Our ever-lively opening event features readings by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Sharon Bala, Kate Beaton, Jaime Burnet, Whit Fraser, Catherine Hernandez, Daniel MacIvor, David A. Robertson, and Maris Wicks, hosted by Alexander MacLeod. This event will be held in the beautiful Great Hall of the Clans, alongside a blazing hearth, at the Gaelic College in St. Ann's. ASL interpretation will be provided.

***

Elamin Abdelmahmoud is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News and was the host of CBC’s pop culture show Pop Chat. He is the host of the new CBC Radio show Commotion. He was a founding co-host of the CBC Politics podcast Party Lines, and he is a contributor to The National’s At Issue panel. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Globe and Mail, and others. Elamin's memoir, Son of Elsewhere, was a national bestseller, and he edited Elbows Up!: Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, which was released in the fall.

Sharon Bala’s bestselling debut novel, The Boat People, won the 2020 Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. It was a finalist for Canada Reads 2018, the 2018 Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award, and the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, Good Guys, was released in January.

Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, won the Eisner, Ignatz and Harvey Awards, as well as the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature. The collections of her landmark strip Hark! A Vagrant and Step Aside, Pops each spent several months on the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list and won multiple awards. She has also published the picture books King Baby, The Princess and the Pony and Shark Girl. Her latest picture book, Rebecca, will be released in September 2026. Kate lives in Cape Breton with her family.

Jaime Burnet's first novel, Crocuses Hatch From Snow, was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award. Her second novel, milktooth, was published was longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Jaime lives with her wife and two kids in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), where she writes, makes music, and practises labour, employment and human rights law.

Whit Fraser is a journalist, broadcaster, author, and spouse of Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon. Born and raised in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, he covered Arctic news for the CBC, worked on Parliament Hill, and was a primetime anchor for CBC Newsworld. Fraser was the founding chair of the Canadian Polar Commission and executive director of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. His memoir, True North Rising, won the NWT Northwords Book Prize in 2019, and his newest book, From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall: Stories of Canada, was released in April.

Catherine Hernandez (she/her) is an award-winning author, screenwriter and artist who wrote the acclaimed novel and award-winning film adaptation Scarborough. Her other novels include Crosshairs, The Story of Us and Behind You. Most recently, Catherine has become a grief and death doula, using storytelling to document the world’s collective grief from climate change to burnout. This amalgamation of her writing, illustration and doula work will culminate in the creation of illustrated obituaries, memorializing the dearly departed through an upcoming comics anthology.

Daniel MacIvor is one of Canada’s most celebrated playwrights. He is the recipient of a Governor General’s Literary Award, the Siminovitch Prize, a New York Obie Award and a GLAAD Award. His works have been translated into French, German, Czech, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese.

David A. Robertson is the author of numerous books for young readers including Governor General’s Literary Award winners On the Trapline and When We Were Alone. The Barren Grounds, Book 1 of The Misewa Saga series, was a Kirkus, NPR, and Quill & Quire best middle-grade book of 2020, as well as a USBBY and Texas Lone Star selection. Winner of the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Freedom to Read Award, as well as the 2021 Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year recipient, Dave is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg, Canada.

Maris Wicks is a writer, illustrator, and penguin enthusiast. Her work has taken her all over the world, from the warm waters of the Caribbean to the frozen desert of Antarctica (yes, there were penguins). Maris uses comics to explore her deep interest in understanding how the world works (and to make the occasional poop joke). She lives in Cape Breton.

Alexander MacLeod (host) has published work in The New Yorker, Granta, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail. His first book, Light Lifting, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize. He won the O. Henry Prize and the Dartmouth Book Award, and his second book, Animal Person, was named a “Book of the Year” by The New Yorker, among others.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

This 2-hour workshop is like a biology lab. Together, we will dissect a short story, taking it apart piece by piece to study how the author uses the tools of their craft. Note: participants may be asked to read one short story in advance of the workshop. This workshop is for writers of all levels, including those who are aspiring and haven't yet written a word.

***

Sharon Bala’s bestselling debut novel, The Boat People, won the 2020 Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. It was a finalist for Canada Reads 2018, the 2018 Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award, and the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, Good Guys, was released in January.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

Join author and illustrator Maris Wicks in this two-hour workshop open to all levels of experience.

