On Saturday, 1 June, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., an informal and diverse group of writers will come to Montague Rotary Library. The Montague Library Writers Guild hosts the reading.

Montague resident Kathleen Hamilton is a multiple-award-winning playwright, screenwriter and poet who began her career as a reporter at the Eastern Graphic. She is known to Island theatre-lovers as an actor (On Golden Pond; The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls, Marion Bridge) and for her own stage plays, Shameless Hussies andBlonde Moments. Acorn Press published her memoir, Sex After Baby: Why There is None, in 2007 and she is currently at work on a new play, Liar, Thief, Girl.

Orysia Dawydiak writes about family dramas, immigrants and rural life, about confused people with identity crises—like whether or not they are human. Her first novel,House of Bears, was published in 2009.  Currently she is working on a series for young readers set on the east coast and undersea.  Orysia lives on a small PEI farm surrounded by a flock of lively sheep and huge white dogs.

Jeff Bursey is the author of the critically acclaimed Verbatim: A Novel (2010), and contributed to Riptides: New Island Fiction (2012). At readings, he often encourages audience participation.

Beth E. Janzen’s story “Watermelon” is included in Riptides: New Island Fiction and her poems have been published in journals such as The Antigonish Review andGrain. Her book of poetry entitled The Enchanted House (Acorn Press) was nominated for the PEI book award in 2008. Beth is fascinated with the fine points of relationship and the small but exquisite turning points in our lives. She was born in Georgia, has lived in numerous cities, but has called Charlottetown home for close to 13 years. Beth is an active member of the Island writing community and is a teacher of poetry and fiction.

Though each writer was born elsewhere, they have all found inspiration in PEI, and are deeply appreciative of how the Island encourages its artists.

After an enjoyable reading by the group in Summerside in 2012, the writers agreed that they would like to read in other communities in PEI. Montague is the next stop on their leisurely tour of the island.

Everyone is invited to this group reading. It will be followed by a short question-and-answer segment, book sales and signings, and refreshments. Also for sale are books by members of the Guild.

The library is located in the Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre at the top of Wood Islands Hill. Admission is free.