Literary Readings, Literary Festivals and Author Residencies
Deadlines
- 1 March 2006 – For readings, festivals and author residencies taking place between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007. (Author residencies have only one deadline per year.)
- 1 September 2006 – For readings and festivals taking place between 1 January and 31 December 2007.
Organizations hosting readings may apply to both competitions for a period of six months each. Organizations planning activities spanning the 12-month periods indicated above may apply to only one competition.
Festivals and organizations hosting author residencies may apply only once a year. Festivals may apply separately for funds to support planned literary reading series that are outside their festival, but only once a year.
Program Description
This Canada Council for the Arts program increases knowledge and appreciation of Canadian writing by providing opportunities for writers to read from their works. The program also provides financial assistance to organizations that wish to retain the services of a writer-in-residence and are able to match the contribution made by the Canada Council. The purpose of the author residencies is to encourage exchanges between the author and the community, and to enable the author to work on a writing project.
The program has three components:
- Literary Readings,
- Literary Festivals and
- Author Residencies.
All Canada Council for the Arts programs are accessible to Aboriginal artists or arts organizations and to artists or arts organizations from diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.
Eligibility
Hosts of Literary Readings
Canadian organizations such as post-secondary institutions, public libraries, writers’ associations, national service organizations, museums, art galleries and community centres that intend to host four or more full readings (or the equivalent) may apply for assistance to invite writers to their region. A full reading is considered to be one presented by a single writer and lasting approximately one hour. A joint reading consists of two writers reading for approximately 30 minutes each.
Host organizations may team up with other small local and/or regional organizations, and combine their requests in one application, to meet the minimum requirement of four full readings. Collaborating organizations must not submit separate applications for the same readings.
For a six-month period, host organizations may apply for a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 full readings, or a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 24 joint readings (or a combination of both). For a 12-month period, hosts may apply for a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 24 full readings, or a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 48 joint readings (or a combination of both). To summarize,
- 6-month period:
individual readings: minimum 4 and maximum 12;
joint readings: minimum 8 and maximum 24;
- 12-month period:
individual readings: minimum 4 and maximum 24;
joint readings: minimum 8 and maximum 48.
Applicants to this component must show intended payment of at least the minimum scales for honoraria and travel expenses that the Canada Council uses for payment to writers.
Hosts of Literary Festivals
Festival organizations that have successfully hosted a minimum of 20 paid Canadian writers for at least two consecutive years may apply under this component.
All festivals must be a minimum of two days (a one-day event is not considered a festival) and must host a minimum of 20 Canadian writers.
Readings host organizations that demonstrate a high level of professionalism, and regularly host more than 20 paid Canadian writers within a period of 12 months, may also apply under the festivals component.
Festival hosts may apply to only one competition a year. A funding application for a reading series that is separate from the festival can also be submitted, only once a year.
Hosts of Author Residencies
Applicants to this component must be able to demonstrate that they have the organizational and financial capacities to host a professionally published Canadian writer in an effective and professional manner. Hosts are encouraged to develop public lecture series or innovative ways of fostering public appreciation for Canadian writing within the activities planned for the writer-in-residence. Innovative residencies that involve communities not typically exposed to Canadian literature are particularly encouraged. Residencies that involve writers outside the host’s city are also strongly encouraged.
Writers-in-residence are expected to devote a minimum of 60 percent of their time to their writing and should not be assigned any regular teaching duties. Hosts may invite the same author only once every two years.
Author residencies that are less than two months in duration are no longer eligible under this component. The maximum duration is 12 months.
Invited Writers
Writers are limited to 14 Canada Council-supported readings within a two-year period. The current period runs from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2008. A host may invite the same Canada Council supported writer only once in a two-year period. Writers who are members of national service organizations are excluded from this clause.
Host are encouraged to invite writers from distant communities or remote parts of Canada.
Invited writers must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and must have been published professionally at least once before the application deadline. Eligible publications include a complete book of fiction, short stories, poetry, drama, children’s literature or literary non-fiction that lends itself to a public reading.
Illustrators of children’s books are eligible, provided they have illustrated the complete text of a work.
Literary translators are eligible for joint readings when they read with the original author of the translated work.
Ineligible Requests
Requests for authors of travel guides, bibliographies, cookbooks, exhibition catalogues, instruction manuals, self-help books, scholarly books, textbooks, chapbooks and specialized reference works are not eligible for support from this program. Authors whose publication lists include only self-published books, or works in anthologies, literary magazines, community newspapers, free or student newsletters or newsletters of associations or other organizations are also ineligible.
Requests for support of conferences, workshops, roundtable discussions, fundraising events and book prizes are not eligible. Literary Readings for writers not yet determined at the time of the request will not be accepted. Also, this program will not support any readings for which honoraria and travel costs are funded by another Canada Council program or through a national organization funded by the Canada Council.
Authors who sit on a board or executive committee of an organization that has applied for funding are ineligible to receive Canada Council support through these programs for the period during which the host organization has applied for and received funding.
