Local authors in the spotlight at Kawartha Lakes Book Festival

By Lindsay Advocate

Emma Couette returns to the Lindsay branch of the Kawartha Lakes Public Library as part of this year's Kawartha Lakes Book Festival.
Selections from ‘Reflections on Old Victoria County’ will be read at the Bobcaygeon branch.

Bibliophiles of all ages and literary interests will want to check out the Kawartha Lakes Book Festival, taking place across two communities on Saturday Oct. 26 between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. From readings to workshops – not to mention sales – this event, now in its third year, promises something for everyone.

Assembling at the Bobcaygeon branch of the Kawartha Lakes Public Library are Rhonda Gossen, Matt Kydd, Ian McKechnie, Tom Mohr, Coleen Subasic, J. Stephen Thompson, and Cathy Walker. From diplomacy to poetry, local history to mythology, and much more in between, there is plenty on offer throughout the day.

The Lindsay branch, meanwhile, hosts Emma Couette, Altaire Gural, S. A. McCormick, Sandy O’Shea, R. S. Prinzo, Erica Richmond, Lori Jean Rowsell, Val Tobin, Gwen Tuinman, Susan Wadds, Sara Walker-Howe, and Chro Zand. They will be entertaining attendees with fiction, short stories, children’s literature, and urban fantasy among other interesting genres.

Those looking to improve their writing technique are encouraged to pre-register for Coleen Subasic’s workshop “Write the senses,” in which which she will be talking about acting sense memory techniques and how they can foster more creative prose.

“A local book festival is important because it gives local readers a chance to meet authors, and it’s an opportunity for local authors to meet their audiences,” says Sara Walker-Howe, who has spearheaded the event since its inception. “It’s also important to promote culture locally,” she continues. “Book festivals aren’t just for big cities. Reading is something everyone can enjoy. There will be a wide variety of books available, and I hope attendees will find something they enjoy from the many genres available: children’s books, young adult fiction, historical fiction, fantasy fiction, a variety of non-fiction including memoir, local history, current events, and many more.”

For Emma Couette, events of this kind offer an opportunity to promote local talent within the broader community. “This event is important to create awareness of the author community in the Kawarthas and to get people excited about our books,” Couette remarks. “I don’t know how many people said at our previous events that they didn’t know the Kawarthas had so many authors. We want to get the word out there (pun intended) so we can share our stories with as many readers as possible, especially locally.”

For more information about the third annual Kawartha Lakes Book Festival, please visit kawarthawriters.com or follow the event via Facebook.

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