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Volume 3, Issue 06
June, 2026
Welcome to the June Newsletter
Your gateway to stories, events, and creative community!
New & Noteworthy
We have updated the Subscribers’ and FANS distribution lists. If this is your first newsletter, previous issues are available on our website.
Writing at the Turning of the Year - Oct 6 to 8, 2026
A few Days Away to Return to Your Writing
Set on the shores of Discovery Passage, this retreat offers space to slow down, step back, and reconnect with your creative work.
Surrounded by forest, sea air, and the quiet rhythm of the coast, you’ll have time to write, reflect, and share your work in a small, thoughtful gathering.
This is not about productivity or pressure.
It is about presence with your words, your ideas, and the stories you are ready to tell.
We are pleased to announce that Kim Bannerman and Claire Mulligan will be guiding some of our time.
What You’ll Experience
- Guided writing sessions shaped around place, memory, and voice
- Spacious time to write without interruption
- Small-group conversation and gentle exchange
- Optional readings in a relaxed, supportive setting
- Time outdoors to walk, think, and gather inspiration
This Retreat is for You if:
- You’ve been wanting to return to your writing
- You have a story or idea that needs space to develop
- You’re drawn to quiet, reflective environments
- You prefer a thoughtful connection over a formal critique
All genres and experience levels are welcome
What this is not
To help you decide if this is the right fit:
- This is not a conference
- This is not a critique-heavy workshop
- This is not a tightly scheduled or high-pressure event
We will have structure, but also space to breathe.
Location
Painter’s Lodge, Campbell River, BC
A coastal setting where forest meets ocean.
Driveable from most of Vancouver Island, with Nanaimo ferry routes providing the most direct access for those travelling from the Lower Mainland
For more information, please see our website at:
https://filidhbooks.com/pages/writers-retreat
In the Spotlight –
Author of the Month: Darrell Walker
Darrell Walker is celebrating his 101st birthday this month. He is a wonderful storyteller and has written a book called The Military Stories of Darrell Walker. Mr. Walker served in the Canadian Occupation Force during the Second World War.
He was born in Victoria in 1925 and grew up in the Gorge and Willows neighbourhoods. He went to Tillicum Elementary School for Grades 1 & 2. After that, he attended schools in Victoria and Vancouver and left Oak Bay High in 1940.
Before being conscripted into the Armed Forces, he worked in the Navy Yard and Victoria Dockyards. He served as a Rifleman from 1944 to 1946. He joined in Vancouver, went to Nova Scotia and then to England and Germany with the Canadian Occupation Force.
Darrell is working on a memoir about his grandfather.
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Darrell Walker, 1944—Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Excerpt of the Month
From The Military Stories of Darrell Walker
Chapter 19—General Horex
My company of the Regina Rifles was picked to act as the personal guard for General Horex, who was at that time the Commander of the British Army of the Rhine and Military Governor of the British Section. His headquarters were just outside Hanover, Germany.
When we weren’t on duty, we could take advantage of the village pub and go horseback riding and sightseeing. In this area, there was a small lake in the middle of which was a castle that Bismarck used to train his cadets. It’s now a museum. One day we went out in a small boat and toured that whole castle.
General Horex formally stayed at a big German estate, and I was his personal guard there one day. There was a barracks just outside the main entrance where we stayed with two sentries acting as protectors at all times. If the general came or left, the sentries would call out the guard, and we’d all line up so the whole platoon could salute him.
One day, he was coming down towards the gate—as if he were going out—but instead of going to the gate, he wandered into some shrubbery, and the sentries temporarily lost sight of him. A few minutes later, he did come through the gate. We were running to line up as the sentries called out to the guards, and he was suddenly standing in front of us as we were still trying to line up.
When we were all lined up, he inspected us, then told us to break off and gather around. The first thing he did was apologize for sneaking up on us. He wanted to see how long it would take us to fall out. I’d never before heard of a general apologizing to his troops. He said when we weren’t on duty, we should take advantage of all the things to do around the area. Then he asked us,
“Is there anything you need?”
One guy spoke up, saying, “We got tea for breakfast.”
He answered by saying,
“Yes, you’re Canadians, so you will get coffee.”
The next morning, we had coffee. He was a well-liked general.
