Registration opened Wednesday (June 4) for the 33rd edition of Surrey International Writers' Conference, a five-day gathering for close to 700 delegates every October.
The annual event, first held in 1993, fills Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel with writers, storytellers, editors, agents, publishers, fans and others, for workshops, panels, banquets and special events focused entirely on professional development for writers of all kinds.
New this year is single-day basic registration and an in-person young writers day.
"We are pleased to offer no increases on any of our in-person conference packages this year," says a post on siwc.ca, where registration is done for online and in-person sessions planned Oct. 22-26.
"SiWC is not for profit. Every penny of your registration goes toward running the conference."
Events include Blue Pencil Café, pitch sessions and virtual author showcase.
The long list of 2025 presenters includes writers Diana Gabaldon, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Michael Slade, Aren X. Tulchinsky, kc dyer, Karly Dizon, Sara Blaydes, Shane Book, Elizabeth Boyle, Stacey Chomiak and Finnian Burnett, among others.
SiWC was launched in the early 1990s by founder Ed Griffin, a writer, former priest and social worker. He’d attended a writers conference in Seattle and believed Surrey could easily support such an event, first held here at Johnston Heights Secondary before a move to the Sheraton hotel in 1994.
"This day we write" is the conference rallying cry every year. The event website includes a 16-minute video celebration of the 30th event in 2022.
