Latest news with #KylaHeyming
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Sudbury's Wordstock festival faces dissolution amid financial woes
Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival board recommends dissolution amid financial woes, with final vote set for next week. The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival faces dissolution as its board recommends disbanding due to financial struggles, with members voting on the decision next week after founder Heather Campbell's layoff and rising costs forced the painful move, mirroring challenges hitting literary festivals nationwide. The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival could soon come to an end after its board of directors recommended dissolving the organization due to mounting financial pressures. The board's decision follows the recent layoff of founder and director Heather Campbell as the festival grapples with rising operating costs and limited funding opportunities. A final vote on the recommendation will take place at a virtual membership meeting scheduled for June 4. Kyla Heyming - Wordstock An undated photo of Wordstock Sudbury chair Kyla Heyming. (Wordstock) 'Wordstock for me is one of the reasons I decided to stay in the city, so it's even more bittersweet,' said Kyla Heyming, the festival's board chair, on Wednesday evening. 'It's something I got to enjoy, promote, share, and help build. We're at this point where I have to try and face the reality of it all—we are recommending the dissolution of something that's so near and dear to my heart.' In a news release, the board acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, citing the festival's strong community impact since its founding in 2013. 'Heather built Wordstock from the ground up, and her passion for literature has left an indelible mark on this community,' Heyming said. 'But given the financial pressures and resource limitations we're facing, we believe it's time to have an honest and respectful conversation with our membership.' Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival The most recent Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival logo. (Wordstock/Facebook) Wordstock's struggles reflect broader challenges for small arts nonprofits across Canada. The board emphasized its gratitude to sponsors, volunteers, and attendees who supported the festival over the years. Further updates will follow next week's membership meeting.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival recommends members vote to dissolve the organization
The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival board is recommending its members vote to dissolve the organization. Kyla Heyming, Wordstock's board chair, said the festival is not financially viable in its current form. "Some of the grants we've received in the past have pulled out," Heyming told CBC's Up North. "We've been getting less money from grants than we usually get and it's just not sustainable anymore." Heyming said the festival has grown in recent years to provide programming year-round, and has depended on grants from both federal and provincial levels of government. But a lot of those grants have dried up. "We're often not getting any feedback back," she said, referring to the different grant agencies. Last year, Heyming said it cost around $100,000 to put on the festival. "We've grown and that's what's been fantastic," she said. But that growth has also come at a cost, with employees needed to run various programs and initiatives. Heyming said the recommendation to dissolve the festival does not come lightly. She said the board even hired someone to help find the festival more sponsorship opportunities, but that didn't work out. "If by, you know, some miracle people really want to volunteer, get involved, if we get a miracle funding or sponsorship that allows us to continue, then we won't have to recommend to dissolve,"Heyming said. But she added that the current financial reality for the festival, without a last-minute "miracle" means it can't be sustained.
