In 1992, Life Rattle staged the first Totally Unknown Writers Festival featuring new writers who read their work before a live audience, carrying on the oral tradition of storytelling.

Since then, Life Rattle has staged the festival annually with grant support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council. The Festival always attracts a capacity crowd—100 to 150—people from Toronto communities to the Rivoli Club on Queen Street West.

Each year Life Rattle publishes a collection of the stories read at the Totally Unknown Writers Festival. Click on the images below to see the full information for each collection.