The Fraser Valley Writers Festival (FVWF) kicked off on Friday, Nov. 7 with two keynote addresses and the unveiling of UFV’s new 2026 Writer-in-Residence, Richard Kelly Kemick. Having gone to a workshop of his at last year’s Festival, I witnessed his kind, approachable nature, and it will be lovely to see him move into such an important role for our student literary community.
Acclaimed authors Charles Demers and Evelyn Lau were insightful and comical in their addresses as keynote speakers. Their introductions discussed their place in the literary world and their experience and knowledge about the craft. They also performed professional readings of their published work. It was definitely entertaining, especially when Demers framed his literary scope around underpants, having used it as a metaphor and dialectical synthesis to make a point about how we as a society can learn from conflict and choose to act on social change.
Day two of the Festival on Saturday, Nov. 8 was kicked off with a reading of “habit is a sword i use to slay apathy” from the winner of the FVWF Student Poetry Contest, Xavier Ibraheem. Various workshops were hosted throughout the second day as well. I had the opportunity to learn from Christina Myers about hooking your reader in fiction and non-fiction, and from Heather Ramsay about using the five senses in writing. Other workshops included learning poetry techniques from Brian Bartlett and Nick Thran, use of metaphor with Daniela Elza, and live interviews conducted by Andrew French for his podcast Page Fright.
Two themes carried the Festival, “Silence” and “Sound.” With one panel on each theme, both included four exclusive readings on the theme from the participating authors — written exclusively for the event — and were tied up by a conversational Q&A, giving audiences a chance to ask questions about them personally, or their writing craft. The “Silence” panel was chaired by Taryn Hubbard, with Joseph Dandurand, Daniela Elza, Jen Sookfong Lee, and Christina Myers taking the stage. Lee chaired the afternoon panel on “Sound,” joined by Kayla Czaga, Taryn Hubbard, Heather Ramsay, and Nick Thran for the Q&A.
Each author presented their own unique and powerful perspective on what they thought “sound” and “silence” represented — their diverse experiences delivered with great passion. UFV student, Bronwen Adam, who The Cascade spoke to while sandwiches and beverages were being served, shared similar feelings.
“One of my biggest takeaways is all of the different panelists that come from every walk of life. It’s really empowering to see a variety of diverse representation, which I think is really important especially in more niche fields like writing, editing, and publishing.”
The FVWF never has a lack of community. UFV students, alumni, and faculty attended the festivities, but so too did plenty of people from outside of the university who share similar passions for writing and literature, as Adam mentions.
“[There’s] a really good sense of community here. It’s a very [open] and welcoming environment, and I think that’s important, especially with such a creative and almost boundless type of medium.”
UFV student, Annabel Bot, shared how the Festival benefits aspiring writers and literature enthusiasts. According to Bot, the presence of local, literary role models at the event was very much appreciated.
“It’s so cool to hear the perspective of published writers and authors, and to hear their process and that they’re also humans … They started out like us, so I think it’s a really informative and fun event that brings people together.”
Bot shared equal feelings to Adam’s enjoyment of the Festival.
“So far, it’s been really fun … the panels have been incredibly interesting and kind of invigorating in a way. Not only are the speakers entertaining, but they’re just really knowledgeable in what they do.”
The Festival supported involvement with other literary outlets at UFV such as its literary and visual arts magazine Louden Singletree and the English Student Association.
Whether you’re a writer or just enjoy writing, the Fraser Valley Writers Festival is an amazing opportunity that brings the literary community together to share, learn, absorb, and celebrate creativity by putting imagination and passion to page.
Note: The writer of this article is a part of the editorial board for this year’s Louden Singletree, as is Bronwen Adam who was interviewed.
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.