The Yukon Writers’ Festival is back after a long hiatus.
The last festival was held in 2019. The COVID-19 disruptions prevented the festival from taking place in subsequent years.
The free event will be begin at the Whitehorse Public Library on May 3 at 6:30 p.m.
This year’s festival will welcome five writers — Kevin Chong, Paige Galette, Michael Gates, Rhiannon Russell and Joshua Whitehead — who will be sharing their writing, process and inspiration during the opening reception, program librarian and festival organizer Carman Brar said.
Chong, Russell and Whitehead were sponsored by Yukon’s department of Education while Gates and Galette are from the Yukon Public Libraries.
Brar said the festival has three different aspects for its events.
On the first day of the festival the five featured authors will make short presentations, readings or talks to the participants attending from different parts of the territory.
On May 6, the last day of the conference, the three authors sponsored by the department of Education will be hosting the Young Authors Conference for upcoming writers in the territory.
Brar said the authors will work with the high school students who get a couple of days to work with a published writer.
Gates will be doing readings at community libraries. He will also visit Watson Lake, Carcross and Haines Junction over the course of the festival.
“This is an opportunity to hear a variety of different voices, very diverse authors,” Brar said.
“Some of them are writing poetry and books, journalism and newspaper columns. It is going to be a diverse panels of lived experiences.”
Brar said the event is going to be an “interesting and exciting gathering.”
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com