GuelphToday received the following letter from Eden Mills Writers' Festival board of directors chair Theresa Ebden.
As we go into our 36th year of the Eden Mills Writers' Festival with an award-winning Canadian author lineup, a huge “thank you” is due. This festival celebrates not only the authors we love to read, but YOU - whether you made a donation, sponsored us, bought an advertisement in our Festival Guide or just bought an advance ticket at emwf.ca. You are helping to support original Canadian ideas and local arts at a very challenging time.
The news reports began at the beginning of this year: many Canadian festivals and other non-profit arts organizations were shutting their doors and laying off their hard-working staff - or were close to doing so. As our volunteer non-profit board and paid staff worked for a second year to reimagine our festival structure for the realities of a post-pandemic, high-inflation world, these headlines were daunting – and we are so grateful for the support we have received in a make-or-break year.
If you’ve ever been to our festival or plan to come this year, please consider supporting us and sustaining the magic. By magic, we mean the impact of all of our collective imaginations coming together around ideas from Canadian authors, poets and visionaries. And to make this magic happen, we have set a fundraising target of $50,000, which is about one-fifth of our charity’s operating budget. Ticket sales provide 9% of our total costs, so if you can, please make a donation, and consider becoming a monthly donor for any amount. Other ways to help include getting involved as a volunteer; buying a ticket (for yourself and a friend) to the festival; and promoting festival day on your social media.
Lovers of books, ideas and conversation will enjoy our 2024 lineup which includes strong Canadian voices such as veteran journalist Carol Off, whose book At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage explores how we can reclaim the value of words like democracy, freedom and truth (note: you won't find answers to that query on ChatGPT - you will need to come to the festival!). Also, Tanya Talaga, author of Seven Fallen Feathers, will be speaking on her new book The Knowing - a story on what really happened to build Canada as told through her heavily impacted Anishinaabe family tree - and it's a devastating, necessary read. We have Hannah Mary McKinnon (Only One Survives), Robert J. Sawyer (The Downloaded), and Cherie Dimaline (Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix) - and many others you can preview at www.emwf.ca. Whether it’s the latest must-read book or something for the young reader in your life in our children’s garden, there’s programming to suit every reader.
For those who like to write, we continue our tradition of providing online writing workshops, one on Thursday, September 5th, and three more on Saturday, September 7th. These sessions are led by Canadian authors Dallas Hunt, Emily Urquhart, Kate Heartfield, and Farzana Doctor, to help writers improve their craft in a welcoming and engaging setting.
Please visit us at www.emwf.ca to register for a workshop, buy a ticket or make your donation. Let’s celebrate great Canadian literature this year, and for many years to come. We hope to see you at the festival!
We need volunteers, workshop participants, donors, sponsors and advertisers for this year and next year's festival. Please contact us today at [email protected].
Theresa Ebden, chair of the board of directors for the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival
