We Know How to Get Teens Reading
Over the last decade, Wordfest has inspired thousands of Calgary teens by connecting them with leading authors, including Pulitzer Prize winner Tessa Hulls, Academy Award winner Sarah Polley, Governor General’s Literary Award winners Cherie Dimaline, Sarah Everett, and David A. Robertson, Emmy Award winner Matty Matheson, nine-time Juno Award winner Max Kerman, Vogue Senior Fashion & Style writer Christian Allaire, and Booker Prize winner Yann Martel. Tegan & Sara, Omar El Akkad, AND Tanya Talaga shared their best selves with our kids, sparking them to think and dream bigger.
Thanks to donors like you, we’ve given out thousands of books by contemporary, relevant, award-winning Canadian authors (often the first books teens are able to claim as their own). Our innovative outreach activities fuel teen literacy in Grades 5 to 12 to spark the next generation of engaged Calgarians and avid readers. Find out more here.
Gifts made before August 31, 2025, are matched up to 50% through Rogers Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink!
The 2025 Imaginairium:
CanLit’s Supernova Celebration
Our six-day festival of ideas has been designed to be a bright light in dark times and a celebration of Wordfest’s 30-year history of connecting authors with audiences for life-affirming, transformational experiences. We’re thrilled to reveal the 50+ luminaries appearing at the 2025 Imaginairium Festival, happening October 14-19 in Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood.
This stellar line-up was built to honour three decades of Wordfest, while also showcasing the hottest stars in publishing right now. More than 30 shows will unfold during the festival, including Wordfest’s signature solo spotlights, inspired pairings, The Way We… storytelling extravaganzas, Big Queer Poetry Cabaret (featuring Timothonious & Jane Madeleine), and the return of Literary Death Match and The Kris Demeanor & Deborah Willis Variety Show.
Since Wordfest was founded in 1996, we’ve been exceeding expectations about what a literary event can be (and selling out shows), so please sign up for our newsletter to avoid missing out. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the Wordfest community, all of the Imaginarium festival passes were scooped up before we could even announce all of the authors. (We’ve limited the quantity to guarantee seats are available for Festival, All-Inclusive, and Year-Round passholders for Imaginairium shows.)
Watch for the full festival schedule announcement on Aug. 19, with individual event tickets on sale to the general public on Aug. 26.
Don’t Miss These Bright Lights
Celebrating 30 Years of Wordy Goodness
YEAR-ROUND SCHEDULE
September
It's been a decade since Ian Williams was the Canadian Writer-in-Residence at the University of Calgary's Distinguished Writers Program, but our love for him remains unabated. After memorable Imagine on Air online shows during the pandemic (paired with Margaret Atwood in 2020 and Omar El Akkad in 2021), he's finally returning to Calgary with his new novel, You've Changed, as part of our ongoing 30th Anniversary celebration. READ MORE
SOLD OUT! Click here to join the waitlist. (Thank you, Wordfesters, for your remarkable support. If you missed out on tickets, get yourself, your friends, family, and neighbours to sign up for our e-blast to ensure you never miss out next time!) Wordfest welcomes bestselling fantasy phenom R.F. Kuang with her highly anticipated novel Katabasis, a dark academia tour de force drenched in magic that author Leigh Bardugo calls “a witty, gory, harrowing ride.” Kuang’s oeuvre (including Babel and Yellowface) has established her as a master of storytelling. This exclusive experience will be hosted by Paula Turcotte. Your exclusive ticket includes a pre-signed deluxe limited-edition copy of Katabasis with a custom Canadian tour stamp. READ MORE
Calgarians have been talking about 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act since Bob Joseph’s life-changing appearance at the 2019 Imaginairium. Don't miss your chance to hear from this highly sought-after public speaker, whose new companion volume, 21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act, continues the journey toward truth and reconciliation with a practical vision for moving forward. Joseph's presentation will be followed by a short interview, audience Q&A, and book and book signing. You can also pre-order copies of books by Bob Joseph at the link here. READ MORE
October
Kevin Van Tighem loves Alberta, and his roots with the land run deep. “I was born in Calgary in 1952, one of a family of 10 children raised a few blocks from the Bow River. Books were a big part of our world, and so was nature.” In Understory, Van Tighem’s life-long passions intersect in a deeply personal and evocative journey into the complexities of nature, grief and the search for meaning in the autumn of life. The conversation will be hosted by Rosemary Griebel and includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books. READ MORE
“Bunny & I are a little emotional, Bunny, not only because our book is so very beautiful but because this book is our heart & we can't wait to share it with you!” And Wordfest can't wait to share We Love You, Bunny and its indescribably wondrous creator Mona Awad with her Calgary fans. The New Yorker calls it, “A work of toothsome and fanged intelligence....wickedly hilarious.” We'll be celebrating this prequel/sequel to the 2019 viral sensation Bunny with our version of the Bunny-verse (hosted by Shelley Youngblut). The experience includes an audience Q&A and book signing, fuelled by Shelf Life Books. You can pre-order books by Mona Awad here. We beseech you to watch Mona’s deliciously deranged book announcement here. READ MORE
We think the recipe for the perfect holiday reading list includes a cup of cozy small-town romance with a pinch of Christmas magic. ‘Tis the season (this October) for Wordfest to welcome BookTok phenom Laurie Gilmore in celebration of the highly anticipated release of The Gingerbread Bakery, Book #5 in her Dream Harbor series. For an extra dash of holiday spice, we’re pairing her with Kristine Winters, aka bestseller Karma Brown, and her holiday rom-com, The Christmas Cure. The conversation starts at 7 PM MT and includes an exclusive conversation hosted bySlow Burn Book's Nicola MacNaughton, as well as an audience Q & A, book signing, and complimentary cool treats from Village Ice Cream. READ MORE
November
Wordfest welcomes back astronaut Chris Hadfield and his new book, an edge-of-you-seat thriller set about China's secret role in the 1970s Space Race between the US and the USSR. This exclusive experience includes a copy of Final Orbit (retail price: $39)! The literally stellar conversation will be hosted by journalist and adventurer David Gray and includes an audience Q & A and book signing. READ MORE
December
Wordfest is thrilled to present Margaret Atwood in celebration of Book of Lives, her long-awaited memoir (of sorts). She lent her lustre to the our first festival back in 1996, which makes it even more special that she will be the supernova of the grand finale of our 30th Anniversary year. Bonus: The conversation will be hosted by the astonishing Heather O'Neill. LOW TICKET ALERT! READ MORE
About Us
Wordfest™ beams out from Calgary, Canada in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, Treaty 7 territory. We are an entrepreneurial arts non-profit founded in 1996 as one of Canada’s leading literary festivals. Our small team’s mission to connect the world’s most compelling authors with readers has evolved to include producing lively, accessible shows year-round, in addition to the fall Imaginairium (Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival). Our unique (and free) Wordfest Youth program focuses on Grades 5 to 12 to fuel teen literacy, providing interactive experiences and class sets of books to thousands of students every year. We also produce Imagine On Air Audio, as well as online programming. Our goal? To help you think bigger, dig deeper, and build meaningful relationships.
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