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Stitching in Time: Historical Fiction
Bellevue Room, Holiday Inn 2 Princess St, KingstonJoin international best-selling author Jennifer Robson as she unpicks, in gorgeous detail, Princess Elizabeth’s super-secret wedding gown in post-war Britain. With glimpses into royal protocols, couturier design houses, and the desperate privations of two young women who work on the gown, Jennifer illuminates a time when a nation set aside its desperate worries and celebrated […]
Visual Storytelling
Sir John A. Macdonald Room Holiday Inn, Kingston Waterfront, 2 Princess St, KingstonImages have the power of saying a lot with a little. In this class, educator, entrepreneur, and creative Claire Bouvier shows you the importance of light and darkness when telling a story and how to use different perspectives to emotionally connect with your audience. After a brief outdoor photography expedition, an exploratory opportunity to take photographs as […]
The Long Table
Grandview, Delta Hotel 1 Johnson St, KingstonWhat happens when you gather people around at a long table for a delicious meal served family-style? Storytelling, of course, and lots of it. And connection. Break bread with professor of nutrition, chef, and food blogger (ameliaeats.com) Amy Symington for a delectable spread of “I-can’t-believe-it’s-veggie” dishes, served at a long table, family style, After the […]
Fighting for Their Rights: The Untold Story of Black Train Porters in Early Canada
Islandview Room, Holiday Inn 2 Princess St, Kingston“Blacks have always been part of the Canadian story,” says author Cecil Foster, “but Canada did not always recognize the contributions that blacks have made.” When white unions refused to allow black workers into their ranks, the porters formed their own organizations to demand respect for their labour. In conversation with Lawrence Scanlan, Cecil presents […]
Beyond the First Draft: Polishing Your Work *93% SOLD*
St. Lawrence Ballroom, Residence Inn by Marriott Kingston Water's Edge 7 Earl Street, KingstonAward-winning author Rabindranath Maharaj helps you get your work ready for publication, as he takes you through various subjects, including understanding your audience, matching length and style to genre and topic, and checking for continuity of description, timeline, language, and theme. Robin explains the critical refining decisions that lead to a viable final draft, encourages group discussion, and allows thirty […]
Lady Franklin Writes: Where Historians Dare Not Go
Bellevue Room, Holiday Inn 2 Princess St, KingstonIn her debut novel, Erika Behrisch Elce explores the doomed Franklin Expedition from a fresh perspective, that of Franklin’s wife. The story begins with her anticipation of Sir John’s return and continues through her campaign for answers after his death. Written in a lively and instantly believable voice, this epistolary novel speaks back to standard […]
And the Journey Continues
Garden, Holiday Inn 2 Princess St, KingstonA hit every year! Come celebrate emerging local talent with a set of energizing, provocative, and powerful spoken-word performances. Headlined by Kingston’s own verbal powerhouse Allison Chisholm, Toronto spoken-word poet Abena Beloved Green, and Poetry in Voice artist Cyrena Fiel, this event promises to make you see the world in a different way – maybe more […]
Sicilian Awakenings: Fiction
Islandview Room, Holiday Inn 2 Princess St, KingstonSome authors peel back the layers of character to reveal what makes us truly human. Some survey the historical record to find the lines that unite us through time. And some explore the passion, desperation, and terrible power of creativity, and the need to make something magical. Very few novelists do all of these; author […]
Yoga and the Art of Relaxed Writing
St. Lawrence Ballroom, Residence Inn by Marriott Kingston Water's Edge 7 Earl Street, KingstonAuthor/ yoga teacher Kirsteen MacLeod helps you harness yoga’s power, free up your writing, and feed your creative flame. Gentle yoga poses, suitable for almost everyone, provide a jumping-off point for writing exercises. The body-centred process teaches you to work with less effort, generate new material intuitively, and apply new skills to advance your writing […]
An Evening with Dr. Jennifer Gunter *SOLD OUT!*
Grandview, Delta Hotel 1 Johnson St, Kingston*Tickets for this event are now SOLD OUT. A small number of tickets may be available at the door 10 minutes before the event start time. There is no waiting list. You must be in line for a chance to get a door ticket. Join Kingston WritersFest for a special evening event featuring Canadian OB/GYN, women's health […]
An Evening with Sally Armstrong
