Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Collingwood and Blue Mountain played host to the likes of Margaret Atwood, Dennis Lee and Irving Layton during the Great Canadian Poetry Festival. This area has a rich cultural history that is quickly gaining new prominence. We have become a mini-mecca for artists, poets, playwrights, actors and authors. It’s another reason why the Collingwood area is such a great place in which to live.
Words have always held a certain fascination to me. They are such powerful little things. They can inspire awe or anger. They record our history. They can bring about conflict or they can bring understanding. Dialects and accents tell us secrets. Songs can move us to tears.
In celebration of WORDS, Collingwood will play host to WORDSTOCK; A Collingwood Literary Festival to be held on September 10-11, 2010. The event will also celebrate and showcase the beautiful new Collingwood Public Library which is set to open in the next couple of months. As the first LEED Gold standard library in Ontario (and second in Canada), the new facility is one that inspires pride and excitement. At the same time, Collingwood is undertaking a $10 million revitalization project in our beautiful downtown; the first to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There is much to celebrate.
WORDSTOCK is being organized by a steering committee made up of local people co-chaired by yours truly and, in partnership with Downtown Collingwood, The Town of Collingwood and the Collingwood Public Library. The event will kick off on the Friday evening with a stunning show featuring a blend of story-telling, art, song, poetry and theatre. On Saturday, there will be about 30 events including workshops, poetry, readings by national and local authors plus fun and creative events for children and teens.
What started out as a tiny idea has grown into a true celebration of Collingwood’s amenities and it’s cultural heritage. In true Collingwood style, I’m sure this is destined to become a signature event in the years to come.
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Tags: Collingwood literary festival, WORDSTOCK
