SALON Theatre Productions, in partnership with Kingston WritersFest, presents two literary evenings at the Central Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, 130 Johnson Street. The two events are part of the SirJohnA2015’s Macdonald Week programming January 6-11 in Kingston ON.

As Merilyn Simonds takes her leave of Kingston WritersFest after five years as Artistic Director and one year as Fund Development Manager, the Festival is moving ahead with a legacy initiative in her name. The Merilyn Simonds Protégé Project will reflect Simonds’ passion for the mentoring of young writers, in particular high-school students who confront challenging circumstances that might limit their creative opportunities and aspirations.

Wally Lamb, interviewed by CBC’s Michael Enright, opens the Festival on Wednesday, September 24, in the International Marquee. His international best-selling We Are Water is complex, filled with slowly revealed secrets and the damage they cause, and told through characters so real that it’s impossible to believe they are not about to walk through the door and interrupt your reading.