Grandview, Delta Hotel 1 Johnson St, Kingston*Advance ticket sales have now ended. Tickets are available at the door for $25* Join Kingston WritersFest for our final event of the 2019 season featuring award-winning author, journalist, and human rights activist Sally Armstrong. Sally will present her new book Power Shift: The Longest Revolution, the subject of her 2019 CBC Massey Lecture. Sally […]
An Evening with Tima Kurdi
Grant Hall 43 University Avenue, KingstonJoin Kingston WritersFest, the Queen's Student Experience Office, and Stauffer Library for a special offseason Queen’s Reads event featuring author Tima Kurdi as she discusses her book The Boy on the Beach. The Boy on the Beach is an intimate and poignant memoir about the family of Alan Kurdi—a young Syrian boy who became the […]
Dinner with Emily and Bill – A KWF Fundraiser
Dinner orders are now closed. If you wish to support the fundraiser, you can still purchase a ticket to attend the virtual event. Follow the link below. Join us for a private, limited-enrollment online festival fundraiser, featuring dinner, reading, and conversation with award-winning author Emily St. John Mandel and festival favourite Bill Richardson. Dinner Menu […]
An Evening with Emma Donoghue
We're starting the 2020 virtual program off on a high note, welcoming back festival favourite Emma Donoghue with her gorgeous new novel, The Pull of the Stars, which Booklist praised as "a gripping portrait of a world beset by a pandemic and political uncertainty. A fascinating read in these difficult times. Readers ardently pursue every book by […]
Michelle Good in Conversation
Zoom WebinarKingston WritersFest is pleased to present the second in our special bi-weekly series of pre-festival events. Join author and lawyer Michelle Good as she speaks with author and journalist Waub Rice about her novel Five Little Indians, the lasting impact of the residential school system, and how survivors work to come to terms with their past […]
Lorna Crozier and Steve Heighton, In Conversation
Zoom WebinarWith the third event in our series of pre-season events, we welcome two beloved KWF alumni to our virtual stage. Join poets and authors Lorna Crozier and Steve Heighton for a wide-ranging conversation on poetry, literature and life, with a sneak peek at their forthcoming memoirs! In Through the Garden: A Love Story (With Cats), […]
An Evening with Thomas King
Zoom WebinarJoin Kingston WritersFest as we welcome back two festival alumni for a virtual European holiday. Tune in as podcaster Ben Charland speaks with award-winning author Thomas King about Indians on Vacation, a witty and unforgettable new tale about a couple, Mimi and Bird, who unearth a stash of old postcards and attempt to trace Mimi’s long-lost […]
An Afternoon with Louise Penny
Zoom WebinarJoin us for the exclusive Canadian appearance of one of Kingston WritersFest's most requested guests, award-winning author Louise Penny. In this special fundraiser event, Louise will chat with veteran broadcaster Eric Friesen about her acclaimed career, her made in Canada approach to mystery, and her brand new book, the 16th novel in the Chief Inspector […]
Book Lovers’ Lunch
Zoom WebinarSave the date and get your notepads ready – here’s your backstage pass to the publishing industry! No one is more plugged in than Ben McNally of Toronto’s Ben McNally Books, and he is ready to give you another year of insightful book recommendations for discerning readers – need we mention the charm, verve, and […]
Celebrating the 2020 Trillium Book Award
The Word On The Street YouTube ChannelAn evening celebrating the English language Trillium Book Award for fiction featuring finalists Zalika Reid-Benta (Frying Plantain), Seth (Clyde Fans: A Picture Novel), Martha Baillie (Sister Language), and winner Téa Mutonji (Shut Up You’re Pretty) hosted by Ali Hassan. Tuesday September 22nd @ 7:00 pm ET Presented in partnership with The Word on the Street Toronto with support from Ontario Creates
1. Selling Your Story: Agent’s Pitch Assessment *REGISTRATION FULL*
Zoom WebinarHoping to land an agent for your brilliant work-in-progress or finished manuscript? Book your 10-minute time slot now for a chance to pitch your pet project to agent Stephanie Winter, of P.S. Literary Agency. The agency represents a diverse list of internationally published, award-winning, bestselling, and debut creators. Their client list ranges from literary and […]
2. An Evening with Helen Humphreys
Zoom WebinarAward-winning writer and former poet laureate of Kingston, Helen Humphreys brings us her newest grand and beautiful experiment in fiction: Rabbit Foot Bill. Set in a small prairie town, and based on a real-life story, it explores the ways people seek inner peace when their world has been upended. With an abiding love for, and […]
