by Gillian Crowley –
Since its inception in 2013, the Sidney LitFest has grown to become a major event for those who love to read and write. This year the organizers – all volunteers – have added an additional evening event and invited authors who represent some of the best in Canadian fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The April 11 to 14 festival also offers three writing workshops led by well-known authors Fred Stenson, Carla Funk and Susan Juby.
For anyone new to such an event, the festival can be a revelation. “When authors discuss and read from their books, it brings a whole new dynamic to the listener,” says Janet Daines, president of the Sidney Literary Society. “The chance to discover more about the writer and their process can deepen and broaden our understanding of their work.”
Deciding which authors to invite to this year’s festival was not an easy task: Daines points out that our area is rich in talent. “In fact, four LitFest authors in the region have won major awards in the past year – Esi Edugyan, Darrel J. McLeod and Kathy Page as well as poet Lorna Crozier who recently received the George Woodcock lifetime achievement award for her body of work.”
Sidney LitFest launches on the evening of April 11 with a conversation between Esi Edugyan, two-time winner of the prestigious Giller Prize, and Carla Funk, Victoria’s inaugural poet laureate. The discussion will revolve around Edugyan’s latest book, Washington Black, followed by questions from the audience. This event and two of the writing workshops will be held at the SHOAL Centre with the majority of events taking place at the Mary Winspear Centre.
Friday evening, a cabaret style “Wine, Words and Music” kicks off with local swing, blues and roots band Beats Workin’ while participants relax with a complimentary glass of wine and appetizers. The main event is a lively panel discussion led by Susan Reece who also hosts Sidney LitFest’s annual reading series. Panelists will be authors Kathy Page (Dear Evelyn), Kate Harris (Lands of Lost Borders), CC Humphreys (the Jack Absolute series) and Carla Funk, poet and essayist.
Saturday will be a busy day for book lovers and budding writers. Festival-goers can attend author readings and a panel discussion or choose from three half-day writing workshops on fiction, poetry and memoir writing. Saturday’s authors include Carmen Aguirre, Monique Gray Smith, Timothy Taylor and others mentioned above. In between the sessions, participants can purchase books at the Tanner’s Books table and have them signed by the authors.
Saturday evening’s “Authors Ashore” celebration is hosted by the inimitable Jack Knox, author and Times Colonist journalist. He will moderate a panel of five: David Chariandy, Lorna Crozier, Steven Heighton, Wayne Johnston, and Darrel J. McLeod. Chariandy’s Brother received the 2017 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and McLeod won the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for nonfiction for Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age.
The festival winds up Sunday morning with the popular “Breakfast with the Authors” which gives small groups of participants a chance to sit and talk with an author over a hot breakfast.
Daines is pleased that a long tradition of support for the visual arts on the Peninsula has now embraced the literary arts as well. “Lit fests are important because they allow us to step into the lives of others, be it the authors themselves, or the characters they’ve created,” she says. “We learn about and can empathize with those who are worlds away. I believe it makes us better people.”
