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 what happened for 2022. Please check back for updated event information for 2023.
2022 Festival Highlights
In 2022, the Whistler Writers Festival hosts its 21st anniversary with an in-person and online hybrid event. Attend in person in Whistler or from a device anywhere in the world. This year, the theme is sharing stories together, and with 72 authors, presenters, and musicians across 13 reading events and 12 workshops, there will be plenty of opportunities to share, experience, and learn together. Most events are at Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
Friday, October 14
The Booklovers’ Literary Salon with Marsha Lederman
Time: 4 – 5 PM
Details: Stella Harvey (festival founder) leads an in-depth book-club-style conversation with arts journalist and author Marsha Lederman. In her work, Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed, Lederman explores what happened to her parents during the Holocaust, and the impact of that on her own life, one generation later. Amid personal grief and a pandemic, Marsha Lederman’s book delves into history and science to understand intergenerational trauma and epigenetics to offer us this beautiful work about the Holocaust, trauma, parenting, community, and ultimately, hope.
The Literary Cabaret: We’re Back, Live Baby!
Time: 7 – 9 PM
Details: Thrilling live music. Enthralling in-person author readings. All back in person. It’s a lively night out at Maury Young Arts Centre for literary and music-loving attendees. Eight amazing guest authors read from their latest works (a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), set to music by the West Coast Front band.
Saturday, October 15
Thrills and Chills: Mystery and Crime Writers Panel
Time: 1:15 – 2:30 PM
Details: Amber Cowie investigates four new thrillers by award-winning authors Charles Demers (Noonday Dark), Daniel Kalla (The Darkness in the Light), Anna Pitoniak (Our American Friend) and Sandra SG Wong (In the Dark We Forget) to uncover the secrets behind their suspense. Every audience member is invited to solve the mystery within a fanfiction crime story based on one of the authors’ characters. Tension will crackle, mysteries will entice, and one lucky winner will bring home all four amazing books.
Saturday Night Gala
Time: 8 – 9:30 PM
Details: Join Marsha Lederman in conversation with Méira Cook (The Full Catastrophe) and Iain Reid (We Spread). They discuss how they weave important societal issues and commentaries expertly throughout their works, the nature of conformity, defining oneself, art, productivity, community, and ultimately, the relationships that define us. This conversation with two formidable authors is not to be missed.
Sunday, October 16
A Walk to Lost Lake and Back Again
Time: 9 – 10 AM
Details: Take in the fresh mountain air (along with a delicious hot chocolate and tasty treat) while enjoying lively literary conversation with awarding-winning authors. The walk takes attendees through the forests of Lost Lake Park to the lake and back, while writers share from their latest books. Jónína Kirton (Standing in a River of Time), Grant Lawrence (Return to Solitude), Tolu Oloruntoba (The Junta of Happenstance and Each One a Furnace) and Merilyn Simonds (Women, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay) are the guest authors.
Sunday Book Talk: Coffee and Conversation
Time: 11 AM – 12:15 PM
Details: This new festival event will ease you into Sunday morning with a breakfast pastry and cuppa, while learning about what makes great authors tick. Moderator Wayne Grady and four authors Cody Caetano, Lisa Moore, Heather O’Neill and Jamal Saeed ponder the common threads in their new books; the tangles of family history and the nature of conflict, love and acceptance in all its beautiful and terrifying forms.
View the complete 2022 Whistler Writers Festival Program Guide