Have you ever walked past a rock and been like “I bet that rock has seen some stuff?” Or looked up into the night sky and wondered whether the stars get lonely? Or pondered how a turtle perceives time? ("I’m not going too slow; I’m going just the right speed!") Take a journey back through the history of art to see how we humans have been inspired by the universe, from small and mighty microbes to the Milky Way. We’ll examine stories found within nature, and use writing and drawing to explore our personal experiences as organisms within an ecosystem.

***

Maris Wicks is a writer, illustrator, and penguin enthusiast. Her work has taken her all over the world, from the warm waters of the Caribbean to the frozen desert of Antarctica (yes, there were penguins). Maris uses comics to explore her deep interest in understanding how the world works (and to make the occasional poop joke). She lives in Cape Breton.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

A delicious array of brunch offerings followed by a reading and conversation (hosted by Alexander MacLeod) with Whit Fraser, the Nova Scotia-born journalist, broadcaster and author of the recently released memoir From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall: Stories of Canada. The memoir explores decades of experiences reporting on nation-shaping events and his adventures, following those stories, inspired by the philosophy of his childhood baseball hero, Yogi Berra: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." (Meal included in ticket price.)

***

Whit Fraser is a journalist, broadcaster, author, and spouse of Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon. Born and raised in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, he covered Arctic news for the CBC, worked on Parliament Hill, and was a primetime anchor for CBC Newsworld. Fraser was the founding chair of the Canadian Polar Commission and executive director of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. His memoir, True North Rising, won the NWT Northwords Book Prize in 2019, and his newest book, From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall: Stories of Canada, was released in April.

Alexander MacLeod (host) has published work in The New Yorker, Granta, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail. His first book, Light Lifting, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize. He won the O. Henry Prize and the Dartmouth Book Award, and his second book, Animal Person, was named a “Book of the Year” by The New Yorker, among others.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

This conversation will be open to audience questions throughout, offering an opportunity for readers to connect directly with authors Jaime Burnet and Catherine Hernandez as they discuss Jaime's milktooth and Catherine's Behind You with each other and with everyone in attendance.

Those registering for this free event are invited to read or even just begin the books before attending, if possible, to get the most out of the opportunity to discuss them with the authors, but it is not a requirement. It should be an engaging and enlightening conversation even for those discovering the books for the first time.

***

Jaime Burnet's first novel, Crocuses Hatch From Snow, was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award. Her second novel, milktooth, was published was longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Jaime lives with her wife and two kids Kjipuktuk (Halifax) where she writes, makes music, and practises labour, employment, and human rights law.

Catherine Hernandez (she/her) is an award-winning author, screenwriter and artist who wrote the acclaimed novel and award-winning film adaptation Scarborough. Her other novels include Crosshairs, The Story of Us and Behind You. Most recently, Catherine has become a grief and death doula, using storytelling to document the world’s collective grief from climate change to burnout. This amalgamation of her writing, illustration and doula work will culminate in the creation of illustrated obituaries, memorializing the dearly departed through an upcoming comics anthology.

At this free event open to everyone, offered in partnership with Dalhousie University's Medical Humanities Program, David A. Robertson will discuss his book "All the Little Monsters," and what he has lived and learned about mental health, with host Elamin Abdelmahmoud. Following this conversation, Dr. Arundhati Dhara will lead an audience Q&A with David and Elamin.

***

David A. Robertson is the author of numerous books for young readers including Governor General’s Literary Award winners On the Trapline and When We Were Alone. The Barren Grounds, Book 1 of The Misewa Saga series, was a Kirkus, NPR, and Quill & Quire best middle-grade book of 2020, as well as a USBBY and Texas Lone Star selection. Winner of the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Freedom to Read Award, as well as the 2021 Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year recipient, Dave is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg, Canada.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud (host) is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News and was the host of CBC’s pop culture show Pop Chat. He is the host of the new CBC Radio show Commotion. He was a founding co-host of the CBC Politics podcast Party Lines, and he is a contributor to The National’s At Issue panel. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Globe and Mail, and others. Elamin's memoir, Son of Elsewhere, was a national bestseller, and he edited Elbows Up!: Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, which was released in the fall.

