A tale of shapeshifters, runaway organs, and angry sasquatches
Book Review: Return of the Trickster by Eden Robinson I am bereft. When you turn the final pages of a story that’s spanned several books, you have built up a relationship with the characters, and it can be heartbreaking to say goodbye. This is what happened to me and other Eden Robinson fans who have […]
Book Review: Sufferance by Thomas King
Book Review: Sufferance by Thomas King “We Exist at the Sufferance of Others.” With these final words scribbled at the bottom of his last assignment, Forecaster left. The protagonist of Thomas King’s novel Sufferance, Jeremiah Camp, a.k.a. Forecaster, could look into the hidden motives of humanity and see patterns that held opportunities for the uber-rich. He saw something […]
6 Top Tips on Pitching Your Book to a Publisher
6 Top Tips on Pitching Your Book to a Publisher By Stella Harvey 1. Research the publisher you are pitching to. Understand what they publish. 2. You have 15 minutes with the publisher, spend half of that time talking about your book and yourself. In other words, approximately 7 of the 15 minutes. 3. When talking about […]
A Festival for Reminiscence and Reflection
A Festival for Reminiscence and Reflection by Terence Young P: Libby McKeever, former librarian, and Jane Millen, teacher, with students attending Terence’s writing workshop in 2010. The last time I attended the Whistler Writers Festival was, I believe, in the fall of 2010. Patricia [Young] was reading from a new collection, and I had just […]
Making Space For Me in the Circle
Making Space for Me in the Circle: A Memory from the 2018 Whistler Writers Festival by Darrel J. McLeod P: Janet Rogers, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Eden Robinson, and Darrel J. McLeod The 2018 Festival was the stuff dreams are made of… dreams that come true. For the Friday evening jazz cabaret, I shared the stage with a few of […]
Portrait of an Activist: Book Review
Portrait of an Activist: Book review: Petra by Shaena Lambert by Katherine Fawcett Petra, the latest book by award-winning Vancouver author Shaena Lambert, is a compelling fictionalized biography of feminist, activist and Germany’s original Green Party leader Petra Kelly. Set in Germany in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, it’s a meticulously researched and creatively presented study […]
How the festival was born
How the festival was born Did you know that the seed for the Whistler Writers Festival was planted in Stella Harvey‘s living room twenty years ago? Some 20-25 folks brought delicious homemade meals for the potluck, and their interest in hearing author Andreas Schroeder read from his work and give a talk on the subject […]
Blog by D.A. Lockhart
From Song Arises Verse: Notes on Pandemic Haibun D.A. Lockhart It is the best part of us that turns towards song when healing is sought. It is an act that forgoes words, instead seeks motion and the primal forces of melody and rhythm. Amongst the Lenape, my ancestors and relations, we have called these songs […]
Blog by Stella Harvey
It’s the Company by Stella Harvey “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Seneca Typically we take a breath, maybe two. That laidback laziness should last at least three months. It never does. Planning begins almost immediately. I can’t outrun my obsessive-compulsive nature. The planner in me can’t change her spots. Half the […]
Blog by C.V. Gauthier
Libraries and Little Connections by C.V. Gauthier I grew up in a rural community, in a tiny bungalow, the middle kid in a large family. The small bookshelf in my house had a standard set of encyclopedias and a set of abridged children’s classics, both purchased from some lucky travelling salesman. Books acquired by my […]