We’re so pleased to begin announcing the second wave of Paper Covers Rock speakers. In the 2021 lineup you’ll find experts on memoir, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, magazine writing, publishing, songwriting, comedy, podcasting, public relations, and beyond.

We’re at that stage in the game where it does not seem as though audience capacity limitations (currently maxed out at 50 people in BC) is going to change anytime soon. It is not appropriate to plan any event that brings large numbers of people together, especially indoors, but we still want to bring our celebration of books, ideas and creators out to the world.

For this reason we’ve pivoted the Paper Covers Rock festival into a weekend of workshops. That means all of our speakers will be delivering a workshop, reading, presentation, or their own combination thereof to groups of around 20 people per session.

While many aspects of our daily lives are returning to some semblance of a new normal, in the world of event planning we are still plagued by uncertainties. There is no crystal ball that will tell us how the re-opening of society is going to unfold, or what the circumstances will look like in March of 2021, when Paper Covers Rock is scheduled to take place.

Wrapping your head around racism within the cultural and political landscape in Canada and the US can feel overwhelming, scary, and hopeless. For each one of us, the journey towards understanding begins with awareness.

One way to start is by turning towards literature that can help us understand how to become better allies, acknowledge our own privilege, and examine the political, cultural, and personal ways racism persists within our lives.

Words carry power. Stories will teach us. Books can connect us.