The Young Authors’ Conference is a beloved annual tradition that connects aspiring young writers with published authors, offering meaningful learning experiences, mentorship, and inspiration. Hosted each spring at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), the conference celebrates creative writing as a joyful and rewarding art while helping students build their skills and confidence as storytellers.

On Friday, May 1, 2026, hundreds of students from Grades 4–12 gathered at TRU for a full day of interactive and engaging workshops at the 2026 Young Authors’ Conference.

This year’s lineup of workshop leaders featured an impressive group of acclaimed authors and facilitators, including Marty Chan, Megan Clendenan, Lee Edward Fodi, Kel-c Jules, Miranda Krogstad, Andrew Buckley, A.D. Crawford, Braden Hallett, James McCann, Tamara Vukusic, Finnian Burnett, kc dyer, and David Norwell. 

Throughout the day, students attended a variety of workshops, each designed to spark imagination and strengthen writing skills. Sessions explored a wide range of topics, including crafting suspenseful and eerie stories, mastering mood to create atmosphere, and building narratives through different perspectives. Students also engaged in pictograph storytelling inspired by the traditional artwork of the Secwépemc people, discovering how powerful stories can be told through images. 

Other workshops encouraged students to experiment and take creative risks through fast-paced writing challenges, collaborative brainstorming exercises like Sticky Note Story Lab, and techniques for overcoming writer’s block. Sessions such as Gamify Your Writing, Storytelling Through Map Making, Finding Your Writing Voice, and Creative Chaos: Writing Without Getting Stuck empowered students to explore new approaches and discover what inspires them most as writers.

The day concluded with a closing ceremony celebrating outstanding student writing and the 2026 Marg Van Dusen Awards winners. 

This year’s recipient of the Marg Van Dusen Elementary Award was Amira Aujla (Grade 6, AE Perry Elementary) for her piece, Untitled. Reflecting on her work, Amira shared, “I wrote about an author who is going through writer's block and can't think of what to write, so she gets inspired by things around her. When I was going to write my Young Authors story, I didn't know what to write, so I had the idea—what if I write about an author who has writer's block, just like I had.” 

On receiving the award, she added, “It feels pretty good because I didn't expect to be up here right now. It was surprising.” Offering advice to future participants, Amira encouraged, “Just go for it. It doesn't matter if you win or not—what matters is the experience, the things you'll take away from the workshops, and enjoying the piece of writing that you created.” 

The Marg Van Dusen Secondary Award was presented to Charlotte Lloyd (Grade 9, Westsyde Secondary School) for her piece A Catfish Who Was Shown the Cosmos. Charlotte explained that her story explores “accepting yourself in a society that doesn't understand you and breaking free from what others think.” About her in initial inspiration, she shared, “I saw a social media post about a guy taking a fish out of the water and instead of eating it, he just showed it the sky and then put it back in the water, and I thought ‘wow, that's really beautiful.’ So, I got inspired from that.” 

Charlotte shared that winning the award made her feel “very proud,” adding, “I worked really hard on the story, so I'm really happy that it's being recognized.” She also highlighted the importance of collaboration, noting, “Getting help from other people can really stimulate your brain. I think that's my biggest takeaway—collaborating with other people really helps with creativity.” Her advice to future writers: “Don't be embarrassed to be inspired by weird things, just get inspired and start writing.” 

Students who earned Honourable Mentions were also recognized for their creative and thoughtful work. 

Elementary Honourable Mentions: 

• Willow Bouwmeester (Grade 4, Pacific Way Elementary): Sunset and Sky
• Imogen Duncan (Grade 4, Kamloops School of the Arts): My Walk to School
• Isla Rose Murray (Grade 5, Juniper Ridge Elementary): Adventures of Wasabi
• May Nidhin (Grade 5, Beattie Elementary): Across the Moonlit Water, Tender Hands (poems) 
• Keira MacKenzie (Grade 6, Summit Elementary): Happy Birthday to Me  
• Laycee Herman (Grade 7, Aberdeen Elementary): Not a Story

Secondary Honourable Mentions:  

• Alexander Allard (Grade 8, Westsyde Secondary): Oblivion 
• Zoe McKay (Grade 8, South Kamloops Secondary): The Broken Clock
• Calah Key (Grade 9, St. Ann’s Academy): Cameras On 
• Hayley Irwin (Grade 9, Sa-Hali Secondary): Unsanitary 
• Elanie Ruberg (Grade 10, Sa-Hali Secondary): The Enchanted Cookbook
• Kaitlyn Turner (Grade 10, Valleyview Secondary): The Last Light 
• Chace McLellan (Grade 11, Sa-Hali Secondary): The Crow
• Myla Goddard (Grade 11, Valleyview Secondary): The Gift of Memories
• Clara Foucault (Grade 12, Kamloops School of the Arts): The Wolf Pup 
• Ava Rieger (Grade 12, South Kamloops Secondary): All Blood Bleeds Red

As part of the District Strategic Plan, the Kamloops-Thompson School District is committed to supporting students to develop foundational literacy skills and a passion for multi-literacies by providing diverse learning opportunities that promote joyful reading, thoughtful written responses, and interesting conversations. The Young Authors’ Conference is one of the flagship events that supports this goal each year.