About us
The Vancouver Writers Fest (VWF or the Organization) is a not-for-profit registered charitable organization based in Vancouver. Our mission is to connect people to exceptional books, ideas and dialogue through year-round programming that ignites a passion for words and the world around us. Operating from our home on Granville Island, the Vancouver Writers Fest programs year-round events and our flagship, annual week-long literary festival – one of the largest, and most prestigious in North America that attracts audience members to see events with local and international authors.
The Vancouver Writers Fest was founded in 1988 by founding Artistic Director Alma Lee. For over 30 years, the Writers Fest has connected Vancouver audiences with local, national, and international authors including Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Maeve Binchy, Roddy Doyle, Roxane Gay, Malcolm Gladwell, John Irving, Marlon James, P. D. James, Thomas King, Naomi Klein, Andrea Levy, Frank McCourt, Rohinton Mistry, David Mitchell, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, J. K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie, David Sedaris, Zadie Smith, and Carol Shields. In 2010, the Festival was named the Best Large Literary Festival in Canada by the Canadian Tourism Commission.