What: The Second Annual Victoria Festival of Authors
Where: Various venues, including the Vancouver Island School of Arts, Intrepid Theatre, Metro Theatre, GOOD (104-536 Herald St.) and Greater Victoria Public Library (central branch)
When: Sept. 27-Oct. 1
Tickets: $15-$90 at Eventbrite.ca
Information: victoriafestivalofauthors.ca
The Victoria Festival of Authors is expanding for its second edition, adding to its array of readings and workshops several new venues and a musical component that fuses words and poetry with music.
The festival got underway in 2016 after several years as the Victoria Writers Festival, which arose from the writing department at the University of Victoria in 2012. The Victoria Festival of Authors embarks on its second year under the new name on Wednesday with an opening-night gala featuring M.A.C. Farrant, Kevin Patterson, Steven Price, Patricia Young and Yasuko Thanh, all of whom have books competing for the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize on Oct. 11.
Artistic director Vanessa Herman was involved with the first incarnation of the festival when she was working on her creative-writing degree at UVic. After the writers festival went dark in 2014, she began taking steps to bring it back to life as a non-profit event.
A city with such a rich tapestry of authors deserves its own festival, Herman said.
“There should be a writers festival in Victoria,” she said. “This is one of the most literary cities in the west, and I didn’t want to see it totally stop.”
She has expanded upon the former Victoria Writers Festival considerably, from the venues being used to the way authors participate. Music plays a part in several events this year, including a Sept. 28 performance at the Vancouver Island School of Arts (2549 Quadra St.) that pairs the writings of author Zoe Whitall with artist-musicians Leanne Dunic and Geoff Berner.
Music will also feature in a Sept. 30 performance at The Metro Theatre, with jazz musicians Barbara Black and Jan Stirling offering a “musical response” to the work of Zoey Leigh Peterson, Barbara Gowdy, Gurjinder Basran and Sharon Butala.
“I wanted discussions and not just readings,” Herman said. “We also want to involve different elements of art, other than just writing.”
Working with a grant from the B.C. Arts Council, Herman brought in several visiting authors, including Gowdy (Ontario), Butala (Manitoba) and Gregory Scofield (Nova Scotia).
Gowdy, who is a member of the Order of Canada, is stopping in Victoria as part of her first book tour in 10 years, which was quite a coup for the festival, Herman said. “It was a big deal that we got her to come here, because she’s only doing a few dates.”
Also working in the festival’s favour is a timely appearance by Vancouver writer Peterson, whose latest book, Next Year, For Sure, was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist on Monday.
Booking authors from outside Greater Victoria will raise the profile of the festival, Herman said. “We have a huge pool of talent, so it’s always nice to feature what we have here and mix in visiting authors.”