North Island Writers Conference

2027 NIWC Registration opens on Dec. 1, 2026

See Program schedule below.

Friday, January 15, 2027

1:00-4:00 pm - Diana Kolpak – Electric Elocution: Breathing Life into Your Work

7:00-8:30 pm - Keynote Speaker: Tracey Lindberg - Hard Truths About Reconciliation

Saturday, January 16, 2027 9:00 am - 6:30 pm

9:00 am–3:00 pm - Tracey Lindberg – Topic to be announced

9:00 am–3:00 pm - Neil Surkan – Rushes: Poems as Spaces for Courageous Intimation

9:00 am– 2:00 pm - Judy LeBlanc – Finding Your Voice in the Narrative Arc

12:10–12:50 pm - Sharon McInnes – Beyond the Page: The Art of Podcasting

1:00–4:00 pm - Debbie Anderson – Preparing the Manuscript for Publication

3:30–6:30 pm - Nick van Orden – Youth Writing Contest (15-25 yrs); Adult Writing Contest (>25 yrs)

Explore the rich history of our past conferences through the celebrated authors, poets, and industry experts who have graced our stage.

2026 NIWC Program

Keynote speaker:

Susan Juby – The Importance of Writing Fiction During Revolution.

Workshop:

Diana Kolpak – Electric Elocution: Breathing life into Your Work

Keynote speaker, Friday, January 17, 2025

Keynote speaker: Ian Ferguson – How to be a Humour Being

Keynote speaker, Friday, January 19, 2024

Keynote speaker: Dr. Tilar Mazzeo – The Nonfiction Contract: Fact-based Writing and the Limits of the Imagination

Keynote speaker, Friday, January 20, 2023

Keynote speaker: Andrea Routley, 2022/2023 Haig-Brown Writer in Residence – On Growing Stories: What the rainforest taught me about writing