How do we, as writers, reconcile truth? What are some of the questions we encounter about how to tell true stories? Reconciling Truth is an online festival bringing creative nonfiction writers together from across Canada. From the challenges of writing memoir to our responsibility as storytellers and researchers writing true events, join us for twelve sessions over four days April 2-5, 2025. All sessions will be recorded and available to attendees for one month after the festival.

 

Festival Passes

                 Member $175                                                       Non-member $275

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

 

CNFC memberships are $50/year ($25/year for students)

Learn how you can join the CNFC

 

Wednesday, April 2

NOTE: Saskatchewan attendees use mountain times

Keynote: Ethical Remembering – Lisa Bird-Wilson (60 minutes)

(1:00pm Atlantic/12:00pm eastern/11:00am central/10:00am mountain/9:00am pacific)

Lisa Bird-Wilson is a Saskatchewan Métis and Cree writer whose most recent book, Probably Ruby, is published internationally and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award, for the Amazon First Novel Award, and won Saskatchewan Book of the Year. Lisa is working on a memoir for Knopf Canada about her journey as an Indigenous adoptee and her search for family and identity. She is currently serving as the first Indigenous CEO of the provincial arts funding agency, SK Arts. Lisa lives in Treaty 6 territory in Saskatoon.

 

~

 

Don’t Deepfake Yourself: Authenticity on the Page – Jessica Waite (90 minutes)

(4:00pm Atlantic/3:00pm eastern/2:00pm central/1:00pm mountain/12:00pm pacific)

When it comes to connecting with readers and outcompeting AI noise, your biggest allies are honesty and artistry. Stand out as a clear signal—a writer who delves beyond the superficial and shares your unique voice. 

•     Cooperate with memory to generate new work
•     Calm the internal censorship squad 
•     Pinpoint how half-truths show up in early drafts
•     Allow craft and beauty to elevate your work beyond catharsis

Whether you’re an emerging or experienced writer, this workshop will help you write emotionally truthful narratives that resonate with readers.

Jessica Waite’s debut memoir, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards, was an instant national bestseller, Washington Post Noteworthy Book, Globe 100 Best of 2024. Her essay In Defence of Grief won the 2022 Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award. Jessica attributes her later-in-life writing success to courage in truth-telling, commitment to craft, and mutual support from the writing community. She can’t wait to see you in this workshop.

 

~

 

Reconciling Environmental and Familial Truths – Robert Boschman (90 minutes)

(8:00pm Atlantic/7:00pm eastern/6:00pm central/5:00pm mountain/4:00pm pacific)

In this memoir of pre-adolescent childhood in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in the 1960s and ’70s, Robert Boschman tries to reconcile environmental and familial truths in the context of a larger history of settler and colonial incursions on lands and Indigenous peoples. White Coal City: A Memoir of Place and Family examines the coming-into-consciousness of a white boy growing up in the back of a launderette situated only blocks away from a residential school and a jail for men, all this (and more) in a town named for an English prince and based on resource exploitation and incarceration.

Robert Boschman is the author of White Coal City: A Memoir of Place and Family, published by the University of Regina Press in 2021. Boschman’s memoir has garnered favourable reviews and notices across Canada, including the Toronto Star, Calgary Herald, Quill & Quire, Journal of Mennonite Studies, Winnipeg Free Press, SaskBooks, and University of Toronto Quarterly. He chairs the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures at MRU and is the 2021 winner of the Mount Royal University Research and Scholarship Award.

~

 

Thursday, April 3

NOTE: Saskatchewan attendees use mountain times

Small Publishers Panel: Amplifying Marginalized Voices (90 minutes)

(1:00pm Atlantic/12:00pm eastern/11:00am central/10:00am mountain/9:00am pacific)

In this dynamic panel discussion, publishers from small Canadian presses share how they champion underrepresented voices in today’s literary landscape. At a time when conversations around diversity and inclusion face increasing resistance, publishing works by authors outside the mainstream has never been more vital. What stories are resonating with readers today? How are independent presses shaping the future of literature?

Join us for an insightful conversation with publishers committed to elevating the voices of Indigenous, LGBTQ, and women authors—ensuring their stories are heard, valued, and celebrated.

