The power of storytelling

By Joyce St. Antoine

Book lovers will be able to attend the 17th year of Bookfest, beginning Oct. 18.

The main venue this year is the University of Windsor’s School of Creative Arts Building. Activities will also be held at the Capitol Theatre and Phog Lounge and on Sunday, a brunch will take place at the City Grill Event Centre.

Formed in 2001 but officially incorporated in 2003, Bookfest has been organized under several names in the past such as “Wayzgoose.”

Sarah Jarvis, chair of Bookfest, said the event started when poets and authors from all over Canada, the United States and even places like Brazil, came together to read and it grew from there.

There has also been a close partnership with the Francophone community.

“We have panels set up with fun ideas, local moderators and a local personality to run the discussions, readings, insights about their writing, answering questions from the audience, launching their new books… there are so many things, including lunch with a few of the authors,” said Jarvis.

Twenty-two authors are scheduled to attend this year including two actors. One is playwright Keith Barker, who is nominated for a Governor General literary award.

“My publisher reached out to me about participating in the festival. I will be reading an excerpt from my play, This is How We Got Here,” said Barker who has been involved in other programs, which inspired him to start writing.

According to the website, Bookfest Windsor’s theme for 2018 is “The Power of Storytelling.”

Marty Gervais, award-winning journalist, poet, playwright, historian, photographer, editor and City of Windsor’s first poet laureate is also attending, just like he has every year.

“It brings together an opportunity from the community to put their focus on books and authors. At the end of Bookfest, they can walk away with an armful of books, start reading over the next 12 months or so and find out about new authors and new ways of writing,” said Gervais. “If you’re an aspiring writer coming to Bookfest hoping to learn something, keep your ears and eyes open and absorb as much as you can, see how they write and perform.

The most important thing for any writer is to find new strategies to approach their own work. If you’re a new author and you’re having trouble with dialogue, listen to these authors and see how they use it, and that will provide new strategies how you can improve.”

Biblioasis is selling the authors’ books for purchase at the event.

For more schedule information, locations and ticket prices visit Bookfestwindsor.com.