Getting to the Roots

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Inspired by the Forest Poet-Tree Walk, this ramble along the trails of Mary Lake Nature Sanctuary will be accompanied by readings from three local memoirists. Carla Funk’s Mennonite Valley Girl is a coming-of-age story, a contemplation on meaning, morality, and destiny, and a hilarious time capsule of 1980s adolescence. M.A.C. Farrant’s One Good Thing is a collision of memoir with the living, exuberant, and vulnerable natural world. It represents a search for hope and appeasement in a rapidly changing and often perplexing society. An inspiring account of triumph against unimaginable odds, Darrel J. McLeod’s Peyakow, the follow-up to his award-winning memoir Mamaskatch, borrows its title from the Cree word for one who walks alone. Walk with Darrel, M.A.C., and Carla and listen to them read from these compelling books. Rain or shine, this is an outdoors event—under the boughs and over the roots of the trees at Mary Lake.

Hosted by Yvonne Blomer

Captioning available for livestreamed event

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• Register eventbrite.ca

Organizer

Victoria Festival of Authors

Since 2016, Victoria Festival of Authors (VFA) has been the largest celebration of books and book lovers on Vancouver Island. Each fall we invite authors from across Canada to share their books and ideas with Victoria’s readers. VFA has also included school-based programs since 2019.

Our traditional five-day festival includes author readings, panels, workshops, and master classes, as well as events that fuse literature with other art forms, such as dance, music and visual arts. The Victoria Festival of Authors showcases established and emerging poets, prose writers, and other storytellers. Artistic achievement, creative innovation and a diversity of voices drive our mandate. Victoria Festival of Authors achieved charitable status in 2019.

In 2021, we have taken what we learned last year, at our first virtual festival, and combined it with the strengths of past programming to deliver a hybrid festival. We are excited to present seven in-person events to small but necessary audiences. You can also take part from the comfort of your living room since all in-person programming will be live-streamed for free. These events celebrate the writers from our region: Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. In addition, we will have four Zoom events, featuring authors from across Canada.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support of the BC Arts Council, Canada Council, the CRD, the City of Victoria, United Way and the Government of Canada's Emergency Community Support for ensuring live-streaming and Zoom-based events are free.

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