The Victoria Festival of Authors, formed in 2015 by Vanessa Herman – with assistance from Laura Trunkey – is a successor to the Victoria Writers Festival (2012 – 2014) and the much earlier Manulife Financial Literary Arts Festival. It was incorporated as a non-profit in July 2016 and the inaugural festival was launched on September 21, 2016. Twenty-one mostly local and regional authors led master classes and took part in panel discussions and readings over a five-day period. This initial year of programming was made possible by the support of the BC Arts Council and the Victoria Writers Festival. Every year since, VFA has expanded the depth and breadth of their programming, inviting writers from Victoria and beyond to share their works with our community of readers. The Victoria Festival of Authors Society achieved charitable status in 2019.