3. Our Canadian Values: Can They Heal the World?
Zoom WebinarJohn Stackhouse, author, journalist, and senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Policy, argues that Canada’s voice is in danger of being lost in the noise as larger powers and rapidly developing nations vociferously claim their place as international influencers. After Canada’s failure to gain a seat at the United Nations Security […]
4. Elevator Pitch: “Mega Drop” Fiction
Zoom WebinarWith his signature tantalizing plot and gut-churning tension, Linwood Barclay offers Elevator Pitch, a best-selling novel that provides the thrill of a big drop fairground ride. A Manhattan office tower elevator falls from the top floor to the bottom, killing all its occupants. Next thing you know, another falls the next day, and then another. […]
5. Graphic Description: Memoir of a Moonie
Zoom WebinarAs a young woman at a crossroads, Marianne Boucher was introduced to a group of simple, kind, and loving people. She felt connected right away. However, using subtle brainwashing techniques, these recruiters indoctrinated her into the cult of a frightening spiritual abuser. In searing graphic novel form, Marianne, now a courtroom sketch artist, shares the […]
Guest Storytime – Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe
Zoom WebinarJoin author and illustrator Matthew Forsythe for afternoon storytime, hosted by Kingston Frontenac Public Library. From E.B. White Read Aloud honor artist Matthew Forsythe comes a picture book about a magical drum, an emerald forest, and the little frog who dares to make her own music. The biggest mistake Pokko’s parents ever made was giving […]
6. #MeToo: Reclaiming Women’s Power By Outing Rape Culture
Zoom WebinarIn her review of Robyn Doolittle’s powerful book, Had It Coming, author Erin Wunker writes, “Now, after the watershed of #MeToo, where do we go and how might we get there?” Sexual harassment and rape culture are the realities that women face daily, and Robyn and fiction writer Danielle Younge-Ullman piece apart from the complex […]
7. Thriller Writing: Finding the Perfect Hook
Zoom WebinarHave you ever purchased a book on the strength of the first sentence or paragraph? That’s the power of a hook. With the right statement or question, you can create a hook that readers can’t ignore. Master of the hook, Linwood Barclay talks about how to go about generating immediate curiosity and a desire in […]
8. Reaching for Hope: Transformation of a World in Peril
Zoom WebinarCan humanity pull itself back from the abyss of extinction? In Commanding Hope, Thomas Homer-Dixon, analytical philosopher and author of bestsellers The Ingenuity Gap, and The Upside of Down, offers a compelling corrective to a prevailing pessimism that it’s too late to stave off climate catastrophe and that it’s hopeless to attempt change in time […]
9. Writing Outside the Box
Zoom WebinarMolson Award-winning experimental fiction writer Diane Schoemperlen shares her “box of tricks”, offering techniques for opening yourself to experimentation with literary form by using the page in unique ways, re-imagining the arrangement of text on the page, or incorporating visual elements. For the non-adventurous or stuck writer, or one who feels creativity welling but isn’t […]
10. Writing the Real *SOLD OUT*
