Become a Sponsor
The Wild Writers Literary Festival would not be possible without the support of our presenting partners and sponsors. Our sponsors range from small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs, to nationally-recognized organizations. Our sponsors provide support in a variety of ways including cash donations, in-kind products and services, and more. The Wild Writers Literary Festival has a comprehensive range of sponsorship levels to suit every contributor's needs.
Sponsorship Benefits
Community Engagement
Reputation & Brand Recognition
Long-term Impact
Nurturing Talent
Fresh Perspectives
Engage in and foster a sense of community with Waterloo Region’s literary population while establishing connections with writers, readers, and other stakeholders.
Enhance your brand’s reputation and attract a wider audience who appreciates your support for the arts.
Ensure the growth and success of our local literary community while fostering a future generation of influential and celebrated Canadian writers.
Provide professional development opportunities for readers, writers, and arts professionals in Waterloo Region to nurture their full potential.
Access Canada’s brightest literary talents and learn from their fresh and unique perspectives.
Sponsorship Benefits
Community Engagement
Engage in and foster a sense of community with Waterloo Region’s literary population while establishing connections with writers, readers, and other stakeholders.
Reputation & Brand Recognition
Enhance your brand’s reputation and attract a wider audience who appreciates your support for the arts.
Long-Term Impact
Ensure the growth and success of our local literary community while fostering a future generation of influential and celebrated Canadian writers.
Nurturing Talent
Provide professional development opportunities for readers, writers, and arts professionals in Waterloo Region to nurture their full potential.
Fresh Perspectives
Access Canada’s brightest literary talents and learn from their fresh and unique perspectives.
2026 Event Sponsorship Opportunities
ALL IN GOOD TIME: THE OPENING SHOWCASE
Friday, November 6, 2026 at the Balsillie School of International Affairs
Kick off our fifteen-year festival anniversary weekend with Waterloo Region’s most passionate readers and writers! The Opening Showcase is the first opportunity for readers and writers to come together and listen to Canada’s brightest authors discuss their latest works. Award-winning authors Helen Humphreys, Jamaluddin Aram, and Carrianne Leung will each have five minutes to talk about time and whatever that sparks for them (anniversaries, milestones..). An open (and dare we say timely?) discussion will follow, moderated by Governor General’s Award Finalist Vinh Nguyen.
THE SANGRIA SPEAKEASY
Friday, November 8, 2026 at the Balsillie School of International Affairs
Back by popular demand, the Sangria Speakeasy is an opportunity for festival authors to meet and mingle with fellow readers, writers, and community members. The speakeasy is held in conjunction with the Opening Showcase at the CIGI Auditorium, and honoured guests and major donors will be invited.
DIS/CONNECTED: A FICTION PANEL
Saturday, November 7, 2025 at the Balsillie School of International Affairs
Responsibility, disillusionment, family secrets, and interconnectedness are themes in the latest works of the authors in this fiction panel, moderated by Claire Tacon. What does it look like to truly engage with our surroundings and the lives of those who occupy them? Can we be both radical and careful? Where does the fine line between connection and corruption lie?
WHO KNEW WE WANTED TO KNOW? EXPLORATION IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
Saturday, November 7, 2026 at the Balsillie School of International Affairs
In exactly the opposite of our algorithm driven world, here, fascination creates a trend, rather than trends determining our fascination. In a creative nonfiction discussion moderated by Lamees Al Ethari, the authors of this panel will push beyond general memoir, into niche territories, such as the fall of Kabul, mysterious sculpture gardens, and photographs of Sarah Bernhardt.
THE SPACES BETWEEN; BELONGING IN POETRY
Saturday, November 7, 2026 at the Balsillie School of International Affairs
In this panel discussion, moderated by Sarah Tolmie, these authors will discuss truth, authenticity, and the fine line between the two. Whether their work is based on real events or fictional locations, what makes a poem ‘true’? What kind of belonging might be found in that interstitial space between the tangible and the imaginary?
The Literary Brunch
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at Grey Silo Golf Club
Join moderator Alysia Kolentsis in closing out our fifteenth annual Wild Writer’s Festival over gourmet brunch, as she speaks to authors Kim Echlin, Andrew Westoll, and Kagiso Lesego Molope about where we’ve been, where we are now, and how we might move forward together. Ours is not the last generation. What responsibilities do we have to ourselves and each other?