Reading at the 2009 Joe Burke Wolfe Island Literary Festival

Some of Canada’s most celebrated (and soon-to-be-celebrated) authors will gather on Wolfe Island this Saturday, June 19th, for the Joe Burke Wolfe Island Literary Festival. This free, outdoor reading is presented by Waterkeeper’s Swim Drink Fish Music Club. It’s a rare chance to hear amazing authors reading while the waves of Lake Ontario/ St. Lawrence River gently lap on the shore behind you.

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3:00 pm. Brophy’s Point, Wolfe Island. Follow the signs from the end of 10th Line. / Click here for event details on Facebook

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The literary festival is an important part of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s philosophy: our communities are made better by our artists. Hosted by Janette Platana, this year’s Literary Festival features organizer Dave Bidini (On a Cold Road, Tropic of Hockey), Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden (Three Day Road, Through Black Spruce), Steven Heighton (The Shadow Boxer, Every Lost Country), Bill Kennedy (co-author of apostrophe), Brian O’Dea (High), and poet laureate for Lake Ontario, Tanis Rideout.

For nearly a decade, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper has tried to tackle our water problems so we can have a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future. In our experience, all our hard work is meaningless without storytellers: writers, musicians and artists. Without them, no one remembers the past. No one hears what is happening at home or around the world.

The literary festival draws on the themes of art and activism. It is named after the inspirational civil rights lawyer Joe Burke. Joe lived and worked in Ottawa, Ontario. He hosted author Dave Bidini many times and housed Waterkeeper and environmental lawyer Mark Mattson when he was staying in Ottawa to help prosecute the Ontario government for pollution offences at the Deloro Mine Site.

Joe was famous for his commitment to two things: rights and reading. When he passed away a few years ago, Dave and Mark created the Joe Burke Wolfe Island Literary Festival in his honour. Past authors also include Paul Quarrington, Gord Downie, Darren Wershler Henry, and Christian Bok. The literary festival is free for everyone to attend, and the audience grows every year.

The Joe Burke Wolfe Island Literary Festival is presented by Swim Drink Fish Music. This free event is part of a series of live-arts events designed for people who love clean water and the arts. Great Lake Swimmers launched the series on June 5. It continues through to the Wolfe Island Music Festival in August.

To support clean water, great literature, and good music, join the Swim Drink Fish Music Club today: www.swimdrinkfishmusic.com. Our newest release is online now. Colleen and Paul perform Mermaids and Surfer Girls. Enjoy!