Aara Macauley has a long-term love affair with Kingston WritersFest. Aara ran her own local retail business, Get Funky Boutique for four years and was an active attendee and author patron during that time. In 2014, she began to volunteer as the festival archivist, and has worked in various roles with the festival since, moving from box office manager to her current role as artistic director, taking over from Barbara Bell in late 2020.
Her passion for the written arts led her to pursue a B.A.H in Classical Studies and an M.A. in Latin Literature from Queen’s University. She wrote a regular book review column featuring Kingston WritersFest authors and personal picks for Grapevine Magazine for several years.
Her love of the arts in general has seen her involved in the fundraising, event planning, programming and marketing committees for various local cabaret, film, and arts festivals.
She currently sits on the City of Kingston’s Arts Advisory Committee and the Art in Public Places Working Group, and was involved with the Reelout Arts Project Board for eight years, including 6 years as Chair. In her spare time, she still performs in the occasional cabaret fundraiser.
Appearing in:
2. Late Nights with KWF: Reality Derailed
Past Festival Appearances
2021:13. Brazen Tongues: Celebrating the Unashamed Self and 21. Brave New Words: A Dark Debut
2020: 5. Graphic Description: Memoir of a Moonie, 17. Couple Cold Snap: Fiction
2019: 22. Women Who’ve Had Enough: Fiction
2018: Author! Author!, Forgotten Foods of Forest, Field, & Orchard
2016: 33. Thrillers Made for the Movies
2015: 24. Explore/Experiment/Invent: Short Fiction
