13th Anniversary on the 13th: Into the Unknown

Option 1: $22.50 (single evening)
Option 2: Gold Pass* $40 (Access to both evening events)
Option 3: Student Gold Pass* $25 (Access to both evening events)

*Gold Passes must be purchased at the Box Office either in person or by phone/email.

13th Anniversary on Friday the 13th: Into the Unknown Friday, September 13th, 7:00PM Join us on the auspicious evening of Friday the 13th for a dialogue with writers whose work delves into themes of the unknown and uncertainty. This event will thrill lovers of poetry, fiction, film, and music through a showcase of the writer’s work and short discussion of writing the unknown. Rather than shy away from an event on this often-avoided date, Elephant Mountain Lit Fest embraces the occasion as a chance to celebrate our 13th festival with an event that explores an antidote to uncertainty; creation.

About the presenters: Roz Nay (she/her) is the award-winning, bestselling author of four thrillers. Her debut novel, Our Little Secret, won the Douglas Kennedy Prize for best foreign thriller in France, and was a finalist for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery and the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel Award. Her second bestselling novel, Hurry Home, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Best Thriller of 2020. The Hunted, her third book, came out in July 2021 and was nominated for Best Crime Novel 2022. The Offing, her most recent thriller, was published in May 2024 and she is scheduled for a fifth novel in 2026.

Smokii Sumac (they/he) is a Ktunaxa two spirit poet, PhD Candidate, podcast host, and emerging playwright. Their first book, you are enough: love poems for the end of the world won an Indigenous Voices Award, and he is currently completing a second manuscript forthcoming with Fernwood Publishing titled Born Sacred: Poems for Palestine. Indigenous sovereignty and centering our own knowledges is deeply important to Smokii’s creative and academic work. His first play, Seven and One Heart has been workshopped in Montreal and will continue development in Toronto during the 2024 Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival. Smokii is also recording a Canada Council funded spoken word album to be released Spring 2025.

Jayli Wolf (she/her) is a multifaceted Anishinaabe/Cree/Dane artist, singer-songwriter, poet, actor, activist, and filmmaker based in Creston, Canada, and a proud member of the Saulteau First Nations community. Identifying as bisexual, she passionately advocates for LGBTQIA2S+ rights. As a cult survivor and a second-generation Sixties Scoop survivor, Jayli is committed to being a role model within her community, inspiring Indigenous youth through discussions on the entertainment industry, mental wellness, and the pursuit of their dreams. Her solo debut EP, ‘Wild Whisper,’ and its groundbreaking single, ‘Child of the Government,’ received critical acclaim, earning her a nomination at the 2022 JUNO Awards and a #1 spot on CBC Radio charts. Continuing her creative journey, Jayli delves into her past, present, and future, narrating the hardships her family faced due to colonial genocide inflicted by the Canadian Government, the exodus from the doomsday cult she was born into, and overcoming the shame and guilt surrounding her bisexuality. Through her art, she focuses on post-traumatic growth, celebrating life, and reclaiming her Indigenous heritage.

Jayme Moye (she/her) is the adventure news correspondent for Outside in the U.S. and a senior writer with Kootenay Mountain Culture in Nelson, B.C.. Her byline also appears in National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, Adventure Journal, Summit Journal, Alpinist, Bicycling, Runner’s World, Travel + Leisure, and Conde Nast Traveler. She is the recipient of the 2019 Banff Award for Mountain Literature and a two-time North American Travel Journalists Association Travel Writer of the Year.

Elephant Mountain Lit Fest is celebrating its 13th anniversary with a weekend packed with workshops, readings, discussions, mentorship sessions, and a book fair! Through a wide spectrum of literary experiences, join us in exploring the work of talented writers who push boundaries, bend genres, and write from their hearts. This year’s festival line-up promises to inspire, challenge, and uplift. For a full schedule of events, visit emlfestival.com

Performance venue:

The Capitol Theatre

421 Victoria Street
Nelson, BC V1L 5R2
Phone: (250) 352-6363