March
The most fun you'll have in Calgary for 10 bucks! Prove you're the smartest person in the library. Win big-league bragging rights and tasty beverages. Join Wordfest for the 15th Edition of Calgary's most Guilt-Free Trivia Competition, hosted by Richard Kemick. Trivia questions are loosely inspired by the month's featured author, and knife connoisseur, Kevin Kent. But familiarity with Kent's work is not required and will not necessarily increase your chances of winning. READ MORE
Don't miss this tantalizing event with Ann Hui, The Globe and Mail's national food reporter. Part memoir, part history and part road trip, Chop Suey Nation is the sweet and sour story of immigration told through the kitchens of small-town Canadian Chinese restaurants, including Calgary’s iconic Silver Dragon. Calgary’s beloved Julie Van Rosendaal will be doing the on-stage interview, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. This event will leave you feeling hungry. READ MORE
Come prepared to delve into Tommy Orange's national bestseller, There There. The book has been called, "A gripping deep dive into urban indigenous community in California: an astonishing literary debut!" by Margaret Atwood and a “Sweeping and subtle…pure soaring beauty" by Colm Toibin of The New York Times. READ MORE
April
The perfect night out for fans of The Crown, don’t miss best-selling author Jennifer Robson as she presents her new novel about one of the most famous dresses of the 20th Century — Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown — and the fascinating women who made it. In the tradition of something old and something new, you’re invited to come wearing attire from your special day. READ MORE
Conversation Rooted in Place, Creativity & Community
Apr 06 @ 1 PM $15 - $20
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2nd Street SW
Join Urban Ink Forager Jason Logan and host Shelley Youngblut for a fascinating conversation about the ways we can all become city builders and environmental advocates through engaging with ink, one of mankind's oldest forms of communication. READ MORE
An Evening of Poetric Embrace
Apr 08 @ 7 PM $15 - $20
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2nd Street SW
Don't miss two of Canada's most compelling artists as they launch their long-awaited spring poetry collections in Calgary through a mix of performance and hosted conversation. READ MORE
A Magical Experience For All Ages
Apr 09 @ 7 PM $15 - $20
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2nd Street SW
What the world needs now is more graphic novels like Operatic, the first collaboration between writer Kyo Maclear (Birds Art Life, Bloom, Julia Child) and illustrator Byron Eggenschwiler (Swerve, the Walrus, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra). READ MORE
The Craft of the Remarkably Brave, Scarily Beautiful Memoir
Apr 12 @ 7 PM $15 - $20
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2nd Street SW
Join award-winning author Yasuko Thanh in conversation with Zsuzsi Gartner for a devestatingly frank exploration of how circumstances beyond our control — and the choices we then make — dictate the people we become. READ MORE
The Geometry of Story: a crash-course on structure for fiction*
Apr 13 @ 9:30 AM $20 - $25
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2nd Street SW
Don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from Canada's Guru of Story Craft. This Writing Workshop will demonstrate how to give your stories a better sense of movement & momentum. We will also look at the use of time in narrative prose. For what is the structure of a story, its form, but a way of arranging and rearranging time? READ MORE
Moving the Conversation from Cure to Care
Apr 13 @ 2 PM $15 - $20
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2nd Street SW
Join Dr. Tia Powell in conversation about the meaning of quality of life with host Christina Frangou. One of the world's leading dementia experts, Powell's goal is to move the conversation away from an exclusive focus on cure to a genuine appreciation of care and what we can do for those who have dementia. READ MORE
Come prepared to delve into Dear Evelyn, written by Giller-nominated author of Paradise & Elsewhere, Kathy Page. The book has been called, "A novel in the shape of a life…[true] to most human experiences of love…Page has laid bare the lives of her characters, making no claim to their significance to anyone but each other, and in doing so has demonstrated that the ordinary is infinitely precious," by Times Literary Supplement. READ MORE
Join us for an evening with the author of Seva for this sizzling event featuring Ruprai’s second collection, Pressure Cooker Love Bomb. This humorous book of poetry reads like a woman of colour's manifesto — infused with intense sexuality, racial tensions, and questions of gender conformity. READ MORE
May
In great demand as an inspirational speaker, Kristen Worley is an Olympic-calibre cyclist who challenged the highest levels of international sport on science, gender and human rights … and won. In her new memoir Woman Enough, Worley tells the powerful and inspiring story of her journey to self-realization, one that will upend your assumptions about sexual identity and show how one person can create significant change in the world while staying true to oneself. This event will feature an on-stage interview, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. READ MORE
Come prepared to delve into French Exit, written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt. The book has been called, "An immaculate performance on ice, executed with sharp shining blades, lutzing and pirouetting above unknowable black depths" by Scotiabank Giller Prize Jury Citation READ MORE
Join us for an evening with the internationally bestselling author of Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan, Guy Gavriel Kay as he presents his masterful new novel, A Brightness Long Ago. Set in the vivid world of early Renaissance Italy, the novel offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition. CBC host Jennifer Keene will be doing the on-stage interview, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. READ MORE
Don't miss this afternoon with the Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author of Fifteen Dogs. André Alexis' latest novel, Days by Moonlight, is a darkly comical exploration of the perpetual question: how do we know the things we know are real and what is real anyway? READ MORE
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Wordfest will present more than 150 amazing experiences in 2019, with new authors and thinkers being booked all the time. Sign up for our newsletter — it’s the only way you won’t miss out on exciting announcements, special offers and some pretty swell surprises.
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.
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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.
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