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On Sale Now: The 2024 Imaginairium
50+ Authors in 30+ Events

Boom! It’s time for a confetti cannon of imagination for your brain! Wordfest’s Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns to Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood on Oct. 15 to 21, 2024.

We know it’s going to be hard choosing between all this wordy goodness. But we know you’re ready to squeeze every bit of joy out of these six special days in October. Our insider tip? Treat Wordfest’s fall festival as a menu of life-affirming ideas. Savour your favourite returning authors. Sample breakout stars. Devour the intimate, inspired pairings. Relish the variety and talk shows, storytelling and poetry events, and the return of Literary Death Match! Add your literary dreams to the mix in our interactive How To’s.

But wait… there’s more. (There’s always more at Wordfest!) We’re also presenting tasty off-festival shows from September through December, which you will discover if you scroll to the bottom of this page. And we’ll be announcing new events throughout the fall, so please sign up for our newsletter to avoid FOMO.

This is What WonderFull Looks Like

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YEAR-ROUND SCHEDULE

November

Wordfest Presents Debbie Travis
Nov 05 @ 7 PM MT $47

Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library
800 3 Street SE
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Prepare to be delighted, inspired, and transported! Debbie Travis is coming to Calgary to celebrate her new book, Laugh More: Stories from an Unexpected Life. Snortingly funny, poignant, inspirational and full of the human foibles Debbie loves so much, Laugh More is a warm and cozy book to curl up with, and even better to read aloud. And since memories are so often ignited by great eating, Debbie has added a bonus: 15 of her favourite, seasonal recipes.  READ MORE
SOLD OUT - Wordfest & Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts Present Matty Matheson
SOLD OUT Wordfest Presents Matty Matheson

Nov 16 @ 1 PM MT 

Bella Concert Hall, The Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts @ MRU
18 Mt Royal Cir SW
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SOLD OUT IN RECORD TIME! Click here to join the waitlist. (Thank you, Wordfesters, for your remarkable support. If you missed out on tickets, get yourself, your friends, family, supper club, and neighbours to sign up for our e-blast to ensure you are all the first to hear about even more stellar authors coming to Calgary this year.) YES CHEF! Wordfest & The Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts are thrilled to announce that Matty Matheson will be making an exclusive appearance at the Bella Concert Hall in Calgary on Saturday, Nov. 16 @ 1pm. Don't miss the acclaimed Canadian chef, bestselling author, actor, and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning series The Bear in conversation with CBC Radio's Paul Karchut. Your ticket to this unmissable experience includes a signed copy of Matty's new cookbook: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches. READ MORE
Wordfest Presents Marc Garneau
Wordfest Presents Marc Garneau

Nov 19 @ 7 PM MT $15 - $25

Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2 St SW
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Wordfest is over the moon to present the first Canadian to fly to outer space, astronaut Marc Garneau and his captivating memoir, A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream. The don’t-miss conversation starts at 7PM MT and will be hosted by journalist and adventurer David Gray. This event includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books. READ MORE
Wordfest Presents Jody Wilson-Raybould
Wordfest Presents Jody Wilson-Raybould

Nov 27 @ 7 PM MT $15 - $25

Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library
800 3 Street SE
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Wordfest is thrilled to welcome back lawyer, politician, and best-selling author Jody Wilson-Raybould with her new book, co-written with Roshan Danesh, Reconciling History: A Story of Canada. It’s a continuation of the vital conversation fuelled by the history shared in True Reconciliation, which sparked one of Wordfest’s most meaningful in-person experiences in 2022. The conversation, hosted by Wordfest's Shelley Youngblut, includes an audience Q&A and book signing. 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 (which is to connect the world’s best audiences with the world’s best authors) has evolved to include producing lively, accessible shows year-round, in addition to the fall Imaginairium 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. Sign up for our newsletter here to become a part of the vital Wordfest community.

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