The book’s 15th-anniversary edition was launched amid much fanfare at a gala celebration in Sechelt’s Rockwood Pavilion on June 12. Coastal Voices Every year, the talented literary voices from the students of School District 46 shine brightly. It celebrates their artistry at the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.
This year, nearly 850 students from each and every school on the Sunshine Coast submitted poems, short stories, and essays to be adjudicated. The adjudication panel, comprised of four members, selected 156 pieces for publication, representing young writers from kindergarten to Grade 12.
The Coastal Voices response rate has almost tripled over the last fifteen years. This increase marks an incredible leap in students’ enthusiasm for the field of creative writing. Our publication has grown into a place where young voices can be heard, be recognized, and ultimately celebrated within the community.
At the launch event, many students delivered their pieces, mesmerising everyone with their rich stories and captivating artistry from vastly different backgrounds and experiences. Elijah Grant, a kindergarten student at Gibsons Elementary, recited lines from his award-winning poem “Things I Love.” The poem, written in four quatrains as a confessional piece, was shared by Lucy McCulloch, a Grade 8 student from Chatelech Secondary. Cover art for All of Us, by Pearl Metcalfe, a Grade 4 student at West Sechelt Elementary, who wrote in the anthology.
Ava Hynd, a Grade 12 student at Chatelech Secondary, expressed her strong connection to the region through her writing.
"I realize the Coast is where I'm happiest," - Ava Hynd
Knox Swaffield, a student at Cedar Grove, wrote a very creative story called “IGA. In the meantime, powerful words from Cedar Grove grade 6 student, Sybil Durant.
"I am from all the wooden canoes that have strode across our waters," - Sybil Durant
"I am from the people who wear orange / and stand tall against the darkness that has been lashed upon them." - Sybil Durant
You can find an excellent collection of audio recordings, with a dozen of these contributors reading their own works, made available by The St. Enter this collection and enjoy it in an entirely different way! These recordings can be found at michaelgurney.com/culture.
As John Lussier, a retired school principal and co-founder of Coastal Voices, once taught us, “The test of quality in writing is the readability."
"Good writing has to have a few things," - John Lussier
Kirsten Deasey, the school district’s chief for teaching and learning, pointed to the larger importance of the release.
"This is more than a collection of writing," - Kirsten Deasey