We did go horseback riding later. When we went to get the horses, a sergeant was in charge of them. He asked us if we could ride. Before we could answer him, he said,
“Yes, you’ll be able to ride—you’re Canadians, so you’re cowboys!”
I’d ridden in Canada as I had a horse, so I helped saddle them up. I told the sergeant that some of the men couldn’t ride, so they should be led. After the ride, he said I could jump a horse—which I did. All in all, we had a very pleasant week there.
(Read more in The Military Stories of Darrell Walker)
Monthly Friendly Authors Networking Socials (F.A.N.S.)
Our next meeting will be the second Saturday, in September, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Quality Foods, the Upper level café, regular seating area
in Eagle Creek Mall on Helmcken Road in View Royal.
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/295883593397579)
Just the Deets…
June FANS meeting was well attended. We met in the café area and had a lively discussion.
Monique is nearly ready to publish her revision project. Ron’s new book will be published and available at PRIDE in the park. Zoe had published a new children’s book. Allan was back from his winter travels. Jason shared his project progress. Edeana is resourcing her books and working on a new one. Kelly had details of her projects and some work she and Ashley are doing on merchandising for our PRIDE in the Park booth. Author vendor spots for book fairs at Tillicum are about half sold out. Author sports for Pearkes are almost sold out. Edeana reported good profits from registering with the public library registry. The link to the application form was posted to our FANS Facebook group as a follow-up. Monstrously Misguided anthology submissions have reached a record high of 408 from around the globe. Our six-person Editorial Team has a tough job ahead. Registration is live for the Writers’ Retreat in October. Early Bird $245 Retreat Pass price ends July 15; price goes up to $295, and accommodation group discount ends August 15.
Drop by and visit the Filidh Publishing booth at PRIDE IN THE PARK, July 12, 11 am to 5:30 pm. Use code word “FANS” for a free gift.
Explore These Literary Events
I. Vancouver Writers Fest - https://writersfest.bc.ca
II. Gibsons Art and Words Festival 2025 - https://gibsonspublicmarket.com/event/art-words-festival-2024-august-22-25/
III. Surrey International Writers Conference - https://www.siwc.ca
IV. Victoria Festival of Authors - https://victoriafestivalofauthors.ca
V. Federation of BC Writers - https://www.bcwriters.ca
VI. Canadian Authors Association - https://canadianauthors.org
VII. Victoria Writers’ Society – http://victoriawriters.ca
VIII. Pride In The Word - https://victoriapridesociety.org/pride-2024/literary/
IX. Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival - https://denmanislandwritersfestival.com/festival-2025/
X. Elephant Mountain Lit Fest – Nelson, BC - https://www.emlfestival.com
XI. Word Vancouver - https://www.wordvancouver.ca
XII. Fraser Valley Book Festival - https://www.fvwritersfestival.com
XIII. Weaving Words Indigenous Writers Festival, Prince George - https://www.weavingwords.ca
XIV. Comox Valley Writers Society - https://cvwriterssociety.ca/conference/2025-north-island-writers-conference/
XV. Whistler Writers Festival - https://whistlerwritersfest.com/
XVI. Wine Country Writers’ Festival - https://wcwfestival.com/
XVII. Word on the Lake - https://wordonthelakewritersfestival.com/
XVIII. Word on the Water - https://www.wordsonthewater.ca/
XIX. Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival Nanaimo - https://www.vibookfest.ca/
XX. When Words Collide, Calgary, AB - https://www.whenwordscollide.org
Denman Island Readers & Writers Festival
July 17 – 19, 2026
Spend the mornings writing and the afternoons in workshops or listening while authors read from their latest works. This weekend will feature seven workshops you can choose from, plus two of the authors will be hosting a writing week, where you can work on your manuscript more closely established writers.
All while on beautiful Denman Isalnd!
Among presenting authors this year are: Susin Nielson, Zoe Dickenson, Suzette Mayr, Loghan Paylor, Maria Reva, Wendy Wickwire, Susan Juby, and Canada Reads winner, Thompson Highway!
There will be time to write, time to read, lots of workshops, and readings!
You can buy tickets to these events, and get more information by going to their website denmanislandwritersfestival.com
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