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Sidney and Peninsula Literary Festival is forging new relationships

Lots planned for Sidney Literary Festival, starting with fundraisers this month.
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President of the Sidney and Peninsula Literary Festival Society

Sidney and Peninsula Literary Festival President Janet Daines has been busy planning events in advance of the Sidney Literay Festival, now a year away.

Held every two years, the Festival is about celebrating and promoting literary culture and the love of reading and writing.

President since 2015, Daines said they hold literary events leading up to the Festival, including a reading coming up on May 18 at the Red Brick Cafe, where the audience will hear from two authors, Grant McKenzie and Tricia Dower. The pair will be reading from their respective books, holding a discussion and answering questions.

The Festival is collaborating with Tanner’s Books on the readings, which Daines said has been very helpful with some of their promotions.

“It’s been a very beneficial thing for us to work with Cliff (McNeil-Smith, Tanner’s owner) and the store,” she said.

Daines said she loves the way authors bring the stories to life. When they talk about themselves, she said, it personalizes the relationship between the writer and reader, deepening the understanding.

“Books, reading are very important to me and it’s important that we promote and celebrate the written word, the creators and the creative process,” she said about the Festival.

The Festival also has an educational aspect, she said. It offers writing workshops to schools and sponsors a writing contest for youth in Grades 4 to 12. There is also a free workshop for adults on memoir writing.

The reading begins at 7 p.m. on May 18 and tickets are available at Tanner’s Books for $10. Tanner’s will also be selling the books.

Another reading will take place again in June, and in the fall and spring of next year prior to the 2017 Festival.

For more information on the Festival, visit, sidneyliteraryfestival.ca/our-other-events/.