Redeemer University College

Eden Mills Writers' Festival: The 22nd annual Eden Mills Festival will take place on Sunday, September 19th. Authors, aspiring writers, and readers will gather together in the little country town of Eden Mills, east of Guelph, for another major Canadian literary event. The line-up this year will include John Raulston Saul, Louise Penny, Carolyn Beck, Charles Pachter, and other up-and-coming authors. Publishers’ Way, where the Festival brings authors and books to the street, will feature over 50 exhibitors including major presses, magazines, trade publications, and more. Exhibits are open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and authors will be available to sign their books after the Festival readings.

GritLit: The GritLit Festival assembles local and national writers for four days of readings, workshops, networking, and fun in downtown Hamilton. Striving to bring out the cultural diversity of Canada, the GritLit Festival brings the best in literature to Hamilton annually in April.

Hamilton Poetry Centre: Working in cooperation with the Canada Council for the Arts, Bryan Prince, Bookseller, Gaspereau Press, and Hamilton Public Library, the HPC brings a unique Canadian cultural experience to Hamilton. Recent visits include readings by George McWhirter, Jacob Scheier, Christian Bok, Suzanne Buffam, Tom Wayman and Patricia Young. The Hamilton Poetry Centre works in collaboration with Redeemer to bring these poets to our area, so many of the poets also visit the Redeemer campus.

LitLive Reading Series: The Lit Live Reading Series is held on the first Sunday of each month at the Sky Dragon Centre at 27 King William Street in Hamilton. Each reading starts at 7:30and usually has a line-up of local and national poets.

Theatre Aquarius: Theatre Aquarius is a theatre company that was established in 1973 in Hamilton, Ontario by Peter Mandia. Theatre Aquarius operates the Dofasco Centre for the Arts which houses the 750-seat proscenium-style auditorium. Annually, the theatre puts on about seven different plays. This year’s line-up includes The 39 Steps, Educating Rita, Dinner with Friends, and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

Further Afield

Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing: The Festival of Faith and Writing seeks to bring together writers and readers in order to celebrate and explore the ways in which faith is represented in literature. The most recent biennial gathering took place from April 15-17, 2010. Noted participants on the agenda included Eugene Peterson, Avi, Hugh Cook, and Kate DiCamillo. Registration for the 2012 Festival will begin fall 2011.

Harbourfront Festival: International Festival of Authors (IFOA): This year from October 20-30, the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto is hosting it's 30th International Festival of Authors, bringing together the best in contemporary world literature. The IFOA includes readings, interviews, roundtable discussions, signings, and lectures from authors all over the world. Confirmed participants at this year's festival include Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, John Irving, Jane Urquhart, and Barry Callaghan, among many others.

Shaw Festival: The Shaw festival was founded in 1962 in Niagara-on-the-Lake by playwright Brian Doherty. The festival produces the dramatic works of Georga Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. Over the years, the Shaw Festival has become known for some of the best theatre performances in North America. Producing 10 to 12 plays each season, the Shaw Festical puts on over 800 performances for audiences totalling about 300,000 annually. This season's main productions at the Shaw Festival are An Ideal Husband, The Women, The Doctor's Dilemma, and The Cherry Orchard.

Stratford Festival: Offering a wide array of different plays, the Stratford Festival presents Shakespeare, Wilde, Chekhov, Jonson, and more in its four theatres located in the heart of Stratford, Ontario. Known as the leading North American classical theatre, the Stratford Festival boasts a fantastic stage experience starting from just $25. This season's main Stratford productions are As You Like It, The Tempest, Kiss Me Kate, and Peter Pan.