Library Authors Festival celebrates the established, and the up and coming April 25-26

Administrator | Apr 15, 2025 | Comments 0

The County Library Authors Festival is an annual April tradition that celebrates both established, and up and coming Canadian authors.

This year’s series, which returns April 24-26, is packed with interesting authors, each with a unique perspective and across a number of genres.

The organizing committee aims for a balance between well-known authors and publishers and those that you may not yet have discovered, and between nonfiction and fiction. We are so grateful to the volunteers, Marlene Fraser, Janet Aston, Marilyn Leighton and Alexandra Bake who help us make this festival one of the library’s major events each year.

Two of the titles this year are published with local publisher Assembly Press. As they say, “Assembly Press is a fiercely independent publisher of books by international and Canadian authors, based in Prince Edward County.”

Relative to Wind: On Sailing, Craft, and Community is a long-haul collection about sailing. Author Phoebe Wang delivers a poetic rendering of her decade-long journey of learning to sail and a deep dive into what it means to be a newcomer to an old tradition. From working alongside crewmates in tempestuous conditions to becoming an avid racer and organizer to drafting a wistful love letter to a Wayfarer dinghy-while examining the loose tether between- sailing and a creative life-Wang delivers a book for sailors and would-be sailors that is thoughtful and surprising at every tack. She will join us in conversation with Leigh Nash at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 25, following Dr. Samra Zafar.

Andrew Forbes’ latest, Field Work¸ has been described as Roger Angell meets Hanif Abdurraquib meets Bull Durham. Baseball is a sport, a pastime, an obsession, a dream—and for some, it’s also a day job. A poetic survey of baseball’s rich history, Field Work shines a light on the people who make the game happen, from major-league stars and little-league coaches to gamblers, ballpark operators, and minor leaguers forging lives outside the dugout. With sharp-eyed observations and beautiful digressions, these essays portray the complex relationship between work and play—both on and off the field—to demonstrate how baseball is more than just a game. Andrew Forbes will join us that same day at 3 p.m., in conversation with Andrew Faulkner.

2025 County Library Authors Festival events:

Thursday, April 24:
The County Reads Debate at 7 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 335 Picton Main Street (opposite Shire Hall). Tickets available at any library branch, or at the door on the night, and cost $10.

Friday, April 25:
Peggy Collins, author of Harley the Hero (10 a.m. free children’s event for pre-registered classes) at Wellington branch library)
Samra Zafar, author of Unconditional (1 p.m. author readings and discussion)
Phoebe Wang, author of Relative to Wind (2 p.m. author readings and discussion)
Andrew Forbes, author of Field Work (3 p.m. author readings and discussion)
Shane Peacock, author of As We Forgive Others (4 p.m. author readings and discussion)

Saturday, April 26:
Bonnie Reichert, author of How to Share an Egg (1 p.m. author readings and discussion)
Marissa Stapley, author of The Lightning Bottles (2 p.m. author readings and discussion)
Nita Prose, author of The Maid’s Secret (3 p.m. author readings and discussion)

Festival passes are $40, or admission to individual events is $15 per event, available at the door at the event, or at any County library branch.

Tickets, and more information, are available at peclibrary.org/festival and at any branch of the library. The festival pass, which gives access to all seven ticketed author events, is $40, or you can purchase individual tickets for $15 each. If space permits, tickets will also be available for sale at the door.