Kingston WritersFest
209 Wellington St. K7K 2Y6 Kingston, ON, Canada

Kingston Area Gamers Meetup is having their first conference, "KAG-Con", this weekend and it has started today! As part of it, they're having a small flash fiction contest open to all writers, both new and established. Your fiction piece needs to respond to a prompt that was only just posted this morning and you need to have your piece submitted by Sunday April 18th at midnight. It's free to enter and first place wins $70. ... Learn more here: https://sites.google.com/view/kingston-area-gamers/home

Thank you to all those who joined us on Friday for Relax, Dammit. We hope you had a great time and enjoyed the dinner provided by Union Kitchen. Congratulations, as well, to our two giveaway winners! We look forward to having you all join us again for our next event on April 27th! Click the link to learn more: https://www.kingstonwritersfest.ca//an-evening-with-wayne/

Don't forget to join Novel Idea Bookstoretomorrow at Catherine Fogarty's virtual book launch! Click the link below to find out more information. https://fb.me/e/2gk96NGSk

Join us on April 27th for an evening with Wayne Grady. More information can be found below!

Kingston Arts Council is now accepting applications to a new stream of the City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) called Resilience. Resiliency grants will support individual professional artists to continue to work and work safely in their artistic practice. Individual professional artists of any discipline can apply for a grant of $1,000 or $2,000. Learn more on their website: http://www.artskingston.ca/resiliency-apply-to-the-city-of/

From the famed author of The House of Spirits and A Long Petal of the Sea, Isabel Allende presents her latest book, The Soul of a Woman, where she meditates on aging, romance, sex, love, and, above all, the value of her own feminist life which began in kindergarten, when she saw her mother, abandoned with three small children, forced to become dependent on men. As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she was mired in the thrill of second wave of feminism among a tr...ibe of like-minded female journalists and we learn how this brand of strong and smart women showed her how to be comfortable in her own skin, as they wrote with a knife between our teeth about women’s issues. The author charts the evolution of her own fluid, powerful, deep feminism as it relates to her self-image and her career as one of today’s most successful storytellers. Isabel Allende talks with writer, actor and playwright, Carmen Aguirre (Something Fierce) about Allende’s memoir, The Soul of a Woman. Register and tune in LIVE on April 15 at 12-1pm EDT or watch the replay at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/allendesoul/

Dinnertime is coming soon! On Friday, April 9th at 7:00 pm EDT, we're welcoming author Timothy Caulfield and Ben Charland to our virtual stage. Buy a dinner ticket by Monday, April 5th and be entered to win a copy of Timothy's book. Link: https://www.kingstonwritersfest.ca/event/relax-dammit/... *Reminder that dinner tickets will only be sold until Monday, April 5th but tickets to the event will be available until Friday, April 9th

Thank you to the Kingston Local for chatting with us about Relax, Dammit! A Fundraiser with Timothy Caulfield!

One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series presents author Russell Banks speaking with Globe and Mail contributing writer, Sandra Martin, about his novel Foregone and what it takes to create a character with so much to hide. Register and tune in LIVE on March 25 at 7-8pm EDT or watch the replay at: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/banksforegone/ **... Set in Montreal, American writer, Russell Banks’ novel, Foregone , is a moving examination of a life and the painful things we hide - from our community, our family and even ourselves. As Leonard Fife is in the last throws of a long and fruitful artistic career, a young filmmaker listens, documenting Leonard pouring out moments from his past, things he’s never told anyone and things that have the potential to undercut his entire legacy as an artist. Structured around Fife’s secret memories and alternating between the experiences of the characters who are filming his confession, the novel challenges our assumptions and understanding about a significant lost chapter in American history and the nature of memory itself. Russell Banks gives us a daring and resonant work about the scope of one man’s mysterious life, revealed through the fragments of his recovered past. Russell Banks talks with Globe and Mail contributing writer, Sandra Martin, about his novel and what it takes to create a character with so much to hide. Register and tune in LIVE on March 25 at 7-8pm EDT or watch the repla See more

Union Kitchen + Cocktails has dreamt up a drool-worthy spread for this event. Course 1- Salad Is Healthy...Right?? Union Salad- Warm Kale and Caramelized Brusse...ls Sprouts, Bacon, Parmesan, Almonds, Balsamic Vinaigrette, More Cheese... Course 2- I Think It's Time To Relax... Roasted Salmon- (In one study, adults who ate Atlantic salmon three times per week for five months reported less anxiety than those who ate chicken, pork or beef. Moreover, they had improved anxiety-related symptoms, such as heart rate and heart rate variability!) -Turmeric Rice, Sauteed Spring Vegetables, Citrus/Herb Vinaigrette. Course 3- Tomorrow's Problem Coffee Cake with Toffee Sauce- made from scratch in house. Best served warm, and preferably with a fork, but it's okay to get messy. Worry about it tomorrow ;)

Our first prefestival event of the season is coming up in a few weeks. Join us for a delicious fundraiser featuring dinner from Union Kitchen + Cocktails and food for thought from Timothy Caulfield, author of "Relax, Dammit! A User's Guide to the Age of Anxiety". About the author: Timothy is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, author of two national bestsellers: "The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness", and "Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash", and is the host and co-producer of the documentary TV series, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.

