Join us at Read by the Sea Literary Festivalin picturesque River John, NSJuly 11, 2026.
In 2000, a group of North Shore women decided it was time to bring some of Canada’s finest authors to the small village of River John and Read by The Sea was born. It began as an outdoor festival with authors reading under sunny skies, often moving indoors in inclement weather.
Over the years, new events were added to meet the literary interests of the group – for example, Wordstock writing workshops, Pitch the Publisher, Wordplay for Children, and OnWords for youth. The festival put River John on the map, bringing visitors from near and far. Like many volunteer organizations, the festival experienced some growing pains and moved to the town of Pictou in 2025 with an exciting new location.
We are proud that 2026 brought the festival back home to River John with a dedication to the late local author, Beulah Wright. Also, Sheree Fitch will deliver the land acknowledgement. All events will center in the village on July 11, with an exciting focus on North Shore authors. The banners will once again be raised, as well as a large tent in Bissell Park for the main event, with partner events in the Library and Firehall.
To help attendants enjoy their festival experience, logistics are well underway for coffee, lunch, and parking, all located in the center of the village. It’s a one-day festival, rain or shine. Although there is no admission cost, donations are encouraged and appreciated.
Join us in sharing our passion for words, imagination and story.
This year, the 2026 festival is proudly dedicated to Beulah Wright.
Beulah was an amazing woman, giving freely to her family and her community. A gifted author and historian, she worked tirelessly as the curator of the River John and Area Heritage Museum. She also volunteered for the local paper, the Pioneer. Beulah’s book, Musings and Memories of River John, will be available for purchase. A bookmark in her memory will be included with the purchase of featured Festival books.
River John’s own Sheree Fitch will present the day’s land acknowledgement.
Sheree was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023, and the winner of the Matt Cohen Award in 2025 in celebration of a writer’s life. She created Mabel Murple’s Book Shoppe and Dreamery here in River John, making it a tourist destination for all ages. She is a long-time supporter of Read by the Sea.
Ask The Author - Memories of Read by the Sea 2021
“When I was first asked to participate in Read by the Sea, I was excited and humbled to be sharing such a prestigious stage with many great Canadian authors and those that had graced the stage before us. I attended the weekend festivities with my mother, aunty, sister, cousin, and dear friend and what an incredible experience we all had. The hosts and event coordinators ensured we were all well taken care of — from the welcome reception to the end of the festivities and it felt like we were home in a community new to us that openly embraced us. The festival was well attended, and the audience engagement was more than I was expecting. You often wonder what your readers may take away from your works, and I was gifted an opportunity to hear many listeners’ feedback; it was overwhelming and I left with a sense of connection having openly discussed some large topics that my poetry covers. It was a remarkable experience in my journey; One I will treasure for a lifetime.”
Angela Bowden
“When I got the invitation to attend RBTS as an author, my first thought was – they must have gotten me mixed up with a real author! It was all so new and surreal that I had a book published! What I quickly learned was RBTS was the ABSOLUTE BEST festival for a first time author to attend because the team there are the ABSOLUTE BEST at being welcoming and caring and helpful. I was enveloped in the RBTS family feeling and the entire weekend felt like a “down home celebration” of good old Maritime hospitality.
The organization and attention to details made the RBTS exceptional for authors and festival attendees alike.
What I took away from that RBTS experience was a lifetime of memories, friendships and bookish delight. I never hesitate to recommend everyone attend RBTS. I tell them they will never regret it.”
Lana Shupe
“Read by the Sea was for me: A glorious sunny day, the company of Donna Morrissey, David Adams Richards and Margaret Atwood, a fabulous community of readers—what more could a writer ask? My dream-case scenario.”
Carol Bruneau Author of Brighten the Corner Where You Are, A Circle on the Surface, A Bird on Every Tree, These Good Hands & other titles
We acknowledge that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq nation. This territory is covered by a series of treaties of peace and friendship which the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), and other First Nations first signed with the British Crown in 1725-26. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but, in fact, recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) title and established rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship among the nations. We recognize that we are treaty people.
We also recognize that colonization isn’t something that happened long ago—it’s still unfolding around us, and Indigenous communities continue to face its impacts every day.
