Violet Hour: PEI

With Christopher DiRaddo, Hayden Little, Vanessa Bradley, LJ Lawlor, Debbie Langston, and Julie Bull

Join The Hideout’s inaugural writer-in-residence, Christopher DiRaddo on Thursday, October 10 for a fabulous evening of writing, community, and celebration in support of the Queer Youth Writing Club. The event will be held from 7:00-8:30 PM at the Gallery Coffee Shop and Bistro.

The Hideout Residency program welcomes writers, artists, and self-care practitioners from across Canada and internationally to PEI’s south shore each spring and fall. A new writer-in-residence component of the program was recently launched to mark the fifth year anniversary of the Hideout residencies.

Christopher DiRaddo is based in Montreal. He’s the author of the novels The Family Way (2021), shortlisted for the F.G Bressani Literary Prize, and The Geography of Pluto (2014). His essays and short stories have appeared in First Person Queer: Who We Are (So Far), Here & Now: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing and The Globe and Mail. He has also written for several publications, including Elle Canada, Xtra magazine and enRoute magazine, for which he won a National Magazine Award. In 2014, he created the Violet Hour Reading Series & Book Club, which has provided a platform for more than 250 LGBTQ writers in Canada. We’re so pleased to welcome Chris for his first Violet Hour event in PEI!

Joining Chris at Violet Hour: PEI will be Island writers and recent Susan Buchanan Hideout scholarship winners Vanessa Bradley, Debbie Langston, LJ Lawlor, and Julie Bull, as well as local author Hayden Little. Winner of multiple Island literary awards, as well as a PEI Book Award, Susan Buchanan was a well-loved and deeply admired Island writer and disability rights activist. One Hideout residency scholarship in Susan’s name is awarded each year to a deserving writer or wellness practitioner from the Maritimes.  

The evening will feature short readings, a Q + A session with Chris, and the opportunity to connect with Chris and local writers. Light refreshments will be served. This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend. Donations to the Queer Youth Writing Club will be gratefully accepted and books will be on sale.

The Queer Writing Club was created as a collaboration between the PEIWG and PEERS Alliance as a way to provide an intentional comfortable, safe space for 2SLGBTQ+ youth aged 12 - 18 to learn and grow in their writing. In 2023, the Club produced an anthology of writing called Are We Friends Now? which won a PEI Arts Award.

Violet Hour: PEI is a proud partnership between The Hideout, Violet Hour, PEERS Alliance, and the Prince Edward Island Writers Guild (PEIWG).

Debbie Langston named 2022 Hideout residency scholar

PEI writer Debbie Langston has been named this year’s Hideout residency scholarship winner. The scholarship allowed Langston to attend a one-week self-directed June writing residency at The Hideout.

We created the Hideout residencies as a low-cost opportunity for writers, wellness practitioners, and other artists to remove themselves from responsibilities and dedicate themselves fully to their creative and personal practice. Debbie’s project proposal and application were extremely compelling. We’re so glad to have welcomed her to The Hideout this past June to work on her YA novel, Dear Lisa.

Residencies are available in the spring and fall each year. The scholarship covers the full cost of a one-week stay at The Hideout.

“Two years ago I began working on a young adult fiction novel Dear Lisa but after a couple of chapters, the book fell to the wayside as life obligations got in the way,” says Langston. “Winning the residency at The Hideout provided me with the ideal opportunity to reacquaint myself with the story and characters. Trevor and Joshua ensured that I had everything I needed to allow me to immerse myself in the creative process. The beautiful surroundings and solitude provided the perfect balance of reconnecting with nature and introspection. I would highly recommend The Hideout to anyone in need of a retreat and some time to relax and unwind.”

Debbie Langston is a British-born woman of Indian, South American, and Nigerian heritage. She is a wife, mother, part-time student, and aspiring author. In 2004, Debbie immigrated to PEI with her young family. She works for the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning as the Diversity Consultant. Debbie is an award-winning writer, winning the first PEI Writers Guild Scott Parsons Award for Black writers. She featured as the guest speaker for PEI's inaugural Emancipation Day celebration in 2021. Debbie volunteers on several boards, is a Justice of the Peace, recently began writing a column for The Guardian, and co-hosts the CBC Book Panel. In her spare time, Debbie enjoys cooking, gardening, painting, and spending time with her family, friends, and numerous pets.

To learn more about the Hideout residency program, visit the residency website.

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About The Hideout Residency Program

Located on PEI’s South Shore, The Hideout is a vacation and retreat property co-founded by author Trevor Corkum and therapist Joshua Lewis. The Hideout residency program provides low-cost opportunities for writers, artists, and practitioners from across Canada and the world to spend a full week focused on their practice. Each year, up to two full scholarships are awarded. Hideout scholars join a line-up of invited artists and a limited number of artists and practitioners chosen through a general application process.