To inspire readers and book lovers until the main festival in October, the Whistler Writers Festival is back with a spring event, Stories & Music: Reflections on Wellness, Balance, and Saving Lives. This event, June 15 at the Whistler Public Library, brings together an array of storytellers and perspectives, music from the Sea to Sky Orchestra, and conversation.
Four guest authors will present their incredible stories. CBC Radio journalist Gregor Craigie shares his funny and moving novel Radio Jetlag, which is sure to have everyone thinking about work-life balance. Squamish writer and ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph, author of Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness, discusses how to build relationships with the plant life all around us. Debut author Lisa Duncan, writer of memoir Chasing Africa: Fear Won’t Find Me Here, tells the story of her extraordinary solo adventure across the wild landscapes of Africa while navigating family crises and illness. Sunshine Coast writer Cathalynn Labonté-Smith’s non-fiction book Rescue Me: Behind the Scenes of Search and Rescue, reveals real-life stories of the volunteers who rescue the injured and find those who are lost.
“Each of these authors have very different books and genres, but what ties them together is their exploration of the ideas of wellness, well-being or our sense of safety,” said Rebecca Wood Barrett, festival artistic director. “Bringing these titles, authors, and live orchestral music together for this event is going to spark new ways of thinking about wellness, and lift your spirits.”
Stories & Music: Reflections on Wellness, Balance, and Saving Lives is Thursday, June 15 at the Whistler Public Library. Doors open at 7 p.m., event starts at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are available: whistlerwritersfest.com/2023-spring-reading-event-copy.
Gregor Craigie hosts CBC Radio One’s On the Island from Victoria BC, and his non-fiction book, On Borrowed Time, was a finalist for the inaugural Writers’ Trust Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.
Leigh Joseph is an ethnobotanist, researcher and entrepreneur from the Squamish First Nation, and is completing her PhD in Ethnobotany. She is the co-director and subject of the documentary Walking with Plants, which was nominated for three Leo Awards.
Lisa Duncan has travelled all over the world following outdoor pursuits and her love of nature. She has an MA in environmental education and communication, and can be found hiking, running, and biking in Squamish.
Cathalynn Cindy Labonté-Smith has a BFA in creative writing, and a bachelor of education from UBC. She works as a journalist, and has taught English, journalism, and more to high school students.