Arts

On May 4^th and 6^th, 2005, Evan Hardy Collegiate proudly celebrated its 30th Anniversary of The Writer’s Festival.  This unique tradition began (in 1976) when several Evan Hardy teachers wanted to organize an event that showcased writers from across Canada.  Students got the chance to listen to and engage in discussions with novelists, poets, playwrights, songwriters, and journalists to learn about the aspects of their craft.  Presentations over the past thirty years have included famous writers such as: Margaret Laurence, W.P. Kinsella, Max Braithwaite, Jay Semko and Yann Martel.

This year, the Evan Hardy Writer’s Festival was thrilled to have one of the original founding teachers, now a published writer, Glen Sorestad.  Also featured were Guy Vanderhaeghe and Rod MacIntyre.

The Writer’s Festival kicked off on Wednesday, May 4^th  with writing workshops for smaller groups of selected students.  Author, Rod MacIntyre, ran a junior prose writing workshop, and author J. Jill Robinson ran a senior prose workshop.  A senior poetry workshop was facilitated by Elizabeth Phillips.  This rare opportunity allowed many students to work one-on-one with professional writers.

On Friday, May 6^th, various presentations occured throughout the day, featuring: Guy Vanderhaeghe, Author; Jeff Beazley, Writer for CTV Production “Corner Gas”; Glen Sorestad, Author; Martha Blum, Holocaust survivor and writer; Wayne Phillips, Journalist; and many more writers.