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Back in town for the fabulous festival

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So here we are again at my favourite time of year – the time when writers, readers and publishers descend on the Sunshine Coast in droves and all things literary come to the forefront.

This time, for the first time ever, I shall be a tourist at the Sunshine Coast Writers Festival. Do I think that will change anything? Not a chance.

I’m coming early enough to miss the ferry frenzy that seems to happen year after year – the one fly in the ointment for many of our annual patrons. We can always hope this will be the year the boats run on time, although I fear that may be a fairy tale to challenge even the Grimm Brothers’ best yarn.

But on to the reason many of us travel from near and far to sit in the most beautiful pavilion in B.C. – the opportunity to be swept away by the written word. This year, as always, the lineup is stellar. Every year I wonder who will be the unexpected hit. Will it be a charmer like last year’s Cathie Borrie, who had us dancing in the aisles when her time came? A comedic delight like Grant Lawrence, who had the entire audience in stitches with his take on a nude potluck? Or will it be a local surprise like Dianne Whelan, whose pictures of Mount Everest stole our breath away?

One of my literary heroes headlines this year’s festival: Lawrence Hill is here to bring to life his latest book, The Illegal. Many of you, like me, consider The Book of Negroes to be one of the finest Canadian books ever. I recently watched the adapted series on CBC; it was fantastic beyond my wildest dreams. Oftentimes a television series or movie doesn’t do justice to a novel; this was definitely not the case. The fact that Hill was instrumental in the screenplay is probably a big part of the success. How lucky is the Coast to have such a superb guest?

Another headliner this year is Madeleine Thien, one of 13 authors – one of two Canadians – nominated for the Booker Prize. Her presence is a serendipitous coup for festival producer extraordinaire, Jane Davidson. Thien’s book, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, is at top of my list to read.

Every year I look forward to meeting old friends and making new ones at this fabulous festival. As this will be the first time in 10 years that I’m not part of the Festival board of directors, the event is bittersweet for me. However, I look forward to catching up with the best volunteers an organization could hope for and once again enjoying the many magic moments.

See you in Sechelt.