Elizabeth Philips is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently Torch River. In 2015, she published her first novel, The Afterlife of Birds (Freehand Books), winner of the City of Saskatoon Book Award and a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. She recently completed a new poetry collection entitled The Time of the Great Singing. Elizabeth was the director of the Banff Centre’s Emerging Writer Intensive for eight years and is a former editor of Grain magazine. She is Acquisitions Editor and Editorial Director for Thistledown Press. She lives in Saskatoon.

Phuong Truong received a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and publishing certificate from Centennial College. She worked as General Manager of Second Story Press for over 20 years, and now is the company’s Co-Publisher and sole owner. She is the author of a picture book (Everyone is Welcome) and an early reader (Every Little Bit Olive Tran).

Simon Thibault is a food writer, journalist, and editor. Queer, Acadian, and francophone, he has contributed to The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, Radio-Canada, The Huffington Post, and The Walrus.  He is the author of Pantry and Palate: Remembering and Rediscovering Acadian Food. He currently works as the Non-Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Goose Lane Editions, Canada’s oldest independent publisher. He is also a freelance developmental and substantive editor with a focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ stories, as well as culinary narratives.

~

 

Vulnerable Truths – Adelle Purdham (90 minutes)

(4:00pm Atlantic/3:00pm eastern/2:00pm central/1:00pm mountain/12:00pm pacific)

As CNF writers, how do we reconcile writing truth that involves individuals with cognitive disabilities and other vulnerable groups, such as children, in a way that is ethical? In this 90-minute workshop—that includes practice, theory and condensed case studies—we will define and identify vulnerable groups; compose meaningful scenes from our lives that intersect with vulnerable persons; and put thought into WHY we write what we write, and why we write about WHO we write about. The work of Mary Karr, Susan Olding and my own experiences as a mother to a daughter with Down syndrome will guide our thinking. By the end of the workshop, participants will gain a clear set of guidelines and ethical considerations when crafting stories that involve vulnerable persons.

Adelle Purdham (she/her) is an educator, parent disability ally, and bestselling author of the memoir-in-essays I Don’t Do Disability And Other Lies I’ve Told Myself (Dundurn Press, 2024), which was named a Fall 2024 ‘Most Anticipated’ Memoir & Biography by Indigo and 49th Shelf. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from The University of King’s College. Her prose and poetry appear in literary journals, anthologies, magazines, newspapers and online. Adelle is Sessional Part-time Faculty at Trent University where she teaches creative writing. She lives and writes in her hometown, Nogojiwanong (Peterborough), Ontario.

~

 

The Three Bodies Problem – Danny Ramadan (90 minutes)

(8:00pm Atlantic/7:00pm eastern/6:00pm central/5:00pm mountain/4:00pm pacific)

When writing a memoir, one is faced with an ultimate dilemma: what to tell, how to tell it, and how to make it relevant to the mainstream readership. There is a trick to figuring this out, but it requires a reflection on what you write, and who you are as you write it. In this talk, we will question the role of the author of memoir writing, and the tools we might be use to accomplish a truthful, yet inviting non-fiction. We will look at the balance between your author body, your past body, and your present body and ask the question: How can you write a memoir without balancing these three selves? 

Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author and LGBTQ-refugees advocate. His memoir, Crooked Teeth, came out in May 2024 to raving reviews, and is nominated to a Governor General Award for best non-fiction. His latest novel, The Foghorn Echoes won the Lambda Award for Gay Fiction, and was nominated for the BC & Yukon Book awards, and the city of Vancouver Book Award. The Clothesline Swing won the Independent Publisher Book Award, longlisted for Canada Reads, and is translated to multiple languages. His award-winning children’s books The Salma Series received the Nautilus Book Award, The Publishing Triangle Award, the Middle East Book Award, amongst dozens of other nominations and honours. Since his arrival to Canada, Ramadan has raised over $300,000 for LGBTQ+ identifying refugees ensuring safe passage to more than two dozen queer and trans refugees.  Ramadan graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC, and received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Adler University. He lives in Vancouver with his husband and two dogs. When he is not writing, he is probably playing video games.