Zoom Webinar*SOLD OUT* Award-winning author Joan Thomas investigates the literary sweet spot where imagination and actuality meet and cross-pollinate. As a class, you will look at the approaches of various novelists who treat real characters and events in forceful and contemporary ways. Joan talks about the research and writing processes she has developed when writing fiction […]
11. Poetry for Where We Find Ourselves
Zoom Webinar“What a place we find ourselves in now. What a mad and dangerous universe of possibility.” (Matt Suddain, The Theatre of the Gods) Poets Canisia Lubrin and Sadiqa de Meijer open up the universe of possibility in their poetry. Canisia interrogates selfhood against the contemporary backdrop of toxic nationalism and climate disaster; and Sadiqa writes about […]
12. Diner Cuisine: Tradition and Taste from the Catskills
Zoom WebinarDiner food is comfort food, and the Phoenicia Diner celebrates the regional produce and food traditions of the idyllic Catskills mountains region. American author Sara Franklin has made a study of the relationship of food and agriculture to identification with place through the lenses of local food traditions and generational memory. Joined by Kingston food […]
13. RDL: Black Lives Matter
Zoom WebinarBlack Lives Matter is currently at the forefront of the news cycle, with worldwide protests and shocking stories revealed almost daily of incidents of systemic racism. In recounting a year of personal experience of racism, Black anti-racism activist and author Desmond Cole offers his experience as a lens through which we can see ourselves clearly. […]
14. The Importance of Oral Histories in Reframing History
Zoom WebinarHow does oral history align with, or contradict, received history? Join oral history scholar Sara Franklin as she talks with Kingston writer Laura Murray about how oral history might serve as a useful tool in the current reassessment of what’s important to remember and celebrate. How does it contribute to revealing what has been buried, […]
15. Oral Storytelling 101
Zoom WebinarFor anyone wishing to capture stories of elderly family members or special groups in the community, this is the perfect starter course. Oral historian Sara Franklin walks participants through the practice of collecting oral histories through interviews. Beginning with a brief overview of oral history theory and ethics, Sara invites you to engage several exercises: […]
Grand Dames of Crime Fiction
The Word On The Street YouTube ChannelMove over Nancy Drew – mavens of mystery C.S. O’Cinneide, Gail Bowen, and Ann Lambert are writing award-winning mysteries with strong lady leads. Follow the trail along with these sleuths, from finding a body to solving the murder! Saturday September 26th @ 11:30am ET Presented in partnership with The Word On The Street Toronto.
16. What is Certain? Historical / Speculative Fiction
Zoom Webinar“Certainty is the catalyst that turns attitude into action, bringing beliefs to life and imbuing them with meaning and consequence,” writes Zakary Tormala in the Harvard Business Review. Praised by the Chicago Tribune as “hypnotically beautiful”, Aislinn Hunter’s novel The Certainties is also described as “elegiac and heart-pounding”, “a love letter in the guise of […]
17. Couple Cold Snap: Fiction
Zoom WebinarAward-winning author Shani Mootoo said in a NowToronto interview: “I am interested in the fact that no matter how closely you live with someone, you can never really know what is in their mind.” In Polar Vortex, lesbian couple Priya, a Trinidadian, and Alexandra, who is white, have moved to a home in the country. […]
