Latest news with #literaryfestival
CTV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Sudbury children invited to learn from famed graphic novelist
Award-winning graphic novel author J. Torres has been invited to the Greater Sudbury Public Library for children's workshops during March Break. (Supplied/Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival) Award-winning graphic novel author J. Torres has been invited to the Greater Sudbury Public Library for children's workshops during March Break. Torres is a Filipino Canadian comic book writer whose credits include Teen Titans Go, Batman: Knightwatch and Adventure Comics for the DC Kids channel on YouTube. Families can join Torres for free at the Valley East Public Library on Elmview Drive in the Greater Sudbury community of Hanmer on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the Lively Public Library on Kin Drive on Friday between 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event, geared for children between the ages of eight to 12, will teach how a graphic novel is created from writing to drawing and finally to book form. 'Participants will take part in engaging activities related to creating comics, sharing story ideas and a chat with the author,' said officials with Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival in a news release. 'His (Torres) award-winning graphic novels for younger readers include Brobots, How to Spot a Sasquatch, Lola: A Ghost Story, Planet Hockey and Stealing Home.' Torres has also written comics for the Archies, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Degrassi, Rick & Morty, Scooby-Doo, The Simpsons and X-Men along with several other notable franchises. Planet Hockey J. Torres has several award-winning graphic novels for younger readers -- including 'Planet Hockey.' (Supplied/Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival) Registration is required for this event, with the first 10 registrants to receive a free copy of J. Torres' book 'Planet Hockey.' To register, contact Quinn Van Essen at 705-673-1155 by email. Download the CTV News app now Get local breaking news alerts Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival's youth program Nickel City Literacy League is helping to address the need for activities centered around literacy for children who have struggled to connect to reading and writing during and following the pandemic. The program offers targeted reading and writing activities to engage children in school, at the library and in after-school program environments and activities are offered at no cost with the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
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.
News24
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
‘An extraordinary few days': Franschhoek Literary Festival kicks off with Town Hall ceremony
The Franschhoek Literary Festival takes place from 16 to 18 May 2025. The festival features panels, interviews and other presentations from well-known authors and other noteworthy figures. This year's participants include Antjie Krog, Bibi Slippers, Caryn Dolley, Africa Melane, Deon Meyer, Jonathan Jansen, Zapiro, and many more. Book lovers from far and wide are descending upon Franschhoek for the annual literary festival from 16 to 18 May. The Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) had its opening ceremony on Thursday night at the Town Hall, hosting authors, festival organisers, local school representatives and Stellenbosch municipality officials. 'It's so exciting to be back here, and we have an extraordinary few days to look forward to of open dialogue, rigorous debates, illuminating conversations about boundary pushing South African literature, connection through stories and ideas, and of course, the big difficult conversations that matter,' said programme director Jennifer Blane. 'The FLF is a space where writers from country, continent, and the wider world share the stage, bringing fresh perspectives on the most urgent, relevant and thought-provoking topics of the day,' she said. 'None of it would be possible without our remarkable South African writers. Your courage, your talents, your hours of hard work are what make it accessible, vibrant, relevant, and timely and full of life.' 'Thank you for your fabulous books. They have been such a joy in this programme.' READ | Coming to FLF: Love, death and Tupperware in Salt Water Pool Boy – read the first chapter FLF board chair Anika Ebrahim said at the ceremony: 'As we start this festival in a world of hard things, this literary festival provides the stillness that we need to open our minds and our hearts so that we can better make sense of it all.' 'In my experience, these three days have always helped me to consider new perspectives, to be more tolerant, to expand and deepen my own understanding,' she said. 'Books, writers, readers, thinkers and discourse do that. It facilitates that. It's essential to the life of a community, to the life of a country, to a people. It's essential for harmony.' Grattan Kirk, CEO of Exclusive Books, also spoke about the role of literary events like FLF in the local book industry. 'These types of events are really important for us and our brand,' Kirk said. Festival director Candice Kerchoff also spoke about the FLF's schools programme. The festival works with four schools in the area. Grattan Kirk, CEO of Exclusive Books, at the opening of the Franschhoek Literary Ontong/News24 'The festival supports the employment of four facilitators at those schools. So, that means the libraries are not a white elephant. Kids are visiting the library there regularly, and it's part of the curriculum.' They also challenged the facilitators to introduce book reviews to the schools. The students' reviews, which were in the form of words and colourful drawings, were displayed in the hall. The festival, which marks its 18th year, features panels, interviews and other presentations from well-known authors and other noteworthy figures. This year's participants include Antjie Krog, Bibi Slippers, Caryn Dolley, Africa Melane, Deon Meyer, Jonathan Jansen, Zapiro, and many more.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Queen Camilla unveils star-studded lineup for her literary festival - with Rivals author Jilly Cooper and Bridgerton creator Julia Quinn set to attend
