About Us
Our History
The Fraser Valley Writers Festival has a rich history that traces back to its origins as the Mission Writers & Readers Festival in 2007. Founded by the Lifetime Learning Centre Society, the festival was dedicated to celebrating local literature and fostering connections between writers and readers through workshops, readings, and networking opportunities. The festival ran annually in Mission, British Columbia, for a decade before the Lifetime Learning Centre Society closed its doors in 2017; the operation was passed to the University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) English Department.
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In 2018, UFV revitalized the event as the Fraser Valley Literary Festival, featuring previous writers-in-residence and continuing the tradition of supporting literature in the Fraser Valley. By November 2023, the festival evolved once more into the Fraser Valley Writers Festival, a name that reflects its 16-year history and ongoing commitment to engaging aspiring writers, students, and the broader literary community. The rebranding also marked the return of workshops after a hiatus, restoring an original tradition of the festival. Each year, new modifications and evolutions are made to reflect student and community interests, ensuring the festival remains dynamic and relevant.
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Unique in Canada, the Fraser Valley Writers Festival commissions new writing from both established and emerging authors. Past participants include Jordan Abel, Gurjinder Basran, Carleigh Baker, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Shashi Bhat, Lorna Crozier, Alicia Elliott, Marsha Lederman, Jen Sookfong Lee, Darrel J. McLeod, Harrison Mooney, Danny Ramadan, Waubgeshig Rice, David A. Robertson, and Angela Sterritt.
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Beyond the festival, ongoing writing engagement continues in Mission through the Mission Creative Writing Club, which meets at the Mission Library. This club offers a supportive environment where writers of all levels can share their work, receive feedback, and build a creative community. No writing experience is necessary—just curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to explore storytelling.
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Additionally, the "Your Stories, Our Mission" project is a year-long storytelling initiative to build community connections through shared narratives. The initiative seeks to spark connections and strengthen the literary community throughout the year by weaving stories into events and activities.
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The festival has been made possible thanks to the dedication of numerous coordinators and volunteers over the years. Some key contributors to the Mission Writers & Readers Festival include Diana Muntigl (LLCS, Executive Director), Shelley Haggard (Poet at Large), Helene Littmann (UFV), and Teresa MacLeod (Fraser Valley Regional Library, Mission Branch), among many others whose efforts have shaped the festival into what it is today.
Our Team
Rob Taylor
Artistic Director
Rob Taylor is the author of five poetry collections, including Weather and The News, which was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Rob is also the editor of What the Poets Are Doing: Canadian Poets in Conversation and Best Canadian Poetry 2019. He teaches creative writing at the University of the Fraser Valley, and lives with his family in Port Moody, BC, on the unceded territories of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. roblucastaylor.com
Kiara Okonkwo
Event Manager
Kiara is a fourth year creative writing and media and communications student. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief for The Cascade, UFV’s student newspaper and a Print Editor for SAD Magazine, a volunteer-run literary magazine based in Vancouver. In her spare time, Kiara enjoys watching reality TV with her mom.
Carly Fleming
Marketing Manager
Carly is a fourth year English Bachelor of Arts student with a concentration in creative writing. She has previously worked on the student-run board for UFV’s literary magazine Louden Singletree where one of her humble poems has been published. In her free time, Carly enjoys hiking and rock climbing with friends.
Cindy Castro
Digital Archivist
Cindy is an alumni member of the University of the Fraser Valley. She graduated from UFV with a Bachelor of Arts, a major in English and a minor in Philosophy in 2024. She helped get the Fraser Valley Writers' Festival up and running for the 2023 year alongside Rob Taylor, and she is also a published writer in the Louden Singletree student-led magazine with two poems titled I'll See You in the Cosmos, and Mazapanes and Motherhood. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, cooking, and focusing on her curly-hair-driven social media presence.