nelson Police Station, Inspector Darling and Sergeant Ames discover a dead jeweller and a live wire at the scene of a heist. As Lane searches for the girl’s family, Darling’s team uncovers a local connection that leads to Cornwall and a mining interest on the McKenzie River. Offices are ransacked, and someone is following Lane. Amidst ransacked offices and hidden threats, the latest Winslow mystery delves into old promises and persistent prejudice.

Silence

08/03/2024

Deborah Kimmett is a trailblazer in Canadian comedy. She has been a guest on CBC’s The Debaters for seventeen years and has a regular spot in CBC’s Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Laugh Out Loud. She is the author of Reality Is Overrated, Outrunning Crazy and That Which Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funnier, and her play Miracle Mother was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. Kimmett has also been a contributing columnist for More Magazine, Kingston Life, Toronto Life, Canadian Living and the Toronto Star. Her new book is called Window Shopping for God, published by Douglas & McIntyre.

Deborah will join the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #16, taking place Sunday, August 18 @ 9:00 a.m.Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Deborah Kimmett has worshipped a lot of deities. After emerging from a rigidly Catholic childhood, she danced with witches, whirled with Sufis and explored the Power of Now like there was no tomorrow.

Whether describing her teenage fear of demonic possession (and wardrobe hack for thwarting the Prince of Darkness), the perils of a comedy career (alcoholism, alienation, sexism, etc.), or her reconciliation with her estranged brother as he faced terminal illness (just to up the stakes), Kimmett's writing is unflinchingly honest, laugh-out-loud funny and deeply relatable. As she says, “if you disassociate from your body, it’s called trauma. If you disassociate and get paid for it, it’s called a comedy career.”

08/02/2024

David Roche is a popular motivational speaker and performer, and he has taken his one-man show, The Church of 80% Sincerity, on tour across the world, performing from Sydney to Moscow, London to Los Angeles, and even at the White House. A recent recipient of the Order of Canada, Roche is also a volunteer for the Sunshine Coast Hospice in British Columbia.

Marion McKinnon Crook is a nurse, an educator, and the author of more than twenty-five books, including the bestselling Always Pack a Candle, which won the BC Historical Federation’s Community History Book Award. Always On Call is the much-anticipated sequel. In addition to her nursing degree, McKinnon Crook holds a master’s in liberal studies and a PhD in education.

Join the conversation at the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts Event #9, taking place Saturday, August 17 @ 9:00 a.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

08/01/2024

Kara and her husband, Simon, are at a desperate crossroads. In 2008, Simon fell off a scaffold, causing severe injuries to his brain and spinal cord. He made a remarkable recovery, eventually adjusting to life in a wheelchair and returning to his career as a musician, but he continues to suffer from debilitating pain that is beginning to strip away his selfhood. Ten years after her husband’s catastrophic injury, author Kara Stanley embarks with him on a journey to understand his chronic pain and find pathways into joy and relief. The Pain Project in the words of Naomi Klein “is ironically full of pleasure; on every page is another generous, original insight into this most intimate human subject.”

You can catch Kara & Simon at Event #11 on Saturday, August 17 @ 1:30 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/31/2024

🚨 An Important Update on the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival Lineup 🚨

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Kyo Maclear will no longer be joining us at the Festival.

But don’t worry! We’re thrilled to announce that bestselling novelist Iona Whishaw will be stepping in for a solo event on Friday, August 16 at 4:00 pm.

Iona, known for her award-winning Lane Winslow Mystery series, brings a fascinating blend of storytelling and personal history—her family’s espionage background makes for some captivating reading! Her latest book, “Lightning Strikes the Silence,” is a top pick for 2024 and has recently topped the BC Bestseller list. 📖🌟

And better yet, if you’ve purchased tickets for Kyo Maclear, they will be valid for Iona’s event. For refunds or exchanges, please contact us at 604-885-9631 or visit our website at the link in our bio for more details.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. We look forward to seeing you at the Festival! 📚 ✨

07/30/2024

In May 2022, author and journalist Sarah Cox won the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Award for Environmental & Climate Change Reporting and her investigative reporting for The Narwhal has also been awarded the World Press Freedom Award and the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism. Don’t miss the discussion on her new book, Signs of Life, stories from the front lines as biologists, conservationists, and ordinary people race to save hundreds of species before it’s too late.

