Ann Patchett & Kevin Barry

Throughout the history of Writers at Woody Point, we have been privileged to host renowned authors from outside Canada – beginning with Louis de Bernieres way back in Year Two.

We are thrilled that two of our favourites have agreed to make the long trek to Western Newfoundland to be part of our 22nd festival this summer.

Ann Patchett became a literary superstar with the publication of her fourth novel, Bel Canto, which won both the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction.

Her critically-acclaimed essay collection These Precious Days was a bestseller – and a personal favourite of Barack Obama. Her most recent novel, Tom Lake, debuted at the top of the New York Times
fiction bestseller list in 2023.

Ann is also the co-founder of Parnassus Books, a proudly independent bookstore in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. (That applause you hear is coming from our own Shelley Macbeth, who will be back this year with the peerless crew from Blue Heron
Books.)

Ann will be interviewed on stage by Lisa Moore on August 21 and will read from her work on August 22.

Kevin Barry comes to us from his home in County Sligo, Ireland. He is the author of four brilliant and stylistically-diverse novels – City of Bohane (for which he won the International Dublin Literary Award), Beatlebone, Night Boat to Tangier and most recently The Heart in Winter, a tale of the Old West with a distinctly Irish overlay – along with three collections of short stories.

Kevin will be interviewed on stage by Angela Antle on August 22 and read from his work on August 23.

Thanks to you, our supporters, to our government funders and to our private sponsors for helping make it possible for us to bring Ann and Kevin to Woody Point this year.

WRITERS AT WOODY POINT 2025
Festival Dates: August 19-24
Schedule Release: Mid-April
Tickets On Sale: Saturday, May 3 via Ticketpro