{"id":184642,"date":"2023-10-05T14:32:51","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T18:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=184642"},"modified":"2023-10-05T14:32:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T18:32:51","slug":"13th-annual-knowlton-literary-festival-explores-the-future-of-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/13th-annual-knowlton-literary-festival-explores-the-future-of-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"13th Annual Knowlton Literary Festival explores the future of journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Knowlton Literary Association is marking the 13th edition of its annual Knowlton Literary Festival and this year it is exploring new avenues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While active readers are familiar with seeing some of their favourite published authors, poets, and up-and-coming writers from the local area and beyond, the Knowlton Literary Association has invited former CBC broadcaster Wendy Mesley, investigative journalist and author Jacquie McNish, and author and political editor of MacLean\u2019s<\/i> magazine Paul Wells to partake in its first journalism panel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe panel aspect is not new, we have certainly used that as a form in the past, but the journalism angle is a little bit different. It is an extension of the written word, so the festival doesn\u2019t have to just be about fiction and non-fiction,\u201d said Jane Livingston, president of the Knowlton Literary Association.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After meeting Mesley in-person, \u201cdescribing her as a well known-figure, so articulate,\u201d Livingston said,\u00a0 that\u2019s when \u201cthe penny dropped\u201d for her to explore journalism in more detail at the festival. Livingston added that organizers also share a concern for the future of journalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe association has felt a certain concern, as many of us have, about the future of journalism vis-a-vis artificial intelligence, the threats out there facing journalists, the cutbacks to newspapers, television, all forms of delivery. So we wanted to address that concern and we also chose journalists who are also authors,\u201d explained Livingston. \u201cPaul Wells has written a book about the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa. Jacquie McNish has written a book about the rise and fall of Blackberry and it has since been made into a film that is being presented at the TIFF. And then, of course, Wendy Mesley. (\u2026) They\u2019re all colleagues and friends so it just seemed like the perfect it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moderated by Mesley, the journalism panel will see McNish and Wells discussing their views on the question, \u201cThe End of Journalism?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Livingston noted that the ticket sales for the journalism panel are \u201creally, really strong,\u201d reflecting the interest on part of the local community to learn more on this topic of discussion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe festival by its very nature attracts readers. I don\u2019t want to paint everybody with the same brush, but they\u2019re generally well read in terms of current events. We all go to our newspapers, we all go to our CBC radio programs, or whatever the other outlets are. It\u2019s not just Knowlton, it\u2019s everywhere. Anywhere where there are readers, they\u2019re generally going to be concerned about how messages are getting out there,\u201d mentioned Livingston.<\/p>\n

Livingston emphasized that the Literary Association\u2019s exploration into the \u201cextensions\u201d of the written word is all about responding to changing times and what concerns or interests society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe focus is literary, but we\u2019re taking it out into new areas. You know, this is also the first year where we are kind of exploring the \u2018spoken word\u2019 and performance art in the form of Roen Higgins performance. (\u2026) It\u2019s really moving beyond just the book on the page, and of course now we\u2019re reading our books on our phones and on our tablets,\u201d said Livingston. \u201cWe will respond to changing worlds. Journalism might be something that we touch upon for next year, who knows.\"<\/p>\n

Expanding on what\u2019s in store for the 13th edition of the\u00a0 <\/span>Knowlton Literary Festival, Livingston highlighted that there are a number of artists that will bring something different for all book worms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A local authors event at Brome Lake Books will serve as a \u201cwarm-up to the major festival\u201d with the likes of author, playwright and humorist Ross Murray, The Record <\/i>editor Matthew McCully, author and artist Garry Hamilton, author Jared Fishman, artist and author Camille Isaacs-Morrell, and Stephanie Ho-Poui Wang.<\/p>\n

Other \u201cwordsmiths\u201d invited to this year\u2019s festival include well-established children\u2019s book author Barbara Reid, who will be making an appearance at Knowlton Academy; novelist, poet, and TV writer Zoe Whittall; and award-winning author, film director, media producer, organizer, public speaker and human rights defender Clayton Thomas-M\u00fcller.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe sort of feel like we are at that tipping point where we\u2019ve established our name. We actually have authors and publishers reaching out to us and that\u2019s huge for us. (\u2026) We just hope that we can keep this momentum going, that we will continue to draw big names that will allow us to expose lesser known artists, and keep up a spectrum of interests, topics, subjects, so there is a little something for everyone,\u201d mentioned Livingston.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Knowlton Literary Festival kicks off on Oct. 12 and runs up until Oct. 14. More information and ticket purchasing can be found on the Knowlton Literary Festival website.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMany of you have families, you got kids, you\u2019ve got two careers and a household, it\u2019s hard to take the time to stop and read a book or whatever. We\u2019d love to be able to just give you little snippets, so dedicate a couple of hours and come and check the authors out,\u201d Livingston highlighted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CIDI will be following-up with Wendy Mesley at a later date for more details on the journalism panel.<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview with Livingston below:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Knowlton Literary Association is marking the 13th edition of its annual Knowlton Literary Festival and this year it is exploring new avenues.\u00a0 While active readers are familiar with seeing some of their favourite published authors, poets, and up-and-coming writers from the local area and beyond, the Knowlton Literary Association has invited former CBC broadcaster…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":184682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[57,219],"tags":[18935,6080,5298,1410,18934,31060,31061,31135,31062,31064],"radio":[246],"origine":[274,259,260],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184642"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184642"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185015,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184642\/revisions\/185015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184642"},{"taxonomy":"radio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/radio?post=184642"},{"taxonomy":"origine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/origine?post=184642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}