BurlLITFest Returns in November With Hazel Mae and Jesse Wente

Eight author talks, three writing workshops, two kids' events and an open mic night fill Burlington's November, and not one of them costs anything. Burlington Public Library has released the lineup for its sixth BurlLITFest, which runs the whole month.

The best known names on the schedule: Blue Jays sportscaster Hazel Mae on Nov. 20, writer and broadcaster Jesse Wente on Nov. 16, and author and CBC host Antonio Michael Downing on Nov. 19. Linwood Barclay and Ian Brown open the festival together on Nov. 1, Terry Fallis and Will Ferguson share a stage on Nov. 15, Lesley Megarry speaks on Nov. 7, and Kelly Anderson appears on Nov. 24.

Registration opens at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and a library card is not required to attend anything. Events have a history of filling fast, so working out which ones matter before that noon start is time well spent.

Writers get their own stream. Anne Bokma runs a workshop on Nov. 7, Lucy E.M. Black on Nov. 8 and Blair Hurley on Nov. 22. Younger readers have two events, with Gawri Manecuta on Nov. 14 and Sylvia McNicoll on Nov. 21. The month ends with the BurlLITFest Open Mic on Nov. 29, which is open to anyone from a first-timer to a published novelist.

"Bringing readers and their favourite authors together is what makes this festival so special," library CEO Lita Barrie said of the sixth edition. Set a reminder for noon on Oct. 21 and have your picks ready!