Cox will join the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #3, taking place Friday, August 16 @ 10:30 a.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Travelling across the country, Cox visits the Toronto Zoo, home of Canada’s only wildlife biobank, where scientists conserve living cells from endangered species in the event of future loss; tours Canada’s military bases, home to some of Canada’s last preserved ecosystems; and travels to Indigenous communities where land stewards are striving to restore the delicate ecological balance that has sustained people for millennia.

07/24/2024

In their debut collection, Jess Housty explores themes of nature, transformation, and the interconnectedness of all living beings, guided by the land, ancestors, and the emotions of grief and love. Their evocative writing, filled with sensory imagery, invites readers to immerse themselves in the natural world and reflect on their place within it. Through these poems, Housty encourages us to consider living, loving, and placemaking as integral parts of our humanity and relationships.

You can catch Jess at Event #14 on Saturday, August 17 @ 7:00 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/24/2024

We Rip the World Apart is a compelling multi-generational narrative exploring motherhood, race, and secrets through the lives of three women. Kareela, half-Black and half-white, grapples with an unexpected pregnancy, questioning her identity and future. Her mother, Evelyn, navigates the challenges of being a Black family in Canada, while mourning the loss of her son Antony to police violence. With the arrival of Violet, Antony's mother-in-law, long-held family secrets surface, threatening their bonds. As Kareela confronts her past and impending motherhood, the novel delves into the consequences of silence and the complexities of heritage.

You can catch Charlene at Event #4 on Friday, August 16 @ 1:00 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/23/2024

🚨GOING QUICKLY 🚨 Susan Juby is the award-winning, bestselling author of Mindful of Murder, which debuted at number one on the independent bookstores’ bestseller list and was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour. She has also written Getting the Girl, Another Kind of Cowboy and The Woefield Poultry Collective, as well as the bestselling Alice series. Juby lives on Vancouver Island with her husband, James, and their dogs, who are convinced they could have lucrative careers as social media stars. In 2024, she released A Meditation on Murder, the hilarious sequel to Mindful of Murder.

Susan will join the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #10, taking place Saturday, August 17 @ 10:30 a.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
When Buddhist butler Helen Thorpe is loaned out to help Cartier Hightower get her life in order, Helen finds herself working for a young woman entirely unbound by the fetters of good taste or sound judgment. One of Cartier’s fellow content creators has recently died in a strange accident. Soon after Helen arrives, another is killed in an equally bizarre way. Cartier begins to drag Helen around on the influencer circuit, where neither of them is particularly welcome. Then comes the terrible incident at the EDM nightclub that turns Cartier into a global pariah, at least according to social media.

07/21/2024

It’s dark, funny and exceptionally twisted. In 1994, three comedians set out on a tour through remote rural areas. Dale, a disillusioned comic from Chicago, considers quitting the business. Rynn, a rising star from Dublin, anticipates a big break. Joining them is Hobie Huge, a local act with questionable comedic skills and a disturbing agenda. As Dale and Rynn discover Hobie's true intentions, their tour becomes a fight for survival rather than laughter.

You can catch Brent at Event #8 on Friday, August 16 @ 8:30 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/20/2024

Carly Butler is a bisexual Indigenous woman with ancestral roots in Mexico. She spent the first ten years of her life in the US, and was brought to Canada illegally in 1998. She has been a babysitter, a house cleaner, a barista and a birth doula, and now she is a stay-at-home-disability-mom and author. She lives with her husband and two children in Langley, BC. Apocalypse Child is her first book.
Tara Sidhoo Fraser is a q***r writer and creator of South Asian and Scottish ancestry. Her work has been published in Autostraddle and Anathema magazine, among others.Tara lives in Vancouver, BC.