6 p.m. • Pre-Event Reception (optional)

Featuring live music by jazz trombonist Andrew Jackson, cash bar (including alcohol-free drinks), hors d'oeuvres, and a chance to browse the bookstore and meet with other audience members, authors and members of the festival team. Ticket holders are invited to come early to take part in this if they wish, or they can simply arrive for the formal programming that begins at 7 p.m.

7 p.m. • "The Art of Grief": A Panel Conversation

Writer Kate Beaton and director and playwright Daniel MacIvor will join host Alexander MacLeod to explore the process and meaning of creativity in the wake of loss and love, discussing Kate's picture book Rebecca, inspired by her late sister, and Daniel's play Your Show Here, inspired by the death of his beloved friend and collaborator, the director Daniel Brooks.

8:20 p.m. • "Beyond Borders": A Panel Conversation on Crossed Lines and Blurred Boundaries

Writers Sharon Bala and Elamin Abdelmahmoud will discuss Sharon's novel Good Guys and Elamin's memoir Son of Elsewhere with moderator Monika Dutt, exploring real and imagined territories of place, identity and culture ... and who tells the stories that define them.

***

Andrew Jackson is an acclaimed Juno-nominated, ECMA award–winning trombonist and composer based in Halifax. His versatility and unique sound have made him one of the Maritimes first-call players. He keeps a busy playing schedule with many groups, including PANOS, The New Bridge, Chronos Band, Party Boots, Anteater, and Jerry Granelli, as well as his own bands: The Andrew Jackson Group and The Blakey Project.

***

Kate Beaton is the author of the graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, which won the Eisner, Ignatz and Harvey Awards, as well as the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature. The collections of her landmark strip Hark! A Vagrant and Step Aside, Pops each spent several months on the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list and won multiple awards. She has also published the picture books King Baby, The Princess and the Pony and Shark Girl. Her latest picture book, Rebecca, will be released in September. Kate lives in Cape Breton with her family.

Daniel MacIvor is one of Canada’s most celebrated playwrights. He is the recipient of a Governor General’s Literary Award, the Siminovitch Prize, a New York Obie Award and a GLAAD Award. His works have been translated into French, German, Czech, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese. In January, he published the play Your Show Here, about his long-time friendship and collaboration with the late director Daniel Brooks. 

Alexander MacLeod (host) has published work in The New Yorker, Granta, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail. His first book, Light Lifting, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize. He won the O. Henry Prize and the Dartmouth Book Award, and his second book, Animal Person, was named a “Book of the Year” by The New Yorker, among others.

***

Sharon Bala is the author of the bestselling debut novel, The Boat People, which won the 2020 Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. It was a finalist for Canada Reads 2018, the 2018 Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award, and the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, Good Guys, was released in January.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News and was the host of CBC’s pop culture show Pop Chat. He is the host of the CBC Radio show Commotion. He was a founding co-host of the CBC Politics podcast Party Lines, and he is a contributor to The National’s At Issue panel. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Globe and Mail, and others. Elamin's memoir, Son of Elsewhere, was a national bestseller, and he edited Elbows Up!: Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, which was released in the fall.

Monika Dutt (host) has been on the board of the Cabot Trail Writers Festival for almost six years. She is a public health and family physician. She lives with her fifteen-year-old son Kail. She writes creative non-fiction short stories.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

Led by Canadian Screen Award-winning writer of Scarborough Catherine Hernandez, this interactive masterclass will guide students in making dialogue the workhorse of their storytelling. Through short exercises and live demonstrations, students will learn skills in creating memorable, dynamic conversations between characters that

• offer graceful exposition
• create compelling dramatic tension
• are believable and natural

As well, discussions around the TV/film writers’ room creative process will offer students essential insights around brainstorming, experimentation and revisions.

***

Catherine Hernandez (she/her) is an award-winning author, screenwriter and artist who wrote the acclaimed novel and award-winning film adaptation Scarborough. Her other novels include Crosshairs, The Story of Us and Behind You. Most recently, Catherine has become a grief and death doula, using storytelling to document the world’s collective grief from climate change to burnout. This amalgamation of her writing, illustration and doula work will culminate in the creation of illustrated obituaries, memorializing the dearly departed through an upcoming comics anthology.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

Playwright Daniel MacIvor has been teaching his Play Finding class for more than twenty years, where he helps playwrights locate their inspiration and turn it into a play. In this session, Daniel will explain the ethos and basic principles of Play Finding. Bring a vague idea or a notion and perhaps we'll find you a play.

