After a five-year hiatus, bookworms are rejoicing as Saint John’s flagship literary festival returns this year.
The Fog Lit Festival is a non-profit literary convention featuring an array of in-person activities including book launches, engaging panel discussions, workshops and author readings.
The festival will take place from Sept. 26 to 28 and details about volunteer applications will be shared soon.
Co-chairs Gemma Marr and Lindsay Jacquard said the original festival was held from 2013 to 2019, and after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic, it has been revitalized with a fresh board of directors.
“It seems like the organization needed that time to take a break and rest for a while, so really, until Gemma and I got involved again to meet with the former board, there was this book-shaped gap in Saint John,” said Jacquard.
Marr stated this year’s festival boasts an impressive lineup of headliners, including the award-winning poet Douglas Walbourne-Gough from Newfoundland and Labrador, who will debut his poetry collection Island at the event.
Additionally, Michelle Winters, a fiction writer from Saint John who now lives in Toronto, will present her latest book Hair for Men, which is set in New Brunswick.
Marr also added the festival will showcase an array of local talent, including writer and cartoonist Brandon Hicks of St. Stephen, bestselling children’s author Riel Nason from Quispamsis, and Saint John’s very own Sue Nelson Buckley.
“This year we wanted to focus on some core events that speak to the city and speak to people working in writing and or from Saint John,” said Marr.
You can listen to the full interview with Marr and Jacquard below.
