Embracing inspiration: the impact of literature in the Wild Writers Literary Festival

“It’s not just for writers, but for everyone. Everyone can walk away excited.”

This is how student editorial assistant Georgia Berg described the annual Wild Writer’s Literary Festival, which took place from Nov. 1-3 this year. Held by the New Quarterly, a Canadian literary magazine based out of St. Jerome’s University, this festival hosts various workshops and panels for readers and writers, as well as celebrates the Canadian literary scene by featuring emerging pieces of Canadian literature.

A number of UW faculty from the English department were involved in the festival this year. A panel about children’s literature was moderated by professor Jennifer Harris, who has published numerous children’s picture books herself in the past. In a conversation about the importance of children’s literature, Harris expressed the lasting effect that picture books have on the lives of adults. “Children’s literature is something a lot of people have really strong and fond memories of. We’re at a university that values innovation, [and] where does innovation come from? Where do we learn to imagine, question, and look at the world differently? These are things we learn from picture books,” Harris said. One of her works, The Keeper of the Stars, a tale about a young boy helping clean the night sky, was featured in the festival this year. 

There was also a panel about horror in literature, moderated by professor Andrew Deman. When asked what people can take away from his panel, Deman said, “I would really love it if people could further garner a respect for the craft of horror and the complex symbolic engagements that it can have with our lived reality. It’s a deeply underappreciated genre, both in terms of the craft that goes into it and also in terms of the value that it generates.”

On the value of the festival as a whole, Deman conveyed the importance that the festival can have on all the ways literature manifests in our lives. “I hope people leave the festival feeling inspired and empowered to participate in all manner of literary endeavors. Not just [about] reading and writing, but also all the little ways that literary culture can draw out people’s passions through pondering, discussing, and perceiving literature in new and exciting ways.”

Professor Sarah Tolmie hosted a popular poetry masterclass called “Poetry Preparedness” sponsored by the UW English department. Tolmie, an accomplished author and poet herself, aimed to work with aspiring poets to hone their craft through a series of short, detailed and diverse activities. She also aimed to implement physical exercises and objects, such as clay, to enhance the learning experience. “It’s about realizing what skills you have [as] a language user. Those are the ones that will make you into a poet. Basically, [it’s] instilling confidence in that simple truth,” she said about a person’s abilities to write poetry. Check, a poetic satire written by Tolmie about the groups we inevitably form, was featured as one of the works at the festival this year. 

The theme of the festival’s opening showcase was “Truth and Consequence,” with many of the featured works using storytelling as a means to investigate personal and collective histories. You can check out some of the following titles that were featured at the Wild Writers Literary Festival this year, and you might even walk away inspired, empowered and just a little bit excited. 

Works featured: 

1. Death by a Thousand Cuts by Shashi Bhat
2. Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
3. The Elizabeth Stories by Isabel Huggan 
4. I Never Said That I Was Brave by Tasneem Jamal
5. 40 Days & 40 Hikes by Nicola Ross
6. The Grimmer by Naben Ruthnum
7. The Knowing by Tanya Talaga