To kick off the 10th anniversary of the Victoria Festival of Authors, the VFA’s board is offering an afternoon writing workshop at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Poets and writers will be invited to creatively respond to the Architectures of Protection exhibition (running from May 24-October 26, 2025) through language, image, metaphor, description, and […]

with Tharani Balachandran, Shauntelle Dick Charleson, Jeremy Loveday, Alessandra Naccarato, Sheri-D Wilson, and Brandon Wint Long before there were printing presses, there were poets. Modern spoken word is a euphonic continuation of ancient oral traditions that deeply consider the aesthetics of performance as a vessel to carry what we deem most important. From hybrid bodies […]

with Robert Davidson, Brian Thomas Isaac, Conor Kerr, katherena vermette, and Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson. How do memory, family, and land shape the stories we tell—and the futures we imagine? Join a powerful lineup of Indigenous authors whose work spans poetry, memoir, fiction, and visual storytelling as they explore the many ways home and identity intersect. From […]

with d’bi.young anitafrika, Wayde Compton, Sonnet L'Abbé, and Paul db Watkins Seemingly insubstantial yet nonexistent without a medium to give it a way from maker to hearer (even when maker and hearer are one and the same), its material vibrations creating anything from noise and nonsense to harshly or harmonically searching significance, sound has astonishing […]

with Cecily Nicholson, Christina Shah, and Karen Solie In a world on fire—ecologically, politically, spiritually—what can poetry do? Three acclaimed poets—Karen Solie, Cecily Nicholson, and Christina Shah—join moderator Kyeren Regehr to explore the role of poetry in the face of crisis. Their recent books resist erasure, centring the lives of those that persist despite systems […]

with Ann Y. K. Choi, Elinor Florence, and Jack Wang Historical fiction has the power to transport us to the past, and inspires us to live more powerfully in the present. Join celebrated authors Ann Y. K. Choi, Elinor Florence, and Jack Wang as they sit down and talk about all things historical fiction with moderator […]

with Tawahum Bige, Stephen Collis, Aisha Sasha John, and Karen Solie A much-loved event at the Victoria Festival of Authors’, the Forest Poet/Tree Walk returns this year. Come explore W̱MÍYEŦEN (wh-my-eh-then: place of the deer) Nature Sanctuary (formerly known as Mary Lake). Join Yvonne Blomer as she leads you through the shadows of cedar and […]

with S. Bear Bergman, jaye simpson, and Kai Cheng Thom In a time when stories are challenged, silenced, or erased, writing becomes more than just craft—it becomes resistance. This powerful panel brings together trans writers and writers of colour to explore how storytelling can be a refuge, a rebellion, and a reckoning. Moderated by award-winning […]

with Marilyn Bowering, Junie Désil, and Christine Lowther Return again to W̱MÍYEŦEN (wh-my-eh-then: place of the deer) Nature Sanctuary (formerly known as Mary Lake) for one of the festival’s annual delights, where the literary salon mingles with a little forest bathing. This event blends fiction, poetry, and memoir with birdcall, creek-song, and tree-sway and welcomes us into […]

with Joseph Dandurand, Jess Housty, and jaye simpson Poetry, for many, begins in silence—but for these Indigenous writers, it ends in resonance. This virtual panel brings together poets whose work calls us back to story as ceremony—where language doesn’t just describe, it transforms. With rhythms drawn from oral tradition, the lyric becomes a site of […]

with Maria Reva, Madeleine Thien, and PP Wong Is time an illusion? Are any of us every really safe or free? This year’s fiction panel brings together three novelists’ insightful takes on these questions against a backdrop of war and displacement. In Maria Reva’s second book, Endling, the procreation of rare snails is combined with […]

Master class with Karen Solie “Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so that it may be thought.” – Audre Lorde, “Poetry is Not a Luxury” Joshua Martin writes that “Poetry is the art of the specific. In order to write about big universal themes, you must first explore the small, […]

Workshop for ages 8-12 Who will your next story be about? In this fun, hands-on workshop for young writers, participants will invent an original character from the ground up. Led by a Story Studio instructor, this one-hour session will guide kids through creative prompts and activities to develop a rich character bio—complete with hopes, fears, […]

Workshop for ages 13-18 In this hands-on workshop for teens, participants will dive into the thrilling world of speculative fiction. Led by Story Studio instructors, young writers will brainstorm and build their own story worlds—whether sky ships, shadowy forests, or futuristic cities—using creative prompts and collaborative activities. With special guest Kenneth Oppel as our Writer […]

with Uma Krishnaswami and Giselle Vriesen Join authors Giselle Vriesen and Uma Krishnaswami for a powerful conversation about writing stories that resonate with today’s youth. From fantasy worlds to real-world challenges, both authors create books that speak to themes of identity, belonging, and transformation. In this dynamic panel, they’ll reflect on the books that inspired […]

Join us for an unforgettable conversation with acclaimed Canadian author Kenneth Oppel, whose bestselling books have captivated generations of young readers. From the thrilling skies of Airborn to the mysterious shadows of Silverwing, Oppel’s work is known for its gripping plots, vivid imagination, and deeply human characters. In this conversation, we’ll explore Kenneth’s creative process, […]

“As train crashes went, technically the Montparnasse Derailment of October 22, 1895, was a minor one.” So writes Emma Donoghue about the catastrophe at the heart of her latest novel, The Paris Express. Technically minor, but in the hands of a brilliant novelist, a major event. Set on a single day in 19th-century France, The Paris Express fits […]