The Elephant Mountain Lit Fest proudly celebrates its 13th anniversary from Sept.12-15, offering an exciting lineup of author readings, blue pencil mentorships, multidisciplinary events, and a book fair.
This year’s featured writers and artists include Shashi Bhat, finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Award, and Jayli Wolf, filmmaker, actress, and Juno-nominated singer-songwriter; alongside several celebrated writers from the Kootenays.
“This year's Elephant Mountain Lit Fest is filled with a mix of celebrated writers and rising stars,” says the festival’s executive director, Ingrid Love. “In a world where change is constant, we seek to explore themes of uncertainty and the unknown, while also exploring creativity as a countermeasure through workshops, readings, and discussions. The festival offers both readers and writers a chance to connect with the vibrant voices behind some of the most exciting contemporary writing, poetry, music, and film from our local area and beyond."
Writers looking to “level up” their work can book Blue Pencil Mentorships — 40-minute one-on-one sessions with celebrated writers Roz Nay and Bhat.
This year’s festival offers a variety of workshops, including:
• A free book marketing webinar with FriesenPress.
• Writing Through Grief with Smokii Sumac.
• Creative Journaling with Emma Noyes.
• Non-Fiction Adventure Writing with Jayme Moye.
• Creating Tension and Suspense with Roz Nay.
The in-person festival events kick off on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. with "13th Anniversary on the 13th: Into the Unknown." This unique event embraces the auspicious energy of Friday the 13th, bringing together celebrated writers Nay, Sumac, Wolf and Moye for an evening of poetry, fiction, film, and music that explores the unknown.
New this year, on Saturday, Sept. 14, the festival continues with the Local Writers Book Fair from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre. This event provides readers and writers from the West Kootenay and beyond an opportunity to connect with local authors, purchase signed books, and explore the diverse writing culture of the Columbia Basin region.
Later that evening, at 7 p.m., the festival presents "Strength in Storytelling: A Reading and Conversation," which shifts focus from uncertainty to themes of belonging, knowing, and connection. Featuring writers such as Bhat, Zaynab Mohammed, and Noyes, this event will explore how storytelling links us across time and space, offering solace in the face of both personal and universal turbulence. The winner of the 2024 Richard Carver Award will also be announced during the event.
Workshops, webinars, and Blue Pencil Mentorships can be booked online through the festival’s website at emlfestival.com. The book fair is free to attend and open to all.
