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Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 01:31PM ... we're ready to enjoy the summer and hope you are too!
Join us again in September, when we're starting with a bang. Our exciting list of authors already confirmed for the fall includes Canadian great Margaret Atwood and Boingboing.net's Cory Doctorow. Keep an eye on our website at www.writersfestival.org for details!
Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 02:51PM Wow, what a Spring Edition! A thousand thanks to the amazing authors, dedicated volunteers, insightful audiences and generous sponsors.
It feels like a new beginning for the Festival in so many ways - with our spectacular new venue, record-breaking audiences and so much inspiration on-stage and off.
Thank you, Ottawa, once again, for welcoming our guests from near and far and for showcasing our community's generosity, intelligence and heart.
We're back at Saint Brigid's on May 11 with three of the world's most acclaimed authors - Kamila Shamsie, Zoë Heller and Ha Jin - and we hope to see you there!
Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 02:06PM Till May 2nd, meet up with us at Saint Brigid's Centre for encounters with some amazing thinkers and writers.
314 Saint Patrick, at Cumberland - from noon-1:00 and from 5:30-10:00 PM during the week, and from 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM on the weekends, you won't believe the ideas, the creativity, the conversations, and our remarkable new space! Come check it out and say hi!
Friday, April 17, 2009 at 10:18PM Dear Festival Friends - I'm just heading out the door to our Anne Michaels launch at Saint Brigid's (419 Saint Patrick at Cumberland). We start at 7:00 PM and it should be a great evening.
Also wanted to let you know that Nicola Vulpe will be launching his novella, The Extraordinary Event of Pia H., who turned to admire a chicken on the Plaza Mayor tomorrow from 11am to 1pm at Books on Beechwood (35 Beechwood Avenue - 
613.742.5030
. It's a great book so it will be well worth attending.
And don't forget about our Al Pudy event at Library and Archives Canada at 7:00 PM on April 21. The Spring Edition of the Writers Festival runs from April 22 to May 2 at Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities. We're in for 11 days of great ideas and boundless imagination so I hope to see you soon!
All the best,
Sean
Sean Wilson
Artistic Director
Ottawa International Writers Festival
Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 04:13PM Dear Festival Friends - after a morning of chocolate overload with Aidan finding treats from the Easter Bunny inside the house and out, I thought I would take a break from the sugar to remind everyone that the Spring Edition is just around the corner running for 11 glorious days, from Earth Day, April 22 to May 2 at Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities.
The renovations continue in preparation for the Festival and I can't wait for you to see how much they have updated the heritage structure!
We also have three stellar events before the Festival: The great Wayson Choy will be here on Tuesday to talk about Not Yet, a memoir on his near death experiences and the power of love. Anne Michaels will be sharing from and talking about The Winter Vault, her acclaimed follow up to Fugitive Pieces, on Friday the 17th. (Both events are at Saint Brigid's at the corner of Saint Patrick and Cumberland.) We've also got some great links to reviews and interviews with both authors on the discussion forum if you want to take a moment to see what the critics are saying about both authors. There's also a bit of discussion on Ezra Levant and his visit to the Festival - so don't hesitate to weigh in with your thoughts!
Tickets for Wayson Choy (as well as Festival Passes and tickets) are available on-line, by phone at 613.562.1243 or in person from Nicholas Hoare, Collected Works and Octopus Books. No tickets are required for Anne Michaels - it's a free event.
Our final pre-Festival event is a "pay what you can" fundraiser in support of the Al Purdy A-Frame Trust to help with the purchase of Al's old house as a poets retreat. We're at Library and Archives for this one on April 21 - National Al Purdy Day. JoinMichael Dennis, Kathryn Hunt, Rob Winger, Steven Brockwell, Jim Larwill, Gwen Guth, Sean Zio and more in celebration of Al Purdy.
And then... it's Festival time! Hope you saw today's special coverage in the Ottawa Citizen Books section and hope to see you after the long-weekend!
All the best,
Sean