After a quiet winter of planning and plotting, Almonte Readers & Writers (a.k.a. Lanark Lit) is emerging with a few offerings to get the literary community together.
In 2026, we will be hosting six Open Mics, alternating between Almonte and Perth, from April through October. With a new Almonte location — the second floor of The Barley Mow — the next event will take place in Almonte on May 14, and then again in July and October. In Perth, looking ahead to June and September, we will continue to meet at the Bridge Masters Brewing Company.
Open Mics are a time for writers, poets and storytellers at any stage of their practice to share their work. Do you have a piece that’s a work in progress? A polished story or poem? Original writing in any genre is welcome. Five-minute time slots are available. Come out, sign up and read, or just listen! If all you want to do is sit back and listen, we love that kind of participation too.
We are once again partnering with the Almonte Writers Guild to present our Writing Craft Book Club! Join us to discuss Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. This meeting will be held online via Google Meet on Monday, May 4 from 7–8:30pm. Email us at info@almontereadersandwriters.org to receive the meeting link.
Writing Competition
Also happening in 2026 is the 3rd annual Lanark Lit Writing Competition — a program celebrating works of original writing by local literary artists of all ages. This year, we have three categories: Short Works of Fiction — Adult (18 and over), Short Works of Fiction — Youth (17 and under), and introducing Poetry (all ages). This is our first year bringing a poetry category into the mix. We are excited as we have witnessed firsthand how many accomplished and burgeoning poets there are in the region. The competition is open to anyone who lives in Lanark County and the surrounding area. The deadline for all entries is on September 30, 2026, and further details can be found at almontereadersandwriters.org.
Behind the scenes, we are excited to announce that we have begun preparation for the next Lanark Lit Festival of Writing in 2027, a festival which will be collaboratively presented with sponsorship from Mill Street Books and in partnership with the Mississippi Mills Public Library and other supporters. The Lanark County region continues to support many long-standing and successful events and festivals. We hope that a bi-annual literary arts festival (alternating with Puppets Up! years) will be a welcome addition to the vibrant art scene that we all enjoy here; one that enables artists to thrive and that showcases our literary loving community. The festival will continue to support local writers, poets and storytellers, bring visiting writers to our area, and celebrate the generosity of local and visiting readers.
For those interested in adding their name to our growing volunteer list and being a part of the festival planning and/or ongoing events team, send us an email at info@almontereadersandwriters.org.