The 2010 Festival
We had a great festival, this year, and we're happy to say that those who attended and completed our survey told us that they agree with that summary. We sincerely thank the Festival Committee, our guest artists, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees for the generosity of spirit that creates such an event.
From the Authors
We thank our guest authors for taking the time to let us know what they thought of their visit to our festival, and are delighted to share their comments here.
Michael Crummey
"The Cabot Trail Writer's Festival is like spending a weekend with family. Family you actually enjoy spending time with. Organized and attended by people who love books and the place they live in, it's informal, welcoming, and a grand time."
Marq de Villiers, CM
"The Cabot Trail Writers Festival, of all the many I have attended over the years, has perhaps the most engaged, interested, and articulate audiences. They seem genuinely interested in writers and writing, and all stayed to the very end. It helped that the organization of the Festival was first rate. It also helped, of course, that Cape Breton in the fall is as stunning as the brochures tell you it will be."
Sheree Fitch
"Once a year in the mystical highlands of Cape Breton, when the colours of leaves burn crimson and orange, folks gather to tell and listen to stories. There are some who will tell you that during this "festival of words", wondrous, strange, and magical things happen. I am one, for I was there, and this is so." Sheree Fitch, ever-grateful author, to the "Festival of Words" community
And the winner is...
Our festival survey once again enjoyed a very high response rate. We are pretty sure that our survey draw prize is a strong motivator, and we appreciate the generosity of the artisans of the Cabot Trail for helping us to offer this. Be sure to check out this year's prize, donated by Robert J. Evans of Woodsmiths Studio.
The winner of the survey draw was Henry Muggah of Baddeck (thanks for letting us post your name!). We thank him and all respondents for taking the time to help us review our work, and, Henry, we're glad you are as delighted with your new wood sculpture as we would have been, had we been able to enter the draw!
Mark your calendars for the third annual Cabot Trail Writers' Festival, scheduled for September 30 through October 2, 2011.
Below, you can visit our original "home page".
This year, the Cabot Trail Writers Festival runs Friday 1 October through Sunday 3 October. We really think we have a brilliant festival lined up, and hope that you'll agree. This is stuff that's even better shared…
If you've been paying attention, you will know that we have already enjoyed several satellite events this year, featuring interesting and diverse authors. We look forward now to this year's festival, featuring a truly exciting lineup of authors, some great music, and the debut presentation of a specially commissioned dramatic adaptation of a story by Alistair MacLeod. We think this is a can't-be-missed festival.
Photo © courtesy of Lisa Finney
Festival Overview
Friday features readings and social time with our guest authors. Enjoy nibbles and a cash bar, and our delightful Readers' Market (Really! Last year, most attendees complimented us first on our beautiful little book shop).
Saturday is about looking behind the curtain, to see just how this writing thing is done—workshops, discussions, and Q&A with the authors. You'll get to participate in two of six truly fine sessions. On Saturday night, get right to the heart of Cape Breton with Bev Brett's brand new dramatic adaptation of Alistair MacLeod's short story Vision. Join us afterward for a great evening of entertainment by Rocky Shore, complete with pub snacks, cash bar, and Readers' Market.
Sunday offers a panel discussion with the authors: Writing Maniac: How I Grew Up to be a Writer. We are so pleased that award-winning journalist and author Frank Macdonald will moderate the conversation for us. Afterward, join us for Sunday Brunch and a session of songs and tunes with the talented Carmel Mikol.
As well, watch for little treats and extras throughout the festival. Action- and value-packed!
Elsewhere on our site, read more about our guest artists, check the detailed schedule of events, or find out how to obtain tickets to what will surely be a very popular weekend.
Words and Music
The Authors
We are very pleased to have as guests three authors at the top of their game, each accomplished in several different types of writing, and each very good at sharing what they know. We are certain that you will enjoy and learn from them.
We are very excited to
present Newfoundland's award-winning poet and novelist
Michael Crummey,
author of Galore (Doubleday),
2009 Governor General's Literary Awards finalist and 2010 winner,
Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Canada &
Caribbean), and River Thieves
(Anchor Canada 2001), a 2001 Giller Prize finalist.
Now a Nova Scotian, South
Africa's Marq de Villiers
is a journalist, non-fiction author, and a former editor and publisher
of Toronto Life magazine. His book
Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious
Resource won the 1999 Governor General's Award for
Non-Fiction and the 1999 Canadian Science Writers Award, and
Witch in the Wind: The True Story of the
Bluenose (Thomas Allen 2007) won the 2008 Evelyn
Richardson Prize for Non-fiction and the 2008 Dartmouth Book
Award for Non-fiction.
Rounding
out this year's panel of authors is children's author, poet, and
novelist Sheree Fitch.
Her recently published first novel for adults,
Kiss the Joy As It Flies
(Vagrant Press 2008), was a finalist for the 2009 Stephen Leacock
Medal for Humour.
Sleeping Dragons All Around
(Doubleday 1989; Nimbus 2009) won a 1990 Atlantic Booksellers
Choice award.
The Music!
Music is a large part of Cape Breton life; indeed, our festival is followed by the island-wide Celtic Colours music festival starting October 8. We think that music is writing in another, more widely understood language. And so we choose to add a little music to our festival.
Our wrap-up Sunday
Brunch with all the authors this year features singer/songwriter
Carmel Mikol,
who hails from right here in North River, Cape Breton. Carmel
thinks of herself as a storyteller, and that's how we see
it, too!
We have a really exciting
special event lined up for Saturday night. Read more about that
here. But we were speaking of music.
After that exciting special event, we will be treated to the
sounds of Rocky Shore,
expert proponents of traditional Cape Breton music.
Special Guest
We are excited to have
procured the services, as panel moderator, of
Frank Macdonald,
award-winning journalist, poet, songwriter, playwright, and
author. Whew! The thing is, he's good at all of it! And who
better to get the most from our multi-talented panel
of authors?
Debut Performance of Vision
On Saturday night, we
proudly present, for the first time, a specially commissioned
new dramatic adaptation
of one of Alistair MacLeod's acclaimed
short stories, Vision. With Alistair's
kind permission, playwright
Bev Brett has
created a memorable evening with a piece of which she says, "I
have always thought it one of Alistair's most powerful stories".
Listen for snatches of Gaelic in conversation and song; we can
hardly wait!
And More!
We don't want to say a lot. In fact, it's a secret! But watch for a special appearance by 2010 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour finalist Bill Conall (Rock in the Water, Hidden Brook Press 2009) on Friday evening.
Once again, tickets to our Saturday author sessions include lunch, delivered right to you. Not having to hunt for your own will leave you lots of time to shop for books, chat with your fellows, and enjoy the stunning scenery.
For those not attending our festival on Saturday, we offer a Book Fair and Café. Check out the efforts of local authors, sit down for a chat over tea, coffee, and desserts (proceeds to St Andrew's). Yum!
At 4:00 on Saturday, during our Book Fair and Café, we feature a special reading by Sue Miller from her newly published short story, Is There Anybody Out There?
To round things out nicely, we will again enjoy a Saturday visit from our travelling library, in the guise of our shiny new Bookmobile. We waited long and hard, but it was worth it. Bigger, brighter, comfier, and apparently easier to drive, it's also beautiful; we're proud to show it off. Visit at the Book Fair at St Andrew's between 1:00 and 5:00.
