LIMITED SEATING: If this event is sold out, please 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’re among the first to know next time!). You are cordially invited to the ultimate High Tea Experience starring ebullient bestselling author Nita Prose. This exclusive book with ticket event is in celebration of the international publication day of The Maid's Secret, the final instalment in the Maid series. Yes, Nita has chosen Calgary for her first event, which will be held at historic Deane House (whose four-star hospitality rivals that of The Regency Grand, where Molly Gray maintains the highest of standards). You'll indulge in a multi-tiered array of scones, savoury sandwiches, tartlets, financiers, eclairs, macarons, and custom-crafted dessert delicacies, along with your selection from Tealeaves teas and botanicals from the worldʼs tier-1 gardens. But leave room from for the intimate conversation, hosted by journalist Leah Sarich, followed by a meet and greet with Nita, who will be delighted to sign copies of The Maid's Secret, along with her previous three worldwide hits. Please RSVP promptly, as this is a limited-capacity event. READ MORE

What a gift to be able to celebrate The Maid's Secret, the final instalment in the international bestselling Maid series, with its effervescent creator Nita Prose. And because Nita loves Calgary as much as Calgary loves Molly Gray, she's travelling to be with us on April 8, the worldwide publication day. Expect the most insider-y of insider events, as Nita and Wordfest's Creative Ringleader dive into all the pop culture influences, research nuggets, and memorable anecdotes that helped Molly, Gran, The Regency Grand and all our favourite supporting characters come to life. This event includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books. You can pre-order the entire series here. READ MORE

Christian Allaire is a force to be reckoned with. As a fashion-obsessed Ojibwe teen growing up on Nipissing First Nation in Northern Ontario, he rarely saw anyone that looked like him in the media he sought out for inspiration. He made his way to New York City and is now the Senior Fashion and Style writer at Vogue, where he writes about emerging trends, interviews celebrities, and works to bring Indigenous design and stories to the forefront of fashion. Oscar-nominated actor and advocate Lily Gladstone says this about her friend:  “Christian Allaire is a gift… a true game changer whose impact will be seen and felt for generations.” We can’t wait to welcome him to Wordfest with his just-published memoir, From the Rez to the Runway: Forging My Path in Fashion. The conversation, hosted by Wordfest's Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut, includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fueled by Owl’s Nest Books. And because we want to introduce you—and Vogue—to the best of Calgary, come early to check out an Indigenous Artisan Makers Market, featuring jewelry and accessories designed by Emerson's Cree Designs, Erin Rianna Shanks, Karen Kryzan, Midnight Sun Elegance, and Resin Babe. READ MORE

“True wilderness has no narrative. It is immediate, and visceral, beyond words at the time, and often beyond description later. So, it speaks to Claire Cameron’s courage and skill as a writer that she has triumphantly wrested such a compelling and profound story out of her journey, both into the wild heart of bear country, and into the terror-filled landscape of a devastating cancer diagnosis.” Trust acclaimed author Helen Humphreys to put into words why you simply can't miss this show with Claire Cameron, hosted by journalist Christina Frangou. They’ll be delving into Cameron’s astonishing memoir How to Survive a Bear Attack, her follow-up to The Last Neanderthal (a finalist for the 2017 Writers Trust Prize for Fiction). READ MORE

In Laurie Woolever’s Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography, she shared a portrait of the late chef, author, and TV host Anthony Bourdain that, in what has become something of a cottage industry, has yet to be topped. The bestselling biographer has now turned the lens on herself in Care and Feeding: A Memoir, in which she reveals a deep dish of a journey as rich and complicated as that of her colleague and friend. The conversation will be hosted by Wordfest’s Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut (who gobbled up this astonishingly honest read) and includes an audience Q & A and book signing. The Cookbook Company Cooks will be serving up Care and Feeding, along with Woolever’s backlist and a curated selection of related titles. READ MORE