The Whistler Writers Festival has something for everyone – readers, writers, established authors, poetry fans, dedicated non-fiction readers, murder-mystery aficionados – with events for every interest and age.
Here's a look at what happened at the 2025 Festival. Check back in early September 2026 for updated event information.
2025 Festival Highlights
This year’s Whistler Writers Festival is a very special edition (book pun!) that doubles down on all things spooky and thrilling, and myths and legends, in honour of the season. Embrace orange foliage, colder temperatures and book events designed to send a little chill down your spine.
Thursday, October 30
Connecting Cultures: Legends, Language and the Land
Time: 5 – 5:50 PM
Location: Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre
Details: Tsawaysia Dominique Nahanee and P̓áq̓emúl Shelby Dan present myths and legends in the oral tradition, and talk about their communities’ vital connections to the land.
7IDANsuu James Hart: A Monumental Practice
Time: 6 – 8 PM
Location: Audain Art Museum
Details: Join in the official launch of 7IDANsuu James Hart: A Monumental Practice, a landmark publication celebrating the extraordinary career of renowned Haida artist and Hereditary Chief, James Hart. This free, public event includes an artist talk, moderated by award-winning journalist Leslie Anthony, and book signing with Hart, his son Gwaliga and co-author Curtis Collins, Director and Chief Curator of the Audain Art Museum. Register now.
Friday, October 31
All Hallows Eve: Murder and Mayhem
Time: 8 – 10 PM
Location: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Details: Just in time for Halloween, the festival presents Laugh Out LIVE! and authors Susan Juby and Liann Zhang for an evening of murder and mayhem. Juby’s latest book, Contemplation of a Crime, features a Buddhist butler sleuth and Zhang’s diabolical debut thriller Julie Chan is Dead delves into the darker sides of social media. This panel is moderated by popular thriller writer Amber Cowie. There is a seasonal cocktail too: Spirit’s Kiss, and an All Hallows Eve photo booth.
Saturday, November 1
Create Your (Crime) Fighter Workshop
Time: 11:45 AM – 1 PM
Location: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Details: Crime writer Susan Juby is back to teach this workshop. A good crime story demands an intriguing offense, an engaging plot, a worthy villain, and – most importantly – a compelling investigator.
Spilling the Tea: Dragons, Thieves and Romantasy
Time: 1:30 – 2:45 PM
Location: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Details: Looking for something adventurous and spicy? New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seat. In her newest book, Realm of Thieves, two thieves put their lives and hearts on the line while attempting to control the illegal dragon egg trade. There will also be red velvet cupcakes.
The Bewitching, A Night of Spellcraft and Suspense: In Conversation with Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Time: 8 – 9:30 PM
Location: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Details: Moreno-Garcia, whose book Mexican Gothic was a massive hit on Instagram and TikTok and on the New York Times bestseller list, talks about her latest work, The Bewitching. In this new novel, three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multi-generational gothic horror saga. She sits down with moderator Jeanette Bruce to talk fantasy, horror, noir, historical fiction and more.
Sunday, November 2
Sunday Book Talk and Breakfast
Time: Doors 10:45 AM | Breakfast 11 AM | Event 11:45 – 1 PM
Location: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Details: Spend a cozy Sunday morning with fellow bookworms, talking about Canadian literature over a delicious Whiskey Jack Continental breakfast. Moderator Rachel Bergquist engages three award-winning Canadian authors – Antonio Michael Downing (Black Cherokee), Evelyn Lau (Parade of Storms), and Sarah Leavitt (Something, Not Nothing) – in conversation about their astonishing new works.