The Ottawa International Writers Festival is a literary festival which takes place twice annually, in spring and fall, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Festival was founded in 1997 by Irish-born Neil Wilson as, according to Wilson, "an excuse to bring over Irish poets and writers," but would expand into a [1] The festival began to run twice a year in 2004. [1] [2] Each edition of the Festival features speakers and authors from across Canada and around the world, giving talks and readings on topics ranging from poetry and fiction to current events, science, philosophy, politics, music, film, history and biography. There are also stand-alone events held throughout the year, and a children's program that brings children's authors to schools and libraries. It is considered one of Canada's greatest literary festivals. [3]
A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings by authors, as well as other events, delivered over a period of several days, with the primary objectives of promoting the authors' books and fostering a love of literature and writing.
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, following winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of the term varies according to local climate, cultures and customs. When it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it is autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. At the spring equinox, days and nights are approximately twelve hours long, with day length increasing and night length decreasing as the season progresses.
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec; the two form the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR). As of 2016, Ottawa had a city population of 934,243 and a metropolitan population of 1,323,783 making it the fourth-largest city and the fifth-largest CMA in Canada.
The Festival's current major venue is the Christchurch Cathedral Centre, [4] although events are also held in other locations in Ottawa. [5]
Jane Urquhart, Order of Canada OC is a Canadian novelist and poet born in Geraldton, Ontario. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her evocative style which blends history with the present day. Her first novel, The Whirlpool, gained her international recognition when she became the first Canadian to win France's prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger. Her subsequent novels were even more successful. Away, published in 1993, won the Trillium Award and was a national bestseller. In 1997, her fourth novel, The Underpainter, won the Governor General's Literary Award.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a book festival that takes place in the last three weeks of August every year in Charlotte Square in the centre of Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh. Billed as The largest festival of its kind in the world, the festival hosts a concentrated flurry of cultural and political talks and debates, along with its well-established children's events programme.
Alanis Obomsawin, is an American Canadian Abenaki filmmaker, singer, artist and activist primarily known for her documentaries. Born in New Hampshire, United States and raised primarily in Quebec, Canada, she has written and directed many National Film Board of Canada documentaries on First Nations issues.
The Prague Writers' Festival (PWF) is an annual literary festival in Prague, Czech Republic, taking place every spring since 1991. In 2005 the festival was also held in Vienna. Many of the events are broadcast via the internet. International literary figures to have appeared at the festival include John Banville, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Salman Rushdie, Irvine Welsh, William Styron and Nadine Gordimer.
Alison Pick is a Canadian novelist and poet. She has published two novels, a memoir, and two collections of poetry.
Wordfest is a not-for-profit arts organization that produces one of Canada's largest international literary festivals, taking place each October in Calgary, Alberta. In addition to the yearly festival, Wordfest also facilitates and hosts year-round events, including poetry and spoken word performances, current event panels, publishing industry workshops, art installations, and youth and multilingual programming.
Litquake is San Francisco's annual literary festival. Originally starting out as Litstock for a single day in Golden Gate Park the spring of 1999, it now has a ten-day run in mid-October, as well as year-round programs and workshops.
The West Port Book Festival was a book festival which was held in Edinburgh from 2008-2012. Initially it took place in August during the busy Edinburgh Festival season, but later it was held at different times in the year. The idea and the driving force behold the Festival was Hannah Adcock.
The Brooklyn Book Festival is an annual book fair held in the fall in Brooklyn, New York. It was begun in 2006 by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, co-producers Liz Koch and Carolyn Greer who wanted to showcase the "Brooklyn voice" in literature, as numerous authors reside in the borough. However, in subsequent years the fair has expanded its scope and hosted many non-Brooklyn and international writers, including Joan Didion, Dennis Lehane, John Reed, Rosanne Cash, Salman Rushdie, Karl Ove Knausgård and Dave Eggers.
This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 2010.
The Eden Mills Writers' Festival is held annually in the village of Eden Mills, which is approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The festival includes readings by poets, authors, and other writers at various outdoor venues throughout the village. The festival occurs on the second Sunday after Labour Day in September. In previous years more than 40 Canadian authors appeared to give readings and interact with audiences, including notable Canadian writers such as Margaret Atwood and P. K. Page. On September 15, 2013, the Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Word – University of Aberdeen writers festival was a book festival that took place from 1999 until 2011, initially every two years and latterly every year, over a weekend of May at the University of Aberdeen. Authors, thinkers and commentators from all over the world came each year to Aberdeen for a three-day celebration of the written word with a mix of readings, discussions, films and exhibitions. There was also a Schools' and Children's festival.
CAN•CON, or more completely "CAN•CON: The Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature", is a periodic science fiction and fantasy convention in Ottawa put on by The Society for Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature. Founded in 1991 by James Botte and Farrell McGovern in response to a perception that there were no dedicated public venues that featured primarily Canadian speculative fiction writers, editors, and artists. In addition to the focus on Canadian content, it was also an attempt to bring a focus on the book back to Ottawa science fiction and fantasy events. It ran from 1992 through 1997, and again in 2001 before taking a hiatus of several years due to financial constraints; it was then relaunched in 2010.
The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Hyderabad Literary Festival or HLF is a literary festival held in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is a 3-day annual event that celebrates creativity in all its forms. Every year has a guest nation, and an Indian language in focus.
Lit for Life is an annual literary festival organised by the English daily The Hindu in Chennai, India. The festival was inaugurated in 2010, where it was part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Hindu 's Literary Review. In 2011 the Lit for Life became an independent one-day event. It has over the years developed into a three-day festival of literature and thought, featuring notable authors and speakers from all over the world. In 2020, the festival, that always takes place in mid-January, will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary. Main initiator and organiser of the Lit for Life is Dr Nirmala Lakshman, Director of The Hindu Group of Publications, and Chairperson of the Board of The Hindu Tamil.
The Bookworm is a China-based literary organization with three bookstores by the same name in Beijing, Chengdu and Suzhou. In addition to selling books, The Bookworm is a restaurant, cafe, event space and library with more than 50,000 English and Chinese titles. Lonely Planet called it one of the “world’s greatest bookshops.”
The Vancouver Writers Fest is a non-profit organization that produces a variety of literary events in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its main event is the Vancouver Writers Fest, which is an annual week-long literary festival held on Granville Island, Vancouver in late October. Writers from Canada and abroad attend the festival to perform readings, interviews and panel discussions. The organization also runs the Incite reading series in the spring and the Spreading the Word schools program year-round.