The Eden Mills Writers' Festival is held annually in the

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

and

P. K. Page Patricia Kathleen Page, (23 November 1916 – 14 January 2010) was a 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 Fellow of th ...

. 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 The festival also provides opportunities for young and unpublished writers to present their work in a juried reading session called "the Fringe."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 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 are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

event, a children's site, and musical events. Eden Mills is located on the Eramosa River and the festival's principal readings take place on its banks.

History

In 1989 the Eden Mills Writers' Festival began, featuring Leon Rooke, local resident, writer and a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

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 A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

, 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,

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...

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 Toronto ( , locally p ...

. 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 Eramosa River; 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 In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

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,

publishers Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

, magazine producers and

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and was 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 Senate of Canada, Canadian Senate.Emma Donoghue Emma Donoghue (born October 1969) is an Irish Canadians, Irish Canadian novelist, screenwriter, playwright and literary historian. Her 2010 novel ''Room (novel), Room'' was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donog ...

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 an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

. 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 In marketing, publicity is the public visibility or awareness for any product, service, person or organization. It may also refer to the movement of information from its source to the general public, often (but not always) via the media. The sub ...

, author selection, entertainment and

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

. 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

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, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...
. 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 Festivals established in 1989 1989 establishments in Ontario