THUNDER BAY — The Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop Literacy Festival (LitFest) is held annually to celebrate the literature and writers of Northwestern Ontario.
On Saturday, a book fair was held at the Goods and Co. Market to coincide with the festival, for the second year in a row.
“It's just fun. Writers are solitary creatures. When we come together it's like you start talking about something you love like writing and the energy starts to climb. We find camaraderie and that's very contagious, so readers can feel that and so it's just really fun to celebrate what we've done, how we've done it and how we can be moving forward in this region,” said Heather Dickson, president of Northwestern Ontario Writers' Workshop.
Dickson said it feels really incredible to celebrate writers in Northwestern Onatrio.
“The response last year when we decided to do the book fair really encouraged us to do this, and I think we can keep building on this energy that we've got going on. It's just really exciting, we've got a future in this,” she said.
Dickson is a fantasy writer, with 10 books published independently, and her 11th book will be published by Red Tower Books on Nov. 4, 2025.
Jean E. Pendziwol, volunteer coordinator of LitFest, said the two-day event has lots going on.
LitFest “included a reading with guest author Rod Carley, which happened last night at Definitely Superior Art Gallery, and today we have the book fair going on here at Goods and Co.”
Pendziwol said several workshops will be happening on Saturday, and the weekend will be capped off with a gala dinner that includes award presentations.
“It's really interesting to bring together writers from across the region but also from across genres and from across publishing objectives. We've got people here who have published their first collection of poetry or have self-published some of their own memoir writing right through to international award-winning authors and it's great to bring everybody together and to celebrate all those successes and to encourage each other,” she said.
Pendziwol has been writing and publishing for more than 25 years.
“I have written for both adults and children, and my most recent book, Skating Wild on an Inland Sea won the Governor General's Award this year. I've just come back fresh from that celebration, which was really quite incredible, and it's been such an honor to write books that feature Northwestern Ontario and to have those books so well received here in in Thunder Bay, in Northwestern Ontario, but also across Canada and around the world,” she said.
“Thunder Bay is such an incredibly supportive community. Especially with our local independent bookstore, Entershine, the community just really comes together to support local and regional authors, and it's just so satisfying and such an honor to have that.”
Heather Campbell, publisher of Latitude 46 Publishing in Sudbury, was at LitFest with keynote speaker and author Rod Carley.
Carley “has 4 novels with us, the latest is Ruff.
“I'm also doing a panel presentation this afternoon to talk about publishing,” Campbell said.
Campbell said Latitude 46 Publishing publishes poetry, literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and young adult fiction and nonfiction.
“For authors who reside in Northern Ontario, it's important to be able to have access to publishing houses that can work with them to build their manuscripts, and then to get it out to the world.”
Campbell said it was great to see so many Northwestern Ontario authors with their books on Saturday.
“We want authors to be out there and connecting with their readers and doing events, this is exactly how it happens,” she said.
For more information on Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop, visit the website.
