Program Guide in pdf - Vancouver International Writers Festival

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Welcome to the 2010
Vancouver International
Writers & Readers Festival
– our annual celebration
of exceptional writers and
passionate readers.
My thanks and gratitude are due to everyone
who supports this festival – our readers, writers,
volunteers, members, ticket-buyers, staff and
donors. If you are not already a member of
the Festival, I invite you to become one. If you
are already a member, please remember to
renew. Membership is a way to deepen your
involvement with the Festival and is especially
vital at a time when government support for the
arts is declining.
Our goal is to secure an ongoing base of 1,000
members and we are getting close. Please help
us to achieve our goal.
Member benefi ts include advance ticket
buying privileges, discounts, an invitation to our
exclusive member preview event and more.
Donations above your membership fee are tax
deductible and come with additional benefi ts.
Have a look and fi nd out more on our website.
www.writersfest.bc.ca
Mark your calendar. Book your tickets. Invite
your friends and neighbours. I look forward
to seeing you at the Festival on Granville
Island from October 19th to 24th to hear and
experience writing at its most intimate and
most exciting.
Anne Giardini
CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, I’d like to welcome you to the
2010 Vancouver International Writers Festival.
For more than 20 years the Vancouver International Writers Festival has
hosted some of the world’s best writers, from Margaret Atwood to Salman
Rushdie. This Festival brings over 14,000 engaged readers, aspiring writers
and internationally renowned authors together to celebrate the literary arts
through interactive readings, interviews and performances.
The Vancouver International Writers Festival also holds a number of events throughout the
year that promote and strengthen B.C.’s arts and culture sector, including their educational
program, Spreading the Word, which is the largest children’s literary event in Canada.
Thank you to all the organizers, sponsors and volunteers who have worked to make the
Festival a success. I hope this year’s Festival is an inspiration to all.
Kevin Krueger
MINISTER OF TOURISM, CULTURE AND THE ARTS
The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival is enjoying its 23 rd
year as a premier Vancouver event that draws top fi ction writers, poets
and non-fi ction writers from around the world to a celebration of great
literature. The success of this event demonstrates that Vancouver’s citizens
have huge admiration for the written word. The Festival provides a unique
opportunity for readers and writers to meet and communicate in a way that
celebrates the role of literature in our city’s life.
The gift of the written word is a treasure to be passed on from generation to generation.
Literacy paves the road to lifelong learning for everyone. As Mayor, I am proud of Vancouver’s
reputation as a centre for learning and creativity. The Vancouver International Writers Festival
is a vital contributor in this designation.
On behalf of Vancouver City Council, I want to thank the organizers, the volunteers, and above
all, the writers, for this wonderful event.
Gregor Robertson
MAYOR