The Queen is taking her highly anticipated literary festival to Chatsworth this year, with a star-studded line-up of authors for a celebration that will delight bookworms across the country. The Queen's Reading Room, the literary charity launched by Camilla, 77, in 2023, announced that the festival will see authors Jilly Cooper, Helen Fielding, Richard Osman, Natasha Brown, and Jojo Moyes carrying out interviews and panel discussions. Taking place on 19 and 20 September, with tickets going on sale today, the festival celebrates and promotes the transformative power of books. Over the last two years, the festival has attracted audiences from as far away as the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In its first two-year tenure at Hampton Court Palace in 2024, it sold nearly 20,000 tickets. Even more famous faces are expected to take part in this year's events, with Lorraine Kelly set to interview Jilly Cooper and actress Celia Imrie speaking to Richard Osman. Journalist Reeta Chakrabarti will interview Natasha Brown, author of Assembly. Bridgerton fans are in for a treat with special themed panel discussion featuring none other than Julia Quinn, the author of the beloved series herself. Samantha Shannon, Sarah Winman, Joanna Cannon, Kristin Hannah, Peter James, Rupert Everett, Robert Harris, Peter Frankopan, Sebastian Faulks, Lady Anne Glenconner, Gyles Brandreth, Sarah Waters, and Alan Titchmarsh have also all been confirmed to take to the festival stage. The location in which the festival is being held also has a special literary meaning; Chatsworth, in Derbyshire, is the famous backdrop for the film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This year also marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen, which will be celebrated with a special screening of Pride and Prejudice in the Chatsworth Garden to open the festival. Visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the life and legacy of one of the greatest novelists in English literature via a pop-up exhibition of Jane Austen artefacts. The exhibition is curated especially for The Queen's Reading Room by Jane Austen's House, an independent museum located in what used to be her cottage in Hampshire. To end the festival, visitors will enjoy a showing of Sense and Sensibility in the garden. Vicki Perrin, chief executive of The Queen's Reading Room, said: 'After the success of last year's Queen's Reading Room Festival which saw us fill over 10,000 seats in a single day, we are delighted to be bringing our flagship event back for 2025 - this time to the magical surrounds of Chatsworth. 'As a charity, we are committed to ensuring that everybody can access our events. Bridgerton fans are in for a special treat - series author Julia Quinn will take part in a special discussion panel at the festival 'We are therefore so excited by the opportunity of connecting with more audiences in the UK at Chatsworth and are immensely grateful to Chatsworth House Trust for hosting us - it's clear that, like us, they are deeply committed to championing creativity and the joy of books. 'Whether you're a fan of romance or fantasy, crime fiction or historical fiction - there really is something for everybody at The Queen's Reading Room Festival and we can't wait to see you there!' Jane Marriott, director of Chatsworth House Trust, added: 'We are delighted to welcome The Queen's Reading Room Festival to Chatsworth, and to share this exciting celebration of storytelling with our local communities and guests from across the UK and the world. 'We often say that Chatsworth is more than a house; it's a place of creativity and community, learning and ideas. 'This partnership between our two charities demonstrates how true this is, and we can't wait for the festival to begin.' Queen Camilla previously said her hopes for her literary charity is that it 'will be something that everybody can delve into, and find something that suits them, and enjoy it'. The charity, which reaches more than 12 million people in 174 countries, also published neuroscientific research in 2023 that found that reading for just five minutes a day can reduce stress levels by almost 20%. Earlier this year, The Queen's Reading Room launched a medal to recognise people who are championing literature in local communities. The King and Queen held a event to celebrate the launch at Clarence House in March, attended by a slew of famous actors and authors including Sigourney Weaver, Richard E Grant, Helena Bonham Carter, Dame Joanna Lumley, Antony Horowitz and Kate Atkinson. 'Through literature, we experience life through another's eyes, we are comforted, strengthened, we laugh, we cry, we travel to different lands, and we escape the real world. 'In short, books and those who create them, make life better…much better – so thank you!' the Queen said. Camilla is a longstanding campaigner on literacy and encouraging reading, and is patron of organisations including the National Literacy Trust, First Story, Corma Beanstalk and Booktrust. Last year, a report published by the National Literary Trust found that reading rates are the lowest on record, with one in two adults not reading a book at all in the last year. The Queen's Reading Room Medal aims to highlight the work of 'reading heroes' across the country who are working to help their communities overcome that reading crisis.