Land has been, and continues to be, taken. It’s important that we keep this reality in view, speak about it openly, and hold colonial systems accountable—including reflecting on how those systems show up in the work we do everyday.
Writers featured at past Read by the Sea Summer Festivals
2000: Alistair MacLeod, Sheldon Currie, Maureen Hull, Sheree Fitch
2001: David Adams Richards, Donna Morrissey, George Elliott Clarke, Carol Bruneau, Deidre Kessler
2002: Leo MacKay Jr., Lynn Coady, Anne Simpson, Herb Curtis, Anne Louise MacDonald
2003: Margaret Atwood, Michael Crummey, Alfred Silver, Linda Little, Frances Wolfe, Mary-Jane Hampton
2004: Ed Riche, Sue Goyette, Deborah Joy Corey, David Weale, Joanne Taylor, Janet MacNaughton
2005: Herménégilde Chiasson, Beatrice MacNeil, Beth Powning, Michael Redhill, Lesley Choyce, Kristin Bieber Domm
2006: Steven Heighton, Catherine Safer, Harry Thurston, Lisa Moore, Janet Lunn, Deborah Ellis
2007: Don Hannah, Joan Clark, Freeman Patterson, Ami MacKay, Gary Blackwood, Pamela Hickman, Mark Oakley
2008: Camilla Gibb, Cynthia Thayer, Don McKay, Daniel MacIvor, Budge Wilson, Susan Tooke, Raquel Rivera
2009: Wayson Choy, Don Domanski, Shani Mootoo, Eleanor Wachtel, Kathleen Martin-James, Shane Peacock, Leo Yerxa
2010: Catherine Banks, Austin Clarke, Kenneth J. Harvey, Helen Humphreys, Shauntay Grant, Kit Pearson
2011: Shandi Mitchell, Johanna Skibsrud, Alexander MacLeod, Richard B. Wright, Jill MacLean, Frieda Wishinsky
2012: Rawi Hage, Madeleine Thein, Julia MacCarthy, Silver Donald Cameron, Philip Roy, Don Aker, Kathy Kaulbach
2013: Marina Endicott, Phil Hall, Vincent Lam, Rebecca Silver Slayter, Jan Coates, Vicki Grant, Jacqueline Halsey
2014: Guy Vanderhaeghe, Sharon Butala, Steven Galloway, Sylvia Hamilton, Russell Wangersky, Frank Macdonald. Trudy Carey, Kathy Stinson, Sheree Fitch, Dave Gunning.
2015: Maureen Jennings, Giles Blunt, Linden MacIntyre, Isabel Huggan, Linda Little, Andy Jones, Starr Dobson
2016: Nancy Wilcox-Richards, Kate Inglis, Lisa Dalrymple, James Laxer, Susan Paddon, Jennifer Robson, Kim Thuy
2017: Marie-Louise Gay, Alan Syliboy, Dean Jobb, ChristyAnn Conlin, Lesley Crewe, Terry Fallis.
2018: Justin Gregg, Paulette Bourgeois, Wesley King, Sarah Faber, Wayne Johnston, Pauline Dakin, Lorri Neilsen Glenn.
2019: Arthur Slade, Jessica Scott Kerrin, Anna Plaskett (music), Colin Campbell, Allan Cooper, Mayann Francis, Kevin Major, Elizabeth Hay
2020: authors postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic
2021: Joan Baxter, Wayne Curtis, Pasha Malla, Amy Spurway, Rebecca Thomas, Sydney Smith, Vikki VanSickle
2022: Lawrence Hill, Morgan Murray, Jon Tattrie, Dr. Afua Cooper, Lisa Harrington, Gail Francis, Lana Shupe
2023: Whit Fraser, Nancy Regan, Bruce Bishop, Angela Bowden, Olga Manzoni, Michelle Robinson, Lana Button, Andre Fenton, Lynette Richards
2024: Michael Hutchinson, Karl Subban, Robert J. Sawyer, Mai Nguyen, Alexandra Hartington, Mary Dalton, Lorna Schultz Nicholson
2025: Jean Mills, Kevin Sylvester, Basil Sylvester, Joan Marie Galat, Vernon Oickle, Charlene Carr, David A. Robertson, Myna Wallin