Abbotsford – The Fraser Valley Writers Festival began as the Mission Writers & Readers Festival in 2008. Founded by the Lifetime Learning Centre Society, the MWRF ran for a decade before they passed operation of the festival to the University of the Fraser Valley’s English Department. The Festival now runs every fall at the University of the Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford campus.
Unique in Canada, the FVWF commissions new writing from both established and up-and-coming authors. Past participants include Jordan Abel, Gurjinder Basran, Shashi Bhat, Lorna Crozier, Alicia Elliott, Marsha Lederman, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Jen Sookfong Lee, Harrison Mooney, Danny Ramadan, Waubgeshig Rice, David A Robertson and Michael V Smith.
Friday, Nov 1
7:00 PM – Keynotes
Billy-Ray Belcourt
Angela Sterritt
Saturday, Nov 2
10:00 AM – Workshops
Carleigh Baker – Short Fiction
Anita Lahey – Multi-Genre
11:00 AM – Panel 1 – “Revise”
Adrienne Gruber (Chair)
Carleigh Baker
Richard Kelly Kemick
Anita Lahey
Loghan Paylor
1:15 PM – Workshops & Podcast
Kate Black – Non-Fiction
Marc Perez – Poetry
Richard Kelly Kemick – Fiction
French & Lahey – Page Fright Podcast
2:15 PM – Panel 2 – “Abandon”
Loghan Paylor (Chair)
Kate Black
Adrienne Gruber
Marc Perez
Onjana Yawnghwe
