KWF’s programming for the year begins in January and ends in April.

Programming decisions are based on the quality of the work, gender and age
representation, cultural diversity, relevance to our audience, and regional interest. We are committed to presenting a broad range of genres, styles, and
voices. Newly- or recently-released, professionally published work takes
priority in the selection process.

To schedule a meeting with the Programming Committee, please email us. Please note, these meetings are meant for publishers and not individual authors.

Kingston WritersFest features published authors only. At this time, we do not
present writers of self-published books, unless they are members in good
standing of The Writers’ Union of Canada.

Writers should send us a query letter early in the New Year with a
description of the work or works – We apologize that we are not always able to acknowledge receipt of all the submissions we receive.

No, we are not offering a senior’s discount for our Winter Writers Retreat pass at this time.

We will not be selling virtual tickets to our Winter Writers Retreat.

Through feedback from our participants and our own review of a hybrid model, we have come to the decision that our workshops are best enjoyed in person.

Some points we considered are the concerns for privacy of those sharing their stories, the desire to connect with fellow writers as part of the retreat and the authors’ comfort with juggling in-person and an online audience.

No, our Writers Retreat Pass gives you access to either all 12 of our workshops, with our 4-day Pass, or 2 days of workshops, the days of your choosing.

Please note, when buying a 2-day pass, the questionnaire will ask for the two days you will be registering for.

The Festival Pass includes all onstage events except our two food events, the BookLovers’ Lunch & Last Chapter Brunch, and our Trivia Night and all Writers Studio workshops.

COVID-19 Safety Guidelines and Protocols

Community safety remains our top priority. We have formed our policies using the recommendations of the most current information from the Public Health Agency of Canada, KFL&A Public Health, and the Government of Ontario.

This information will be continuously updated with any new information or guidelines.

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

We ask that you do not come to any in-person events if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Chills
• New or worsening cough
• Shortness of breath
• New muscle aches or headache
• Sore throat

And/Or – Are a close contact of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

If you experience any of the above, or if you are not feeling comfortable attending your event in person, you can still access a live-stream and participate in the Q&A virtually. Please email us at info@ to discuss what options are available to you.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE:

Please help us maintain a safe festival experience by being patient, and remaining flexible and compassionate. We understand that this has been a hard last two years, but protocols such as these ensure we can hold in-person events and keep everyone, our artists and our patrons, safe.

We ask that you:

• Wear a Mask: We encourage all patrons to wear face masks at our events. Mask wearing will be required except for our food events and writers workshops. We will also be distributing masks in the lobby for all those who require one.
• Maintain Social Distance: Please give people space while waiting in line, in the lobby, and for book signings.
• Stay Sanitized: We will have sanitation stations at all entrances and at various places inside the venue—please use those or wash your hands for safety.

Once in line, your ticket will be scanned for touchless ticketing by a masked volunteer.

Once inside the room, please pay attention to and respect any signage regarding distancing, seat-spacing, etc.

All rooms are cleaned and sanitized in between events.

All staff and volunteers will be masked.