Festival 2018 ~ Sunday, May 6

Festival 2015: Great stories, great moments - and a great big cake!

You had to be there.

The authors shared stories and read to us. The audience laughed - and cried, too. Prizes were awarded to contest winners, wine was drunk, finger foods were devoured, questions were asked and answered. And there was even a birthday cake!

But that's just the short version.

If you were one of the lucky participants at the 21st Elora Writers' Festival, which took place yesterday (May 24) at the Wellington Country Museum and Archives in Aboyne, Ont., you know what a rich and rewarding afternoon it was for everyone in attendance.

Thank you Barbara Kyle, for sharing your research adventures (who knew that men could walk and pee at the same time?). And Clifford Jackman, for your advice to budding writers ("Don't do it. And if that's enough to stop you, you probably shouldn't be a writer"). And Kim Moritsugu for a story about a family adventure that made us laugh, and Tasneem Jamal for for a story about a family adventure that made us cry. And Michael Hale for taking us to other dimensions. And Ian Hamilton for spending your birthday - and the kick-ass Ava Lee - with us. (Yes, there was cake. A really, really, big cake!)

Our committee - Patricia Reimer, David Campbell, Roxanne Beale (resident bookseller and Mistress of Ceremonies extraordinaire!), Marilyn Kleiber, Dave Beynon and Jean Mills - thanks our generous sponsors and supporters, as well as our featured authors and our wonderful guests for another afternoon to remember.

Stay tuned for news about Festival 2016!

In the meantime, here's a taste of Festival 2015...

We're ready for Barbara Kyle, Clifford Jackman, Kim Moritsugu...

...Michael Hale, Tasneem Jamal and Ian Hamilton!
(With thanks to our friends at Little Tree Garden Market for
the beautiful floral arrangements around the hall!)

Roxanne Beale (left), our resident bookseller and Mistress of Ceremonies,
finalizes the Festival Bookshop with assistant, Mimi

Author Kim Moritsugu heads into Aboyne Hall, as guests check in
at the ticket table, under the watchful eye of EWF Committee
member Patricia Reimer (left)

And there's Ian Hamilton, already chatting with fans!

Barbara Kyle, author of The Traitor's Daughter, shares stories of research
and adventure - and acorns and pinecones, too...

Cliff Jackman, author of The Winter Family, takes
us to a wild, wild West...

Kim Moritsugu, author of the Oakdale Dinner Club, knows how to
make the most of a well-placed potato bug...

Want to buy a book and have the author sign it? Yup. We've got
that covered (as Barbara Kyle and a happy fan demonstrate during
the intermission)

Tasneen Jamal (left), author of Where the Air is Sweet,  chills with some fans
 (including husband, Craig Daniels) during the intermission...

...and then she sends chills down our spines with the
brave story of her family's adventure in Africa

Michael Hale, author of A Fold in the Tent of the Sky,
takes us to some other dimensions

Ian Hamilton, author of The Water Rat of Wanchai and seven other
Ava Lee mysteries, takes us into the world of Chinese Triads
and a heroine who gets the job done

And then we all celebrate with a chorus of Happy Birthday, and....

... a cake! (Which we all shared. Yum!)

Michael Hale offers advice to budding writers
during the Q&A session, led by EWF Committee member, Dave Beynon

Cliff Jackman's advice to budding writers: "Don't do it.
And if that's enough to stop you, you probably shouldn't
be a writer."

Kim Moritsugu (in her third visit to our Festival!) shares her insights into the
life of a writer - and makes us laugh!

The Elora Writers' Festival - we're small, and intimate,
and friendly, and fun. And you won't
go home hungry, either. Just ask any of our authors and guests.
Maybe you'll be in this photograph next year....?

Open Mic Night at the Elora Centre for the Arts

Want to channel your inner "I'm an author too"? Thursday, October 23 is Open Mic Night with EWF authors Brad Smith and Sonia Day at the Elora Centre for the Arts. Sound like fun? Yup. We think so too! Here's the poster with details:

Fish Quill Poetry Boat

"From August 4th to August 13th – A group of poets is setting out on a ten-day reading tour by canoe down the Grand River from Elora to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. The group, calling itself Fish Quill Poetry Boat, will be reading their work in cafés, arts centres, and heritage sites along the way.[...]

Friday, August 5th: Elora: 7pm @Bissell Park Pavilion"

Read more...

Wish you were here...

May 27 of next year — that's right: "twenty-twelve" — will be here before we know it; and even as these keystrokes are turning into pixelated characters, the Elora Writer's Festival committee is compiling a long list of authors (poets, novelists, biographers, screenwriters, playwrights) for next year's event.
     But we're still open to suggestions.
     Drop us a line: just make a comment below (or go to the "Contact Us" box) and let us know who you would like to see (and hear) on Sunday, May 27, 2012.
     Your wish is our command... maybe.
  
(LIMIT OF THREE WISHES PER CUSTOMER)

Pictures from our Young Writers Contest Event at 11:00 A.M. on May 29

Young Writers Contest Coordinator Jean Mills with Christopher Davis,
winner of an Honourable Mention in the Junior Prose category

Young Writers Contest judges Kira Vermond (on left) and Heather Wright
(third from left) with a clutch of avid writers

Writing Contest 2011 Reminder: Deadline Friday, April 29

Hurry! Time is running out!

Are you planning to enter one of our writing competitions?

If so, here are the last-minute details to ensure you don't miss the (2011) deadline:

Elora Writers' Festival Open Writing Competition:

What: Short story (2000 words max) or 1-3 poems (75 lines max)
Where: Send to Julia Browne, 28-415 Morgan Avenue, Kitchener ON N2A 2V6
Include: Entry fee $15.00
Info: Julia Browne email: juliacbrowne (at) netscape.net
Entry form: Here

EWF Young Writers Contest:

Teen Category (13-18)
What: Short story (2000 words max) or 1-3 poems (75 lines max)

Junior Category (12 and under)
What: Short story (700 words max) or 1 poem (40 lines max)

Where: Send to Jean Mills, 1 Darren Place, Guelph ON N1H 6J2
Info: Jean Mills email:  jrmills (at) rogers.com
Entry form: Here and no entry fee required
More information: EWF Young Writers Contest


Enter as many times as you like, but be sure to include an entry form with each submission.  Winners will be announced on the day of the Elora Writers' Festival, Sunday, May 29, 2011.

For information about the 2013 Competition go here...

May 29, 2011: a Day to Feed the Body, Mind and Soul

May 29 isn't just about a wonderful afternoon of fabulous authors reading from their award-winning stories, poems and novels; you can also be a part of the Food Cycle Ride in support of Centre Wellington Food Bank programmmes.

For more information, go to their web site:

http://www.foodcycleride.ca
(See "Festival Links" in the column to the right)

Photo: Michael Hale