One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series presents award-winning author, James McBride, speaking with author and journalist, Omar El Akkad, about Deacon King Kong, McBride’s newest novel. Register and tune in LIVE on November 19 at 7-8 pm EST or watch the replay at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/onepagemcbride ... ** In Deacon King Kong, McBride masterfully tells the story of the shooting of a neighbourhood drug dealer by the local deacon and the subsequent blowback felt by the people who witnessed the shooting. In true McBride style, this story is a vivid portrayal of the tumultuous swirl of New York in the late 1960s that brings to life distinct characters who must face their own fears and secrets in order to survive. James McBride speaks with award-winning author and journalist Omar El Akkad (American War) in this special event. Register and tune in LIVE on November 19 at 7-8 pm EST or watch the replay at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/onepagemcbride

Tune in to CFRC 101.9fm Monday for the interview! CFRC is also in the midst of their annual funding drive, with lots of great prizes from local businesses available to donors!

Have a fabulous Saturday! . . . .... . . . . . . . . . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookslover #read #reading #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readyourbooks #readabook #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookish #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookislife See more

The Department of English Language and Literature at Queen’s University invites you to the 9th annual Page Lecture on October 20th, 2020, featuring celebrated Canadian poet and literary theorist Fred Wah. Wah’s lecture, titled The Simple, will be held online via Zoom at 2:30 pm (EST) on October 20th.... Please see the attached poster, and register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_5qARoDYKSoC3LvfMk6cnPg After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. We look forward to seeing you on October 20th! Please feel free to share this invitation with others. Brief biography of Fred Wah: Fred Wah is a titan of Canadian letters, with dozens of publications, much of which is included in Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems 1962-1991 (2015). Other titles include Waiting for Saskatchewan (1985, Governor General’s Award), Diamond Grill (1996, Howard O’Hagan Short Fiction Award), and Faking It: Poetics and Hybridity (2000, Gabrielle Roy Prize for Canadian Literature). Fred is a former Parliamentary Poet Laureate (2011-13). Most recently, he has worked with Rita Wong on a poetry map for River Relations: A Beholder’s Share of the Columbia River. A new edition of Music at the Heart of Thinking: Improvisations was published this fall.

The 2020 Virtual Festival is now available for (re)viewing on our YouTube channel All pre-season and onstage events are available, free of charge. Share widely and enjoy! #KWF2020 #readers #writers #YGK

Another great piece from The Kingston Local. Find out more about Barbara's journey through the festival, and the exciting things she has lined up next!

Our festival attendee survey closes at midnight tomorrow. Let us know what you thought of the 2020 virtual festival. You could win a festival pass for next year, or a book bundle! Have your say here: https://www.kingstonwritersfest.ca/survey-2/

We are proud to be a founding member of One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series! Join us for the launch of the first event on Thursday, October 8 from 12:00 -1:00 pm EDT with Barbara Kingsolver, in an online talk hosted by Aparita Bhandari. The conversation will centre around Kingsolver’s moving and often funny collection of poetry, How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons), in her first event for Canadians in many years. Register and watch live at crowdcast.io/e/onepagekingsolver Stay tuned for content throughout the fall, featuring international writers talking directly to Canadian audiences.

Do you have a passion for the arts and a strong administrative background? This may be the opportunity you’ve been looking for. Reporting to the Artistic Director, the Operations Manager has a shared responsibility for the overall management and operations of Kingston WritersFest Inc, including The Festival and its offseason events and activities. As the Operations Manager, you will be responsible for effectively managing the day-to-day operations of the WritersFest corporati...on and its staff, and specifically, overseeing budgeting, finance, and human resources management and customer care. Kingston WritersFest is seeking candidates with the following attributes: Minimum 3 years financial and administrative practices and management, preferably in a cultural not-for-profit organization Knowledge of public and private-sector funding and fund development management and practices as well as federal and provincial legislation as it applies to the charitable sector Experience with working with a board of directors Skills in Human Resources management and contract negotiation Effective written and verbal communication skills. Leadership skills, including effective team building and supervision. Demonstrated knowledge of budget development and monitoring, sound financial practices and capacity to make budgetary recommendations Competence in drafting operational policies and procedures Experience in creating and executing a sound operational plan, based on Board-approved Strategic Plan University degree or College diploma in finance, or a degree or diploma in a related field or commensurate professional experience Location: Kingston, Ontario Term: Permanent Full-time Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience How to apply: Please submit your cover letter and resume electronically to [email protected]. The deadline to apply is Monday, November 23, 2020, 5:30 pm EST. Please note that late applications will not be accepted. For full details of the position, please follow this link. Interviews for selected candidates will take place via Zoom during the week of November 30.

