42 authors to participate in local festival for book lovers
The 30th edition of the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival (EMWF) will take place this upcoming weekend from Friday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Sept. 9. Part of Guelph’s “Fab Five” Festivals, EMWF hosts prolific Canadian authors every year in the scenic village of Eden Mills.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, EMWF, The University of Guelph’s College of Arts, and The Bookshelf will be presenting Juno award-winning singer/songwriter Jann Arden at War Memorial Hall. Arden will be speaking about her written memoirs at the sold out event.
The weekend’s main event — Festival Sunday — is an outdoor event that is scheduled to host 42 authors this year, all of whom are Canadian. “This is part of our mandate — to promote and support Canadian literature,” explained Melissa McGrath, EMWF manager. “It’s a diverse group [at this year’s EMWF]; the stories are compelling and regardless of your age, or your preferred genre, we’ve got something for you.”
The list of authors spans fiction, poetry, young adult fiction, and children’s fiction, and includes Esi Edugyan, Sheila Heti, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Kim Thúy, Kari Maaren, Gillian Chan, and more.
Past festivals have hosted Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Emma Donaghue, and many more award-winning authors.
“I’d say that the festival continues to thrive because of a group of dedicated volunteers, many of whom live in the village, who have donated their time and talents year after year because they love the festival and they love Eden Mills,” McGrath says of the festival’s continued success.
All authors at EMWF participate in the festival through book signings and/or readings, giving attendees a chance to discover their next favourite book.
“Sometimes there’s a bit of confusion over what exactly a writers’ festival is,” said McGrath. “Really, it might make more sense to call ourselves a readers’ festival, because this is a festival for anyone who enjoys a good book.”
Featured photo by Megan Sullivan