From Living Room to Ballroom: Whistler Writers Festival Celebrates 20 Years of Stories
This question was posed by poet and author Andreas Schroeder to readers and writers 20 years ago in a cozy, cabin-style home in Emerald, a neighborhood north of Whistler Village. A small crowd gathered on couches, chairs, and the floor of Stella Harvey’s living room for the inaugural Whistler Writers Festival.
I was there, captivated as Schroeder leaned in from his barstool perch, gesturing like a fly caster while sharing two versions of catching a fish—one an anecdote, the other a true story. As a wise teacher, he challenged us to define the difference.
This October 14–17, 2021, the Whistler Writers Festival presents hybrid events at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and Whistler Public Library. Join in person, virtually, or both—the pandemic has made it more accessible than ever.
Schroeder’s question—how do we tell a story?—has guided the festival, growing from a living room to grand ballrooms. This year features 13 readings, 16 workshops, and the Authors in the Schools program reaching 19 schools in the Sea to Sky Corridor. Marking its 20th anniversary, the theme is Celebrating 20 Years of Stories: Tasting and Literary Cabaret Watch Party.
The festivities begin Friday with a tasting of Cypriot appetizers from Christina Loucas’s cookbook Cyprus Cuisine. Savor kolokotes (butternut squash pies) and koupes (bulgur wheat pork rolls), paired with a mint-infused cocktail from Pemberton’s HappiLife Farm, as Loucas shares her passion for Cyprus family recipes.
Next, the Literary Cabaret Watch Party screens five-minute author readings with live improv music by Geeta Das, Rajan Das, Dean Feser, and Rosalind Steel of West Coast Front. Enjoy bite-sized tales from Shaena Lambert (Petra), Cedar Bowers (Astra), Ivan Coyote (Care Of), Mary Lawson (A Town Called Solace), Darrel J. McLeod (Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity), and more.
Connecting writers and readers for two decades, the festival spotlights returning authors. Darrel J. McLeod (with Eden Robinson) returns for The Booklovers’ Literary Salon with Tanya Talaga, Literary Cabaret, Memoir as Storytelling workshop, and A Walk to Lost Lake and Back.
Award-winning poet Terence Young presents Smithereens, joining Canisia Lubrin, Steven Heighton, Yusuf Saadi, and Arleen Paré for Picking Up What was Lost: Poetry Reading & Discussion and the workshop Examining Tone and Voice in Poetry.
Gratitude flows to founder Stella Harvey for two decades of literary magic in Whistler’s woods.
Like many long-time supporters, I’ve returned yearly—as participant, volunteer, moderator, teacher (Worldbuilding for Children’s & YA Books), festival manager, and now author of My Best Friend is Extinct.
Each festival feels unique, especially amid a pandemic, yet ends with the same warmth: authors and attendees embracing new books, minds expanded by ideas, creativity ignited, and humanity celebrated.
Fall in Whistler offers great value: rooms from $129 CAD, plus a free $100 CAD Dining Voucher for 3+ night stays.
