Kingston Writer’s Fest is turning the city into a world of writers.
From Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, the Kingston Writers Fest (KWF) will take over the Kingston Marriott and the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts for its annual literary festival, which consists of workshops and panels from Canada’s acclaimed authors.
This year’s theme is “Words Bring Down Walls.” Although the theme was established before Director Bruce Geddes came into the role, his interpretation is two-fold.
While words are a method of communication to remove barriers, Geddes extends the theme to genres and how publishing communities separate readers by putting them into different boxes.
“It doesn’t matter what publishing is doing,” Geddes said in an interview with The Journal. “Good stories are good stories, and well-written stories are well-written stories. And so, words can help bring down the walls between genres.”
Beyond communicating ideas on novels to other readers, KWF also communicates their beliefs on important topics that impact writers across the world.
As such, KWF is working with PEN Canada to help contribute to their mission of bringing awareness to authors and editors who have been unjustly incarcerated for their work.
Limitations on free speech impacts all aspects of the writing community, from authors to publishers, who are worried about how their work may be perceived. Geddes is aware of a time when censorship rules were stricter and how writers found other ways to get their message across.
“In an ironic way, it sometimes helps creativity because it forces you to find ways around saying the things you want to say,” Geddes told The Journal.
In preparation for the festival, Geddes recommends looking at the list of authors who will be attending and picking up some of their books. Five out of 14 of the Giller Prize long-listed authors will be in attendance, as well as three of the five shortlisted authors for the Writer’s Trust Non-Fiction prize.
These authors include Michelle Good, who starts the festival off on Sept. 30 with a talk at the Isabel Bader, Patricia Finn, Wayne Johnston, and more.
Anyone looking to prepare for the festival can choose a book from any of the featured authors. Since writers’ awards panels across Canada have praised them, they’re sure to be good reads.
“Those are the ones juries have read already, pretty carefully, and decided they’re great. So, I would recommend any of those,” Geddes said.
Alongside the talks, the festival will host a number of workshops. Two that are expected to stand out are Alex Pugsley’s screenwriting and Kim Echlin’s writing style workshops.
Echlin’s workshop is especially critical in the age of artificial intelligence. Since AI is a mashup of everything that’s already out there, from cadence to characterization, it is essential for writers to develop their own personal styles. Her workshop gives KWF attendees a chance to explore the importance of their writing remaining distinctly human through developing their own voices and approaches to fiction.
For students interested in writing, they are also encouraged to volunteer for the festival to network with industry professionals and meet fellow writers.
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books, Kingston Writers Fest, KWF, writing
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