Join the conversation at the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #19, taking place Sunday, August 18 @ 2:30 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOKS:
Apocalypse Child is a startling memoir about growing up in a tumultuous home, coming of age in isolation, and trying to figure out how to connect as an adult when your education has consisted of conspiracy theories, survivalist measures, and religious doctrine. From doomsday preparation and ideologies of purity and paranoia to motherhood and explorations of a burgeoning q***r, Mexican-Indigenous identity, Carly Butler takes us on a gripping journey of resilience, self-discovery, and searching for community.

When My Ghost Sings:s: A Memoir of Stroke, Recovery, and Transformation is a lyrical memoir of healing, a farewell letter, and a reclamation of selfhood. Tara Sidhoo Fraser is thirty-two years old when a rare mutation in her brain causes a stroke. Awakening after surgery with no memory of her previous life, she attempts to piece it all back together through a haze of amnesia.

07/19/2024

Do you love works of fiction that are bold as they are engaging? We’ve curated the perfect itinerary of events for you! Don’t wait until events sell out.
1️⃣ SUSAN JUBY
🗓️ Saturday, August 17 | 10:30 AM
📚 Join award-winning, bestselling author of “Mindful of Murder,” Susan Juby, which features Buddhist butler-detective Helen Thorpe. Mindful of Murder debuted at number one on the independent bookstores’ bestseller list and was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour.
2️⃣ KEVIN CHONG
🗓️ Saturday, August 17 | 3:00 PM
🎭 Join us as we welcome Kevin Chong, author of “The Double Life of Benson Yu, a finalist for the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize, is a fresh unique work of metafiction that follows a graphic novelist who loses control of his own narrative.”
3️⃣ ROCKWOOD LECTURE: GREGOR CRAIGIE
🗓️ Saturday, August 17 | 8:30 PM
📰 Journalist and author Gregor Craigie delivers this year’s Rockwood Lecture. His newest book, Our Crumbling Foundation, investigates Canada’s housing crisis and offers inspired solutions for creating new homes.

Head to our website at the link in our bio for tickets to these events and more.

07/18/2024

New to the literary scene is Carly Butler’s eye opening memoir, Apocalypse Child" is a memoir of Butler's upbringing in 1990s Montana, raised by her strong and independent mother, DJ. As Y2K approaches, DJ becomes increasingly convinced of impending doom, leading them to flee to the Canadian wilderness to prepare for the apocalypse. Cut off from society, Carly grapples with her upbringing steeped in conspiracy theories and Evangelical Christian beliefs. When the world doesn't end as predicted, Carly navigates coming of age in isolation, confronting her identity and searching for community beyond the confines of her upbringing. Butler's memoir is a gripping tale of resilience, self-discovery, and the quest for connection amidst a tumultuous upbringing.

You can catch Carly at Event #19, New Voices: Carly Butler & Tara Sidhoo Fraser, Moderated By Megan Cole, on Sunday, August 18 @ 2:30 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/16/2024

We’re honouring the memory of Bev Shaw, the heart and soul of Talewind Books and an integral part of the SCFWA, our treasured friend and festival bookseller for 35 years. Join Bev’s family, friends, and fellow festival attendees for a special event to remember and celebrate her legacy—a testament to her unwavering dedication to books, her sharp wit, and her warm friendship.

Tickets for Event C: Tribute to Bev Shaw (1959-2023), on Saturday, August 17 from 12:00 – 12:45 pm, are free and available on our website at the link in bio. Festival passes are not permitted for entry.

07/15/2024

In the anticipated sequel to "Always Pack a Candle," public health nurse Marion Crook navigates the challenges of marriage, motherhood, and her demanding job in rural British Columbia during the 1970s. Despite feeling settled in the Cariboo with her husband, Carl, and their children, Marion faces constant surprises and obstacles as she oversees a team of nurses in a vast public health district. From unexpected patients to cultural clashes and social progress, Marion's life is a whirlwind of compassion and advocacy. "Always On Call" offers a vivid portrayal of the trials and triumphs of a rural nurse, emphasizing the invaluable role of healthcare professionals.

