Latest news with #Wordstock
CTV News
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Wordstock Sudbury to continue after members reject dissolution
Despite a board recommendation that it cease operations, Wordstock members decided to continue because of its importance to the community. The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival will move forward after its membership voted against a board recommendation to dissolve the organization during a virtual meeting on June 4. Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival The most recent Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival logo. (Wordstock/Facebook) The board had proposed winding down the festival in an announcement last month, citing growing financial and operational challenges facing arts organizations. However, after extensive discussion, members rejected the recommendation, emphasizing Wordstock's cultural significance and its role in supporting writers, readers, and literary engagement in the community. 'Given the financial pressures and resource limitations we're facing, we believe it's time to have an honest and respectful conversation with our membership,' board chair Kyla Heyming told CTV News on May 28, ahead of the decisive vote. Kyla Heyming - Wordstock An undated photo of Wordstock Sudbury chair Kyla Heyming. (Wordstock) In a news release following the meeting last week, the organization acknowledged the membership's determination to preserve the festival, calling it a 'literary gem' in Sudbury. The membership has decided that the board's structure and the festival's operations will undergo changes this year to adapt to the decision, with further details to be announced after further discussions between members and the board. The festival, which has been a staple in Sudbury's arts scene, will now focus on restructuring while maintaining its commitment to celebrating literature. The organization concluded its release by thanking supporters and stakeholders for their advocacy in keeping Wordstock alive.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Sudbury Wordstock to continue
Despite a board recommendation that it cease operations, Wordstock members decided to continue because of its importance to the community.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Board chair 'relieved' after members reject call to dissolve Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival
Wordstock's board chair has expressed relief after members voted to keep the Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival going, rejecting calls to dissolve the organization. Kyla Heyming said on Wednesday, the entire membership of Wordstock Sudbury met to discuss a board recommendation to dissolve the organization due to financial problems. "After a long, almost two-and-a-half-hour meeting, discussion and brainstorming, the membership expressed their desire to keep the festival," Heyming told CBC News "I am both relieved and exhausted, if I'm being honest. This has been a really difficult time." Established in 2013 to support and promote the love of reading and writing in northern Ontario, Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival is a three-day celebration of the literary arts. The festival features some of Canada's most celebrated authors, poets, playwrights, and songwriters. Heyming said the board had arrived at the decision to dissolve the organization after years of inadequate funding as well as other obstacles and challenges. She said they had also found it difficult to get volunteers. "It was almost unanimous," she said of Wednesday's vote. "The great majority of the membership voted to decline the recommendation of the board and to keep the organization going." She said a lot of members have also offered to step up to either join the board or to volunteer in some capacity to help keep the organization going. 'We still need funds' On the issue of funding, Heyming said one of the challenges the organization faced was not having someone to work on applying for grants, but that has now been resolved as many people have offered to volunteer. "We still need funds … but we didn't necessarily have the human resources [to look for funding]," she said. Last year, Heyming said it cost around $100,000 to put on the festival. Meanwhile, Heyming said they still have to decide whether or not a festival would be held this year. "That's still up for discussion. There's going to be a lot of work and discussion within the next month to see exactly how many members will want to join the board and to see what they're able to do in that time," she said.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Sudbury's Wordstock festival faces dissolution amid financial woes
Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival board recommends dissolution amid financial woes, with final vote set for next week. The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival faces dissolution as its board recommends disbanding due to financial struggles, with members voting on the decision next week after founder Heather Campbell's layoff and rising costs forced the painful move, mirroring challenges hitting literary festivals nationwide. The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival could soon come to an end after its board of directors recommended dissolving the organization due to mounting financial pressures. The board's decision follows the recent layoff of founder and director Heather Campbell as the festival grapples with rising operating costs and limited funding opportunities. A final vote on the recommendation will take place at a virtual membership meeting scheduled for June 4. Kyla Heyming - Wordstock An undated photo of Wordstock Sudbury chair Kyla Heyming. (Wordstock) 'Wordstock for me is one of the reasons I decided to stay in the city, so it's even more bittersweet,' said Kyla Heyming, the festival's board chair, on Wednesday evening. 'It's something I got to enjoy, promote, share, and help build. We're at this point where I have to try and face the reality of it all—we are recommending the dissolution of something that's so near and dear to my heart.' In a news release, the board acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, citing the festival's strong community impact since its founding in 2013. 'Heather built Wordstock from the ground up, and her passion for literature has left an indelible mark on this community,' Heyming said. 'But given the financial pressures and resource limitations we're facing, we believe it's time to have an honest and respectful conversation with our membership.' Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival The most recent Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival logo. (Wordstock/Facebook) Wordstock's struggles reflect broader challenges for small arts nonprofits across Canada. The board emphasized its gratitude to sponsors, volunteers, and attendees who supported the festival over the years. Further updates will follow next week's membership meeting.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival recommends members vote to dissolve the organization
The Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival board is recommending its members vote to dissolve the organization. Kyla Heyming, Wordstock's board chair, said the festival is not financially viable in its current form. "Some of the grants we've received in the past have pulled out," Heyming told CBC's Up North. "We've been getting less money from grants than we usually get and it's just not sustainable anymore." Heyming said the festival has grown in recent years to provide programming year-round, and has depended on grants from both federal and provincial levels of government. But a lot of those grants have dried up. "We're often not getting any feedback back," she said, referring to the different grant agencies. Last year, Heyming said it cost around $100,000 to put on the festival. "We've grown and that's what's been fantastic," she said. But that growth has also come at a cost, with employees needed to run various programs and initiatives. Heyming said the recommendation to dissolve the festival does not come lightly. She said the board even hired someone to help find the festival more sponsorship opportunities, but that didn't work out. "If by, you know, some miracle people really want to volunteer, get involved, if we get a miracle funding or sponsorship that allows us to continue, then we won't have to recommend to dissolve,"Heyming said. But she added that the current financial reality for the festival, without a last-minute "miracle" means it can't be sustained.
