Comma Queen coming to Victoria Literary Festival

Grammar isn't always interesting.

That's why organizers have invited the Comma Queen to this year's Victoria Literary Festival.

"If you're a Bob Dylan fan, you'll never feel the same about [the song] Lay Lady Lay because she has a little video about why it's Lie Lady Lie," Linda Gilbert, one of the festival organizers, told Mainstreet P.E.I.

Makes grammar interesting

The Comma Queen is New Yorker copy editor Mary Norris.

"She can make grammar interesting," explained Gilbert.

The festival began four years ago and is for "anyone who happens to be around" Victoria-by-the-Sea. The motivation was for the villagers, mainly comprised of small family businesses and literary people, to "just have fun in the summer."

"It's not snobbish by any means, but it's about books and grammar," said Gilbert.

Storytelling

This year's festival began Friday night with a dinner to meet different authors.

On Saturday afternoon, the festival moves to the lighthouse hear storytellers [or barbs] perform readings.

Children's author Jennifer Brown is also scheduled to perform a reading. The festival moves into the evening to hear from Norris and others talk about how they got involved in a literary life.

"I find when people talk about their work, it suddenly makes you appreciate it it has a dimension you never imagined," said Gilbert.

As a resident of Victoria, Gilbert said it's fun to walk around and see artists interacting in the community.

"You really begin to appreciate how hard poets, artists [and] authors how hard they really work."

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Nearly $1M in funding announced to promote Cavendish tourism
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Laughter library aims to have the whole world laughing with you