18. Author! Author!
Zoom WebinarFive Christian missionaries are killed, leaving young wives and children alone in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Governor-General’s award-winning fiction author Joan Thomas asks what combination of faith, magical thinking, and naïveté inspired these real-life couples to set out on a dangerous mission to convert an Indigenous tribe. With award-winning novelist Jane Urquhart, she explores their deep-seated […]
19. The Big Idea
FacebookJoin Carol Off for a visionary exercise about what the future holds, with statistician Darrell Bricker, economist Jeff Rubin, novelist Catherine Bush, and novelist and memoirist Tessa McWatt. With unprecedented global upheaval, and huge challenges to be addressed – the ongoing health catastrophe of COVID-19, systemic and institutional racism, income instability, the rapaciousness of big […]
20. Writing the Natural World *SOLD OUT*
Zoom Webinar*SOLD OUT* Novelist, poet, and non-fiction author Helen Humphreys finds the natural world close to her heart these days, but her deep love for the natural world is manifest throughout her writing. In this class, Helen shares this passion with participants, sharing strategies in an informal talk that will be punctuated with a few short […]
Poets on the Tangibility of Living
The Word on the Street Youtube ChannelJoin poets Sachiko Murakami (Render), A.F. Moritz (As Far As You Know), and Randy Lundy (Field Notes for the Self), as they traverse a series of befores and afters, experiencing the darknesses of life and exploring what comes after. Sunday September 27th @ 11:00am ET Presented in partnership with The Word On The Street Toronto.
21. The Opposite of Identical: Fiction
Zoom WebinarAnnabel Lyon’s mysterious and heartbreaking new novel Consent centres on two pairs of sisters, one of them twins, whose lives become tangled together by tragedy. Saskia and Jenny may look alike, but the similarity is only skin-deep. Maddie and Sasha are sisters whose difficult relationship strains the notion of familial duty. Join award-winning novelist Annabel […]
22. Working with Negative Space in Fiction *SOLD OUT*
Zoom Webinar*THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT* Award-winning novelist and professor of creative writing at UBC, Annabel Lyon leads this class. Borrowing from other artistic genres, the class looks at how the idea of negative space applies in prose fiction. With lecture and shared discussion of a reading, Annabel explains concepts of subtext, silence, and what goes […]
23. In Praise of Paths: Finding Direction in Nature
Zoom WebinarPerhaps you’re among the many who recently have taken to walking as means of stress relief. Norwegian author Torbjørn Ekelund understands the healing potential of walking paths and trails. With writer and dedicated walker Kate Kristiansen, Torbjørn reflects on the interdependence of paths and walkers, paths organically taking us through a natural environment to a […]
Guest Storytime – Sunny by Celia Krampien
Zoom WebinarJoin debut author and illustrator Celia Krampien for afternoon storytime, hosted by Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Sunny is an unforgettable, transcendent story about the true power of optimism. Most people would say there is nothing good about trudging to school on a rainy day. Most people would say that being carried away by the wind […]
One Page Presents: Barbara Kingsolver
Zoom WebinarJoin KFPL and Kingston WritersFest, along with libraries and festivals across Canada, for the premiere event in the new One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series programme! For the first time in many years, famed author of The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver, talks directly to Canadians about her latest book, in this case, a slim and beautiful […]
One Page Presents: Anne Enright
Zoom WebinarJoin KFPL and Kingston WritersFest, along with libraries and festivals across Canada, for the second event in the inaugural One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series programme! In Anne’s seventh novel, Actress, the Irish writer explores the creation and destruction of celebrity in the character of Katherine O’Dell as told through the eyes of her daughter, […]
One Page Presents: Tommy Orange
Zoom WebinarJoin KFPL and Kingston WritersFest, along with libraries and festivals across Canada, for the third event in the inaugural One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series programme! In a sweeping yet nuanced exploration of identity and the role of Native Americans in a contemporary urban America (in this case, Oakland, California), Cheyenne and Arapaho author, Tommy […]
FESTIVAL TICKET INFO + PRICES 2020
All regular onstage events for 2020 are free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Tickets for Writers Studio master classes can be purchased directly from the website – click the Buy Now button.
Writers Studio Master Classes General Admission $30 – all ages
OFFSEASON EVENTS: View event description carefully for details on price, advance sale cut-offs, and venue.
FEES: All ticket prices include HST.
EXCHANGES and REFUNDS: We do not offer exchanges or refunds on tickets (except when an event is cancelled), so please plan before you buy.