Summer Festivals and More

This week’s blog features a list of summer literary festivals, plus more live events and workshops. Scroll down for all the details. 

Note: the Federation of BC Writers is not directly affiliated with any of the following organizations or groups.

Submit your event or announcement to our next blog post here, or contact Rachel at rachel@bcwriters.ca.

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Write On Bowen Festival

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION (20% discount) CLOSES JULY 23

Festival: September 16-17, 2023

Bowen Island, BC

The Write On Bowen Festival of Readers & Writers features 8 2-hour workshops and is sponsored by the Bowen Island Public Library, and the Hearth-Arts on Bowen. For more information, visit https://www.writeonbowen.com/

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New West Writers: Accepting New Members

2nd Saturday of every month, 12:30 – 4:30 pm

Ash Street Meeting Room, New West Public Library, 716 6th Avenue, New Westminster

Additional Zoom meeting on the 4th Saturday of every month, 12:30 – 4:30pm

This critique group has been meeting in New West since 1990. New West Writers support emerging, established, and professional writers and poets in all genres. For more
information, contact Julian at julian.worker@usa.net or visit https://www.facebook.com/newwestwritersgroup/

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Pandora’s Collective & The JCC Present:

​ART & POETRY IN THE GALLERY

​Thursday July 20, 2023, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, Jewish Community Centre (Gallery Room)

950 41st Ave W Vancouver, BC

Free admission

Art exhibit: Eye Love Nature by Sidi and Nathan Schaffer

Featured Poets: David Pritchett, Bonnie Nish, John Cortens, Cynthia Sharp, Stephen Karr
Host: Natasha Boskic

Poets will respond with original work inspired by the art exhibit. The audience will also have an opportunity to write and read poems relating to the exhibit during an open mic time.

Contact: blnish@pandorascollective.com, or visit www.pandorascollective.com

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Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival

July 20-23, 2023

Denman Village, Denman Island, BC

This small and intimate festival brings together an invited group of talented Canadian authors with readers and aspiring writers for two and a half days of literary adventures. For more information, visit https://denmanislandwritersfestival.com/

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Surrey Muse Gathering

Saturday, July 22, 1 – 4:00 PM (PT)

Room 405, City Centre Branch, Surrey Libraries

Open Mic; Free & Accessible event

Hosted by Michael Stark, and featuring author Cynthia Sharp, poet Ashok Bhargava, performer Deborah Vieyra, emerging musician Niki Kennedy, emerging poet Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal, artist at work Yanli Tang, with featured art by Tamara Natalie Madden. Poster Designed by Tiesa Leudy

Contact surrey.muse@gmail.com, or visit https://surreymuse.wordpress.com/2023/07/05/surrey-muse-gathering-saturday-july-22-2023/

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2nd Annual Sunshine Coast Art & Words Festival 

August 10-13, 2023

Gibsons Public Market, Gibsons, BC

https://www.scwes.ca/home

Forty authors, artists and photographers have been paired together into twenty teams through a random draw to inspire each other to create art and literature that will be presented and exhibited to the public. This year the Festival will offer fourteen workshops in the areas of art, photography and writing.

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POETRY WORKSHOPS with Yvonne Blomer

McLoughlin Gardens, 814 Tasman Road, Merville, BC

Fee per workshop: $30 + GST members, $35 + GST non-members

https://www.mcloughlingardens.org/workshops-with-yvonne-blomer

Ecopoetics: Responding to The Natural World

Saturday, August 12, 2023, 1:00 – 4:00 PM

In the pre-Romantic era, mountains were not considered beautiful, rather they were seen as wasted space. The Romantic poets changed how we view the natural world. What are we, in the 21st Century seeing and not seeing? How can poetry lead us to look and see and report in language and metaphor our changing world? In this three-hour class we will read poets whose focus is on the natural world, we will write poems in response to our own observations and engagement with the changing world around us. The class will include reading and discussing poems and in-class writing and perhaps a few form poems.

Ekphrasis: Responding to Art 

Sunday, August 20, 1 – 4:00 PM

An ekphrastic poem as a poem that is responding in some way to a piece of visual art. A poem that is inspired by visual art and in conversation with that art. In the past, such poems would have been more descriptive but now a days poets are interested in their poem standing alone and bringing the poets interpretation or way of seeing to the piece of art. In this class we will write poems in response to visual art. We will read and discuss example poems, Yvonne will bring images for you to respond to and also a few form poems to explore ekphrasis with. 

Join Yvonne for a few hours where you will inhabit pieces of art and speak to or from them through poetry. Bring pen and paper and one or two important art pieces or photos from home as well and be ready to create several new drafts of poems. 

https://www.mcloughlingardens.org/workshops-with-yvonne-blomer

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Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts

August 17-20, 2023

Rockwood Centre, Sechelt, BC

https://writersfestival.ca/

Canada’s longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers, featuring established literary stars and exciting, new voices, with opportunities for writers and readers to mingle amidst Rockwood’s heritage gardens.

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Banff Late Winter Writers Residency 2024

Application deadline: November 8, 2023

Residency:  February 12 – 23, 2024

ONLINE

This two-week online residency provides broad thematic teaching from faculty members, Fawn Parker and Annick McAskill, Q&A sessions and workshopping. Instructors will discuss ideas, experiences, and obstacles that you may be encountering with your writing of both poetry and fiction.

One-on-one mentorship will allow you to receive direct mentorship on craft and professional development. Writers in all creative genres are invited to apply.

https://www.banffcentre.ca/programs/late-winter-writers-residency-online-2024/20240212