***

Daniel MacIvor is one of Canada’s most celebrated playwrights. He is the recipient of a Governor General’s Literary Award, the Siminovitch Prize, a New York Obie Award and a GLAAD Award. His works have been translated into French, German, Czech, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese. In January, he published the play Your Show Here, about his long-time friendship and collaboration with the late director Daniel Brooks.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket

Authors Jaime Burnet, Catherine Hernandez and David A. Robertson will join a panel conversation and audience Q&A with host Elamin Abdelmahmoud, exploring the writing process and their publishing experiences, and offering wisdom and advice for aspiring writers about what they've learned along the way... (Meal is included in ticket price.)

***

Jaime Burnet is the author of Crocuses Hatch From Snow, which was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award, and milktooth, which was longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Jaime lives with her wife and two kids in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), where she writes, makes music, and practises labour, employment, and human rights law.

Catherine Hernandez (she/her) is an award-winning author, screenwriter and artist who wrote the acclaimed novel and award-winning film adaptation Scarborough. Her other novels include Crosshairs, The Story of Us and Behind You. Most recently, Catherine has become a grief and death doula, using storytelling to document the world’s collective grief from climate change to burnout. This amalgamation of her writing, illustration and doula work will culminate in the creation of illustrated obituaries, memorializing the dearly departed through an upcoming comics anthology.

David A. Robertson is a two-time Governor General's Literary Award winner and has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. His books include the novel The Theory of Crows, the memoir Black Water, the picture books When We Were Alone and On the Trapline, and the middle-grade series the Misewa Saga. In 2025 he published 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous People on the Path to Healing, All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety and the picture book Little Shoes. His newest release, When I’m a Moshom, is a companion to the Governor General's Award–winning picture book On the Trapline. A member of Norway House Cree Nation, Dave currently lives in Winnipeg.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud (host) is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News and was the host of CBC’s pop culture show Pop Chat. He is the host of the CBC Radio show Commotion. He was a founding co-host of the CBC Politics podcast Party Lines, and he is a contributor to The National’s At Issue panel. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Globe and Mail, and others. Elamin's memoir, Son of Elsewhere, was a national bestseller, and he edited Elbows Up!: Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, which was released in the fall.

Note: If the ticket price presents a barrier, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be glad to send along a fee-waived ticket.

As part of our Writers' Salon, we'll host a 45-minute shared creative space (amidst gentle live music by jazz trombonist Andrew Jackson), inviting people to come together in one room to freewrite and discover what emerges on the page.

***

Andrew Jackson is an acclaimed Juno-nominated, ECMA award–winning trombonist and composer based in Halifax. His versatility and unique sound have made him one of the Maritimes first-call players. He keeps a busy playing schedule with many groups, including PANOS, The New Bridge, Chronos Band, Party Boots, Anteater, and Jerry Granelli, as well as his own bands: The Andrew Jackson Group and The Blakey Project.

***Note: This is a free event, but to help us plan for audience size and to ensure we can reach you in the event of any last-minute change in location, etc., we appreciate you registering in advance. Thank you!***

Following WordStorm, we'll serve coffee and pastries and invite willing writers in the audience to share a short reading on stage as we gather and listen and learn together.

***Note: This is a free event, but to help us plan for audience size and to ensure we can reach you in the event of any last-minute change in location, etc., we appreciate you registering in advance. Thank you!***

Join us for stories and readings and a beautiful autumn walk along the Skye River Trail. (More details to come soon regarding the participating storytellers and writers.)

Please dress for the weather and meet at the junction of the Skye River Trail. (Stay tuned for updated location information in the event of rain.) The parking area for the Skye River Trail is just south of the little bridge between the Farmer’s Daughter and the We’koqma’q One Stop gas station. You can park in the first or second lot.

This event will take place outdoors, at points along the 1.5-km Skye River Trail. It is an “easy to moderate walking” trail. Please note that there is no seating; the event will last roughly 1.5 hours, so if you would prefer not to stand or sit on the ground for that duration, you may wish to bring a folding chair that you can comfortably walk with.

***Note: This is a free event, but to help us plan for audience size and to ensure we can reach you in the event of any last-minute change in location, etc., we appreciate you registering in advance. Thank you!***