Mission statement:
To connect writers and other artists with the community to inspire an exchange of ideas.
Vision:
A community that celebrates the power of all forms of artistic expression to connect to our shared human experience.
Getting Lost for Words
Newfoundland and Labrador is a place with its own vocabulary, its own dialect, even its own dictionary. It is a place where idiosyncratic stories are told with confidence and conviction. It’s here we’ve created a space for an exchange of words and ideas in a scenic town on the edge of the sea. The bountiful art created in, and about, this wild place was acclaimed across the country throughout the lifetime of Newfoundland-born, award-winning author and journalist Sandra Fraser Gwyn.
Flowers on a Rock
Sandra described the province’s 1970’s renaissance of arts and culture as “flowers on a rock.” She began spending each summer in Eastport until her death in 2000. In commemoration of Sandra’s lifelong passion and literary legacy, the Winterset Award (now the BMO Winterset Award) and the annual three-day Winterset in Summer Literary Festival were created to celebrate and promote the relationship between writer, reader, and literature.
In Good Company
The Winterset in Summer Literary Festival has grown in audience and scope through the last two decades and includes not only literature but drama, music, and visual arts. Run by volunteers with contributions from the community, Winterset in Summer is a unique celebration allowing writers and artists to showcase their work, discuss their processes, and reflect on how art relates to the human experience.
To this day, the festival’s style is dictated by Sandra’s conviction: the best way to achieve quality is with good company, good discussion, and a good party.
