University of the Fraser Valley

Fraser Valley Literary Festival returns to UFV Sept 13 and 14

Fraser Valley Literary Festival returns to UFV Sept 13 and 14

The Fraser Valley Literary Festival is back at the University of the Fraser Valley for its second year.

Running from Friday, Sept 13 through Saturday, Sept 14, the festival will feature 11 diverse authors from British Columbia. This year’s event takes place in University House (Building F) on the Abbotsford campus.

Keynote speakers are Shazia Hafiz Ramji, Laisha Rosnau, and Michael V Smith. Panelists include Marita Dachsel, Jonina Kirton, Doretta Lau, Alex Leslie, Minelle Mahtani, Hasan Namir, Danny Ramadan, and jaye simpson.

UFV presents this key regional event for not only writers, but for anyone interested in discovering Canadian literature close to home. By inviting professional authors and their readership to the Fraser Valley, FV Lit Fest creates an engaging and productive atmosphere for writers and readers alike.

“The Fraser Valley Literary Festival brings together the Fraser Valley creative community with the thriving BC writing community,” says festival artistic director Andrea MacPherson, a published novelist and an assistant professor of English at UFV. “It’s for emerging and established writers who crave a venue to celebrate the great writing is happening here. It’s for all CanLit enthusiasts who can’t wait to see what the West Coast writes about next.

“We strive to curate a diverse group of keynote speakers and panelists, bringing together writers from across BC and the Fraser Valley community. This year we have writers coming from Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, Vernon, and the Lower Mainland.”

Panels are multi-genre, and loosely based on specific themes. The panelists write a commissioned original piece using the assigned theme, and these materials can be made available to UFV faculty members to supplement teaching materials.

The Festival is produced by Savittar Productions Society, with financial assistance from UFV College of Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the Canada Council via the Writers Union.

UFV offered planning assistance in terms of administration and organization. Writers Billeh Nickerson and Jen Sookfong Lee, both of whom are former writers-in-residence at UFV, acted as consultants for 2019 festival programming.

Ticket prices are $10 (includes both Friday and Saturday events). Admission is free for UFV students.

Schedule:

Fri, Sept 13
7-9 pm
Opening wine and cheese event
Keynotes from Michael V Smith and Shazia Hafiz Ramji

Sat, Sept 14
Panel 1
1-2:30 pm
The Terrible and the Sublime: From Monsters to Saints
With Marita Dachsel, Jonina Kirton, Doretta Lau, and Danny Ramadan

Panel 2
2:30-3:50 pm
Myths, Secrets, and Ghosts
With Alex Leslie, Minelle Mahtani, Hasan Namir, and jaye simpson

Closing keynote
4:10-4:30 pm
With Laisha Rosnau.

Lessons learned in UFV waste audit

The 2024 Waste Audit produced valuable results for UFV’s Office of Sustainability and will serve as another step to UFV… ...

Lessons learned in UFV waste audit