Host Organizations’ Responsibilities
Literary Readings and Literary Festivals
Before applying to the program, host organizations must contact proposed writers to obtain their agreement to potentially read on the dates planned. Hosts must also determine whether the writers are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and whether they have been published professionally before the application deadline.
Author Residencies
Before applying to the program, the host organizations must contact the proposed author to obtain his or her agreement to fulfill the terms of the author residency. A written agreement between the host and the author must be signed and included in the application. The selection of authors does not have to be confirmed through a call-for-proposals process. The host is expected to cover travel and promotion costs for the residency. Accommodation/housing costs are negotiable between the host and author and should be included in the agreement. The Canada Council grant cannot be used to cover employee costs for the author, such as EI, CPP and benefits.
Hosts must also determine whether the writers are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and whether they have been published professionally before the application deadline.
A writer may be the resident author in an application to the Author Residencies component of this program and may submit a request to the Creative Writing Grants program, as long as the two applications apply to different periods.
Grant Amount
Literary Readings
Canada Council support is paid in advance to host organizations for the funded readings. Hosts are responsible for paying writers’ honoraria and travel costs, using the scales provided below.
Support for a full reading consists of a $250 reading fee and payment of travel expenses to a maximum of $400 per reading. The Canada Council will support up to two full readings by the same writer per day, provided these readings are held at different venues.
Support for a joint reading consists of a $125 reading fee and payment of travel expenses to a maximum of $300 per reading. The Canada Council will support up to two joint readings by the same writer per day, provided these readings are held at different venues.
If a writer’s travel expenses exceed $400 for a full reading or $300 for a joint reading, host organizations and writers are encouraged to arrange for a minimum of two readings in the same region. For travel to and from northern (north of 55º latitude) and remote parts of Canada (e.g. some communities in Newfoundland and Labrador), travel expense maximums may be doubled. A written statement justifying the request for excess travel funds is required.
Unspent travel funds for one writer may be used to offset the extra costs of travel for another writer, provided the total does not exceed $400 for a full reading and $300 for a joint reading. Transfer of travel funds to honoraria and vice versa is not permitted.
Organizations are encouraged to generate other sources of income.
Literary Reading Tours
Three or more readings by a writer are considered a tour. Host organizations may collaborate with other local and/or regional organizations to create a tour for one author or more. In addition to the travel expense maximum of $400 per full reading (for a maximum of two readings per day), $300 may be requested for a third reading, to a total maximum of $1,100 per author for full readings only. The request can be made as follows:
- Travel costs for a reading tour with the same author:
- first individual reading: maximum of $400;
- second individual reading: maximum of $400;
- third individual reading: maximum of $300.
- Any additional individual readings for this tour: the maximum of $1,100 has been reached. Applicants may request travel funds for four or more readings that exceed this maximum, but they must request this in writing and include the justification.
Please note that travel costs for tours with joint readings may also be requested to a maximum of $300 per reading for a maximum of two readings per day. An additional $200 may be requested for a third reading, to a total maximum of $800 per author for joint readings only. The request can be made as follows:
- Travel costs for a reading tour with the same author:
- first joint reading: maximum of $300;
- second joint reading: maximum of $300;
- third joint reading: maximum of $200.
- Any additional joint readings for this tour: the maximum of $800 has been reached. Applicants may request travel funds for four or more readings that exceed this maximum, but they must request this in writing and include the justification.
Literary Festivals
Festival organizations can submit a request of up to $25,000 to present Canadian writers at a festival. The Canada Council also allows festivals to request up to 10 percent of the total requested for promotional costs, as long as the total request does not exceed the maximum indicated.
Festival hosts are expected to pay their readers at least the scale amounts (for honoraria and travel costs) that the Canada Council provides for full or joint readings.
Festivals are encouraged to generate other sources of income, and they may charge an admission fee.
Literary Readings and Literary Festivals
For airfare transportation, host organizations are encouraged to take advantage of excursion fares whenever possible.
The rate normally accepted for the use of a personal vehicle is $0.32/kilometre ($0.52/mile). This rate includes the use of a vehicle and gas expenses.
If an invited writer lives outside Canada, the Canada Council will cover travel costs, up to the travel allowance limits, from the point of entry into this country.
Retroactive funding is not available.
Author Residencies
Grants may range from $3,000 to $20,000. Hosts are expected to provide a significant cash contribution (normally, to match the level of support of the Canada Council). Grants contribute to the writer’s salary. A maximum of 5 percent of the Canada Council’s total contribution can be used to cover travel expenses associated with the residency.
Retroactive funding is not available.
Application Form
Literary Readings, Literary Festivals and Author Residencies (pdf, 381KB)
This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.
Further Information
This program summary provides an overview of the Literary Readings, Literary Festivals and Author Residencies program. For further details or to obtain an application form, contact Mona Kiame, Writing and Publishing Section Officer.
Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 4016
TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: (613) 565-5194
Fax: (613) 566-4410
Writing and Publishing Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
August 2006
Application Form
Click here to download the application form (PDF Acrobat format). This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.