Tune in to the Scotiabank Giller Prize announcement tonight! The list of finalists includes 3(!) #KWF2020 alum - Gil Adamson, Emily St. John Mandel, and Shani Mootoo. Best of luck to all the talented authors.

In Anne Enright's seventh novel, Actress, the Irish writer explores the creation and destruction of celebrity in the character of Katherine O'Dell as told through the eyes of her daughter, Norah. Along the way, Enright traces the tragic legacy that Katherine's celebrity leaves when she dies young and the unique world that Norah grows up in with a mother whose pain ultimately pushes her into madness. It's one part A Star is Born with the portrayal of fame on an individual lif...e trajectory and the rise and fall; and it's one part The Joy Luck Club with its complex and contradictory view of the bonds between mothers and daughters. Anne Enright talks about Actress with the editor of Canadian Notes & Queries, Emily Donaldson, and the complex relationship that binds us to and cuts us off from our childhood heroes as well as to the pull of celebrity and its potential for destruction. Register and tune in LIVE on October 15 at 12 pm EDT or watch the replay at crowdcast.io/e/onepageenright See more

The Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist has been announced. Congratulations to all of the nominees, including 2020 KWF alumni Gil Adamson, Shani Mootoo, and Emily St. John Mandel!

Congratulations to 2020 KWF authors Steve Heighton, Lorna Crozier and Tessa McWatt for their nominations for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction!

Coming up soon! This year, the English Department at Queen’s University welcomes Canadian poet Fred Wah to give the 9th annual Page Lecture. Fred’s lecture, called The Simple, will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 20th, 2020 and will be held online via Zoom. Register for the event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_5qARoDYKSoC3LvfMk6cnPg Fred Wah is a titan of Canadian letters, with dozens of publications, much of which is included in Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems ...1962-1991 (2015). Other titles include Waiting for Saskatchewan (1985, Governor General’s Award), Diamond Grill (1996, Howard O’Hagan Short Fiction Award), and Faking It: Poetics and Hybridity (2000, Gabrielle Roy Prize for Canadian Literature). Fred is a former Parliamentary Poet Laureate (2011-13). Most recently, he has worked with Rita Wong on a poetry map for River Relations: A Beholder’s Share of the Columbia River. A new edition of Music at the Heart of Thinking: Improvisations is to be published this fall. https://www.facebook.com/events/642836743297759/ See more

Join Carol Off for a visionary exercise about what the future holds, with statistician Darrell Bricker, economist Jeff Rubin, novelist Catherine Bush, and novelist and memoirist Tessa McWatt. With unprecedented global upheaval, and huge challenges to be addressed the ongoing health catastrophe of COVID-19, systemic and institutional racism, income instability, the rapaciousness of big business, and the climate crisis NGOs advocate a just recovery/Green New Deal as a way forward. Do these proposals stand up to analysis? Are they right for us as individuals? As a nation? Media Sponsor: @The Walrus Author Patrons: Mary Ann Higgs, Darrell Bricker; Chez Piggy Restaurant, Catherine Bush; David O’Toole and Julie Leclerc, Tessa McWatt, Virginia Gordon and Lynne Kenny, Jeff Rubin; Ann-Maureen and Peter Owens, Carol Off

TONIGHT AT 7pm on FACEBOOK LIVE

Hey folks - we're so excited about today's offerings for Kingston WritersFest 2020 The Online Edition! We had remarkable turn outs for our Writers Studio Master Class sessions this morning -- coming up at 4pm we have a stellar poetry event 11. Poetry for Where We Find Ourselves which will feature a collaborative poetry project with Skeleton Park Arts Fest; You can still attend the free Zoom event, sponsored by U.S. Embassy Ottawa: 12. Diner Cuisine: Tradition and Taste from the Catskills even if you missed out on the ordering deadline for the accompanying dinner from Chez Piggy Restaurant; Tonight is the 13. Robertson Davies Lecture: Black Lives Matter with Desmond Cole and Anita Jack-Davies!

Barbara Bell chats with Ontario morning about this year's online version of Kingston WritersFest!

Join #KingstonWritersFest Artistic Director Barbara Bell on @CBCOntMorning at 8:15am. She'll share her picks for this year and talk about how the programming shifted as she prepared to take us online during a pandemic. #KWF2020

With thanks, as always, to our friend Peter Hendra at Kingston Whig-Standard for being so engaged with the arts in Kingston! #KWF2020 #Festival #Readers #Writers #ygk