2023-09-06

Lunenburg LIT Festival celebrates Maud Lewis

LUNENBURG - The eighth annual Lunenburg Literary (LIT) Festival takes place Sept. 14 through 16 featuring some incredible authors.

The festival, hosted by South Shore Public Libraries, is a celebration of literature of all types.

This year's featured writers are: Jesse Thistle, Charlie Angus, Donna Morrissey, Jennifer Robson, Amanda Peters, Shauntay Grant, John Ridley, Ray Cronin, and Carol Bruneau.

There will be five sessions held at St. John's Parish Hall (Sept. 14) and at the Lunenburg School of the Arts (Sept. 15 and 16).

Ashley Nunn-Smith, South Shore Public Libraries CEO, is looking forward to the event.

"I thing we got great things going on this year," she said, highlighting the Maud Lewis event, set for the evening of Sept. 14.

"We wanted to get a story teller, a scholar and a collector to provide a kind of round picture of Maud Lewis and her works," she said. "We feel like we have three real experts in those fields that are going to speak about it."

Authors Carol Bruneau and Ray Cronin discuss their respective books, Brighten the Corner Where You Are, based on the life of Maud Lewis, and Our Maud: The Life, Art and Legacy of Maud Lewis. Collector John Risley joins Bruneau and Cronin in a discussion of Nova Scotia's beloved artist.

This will be moderated by CBC's Jeff Douglas.

The event begins Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. with Grant reading from her award-winning book, Africville. This is a free event and suitable for children five and over. This is the first of five events being held over three days.

Friday they will have three "powerhouse" women authors Morrissey, Peters and Robson who will share from their books.

Saturday afternoon, author and former MP Charlie Angus, will read from his book, Cobalt, with Trina Roache, a professor at Kings College and a former reporter for APTN.

"I think that's going to be a really great conversation," said Nunn-Smith, who added the book is about how Canada became a powerhouse in mining, and also delves into "some of the dirty business behind the scenes and about some of the ecological disasters that go with it. It's a real interesting book."

The festival closes out Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. with author Jesse Thistle, sharing his stories from his memoir about Métis identity and the role of resilience in becoming a poet and a scholar. His book, From the Ashes, was Canada's best-selling book for two years straight.

She said there is something for everyone at this year's event and each year is a great draw for many reasons.

"What is really great about our festival, is that it's small and intimate enough that everybody will have a chance to speak to the authors, ask questions and maybe get a book signed by them," she said, adding that this is the only literature festival "that we're aware of" that is completely run by a public library, "so we bring a unique perspective with that. Our values are freedom and access to information are different than a more commercial festival, that might focus more on best sellers and sales."

Adding, that it is also a bonus that the event is held in Lunenburg that has a "historic and literary vibe to it."

Each session is $20, with the exception of the free Thursday event. Participants may also purchase a weekend past for just $50.

For the first time, tickets are being made available online at lunenburglitfestival.ca. You can also pick-up physical tickets by visiting the Lunenburg or Bridgewater library branches, the Bookmobile, Block Shop Books or Lunenburg Bound.