User:Literary Muse/sandbox

{{db-multiple|A7|G11} The Kingston WriterFest was founded in 2009. Canadian author Merilyn Simonds was instrumental in professionalizing the festival to include dozens of writers of every genre. The Holiday Inn Kingston Waterfront serves as the main venue for the festival. The festival also has outreach programs for thousands of local children and youth. These include Festival Field Trips for high-school students, Authors@School for elementary students, Kids on Sunday for families, and free rush seats for Queen’s and St. Lawrence students. Since 2014, Barbara Bell has served as the festival's artistic director. The Kingston WriterFest welcomes an audience of 6,000 and annually host more than fifty events featuring some 70 international, Canadian and local writers. It is considered one of Canada's greatest literary festivals.