The University of the Fraser Valley’s writer-in-residence, Anosh Irani, will be the keynote speaker at the fifth annual Mission Writers and Readers Festival this Saturday at Heritage Park Centre.
This successful ongoing community event will feature readings by established writers, participatory workshops, and a speed networking session with local writers and editors.
This year, the emphasis will be “how to get published,” and two of the workshops will focus on this area.
The morning workshops will be “From Scene to Plot” with UFV creative writing instructor Rajneesh Dhawan, whose own play received a staged reading at Abbotsford’s Reach Gallery last year, and “Publishing: Connecting with the Invisible World,” with long-time writer and editor Marion Quednau.
The afternoon workshops will be “Basic Chapbook Design and Marketing” with Steve Duncan, and “Writing Poetry” with Billeh Nickerson.
Speednetworkers will include local writer and translator John Herl; Rhett Nicholson, publisher of the local Optimix magazine for teens; Sharon Syrette, local Mission historian; Ken Herar, cultural columnist for the Abbotsford Times; and Steve Duncan. Participants will circulate for five minute conversations with these experts, who can talk about writing, publishing and research.
The event is co-sponsored by the UFV English Department and the Fraser Valley Regional Library, and organized by the Mission Lifetime Learning Centre. Vancouver poet Billeh Nickerson will also present a poetry reading.
Registration is $10 for students, $30 for general admission, and lunch can be purchased for $7. Pre-registration is encouraged, especially for Steve Duncan’s workshop.
You can pre-register at the Lifetime Learning Centre by calling 604-820-0220 or visiting www.lifetimelearningcentre.org. On-site registration will open at 9:30 a.m. on March 10.