Lit fest to feature virtual keynotes and panel discussions
The Fraser Valley Literary Festival (FVLF) will take place online on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 this year. The Cascade corresponded via email with Andrea MacPherson, English professor at UFV and artistic director of the literary festival, to learn more about this event.
What is the Fraser Valley Literary Festival?
The Fraser Valley Literary Festival is a celebration of the literary arts in the Fraser Valley. It brings together the Fraser Valley creative community with the thriving B.C. writing community. It’s for emerging and established writers who crave a venue to celebrate the great writing that is happening here. It’s for all CanLit [Canadian Literature] enthusiasts who can’t wait to see what the West Coast writes about next.
How are you connected to the FVLF and how did it start at UFV?
I’m the artistic director for FVLF. The fest grew out of a desire to establish a literary space for members of the Fraser Valley — both students at UFV and the greater community. FVLF was initially sponsored by UFV, with Savittar Productions producing the event. Since then, the fest has grown to include funding from the B.C. Arts Council and the National Reading Series.
How will the FVLF be presented this year?
Due to COVID-19, this year’s events will be presented virtually. There will be three pre-recorded keynote speeches made available for the evening on Nov. 20, and on Nov. 21 there will be three live panels via Zoom. Anyone can register for these events via the Eventbrite page to attend.
What can people expect from this year’s FVLF?
We are really proud of our lineup this year! (Though we say this every year — we’ve been blessed with excellent writers participating at FVLF.) Our three keynotes this year are Amanda Leduc, David A Robertson, and Andrea Warner. The panels on Saturday are “Landscapes of Horror” (12 – 1:30 p.m.) featuring Selina Boan, Tin Lorica, Juliane Okot Bitek, and Sam Wiebe, with David A. Robertson as moderator; “Unsaid: Silence, Language, and the Unspoken” (1:45 – 3:15 p.m.) with Cicely Belle Blain, Waubgeshig Rice, and Casey Plett with moderator Andrea Warner; and “Unrequited Love & All Its Forms” (3:30 – 5 p.m.) with Jillian Christmas, David Ly, and Mallory Tater, with moderator Amanda Leduc.
How can students join the festival? Is it free?
Anyone can register to attend the event! All events this year are free to both students and the community. Registration is open at Eventbrite.
Anything else you would like to include about the festival?
We’re thrilled this year to be able to host writers from outside of B.C., as it is a virtual event. We’re very excited to host this excellent lineup of writers and to see the new work that was commissioned for the fest.
To find out more about the Fraser Valley Literary Festival and this year’s lineup of speakers, students can check out the FVLF Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
FVLF Logo. (Fraser Valley Literary Festival)
Danaye studies English and procrastination at UFV and is very passionate about the Oxford comma. She spends her days walking to campus from the free parking zones, writing novels she'll never finish, and pretending to know how to pronounce abominable. Once she graduates, she plans to adopt a cat.