Douglas Gibson: You liked him so much, we've invited him back!

Hey, remember this?

Douglas Gibson at Festival 2016 (Photo by Francis Baker)

 

Yes, that's publishing veteran and author Douglas Gibson at Festival 2016, sharing his stories of Canadian authors - from inside the trenches of CanLit. He made us laugh, drew a few exclamations of
 "aahhhh" (translation: "I did not know THAT!") from the audience, and mingled easily with everyone in attendance. Like this:

 "Best wishes, Doug Gibson..."

We only heard a few short anecdotes that day (and they were awesome), but Doug has tons more, and he's going to share them with us on Saturday, October 1, 8 p.m., at the Fergus Grand Theatre (244 St. Andrew St. W. in Fergus, Ontario), in an evening of literary fun presented by partners Elora Writers' Festival and Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop.

Here are the details:

Click HERE for tickets.

Saturday, October 1, 8 p.m. at the Fergus Grand Theatre - see you there!

Stay tuned for details about Festival 2017, Sunday, May 28 at Aboyne Hall, Wellington County Museum and Archives.

There’s something for everyone in our Festival 2016 Line-up!

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be transported to other worlds and places – all carried on the words of five terrific Canadian authors during the 2016 Elora Writers’ Festival on Sunday, May 29 at the Wellington County Museum and Archives. 

Join us as we hop from genre to genre – crime, sci-fi/fantasy, memoir, poetry and humour – and meet the authors up-close-and-personal once the readings (and another classic Q&A session) are done.

Ready? Here’s our Festival 2016 line-up:

Dietrich Kalteis, author of The Deadbeat Club

Dietrich Kalteis joins us – all the way from Vancouver, people! Yes, Dietrich is making the trip from B.C. to share his West-Coast noir thrillers – The Deadbeat Club is his latest, with Triggerfish coming out in June. His novel Ride the Lightning won a bronze medal for Canada West Regional Fiction at the 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

J.M. Frey, author of The Untold Tale

J.M. Frey will transport us into other worlds – think science fiction and fantasy with a big dose of steampunk for good measure. She’s an actor, an academic, a voice artist – and much, much more. Her latest novel is The Untold Tale, which she calls “an epic-length feminist meta-fantasy.” Her debut novel, Triptych (2011) was a winner at the San Francisco Book Festival. Coming soon, a steampunk trilogy featuring “a girl vigilante and her mysterious rocketpack.” (Yup. We need to know more about this, please!)

Douglas Gibson, author of Across Canada by Story

Douglas Gibson, former editor and publisher, will spill the behind-the-scenes details of his life in the Canadian literary universe with Across Canada by Story, the follow-up to Stories about Storytellers. He’s been wowing audiences across Canada as he performs his one-man literary stage show, too. Want to know the real stories about Canadian books and writers? Get your questions ready, because Doug is the guy with the answers.

Pamela Mordecai, author of Red Jacket

Pamela Mordecai is another award-winning author whose resumé hops from genre to genre – poetry, novels, children’s books – and includes teaching as well. Her novel Red Jacket was shortlisted for the 2015 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and her poems have been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Award.

Terry Fallis, author of Poles Apart

Finally, a familiar face to EWF audiences – Toronto novelist Terry Fallis makes his third appearance at our Festival, with his latest comic hit, Poles Apart, in hand. Terry just won his second Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, too (for No Relation). We remember his first appearance, where he read from the now-classic The Best Laid Plans and apologized to us for his flawed Scottish accent. (And then, of course, there was his second appearance, where fellow-author Sonia Day’s passionate reading about gardening inspired him to comment on his “peony envy”...!) Delighted to have you back, Terry!

That’s the line-up. Do you notice anything different?

Yes, there are only five authors, instead of the traditional six. That’s because we’re going to do something new. At the conclusion of the readings, we’ll invite all five authors back to the stage for an informal Q&A with questions provided by you, the audience. Expect the unexpected!

There will also be food, drink and schmoozing galore – a trademark of our Festival.

Sound good to you? It sounds great to us – and it’ll be perfect if you’re there too. Please join us!

WHEN: Sunday, May 29, 2016, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (…or a bit longer?)

WHERE: Aboyne Hall, Wellington CountryMuseum and Archives (lots of parking!) 

HOW: Tickets are $25, available by visiting or contacting Roxanne’s Reflections Book & Card Shop, 152 St Andrew St W, Fergus, Ontario, 519 843-4391. 

Need more information? Roxanne, our wonderful Mistress of Ceremonies, can also answer any questions you may have about the event. Call her at the store, 519 843-4391, or email us at elorawritersfestival@gmail.com

See you on May 29 in Aboyne Hall!

Keep up to date on our latest news, including the upcoming Books & Beer event . You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@EloraWF)

Books & Beer II is in the books!

Books & Beer II drew an enthusiastic crowd of book lovers. Okay, book lovers AND beer drinkers - thanks to the hospitality of our venue sponsor, Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop, and our beer sponsor, Wellington Brewery.

So what happened at Books & Beer II?

 Tables and chairs? Check. Snacks? Check. Ready!

We're all set up and ready to roll. Books everywhere and beer...

 Beer. 'Nuff said.

... also everywhere. Please check out the distinctive "wellie" tread on the bottom of the packaging. Is Wellington Brewery classy, or what?

"So I said to my editor, I said...."

Our special guest, author J.M. Frey, arrives and wades into the crowd to make some friends - fellow writers Lisa Dalrymple (award-winning author of kids' books like Skink on the Brink and A Moose Goes A-Mummering) and Francis Baker (he writes, he photographs, he works hard on the Elora Writers' Festival commitee, too). In the background, committee member Suzanne Sutton-Curry rocks some steampunk-inspired millinery while keeping an eye on things. And yes, a film crew from TVCogeco prepares to film the evening for Turning Pages, the book show hosted by EWF committee members Dave Beynon and Roxanne Beale.

