From Nov. 6 to 8, 2026, the Waterloo-based national literary magazine The New Quarterly will present the 15th iteration of its annual Wild Writers literary festival at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and other locations around Waterloo, offering locals a way to interact with the wider Canadian literary community.
The festival, presented by the magazine in partnership with the Balsillie school and Words Worth Books, has in the past boasted sessions by award-winning Canadian authors like Heather O’Neill and Waubgeshig Rice. This year the magazine looks to carry on its tradition with headlining sessions on the art and craft of writing, both touching on the practical reality of how to be a writer in the modern era with ‘It’s Giving Human’: Publishing in the Age of AI. and reckoning with social issues through art with Fierce Women: Mothers and other Silent Geniuses. These panels feature a mix of established and up-and-coming Canadian artists, and attempt to bring the broader Canadian literary landscape to Waterloo.
According to managing editor Jarin Pintana, the Wild Writers festival was originally organized in 2011 by The New Quarterly, as a way of connecting the magazine itself with its broader readership and the readership with the writers who are published in the magazine. The festival also has a practical goal, per Pintana: “A lot of what this writers festival is about is… building community, about creating our next generation of writers”, and the magazine helps break down the barriers that the medium of magazine inherently imposes on the relationship between the author and the reader, making that community spirit a lot easier to access, no matter who you are.
Helping contribute to the continued strength of the Canadian literary community is of particular value to something like The New Quarterly. The magazine, featuring a blend of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and essay has been a fixture in the Canadian literary landscape since its inception in 1981, when it was brought into existence by the University of Waterloo with some funding and support by Canadian literary legends Harold Horwood, Edna Staebler and Farley Mowat. The publication has always been fundamentally Canadian, and this remains central to the goals of the magazine.
At a time when Canadians are facing down an increasingly hostile presence over our southern border and beginning to think and talk a lot about Canadian culture, Pintana notes that “there is a distinct literary voice and like cultural voice and art that comes out of Canada. And so it is important to make sure that we are highlighting that so that it continues to be recorded, to be read, to be understood.” This strain of Canadian nationalism has been something that’s been on the rise over the last year or so after the Trump administration began to make aggressive claims on the sovereignty of the Canadian government.
This year is not only the 15th anniversary of the Wild Writers festival, but also the 45th anniversary of the original printing of The New Quarterly in 1981. For this reason, this year The Wild Writers programming includes a number of additional celebratory events marking the 15th anniversary of the festival. Including a silent art auction and leading up to the festival, an Oct. 29 talk with Tara Gereaux, author of the Giller Prize-shortlisted Wild People Quiet.
This year, for those students who are interested, the festival is offering subsidized tickets to students who cannot afford to pay the triple digit entry price for the festival. These can be obtained by reaching out to the festival on their website and getting in contact. Ultimately, Pintana wants to assure students that going into the festival, they should know that despite how intimidating a literary festival might sound, it’s all ultimately about a shared love of Canadian literature so make sure to have fun.
Contributed photo from Wild Writers Literary Festival website
