Knight at Whistler Writers Fest
February 28th, 2025
Author and writing coach, Chelene Knight (pictured at right) will be this Fall’s writer in residence for the Whistler Writers Festival.
Knight will provide feedback on manuscripts during three one-on-one sessions, and participate in three group lectures focusing on various aspects of the writing craft, writing life or publishing industry.
“I take a coach-like approach to writing critique, leading with questions to help writers deepen their understanding of their own decision-making process,” says Knight. “I’m bold in suggesting ways to reshape and restructure a book, always keeping the big picture in focus. At the heart of my feedback is your why — the core driving force behind your project — which guides every editorial recommendation I make.”
This year’s program runs the third week of September to the third week of November.
“I am always thrilled with the skill, generosity, talent, and knowledge our Writer in Residence shares with participants every year, and this year is no exception,” said Rebecca Wood Barrett, Whistler Writers Festival artistic director. “Chelene has written two books to help writers grow creatively, so she’s the perfect guide for this year’s program.”
Interested participants should apply here and will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. Writers who live in the Sea to Sky corridor of Horseshoe Bay to Lillooet will be prioritized, however writers who live outside the region are welcome to apply. The program is in-person, taking place at the Artists’ Cabin at The Point Artist-Run Centre on Alta Lake.
To find out more about the submission process, costs and schedule, visit this link: Whistler Writer in Residence – Whistler Writers Festival
ABOUT CHELENE KNIGHT
Chelene Knight is the author of five books including Safekeeping: A Writer’s Guided Journal For Launching a Book With Love (Anansi 2025), Let It Go: Free Yourself From Old Beliefs and Find a New Path To Joy (HarperCollins Canada 2024), Braided Skin (Mother Tongue 2015) the memoir Dear Current Occupant, winner of the 2018 Vancouver Book Award, and long-listed for the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Her novel, Junie (Book*hug 2022) is winner of the 2023 Vancouver Book Award, long-listed for the inaugural Carol Shields Fiction Prize and a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Prize for LGBTQ fiction.
She is founder of her own creative studio, Breathing Space Creative through which she’s launched the Thrive Coaching Program where busy creatives can learn how personal development creates the mindset needed to better manage their energy and make space for all the things they are passionate about. www.breathingspacecreative.com
Chelene was the previous managing editor at Room magazine, festival director for the Growing Room Festival in Vancouver and worked as a literary agent with the Transatlantic Agency for multiple years. She has also worked as a professor of poetry at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.
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