I mean, the place is rocking! And then Jess cracks open her latest novel, The Untold Tale and holds us in thrall...

  

.
..including our brilliant MC, Dave Beynon (yes, also an author!), who is clearly deep in "the zone", which is okay because we were all in there with him. Weird, wonderful, witty storytelling gets us every time.

Thinking, thinking...

And then we put Jess on the spot: Hey Jess, how about coming up with a story for this amazing steampunk lamp created by artist Doug Mills of Elmira, our raffle prize for the evening? No problem. Her story had something to do with the universe, and spheres and stars and weird cosmic energy. She came up with it - like magic. Awesome.

It was a fantastic evening, with insights into the writing and publishing process as well as a bit of literary education (Do you know what "steampunk" means? Do you know what "meta-fiction" is? No? Well, sorry, you had to be there for the lively Q&A...) provided by the supremely articulate, funny and multi-talented J.M. Frey.

J.M. Frey, MC Dave Beynon, EWF committee member Suzanne Sutton-Currry:
 a trio of troublemakers. Just saying...

And we attracted a diverse and eclectic crowd, too.

Talking, visiting, watching - the room is buzzing!

 "That's ginger ale in my cup, honest, Mom!"

Books & Beer II is in the books, and we're so grateful to those who came out to share it with us and support the Elora Writers' Festival, coming May 29 to Aboyne Hall (Wellington County Museum and Archives).

And speaking of Festival 2016....

Yup. This.

Our authors: Dietrich Kalteis, Pamela Mordecai, Douglas Gibson, Terry Fallis and the star of Books & Beer II, J.M. Frey. Books - and tickets! - available at Roxanne's Reflections.

Need more information about Books & Beer, our Festival (including our Short Story Contest) and our authors? Feel free to email us at elorawritersfestival [at] gmail [dot] com.

Books & Beer II is in the books! See you on May 29 at Festival 2016!

Festival 2016: Stay tuned!

The Elora Writers’ Festival Committee is hard at work lining up our usual fabulous line-up of authors for Festival 2016. Yes, we know that funny-guy Terry Fallis and Canadian publishing icon DouglasGibson will be joining us. And local Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer J.M. Frey. And all the way from Vancouver, noir mystery writer Dietrich Kalties. And – well, stay tuned for more news. Coming soon…!

We’re already looking ahead to Festival 2016 – and so should you!

Does May 2016 seem just too far away?

Not to us!

The Festival committee is already hard at work, talking to authors, looking for sponsors (Interested? Let us know!), making some changes and getting excited about what is going to be a fantastic afternoon of books, readings and schmoozing in literary luxury on Sunday, May 29 in Aboyne Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives. 

We’ve already lined up two terrific authors. (Keep reading…)

And we’re talking about hosting our second annual Books & Beer event this winter too. Details TBA.

Okay, so, Festival 2016:

We’re changing up the format a bit. No more standing like wallflowers at a dance, gathered awkwardly around the perimeter of the hall, trying to juggle wine glasses, delicious snacks and a coherent Q&A with the authors during the post-reading reception. This year, our five authors will take over the stage – together! – for the last session of the afternoon.

Don’t worry – there will be food! But this year you’ll be able to sit comfortably and enjoy the fun. And yes, there will still be lots of opportunities to chat with the authors, up close and personal, throughout the afternoon.

As soon as last year’s festival ended, the committee was already talking about who to invite this year, and there was one name we all agreed on: a two-time presenter, a wonderful reader, and a terrific author too! Stephen Leacock Award-winner Terry Fallis will join us for the third time (apparently he loves coming to Elora as much as we love having him!). His latest comic novel, Poles Apart, comes out October 20.

We’ve also lined up Douglas Gibson, editor, publisher and author of the memoir Across Canada by Story: A Coast-to-Coast Literary Adventure (which, incidentally, is also a stage show) to share his insider knowledge of the Canadian literary icons he’s worked with over the course of a 40-year career in publishing. (Will he dish some dirt on his friend Terry Fallis? We shall see...)

Our committee said good-bye to long-time members Patricia Reimer and David Campbell, but new faces have joined us around the table, and new ideas are burbling. We’ll introduce our revamped committee soon.

Some things will not change, of course: our commitment to providing an afternoon of entertaining, thought-provoking readings by Canadian authors; our invitation to meet the authors face-to-face and buy their books at our on-site Festival bookstore (provided by Roxanne’s Reflections of Fergus); and our promise that you’ll have a unique and rewarding afternoon as part of the best little literary festival in Ontario (OK. Bragging a little….!)

And don’t forget the EWF Writing Contest! Some things are untouchable, and the contest falls into that category. Writers of all ages – get working on those short stories. We’ll kick things off later this fall.

It’s October and we’re already looking ahead to May 29, 2016. Hope you are too.

Feeling nostalgic? Here's a look back...

Author Brad Smith (right) on the Q&A hot seat with Festival quizmaster,
Dave Beynon at January's Books & Beer event at the Drew House in Elora.

Mystery writer Ian Hamilton in action at the 2015 Festival (later we surprised him
with a chorus of Happy Birthday and big, very big, cake...)

At Festival 2015, Kim Moritsugu left us laughing - during her reading,
and later in the Q&A.

In 2014, graphic novelist Scott Chantler wowed us with his tales
of war heroes.

Hey! Isn't that Terry Fallis (far right)? Yup. The year was 2013, and Terry
was making his second appearance at our festival. Here, he's joined
by fellow authors (left to right) Carrie Snyder, Robert Rotenberg and
Festival Contest sponsor, Ron MacKinnon.