November
Canada's most subversively hilarious sketch comedy troupe finally gets its own authorized biography, Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, which spans the entirety of the Kids' storied career, from their early club shows in Toronto to their recent live reunion tours across North America. Don't miss the Calgary book launch, as author Paul Myers reveals the group's uniquely weird history through on stage interview and audience Q&A hosted by Shelley Youngblut, followed by a book signing. Cash bar available.
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A fun-filled and inspiring night out for all ages, don't miss this riveting conversation with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams on the art of exploration, discovery and what makes life worth living. Dr. Dave has set records for spacewalking, has lived undersea for weeks at a time, saved lives as an emergency doctor, launched into the stratosphere twice, and performed surgery in zero gravity. Hosted by Paul Karchut, this event includes an on stage interview, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.
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Eden Robinson presents her latest novel, Trickster Drift, the second book in her captivating Trickster trilogy that began with the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize-nominated Son of a Trickster. This event includes an on-stage interview with the author, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.
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Actor, writer, director, comedian and Montreal Canadiens superfan Jay Baruchel is in Calgary for one night only to present his laugh-out-loud memoir, Born Into It. Hosted by Doug Dirks, this event includes an on-stage interview, followed by a book signing.
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Susan Orlean is hailed as a “national treasure” by The Washington Post and the acclaimed bestselling author of Rin Tin Tin and The Orchid Thief. Orlean reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution — our libraries. This event includes an onstage interview hosted by Shelley Youngblut, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. This event is free admission — a gift from Simon & Schuster Canada, Wordfest and the Calgary Public Library in celebration of the opening of the New Central Library.
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December
Your chance to hear from the esteemed former Governor General and author of the bestsellers The Idea of Canada and Ingenious. Don't miss this timely conversation about restoring personal, community and national trust. Hosted by David Gray of the CBC Calgary Eyeopener, this event includes an on-stage interview, audience Q&A, followed by a book signing.
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Photos of Past Events
Wordfest featured over 150 events in last year and is dreaming big for 2018. Visit our Flickr page for photos of past events.
View Festival Photos
Recaps of Past Events
Using a platform called Storify, we’ve collected all of the social media buzz, live-tweets, snapshots and live illustrations captured during Wordfest.
Recaps of Past Events
Youth & School Programming
Over 10,000 young readers this year will experience the magic of interacting with live authors in schools and in theatres.
Learn MoreBecome a Wordy Do-Gooder
A huge thank you to all of our supporters! Wordfest relies on government funding, sponsorships from corporations and foundations, volunteer support and charitable donations from individuals like you to ensure that we are able to continue our 23-year history of sparking live experiences for readers and writers. We invite you to consider donating to Wordfest this season as we plan for another year of igniting ideas and building community – one inspiring story at a time.