~

 

Friday, April 4

NOTE: Saskatchewan attendees use mountain times

A Conversation On Reconciling Truth In Writing with Lisa Bird-Wilson and Marie Wilson (90 minutes)

(1:00pm Atlantic/12:00pm eastern/11:00am central/10:00am mountain/9:00am pacific)

Dr. Marie Wilson and Lisa Bird-Wilson explore the key challenges and ethical considerations authors face when writing true narratives in the decade since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This discussion will delve into the complexities of making difficult choices, navigating structural barriers, avoiding cultural appropriation, balancing authenticity with emotional safety, and adopting respectful writing practices.

 

Lisa Bird-Wilson is a Saskatchewan Métis and Cree writer whose most recent book, Probably Ruby, is published internationally and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award, for the Amazon First Novel Award, and won Saskatchewan Book of the Year. Lisa is working on a memoir for Knopf Canada about her journey as an Indigenous adoptee and her search for family and identity. She is currently serving as the first Indigenous CEO of the provincial arts funding agency, SK Arts. Lisa lives in Treaty 6 territory in Saskatoon.

 

Dr. Marie Wilson (CM, ONWT, MSC) spent six and a half years crisscrossing Canada as a Commissioner of the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission, drawing on skills and knowledge from her award-winning journalism career as a regional and national radio and television reporter and program host. As Regional Director for CBC North she championed northern inclusion and reflection, developing the North’s first ever daily TV news programs, Northbeat and Iqalaaq. She has spoken in various parts of North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America on the continuing potential of reconciliation.

~

 

Making Truth Better Than Fiction – Omar Mouallem (90 minutes)

(4:00pm Atlantic/3:00pm eastern/2:00pm central/1:00pm mountain/12:00pm pacific)

Author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker Omar Mouallem explains how to craft a riveting true story with nothing but the facts and an arsenal of questions. You’ll learn to apply literary techniques to journalism and historical nonfiction that holds up to The New Yorker’s fact checkers. He’ll teach you simple strategies for reconstructing scenes from research notes and memory, transforming interview subjects into complex characters, and using structure to reinforce themes and tension.

Omar Mouallem is a nonfiction writer and filmmaker known for telling human interest stories with world history and broad social issues. His journalism has appeared in The Guardian, WIRED, and The New Yorker, and his book, How Muslims Shaped the Americas, won the 2022 Wilfrid Eggleston Nonfiction Award. He wrote, directed and produced several documentaries, including The Lebanese Burger Mafia, which documents the unlikely link between fast-food and Arab immigrants. Omar also teaches creative nonfiction at the University of King’s College but is also the “fake dean” of Pandemic University, a virtual school he founded in support of writers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

~

 

Writing the Hard Truths: Navigating Ethics and Craft in Creative Nonfiction – Susan Scott and Caroline Topperman (90 minutes)

(8:00pm Atlantic/7:00pm eastern/6:00pm central/5:00pm mountain/4:00pm pacific)

An interactive workshop examining the challenging choices writers make, tackling subjects such as family, displacement, estrangement, and immigration. How do we tell powerful stories that explore secrets, confront historical injustices, or give voice to marginalized experiences, while upholding ethical responsibilities and honouring the complexities of truth? Using acclaimed essays by writers and poets as well as new work by emerging voices, we will analyze fruitful approaches to weaving personal narratives with meaningful social commentary. 

A workshop for writers ready to explore personal narratives that both complicate and connect to broader social and cultural issues. Priority will be given to participant questions and concerns, and to sharing resources regarding key ethical, craft, and practical considerations.

Susan Scott works at the crossroads of story, spirit, self, and culture, and is The New Quarterly consulting editor who served as the magazine’s nonfiction editor (2012-2019). She has midwifed more than 20 books and dozens of award-winning essays. Edited CNF volumes include Body & Soul (Caitlin), an anthology of original work by Canadian women writers and poets such as Meharoona Ghani, Sue Goyette, Jonina Kirton, Alison Pick, Ayelet Tsabari, and Betsy Warland. Susan has taught in communities and classrooms in Canada and the States and is a seasoned arts collaborator, mentor, and director.

Caroline Topperman is a writer, editor and blogger with 20+ years of experience. She has written for major publications like Huffington Post and Jane Friedman’s blog, served as managing editor for NonBinary Review, and co-founded KW Writers Alliance and Mountain Ash Press. Her book, Tell Me What You See, serves as a toolkit for her writing workshops. Her hybrid memoir, Your Roots Cast a Shadow (HCI Books 2024), explores explosive intergenerational histories that link war zones and foreign shores with questions of identity and belonging.

