THE SPRING WRITER'S FESTIVAL

The Writers Festival Artistic Director Sean Wilson.

Neil Smith and his debut Bang Crunch with a collection of 9 Stories.
Lawrence Hill reads from his new novel The Book Of Negroes.
Phil Jenkins, Lawrence Hill, Neil Smith and C. S. Richardson.

On Wed. April 18, CBC Radio 1's Alan Neal hosted the Poetry Cabaret #2.

bill bissett read, chanted and sang from his latest collection Ths Is Erth Thees AR Peopul.
Alan Neal, B.W. Powe, Sandra Alland and bill bissett.
Sandra Alland on her book Blissful Times.
B.W. Powe talking about his new work, The Unsaid Passing.

Local Ottawa entrepreneur and international success story Ben Barry.
Montreal's Andy Brown reads from his debut novel The Mole Chronicles.
M.A.C. Farrant reads from her eighth novel The Breakdown So Far.
Kate Heartfield, Andy Brown, Tanya Chapman and M.A.C. Farrant.
On Friday April 20 Author Sarah Dearing above hosted popular columnist and author, Heather Mallick below.

Heather was provocative, funny and very engaging as she talked about her time with the Globe and Mail, her new book Cake or Death, and about the complicated state of our lives and our world today. As a personal note, Heather is someone I had never heard of until about a week before her visit here, she was on CBC's Sounds Like Canada with Shelagh Rogers. She was one of my great discoveries of this festival and would have liked to spent more time listening to her stories.
Dennis Lee reads from his latest Yesno.
England's Simon Armitage reads from Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the Corduroy Kid.
Host of Poetry Cabaret 3 is David O'Meara.
Children's author and award winning poet Barbara Nickel has a new collection of poems called Domain.

On Sat. April 21, The Big Idea - Human Rights in revolutionary Iran. Marina Nemat in conversation with Ken Rockburn.

Marina Nemat's life was shattered when the Iranian Rovolution of 1979 ushered in a new era of Islamic rule. After more than 20 years she breaks her silence in her Memoir, Prisoner of Tehran.

As part of the NAC'S Quebec Scene Noah Richler is in conversation with Rawi Hage, Neil Bissoondath, Marianne Acherman and Carmine Starnino.
Early Sunday April 22 which is the start of Earth Day Celebrations, Master Philip Tai-Foo Lai (centre on stage) introduces the class to QI GONG. Qi means life-breath or energy and Gong means work.
Ottawa's Just Voices, an activist choir performs before bringing on David Suzuki.

Earth Day Forum with the keynote address on climate change with Dr. David Suzuki was one of the most popular events with overflowing crowds watching on a TV feed from the main auditorium at the Library And Archives.
Mr. Neil Wilson who is the Founding Director of the Writers Festival.

Closing celebrations: The Soul of Rumi with Coleman Barks above and Mushfig Ensemble below.
Celebrating the 800th birthday of the most widely read poet of all time. Translated and performed by the Rumi Scholar Coleman Barks who lives in Athens, Georgia with the beautiful backup music of Ottawa's Mushfig Ensemble was a truly magical night for all those who were there.http://www.colemanbarks.com/, http://www.mushfig.ca/

http://www.writersfestival.org