You can catch Marion at Event #9, Coast Writes: Marion Mckinnon Crook & David Roche on Saturday, August 17 @ 9:00 a.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/13/2024

Betty Keller is a teacher, mentor, editor and a writer who has authored or co-authored eighteen books, including biographies, histories, plays and novels. She is a founder of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and the recipient of the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for an outstanding literary career in BC.

Grant Lawrence is an award-winning writer, musician, broadcaster, and live event host. He is the author of four bestselling books for adults: Adventures in Solitude, The Lonely End of the Rink, Dirty Windshields and Return to Solitude. His second book for children, Adventures in Desolation Sound, will be released in 2024.

Howard White started Harbour Publishing in the early 1970s and his own books include Spilsbury’s Coast, Writing in the Rain, The Sunshine Coast and A Mysterious Humming Noise. He has been awarded the Order of BC, the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and the Jim Douglas Publisher of the Year Award.

Join the celebration at the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #17, taking place Sunday, August 18 @ 10:30 a.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/12/2024

Kara Stanley is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, a lyricist, and a movement teacher. Simon Paradis is a musician who has been playing in blues, rock, and roots bands across Canada for 30 years. A serious fall in 2008 resulted in life-altering injuries, but after a long rehabilitation process, he has returned to music again.

Together, this couple has collaborated on Kara’s 2015 memoir Fallen, which was longlisted for the BC Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, and on Simon’s CD’s Good Road Home (2013); Mouthful of Stars (2015); and Grooves and Ruts (2019). Their latest release is The Pain Project.

Join the conversation at the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #11, taking place Saturday, August 17 @ 1:30 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Kara and her husband, Simon, are at a desperate crossroads. In 2008, Simon fell off a scaffold, causing severe injuries to his brain and spinal cord. He made a remarkable recovery, eventually adjusting to life in a wheelchair and returning to his career as a musician, but he continues to suffer from debilitating pain that is beginning to strip away his selfhood. Ten years after her husband’s catastrophic injury, author Kara Stanley embarks with him on a journey to understand his chronic pain and find pathways into joy and relief. As they navigate a difficult year, Kara’s tenacity and Simon’s wit shine through in their honest conversations, insightful journal entries, and affectionate banter.

07/11/2024

For fans of lyrical prose, in her latest collection, "After That," acclaimed poet Lorna Crozier navigates the depths of grief following the loss of her partner, Patrick Lane. Through precise and graceful poetry, Crozier illuminates the sorrow that accompanies such a profound loss. Drawing on both domestic and natural imagery, she invites readers to explore the metaphysical realm of mourning while acknowledging the magical and transformative aspects of life. Without offering false comfort, Crozier's poems offer solace and a glimpse of renewal amidst the darkness of grief.

You can catch Lorna at Event #13 on Saturday, August 17 @ 4:30 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

07/10/2024

Shelley Wood is writer and journalist whose fiction and nonfiction have been published internationally. Her debut novel, The Quintland Sisters, was an instant #1 Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller. Her second novel, The Leap Year Gene, will be published by HarperCollins Canada and Union Square Press (US), in August 2024. Born and raised in Vancouver, Shelley has a home with her husband and dog in Kelowna, BC, and a job as the editorial director for the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, in New York, NY.

Shelley will join the 2024 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for Event #18, taking place Sunday, August 18 @ 1:00 p.m. Tickets available on our website at the link in our bio.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
February 29, 1916. A baby girl is born—but as the months and years go by, Kit McKinley inexplicably ages just one year for every four.

Her mother Lillian, a fledgling botanist, fears that Kit’s condition will catch the attention of Lillian’s fellow suffragettes, who have embraced the eugenics craze sweeping North America targeting unfit, u***d mothers and “defective” children. For decades, Kit and her family must keep on the move to conceal her secret and protect her from the unwanted attention of N**i scientists, nosy doctors, Big Pharma and the insatiable news media.

When Kit finally reaches her teens and can pass for an adult, she must decide whether she wants to stay perpetually on the run or stay put and form lasting ties. The only problem is Will Katzen, whose life—first as a baby, then as a boy, and then as a man—keeps intersecting with hers, complicating every instinct she has to flee, or to love.