In a province where 53 per cent of adults in New Brunswick face literacy challenges, lovers of literature came together for the first ever Writers of the Realm Literary Festival in Fredericton on Sept. 19.
Sakura Blue Studios held the inaugural festival at the Fredericton Inn.
Read NB provided an important talk during the event. According to Jennifer Welles, a Read NB board member, 53 per cent of adults in New Brunswick face literacy challenges. This information was especially timely given recent news about New Brunswick’s failure to meet its own education targets.
Read NB is a local non-profit organization that helps adults in the province learn to read with a goal of lowering that percentage. It was founded in 1978 and grew through the decades and is still continuing to grow to this day.
They offer several services and resources including free one on one tutoring for reading, writing, and digital literacy. Anyone can look into becoming a tutor to support people within the community and raise the literacy rate in the province.
Learners are matched with volunteers. This is rewarding for both the student and the tutor as it helps the learner in their reading capabilities and gives volunteers experience and allows them to make a very positive change in the community. More than 1,000 hours each year are spent on tutoring adults.
Read NB believes that attending events like these are especially important because it helps them connect with the community. It also spreads the word helping people who would benefit from their services find them.
Inside the Fredericton Inn, there were more than 80 vendors with unique materials. There were many authors and a wide range of literary genres present, something for every book lover at any age.
Many participants had free gifts including stickers, bookmarks, candy, chocolate, and cards with their contact information or location. Also, many vendors and attendees were dressed up in unique outfits that fit the theme of the event.
The event booklet outlined the day’s activities which included talks, raffle draws, and the vendor layout. In an attempt to boost interaction, there was also a bingo sheet scavenger hunt to take into the event.
Throughout the summer, Writers of the Realm also promoted writing in the province.
They ran a writing contest for short stories, poems, and short film scripts for youth and adults. Awards for that writing contest were given out during the event.
The literary event was followed by a Fantasy Ball that was sold out, with 400 people attending. Everyone was expected to be dressed up using the lunar theme. There were vendors, a royal court set in Lunar Moon Kingdom, guided quests and interactive challenges.
Organizers say this literary event will happen again next year, but over two days, based on the wide interest. This is great news for reading in New Brunswick.
Emma Benjamin is a UNB student studying English and is originally from Nova Scotia. She is completing an Arts 3000 Internship with the NB Media Co-op.
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