Every year our little town plays host to the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. This is its 36th straight year and its the longest running writers fest to feature solely Canadian writers. It’s a fun and book-filled weekend every August and I always look forward to it. I’ve gotten to enjoy it simply as a guest and through my job.
This year I’ve decided I’m going to attempt to read at least one book from each author in attendance. That’s 22 authors in total, which isn’t an insane number. There are several I was already planning on reading (and I have a stack out of the library currently) but also several that would never have been on my To Read list otherwise.
The complete list is below:
Randy Boyagoda
Alicia Elliot
Terry Fallis
Chantal Gibson
Rachel Giese
Ian Hampton
Elizabeth Hay
Ann Hui
Nazanine Hozar
Michael Klein
Chelene Knight
Keith Maillard
Lee Maracle
Katharine Penfold
Adam Pottle
Eden Robinson
Peter Robinson
Yasuko Thanh
Rhea Tregebov
Richard van Camp
Ian Williams
Lindsay Wong
Italicized names are authors I’ve read before though I haven’t read their most recent titles, which are most likely what they’ll be discussing at the Festival. I hope to catch up on at least some of those but I’ll start by focusing on the authors I’ve never read. I’m already able to cross Lindsay Wong off, having finished The Woo Woo and I’m currently reading Boys by Rachel Giese.
Have you read any of these authors? Does your town have any sort of reading or writing festival?
Karissa Reads Books 
Not a single one! Good luck – hope you find some new favourites. There’s nothing in my town but I’m only about 12 miles from Stirling which hosts Bloody Scotland each year – a major crime writing festival. I say every year that I’ll go… but of course, I’ve never done it. Procrastination is my superpower… 😉
I like the variety of authors they bring in. There are usually 2 or 3 “big” names (big within CanLit circles) and then lots of new authors and lesser knowns, a few poets etc. I hope I might find an author I wouldn’t have read otherwise. A Scottish crime writing festival sounds almost made for you!
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What a fun idea! I’ll be curious to see which ones you get read!
Thanks! I’ve read some good books already that I might not have otherwise.
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