The University of the Fraser Valley hosts 10 acclaimed authors from British Columbia and Ontario for a celebration of Canadian literary excellence on Nov. 1 and 2.
The 2024 Fraser Valley Writers Festival, now in its 17th year, features nine free events spread over the two days at UFV’s Abbotsford campus, including keynote addresses, panel discussions, writer workshops and a live podcast recording.
FVWF director Rob Taylor said interest in the event has increased each year.
"We’ve done our best to try to keep up, almost doubling the number of events we offer. Whether you’re interested in hearing the latest work from a favourite author or learning hands-on how to improve your own writing, we hope this year’s festival has a little something for everyone," he said.
Two of B.C.’s most celebrated writers headline opening night: Billy-Ray Belcourt, poet and author from the Driftpile Cree Nation, and Angela Sterritt, award-winning investigative journalist and national bestselling author from Wilp Wiik’aax of the Gitanmaax community.
Belcourt and Sterritt, both previous finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction, will speak on their lives and writing, including their new books Coexistence (Hamish Hamilton) and Unbroken (Greystone Books).
The following day will be packed with workshops for aspiring writers and panel discussions from a wide range of poets and fiction, non-fiction, and comic authors.
Among them will be Abbotsford’s own Loghan Paylor, a queer trans author who has been longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize for their debut novel, The Cure for Drowning.
Also in attendance will be:
• Carleigh Baker, short fiction author and winner of the City of Vancouver Book Award (Last Woman);
• Kate Black, essayist and National Magazine Awards' Best Emerging Author winner (Big Mall);
• Adrienne Gruber, author of four books of poetry and essays (Monsters, Martyrs, and Marionettes);
• Richard Kelly Kemick, poet, memoirist, and fiction writer (Hello, Horse);
• Anita Lahey, poet, essayist and Ottawa Book Award finalist (While Supplies Last and Fire Monster);
• Marc Perez, poet, fiction and non-fiction writer (Dayo); and
• Onjana Yawnghwe, poet and two-time Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize nominee (We Follow the River).
All events are free and open to the public. Visit fvwritersfestival.com to register or for more information.