Photos! Writers' Trust Gala 2013

On Thursday, November 14, the Writers' Trust of Canada hosted their annual fundraising gala. The evening was a success both financially and as a highlight of the literary calendar, with 400 book lovers and philanthropists mingling with some of Canada's finest writers.

The success of the event is good news for Canadian writers, as the Writers' Trust provides more funding to authors than any other non-governmental organization in the country. The 28th annual gala raised more than $220,000 for the charity's initiatives, which include scholarships, a writers' retreat, a well-known program of literary awards, a unique emergency grant for writers in crisis and more.

Dozens of authors attended the event, including Joseph Boyden, Michael Ignatieff, Lawrence Hill, Jian Ghomeshi and many more. Notable guests included musician Gord Downie and philanthropist and RIM co-founder Jim Balsillie, as well as co-hosts Gillian Deacon and Zaib Shaikh.

The Writers' Trust continued their annual tradition of a CanLit trivia game, which was won by the Facebook-sponsored table, and the Literary Treasure Hunt, where books are sold by volunteers, with the twist that some books contain prize vouchers from sponsors like Tiffany & Co., the Toronto Blue Jays and Le Select Bistro.

The evening was a resounding success, with Canadian authors both present and elsewhere feted in a sparkling celebration of the written word.

All photos are credited to Tom Sandler