~

 

Saturday, April 5

NOTE: Saskatchewan attendees use mountain times

The Evolution of CNF – CNFC Founders Myrna Kostash and Betsy Warland (90 minutes)

(1:00pm Atlantic/12:00pm eastern/11:00am central/10:00am mountain/9:00am pacific)

Betsy Warland and Myrna Kostash discuss why the CNFC was formed, how the organization changed the literary landscape in Canada over the past two decades, and a discussion of what’s changed in 20+ years.

Myrna Kostash is a nonfiction writer based in Edmonton, Alberta, author of the classic All of Baba’s Children, and, among others, Bloodlines: A Journey into Eastern Europe, The Next Canada, The Frog Lake Reader, and Prodigal Daughter: A Journey to Byzantium. Her most recent book (2022) is Ghosts in a Photograph: A Chronicle, winner of the 2024 Kobzar Literary Award from the Shevchenko Foundation. Her journalism, essays, and creative nonfiction have been widely anthologized. She is a recipient of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Golden Pen Award and the Writers’ Trust of Canada Matt Cohen award for a Life of Writing.

Author, editor, mentor, and teacher, Betsy Warland has published 13 books of creative nonfiction and poetry. The second edition of Warland’s 2010 book of essays on writing, Breathing the Page—Reading the Act of Writing (Cormorant Books), came out with ten new essays in 2023. Warland’s 1987 book, serpent (w)rite, (Coach House Press), was likely one of the foreruners of CNF. Along with her BA in Visual Art, Warland draws upon music composition strategies. In 2022, a street opera composed by Lloyd Burritt, based on her 2016 CNF book, Oscar of Between, was premiered in Vancouver.

Over the past few years, Warland has been working with Vancouver writers with lived experience of mental health issues. A Westcoast first: Off the Map, co-edited Seema Shah, Kate Bird and Warland, will be published in June, 2025 by Bell Press.

Warland received the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Literary Excellence in 2016. In 2021, an annual national prize, The VMI Betsy Warland Between Genres Award, is announced yearly at the Vancouver Writers Festival.

 

~

 

Nothing About Us Without Us: Honouring the Lived Experience of Others in Your Writing – Jennifer Robin Wilson (90 minutes)

(4:00pm Atlantic/3:00pm eastern/2:00pm central/1:00pm mountain/12:00pm pacific)

When you think about diversity and inclusion, do you also think about participation? As a writer, how do you approach the lived experiences of other people with their voices and perspectives in mind? Do you have a mountain of interview data to analyze and don’t know where to start? You’re not alone! Join Jennifer Robin Wilson as she shares how she brought her book from an idea with no structure to a completed manuscript. This interactive workshop will introduce the use of Grounded Theory for your research process, how to organize your data using Scrivener and Excel, and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Jennifer Robin Wilson is a certified leadership coach, writer, and speaker. She worked in her family’s business, The Canada Homestay Network (CHN), for 17 years. She transitioned to Chair of the Board of Directors for CHN in 2022. She holds an MBA and is completing an MFA in creative nonfiction. Her first book, The Heart of Homestay: Creating Meaningful Connections When Hosting International Students, will be released in February 2025. Her work has also appeared in Zoomer, West Coast Families, Study Travel News, and the Brevity blog. She is the mother of two young adults, and lives with her husband in Victoria, BC.

 

~

 

A Historian’s Perspective on Reconciling Truth – Christopher Moore (90 minutes)

Christopher Moore has been a freelance writer of nonfiction since the early 1980s. His books for adults and children, mostly about Canadian history, include Louisbourg Portraits, 1867: How the Fathers Made a Deal, From Then To Now: A Short History of the World, and (with Janet Lunn) The Story of Canada. He has received two Governor General’s Literary Awards and other honours. He is a longtime contributing editor at Canada’s History, writes for the Literary Review of Canada and other periodicals, and has consulted on many literary and historical projects in print, radio, film, and other media. His service to the literary community includes membership in the CNFC since shortly after its founding, including a stint as vice-chair. He is also a past chair and life member of the Writers’ Union of Canada.

(8:00pm Atlantic/7:00pm eastern/6:00pm central/5:00pm mountain/4:00pm pacific)