THE NORTH SHORE WRITERS FEST

For the past twenty years, The North Shore Writers Fest has unified local writers and readers alike in a celebration of the written word. Despite originally taking place exclusively in socalled North Vancouver, they have since moved online entirely, due to Covid-19, however as restrictions ease , the choice to stay online or move back in-person, remains undecided and the impact this has on young local writers is a matter of questioning.

After discussing with festival facilitator Meghan Crowe (She/Her) and West Vancouver Memorial Librarian Kendra Sakamoto (She/Her), a few topics sparked interest, including the fact that their attendance in recent years has had far less youth than expected. This is not against their best efforts. When asked about the steps they take to promote this festival, Crowe told the Courier, “we have a fairly intricate communication plan, one including posters, Facebook and other social media platforms, as well as traditional print media.” These efforts are easily recognized, seen by an Instagram account with almost 700 followers and a Facebook account trailing not far behind. Their print ads are easily found around the North Shore and these events are often discussed in the small pockets of literary community entangling this city. So why is it that so few young writers and readers are in attendance?

While Crowe and Sakamoto are just as unsure about the reasoning behind the dying literary scene for young people as many so-called Vancouver writers, they try their best regardless to create a welcoming space for all the writers hiding in the shadows of the North Shore. Sakamoto spoke on her opinion of this matter, stating “We want to create a wonderful experience for everyone who comes, our goal is to create a community around Canadian literature.”

Light For Local Authors

Naturally, their switch to a virtual only festival may be the cause for this trouble, however Crowe spoke on how this format is far better for those who are already in the festivals target demographic. “We had incredible feedback with the virtual format, it was preferred by those with accessibility issues and those away from the North Shore Writers fest.” However, they do recognize that this format also excludes those who struggle to gain access to a reliable internet connection and the online format as a whole. As well as that this will further contribute to the lack of youth attendees, as they say they think young people are tired of waiting at home and are wanting more to make in person connections again. As a way to combat this issue, they have included more events with a focus on young people, including an event around children's books and graphic novels as a way to grab their hopeful audiences attention. They also encourage young writers to participate in the North Shore authors collections, a program that has published authors as young as eight years old. Applications begin May 2nd, and writers are heavily encouraged to submit.

The North Shore Writers Festival is constantly amazed by the success of the event each year and the community that has sparked surrounding it. Crowe and Sakamoto add that the goal of the festival is to shed a light on local Canadian authors and that they hope to let local authors know they are encouraged to participate , that the door is open and waiting for them.

To attend this year's virtual festival from April 26th - 30th 2022, visit northshorewritersfestival.com or follow them on instagram at @ nswritersfest for more information.