Our Origins
It all started here ...




The Knowlton Literary Festival, a three-day festival held each October, is a celebration of English language literature.
Initially conceived as Letters from Knowlton, an English version of Les Correspondances d’Eastman , in 2010 the festival became a unique entity unto itself under the auspices of the Knowlton Literary Association (L’Association Litteraire de Knowlton), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the literary arts in the town of Brome Lake and surrounding communities.
The Festival includes presentations by published writers from across Canada and beyond, including author interviews, panels and readings. Selected writers are invited into our local schools to interact with our youth and stimulate interest in reading and self-expression. Each edition also features a dedicated segment to showcase and encourage the works of writers and poets from within the region.
With support from the Town of Brome Lake, the Knowlton Lions Club, Brome Lake Books, the Townshippers’ Research & Development Foundation, and private and corporate donors, the Festival is now a flourishing literary event drawing participants from across Quebec’s Eastern Townships, Canada and the United States.
From its inception, the Festival has enjoyed the guidance and support of Honorary Patron Louise Penny, internationally acclaimed writer of crime fiction, much of it set in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Visitors to the Festival can discover the places that have inspired Louise in the creation of her novels.
The bucolic countryside and our village provide the perfect backdrop for the Festival events. Founded in 1802 our picturesque village and region are home to Brome Lake Books and the oldest public library in Quebec, the Pettes Memorial Library .
Do come and join us, and see for yourself how creative inspiration truly abounds in every direction.