Publisher's Way in Eden Mills - 2014 (DanH-4245)

The Eden Mills Writers' Festival is held annually in the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

of Eden Mills, which is approximately east of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The festival includes readings by poets, authors, and other writers at various outdoor venues throughout the village. The festival occurs on the second Sunday after Labour Day in September. In previous years more than 40 Canadian authors appeared to give readings and interact with audiences, including notable Canadian writers such as Margaret Atwood and

P. K. Page Patricia Kathleen Page, (23 November 1916 – 14 January 2010) was a British-born Canadian poet,Peter ScowenP.K. Page dies at age 93 ''The Globe and Mail'', 14 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010. though the citation as she was inducted as a ...

. On September 15, 2013, the Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary. The festival also provides opportunities for young and unpublished writers to present their work in a juried reading session called "the Fringe." There are two literary contests: the

Ishar Singh Sardar Bahadur Ishar Singh VC, OBI (30 December 1895 – 2 December 1963) was a soldier in the British Indian Army and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British ...

Poetry Contest and the Festival Literary Contest for new writers over the age of 16. The festival includes a book vendors' bazaar (Publisher's Way), a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

event, a children's site, and musical events. Eden Mills is located on the

Eramosa River The Eramosa River is a river in Wellington County in southwestern Ontario which rises near Erin, Ontario, and flows southwest through the city of Guelph, where it joins the Speed River, which then enters the Grand River in Cambridge. The rive ...

and the festival's principal readings take place on its banks.

History

In 1989 the Eden Mills Writers' Festival began, featuring

Leon Rooke Leon Rooke, CM (born September 11, 1934) is a Canadian novelist. He was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina in the United States. Educated at the University of North Carolina, he moved to Canada in 1969. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario. Rook ...

, local resident, writer and a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. Th ...

winner. It has been held annually since then, and expanded its programs: the number of professional readers, contests, etc. The festival began in the original General Store, which was built in 1877. Don and Mark Holman, the owners of the general store at the time, suggested to neighbor Leon Rooke (who was then living with his wife Constance across the street) to launch his latest novel ''A Good Baby'', from just outside the store. Rooke invited other writers to this event, such as

Rohinton Mistry Rohinton Mistry (born 1952) is an Indian-born Canadian writer. He has been the recipient of many awards including the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2012. Each of his first three novels were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His ...

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller P ...

Jane Urquhart Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...

and

Linda Spalding Linda Spalding (née Dickinson; June 25, 1943) is a Canadian writer and editor. Born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Jacob Alan Dickinson and Edith Senner, she lived in Mexico and Hawaii before moving to Toronto, Ontario in 1982. She has tw ...

. A small audience of 350 people showed up and the Eden Mills Writers' Festival had begun.

The Festival

Over the years, the Festival has taken place in an array of different Eden Mills venues, most of which are outdoors. Some are on the banks of the

; others are in local residents' scenic backyards, to name a few. In addition to the main venues, there is a popular

area (the Adisokaun stage). Children's Site is held at Jenny's Place, a retail store. Additions to the festival include the fringe and

Young Adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

readings, as well as two annual literary competitions. The festival also has a section of the village partitioned for Publishers' Way. This is where

booksellers Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...

publishers Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, magazine producers and

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

groups can display their work. Authors also congregate here to meet fans and sign their books. There is live music between readings and local food vendors sell various types of food to accommodate all tastes. This all happens within the small village, where participants can walk easily from venue to venue. The festival does offer transportation for anyone who cannot manage the walking. The 2020 festival, scheduled for September 11–13, was cancelled due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

and will be replaced with "a series of free online literary events" from May to October.

Gallery

Opening of Eden Mills Writers Festival and dedication by the Town Crier - 2017 (DanH-9129).jpg, Opening of Eden Mills Writers Festival and dedication by the Town Crier Thomas King reading in the Sculpture Garden - 2013 (DanH-1808).jpg, Thomas King reading in the Sculpture Garden Leon Rooke reading in Rivermead - 2016 (DanH-7640).jpg, Leon Rooke reading in Rivermead David Adams Richards reading at the Mill - 2014 (DanH-4019).jpg,

David Adams Richards David Adams Richards (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian writer and member of the Canadian Senate.Emma Donoghue Emma Donoghue (born 24 October 1969) is an Irish-Canadian playwright, literary historian, novelist, and screenwriter. Her 2010 novel ''Room'' was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donoghue's 1995 novel '' Hood'' ...

reading in Jenny's Place The Mill - 2017 (DanH-9101).jpg, The Mill, one of the many venues for the festival The Bookstore in Publisher’s Way - 2017 (DanH-9064).jpg, The Bookstore in Publisher's Way Author’s book signing in Publisher’s Way - 2015 (DanH-6319).jpg, Book signing in Publisher's Way

Running the Festival

The Festival is run completely by

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

. Many of these volunteers have been with the festival for years, and new ones are recruited each year. It is run by an eight-person board, six of whom are Eden Mills residents. The general membership of approximately 50 people assist with

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

, operations, publicity, author selection, entertainment and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

. On the day of the festival, 60 volunteers help with activities. Private sites are offered free of charge for readings, expressing the local support and generosity typical of this festival.

Green festival

Eramosa River behind the Cottage - 2017 (DanH-9346)

Eden Mills is the first community in North America to attempt to have a carbon-neutral footprint. This is reflected in the festival planning and activities. The Eden Mills Writers' festival undertakes several precautions:

"To avoid landfill-clogging plastic bottles, Eden Mills brings in a water tank to dispense treated water to thirsty attendees. Festival volunteers discourage the use of disposable food containers by transporting dirty dishes by teenaged volunteers on bikes for washing at a neighbouring
summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...
. Shuttle buses from downtown Guelph help reduce the need for cars."{{cite web, url=http://www.quillandquire.com/google/article.cfm?article_id=11915, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916200624/http://www.quillandquire.com/google/article.cfm?article_id=11915, archive-date=September 16, 2012, title=Literary festivals set a green example, first=Jason, last=Spencer, date=July 28, 2011

References

External links

Eden Mills Writers' Festival web siteEden Mills Community Website
Literary festivals in Ontario Wellington County, Ontario Festivals in Guelph