GPAG: Arts & Words Festival 2026

Join us with the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society for the 2026 Arts and Words Festival, a three day literary festival in which writers collaborate with visual artists!

Every year, artists and writers on the Sunshine Coast are randomly paired together. Working together they reflect on each other’s stories, artistic practices, styles, and bodies of work to create a literary work and a visual work that resonate with and echo each other; often resulting in long-term friendship and collaboration across artistic disciplines. We invite all to join us during this festival to view the huge breadth of art and words on display, as well as for workshops, keynote speakers, interviews, and more. Immerse yourself in the Sunshine Coast’s literary and visual arts scene.

Find the full schedule of events, as well as our opening hours during the festival, online!

SC Arts Centre: Community Training and Peer Led Panel Discussion

Want to talk about drug use and drug toxicity on the Sunshine Coast? Come visit Jackie Dives exhibition “Of Course This Hurts”, get Naloxone trained, and then bring your questions and curiosity to an “ask us anything” community panel.

Huge thanks to the Community Action Team for facilitating this offering. Immense gratitude to Jackie Dives and her photography practice. We are so thrilled to be supporting this work!

Capilano Universe Lecture: Rethinking Inclusion Through a Neurodiversity-Affirming Lens (ONLINE)

Despite decades of reform, inclusive education often stops at policy compliance rather than fostering authentic belonging. This talk explores how schools can move beyond technical solutions to cultivate genuine inclusion grounded in empathy, reflection, and shared responsibility. Drawing from her doctoral research, Kinza Pirzada (EdD, MPEd, MSc) examines how systemic ableism and professional norms shape educational experiences for neurodivergent learners. Through stories from the field, she illustrates how educators and leaders can shift from “managing difference” to embracing diversity as a source of innovation and growth. This session invites participants to imagine schools as communities where all learners feel seen, valued, and connected.

Pender Harbour Wildlife Presentation: River in Peril

A presentation with Jeremy Venditti, Professor of Environment Science at Simon Fraser. The mighty Fraser River, a powerful and free-flowing lifeline for British Columbia’s culture and economy, faces a hidden crisis as dredging and climate change create a critical sediment deficit in its delta. This imbalance threatens the region’s infrastructure and ecological integrity, highlighting the urgent need for a dedicated Fraser River Observatory to monitor the river’s health.