Writers + Books = Connection + Community
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 (coming Oct. 16-20, 2024). 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.
May
SOLD OUT IN RECORD TIME! Click here to join the waitlist. (We are thrilled to see the outpouring of community support, and we are looking at options for a larger venue. If we are successful, waitlisted guests will be the first to know. Please encourage your friends and family to sign up for our insider emails to make sure they're the first to hear about more stellar experiences like this coming to Calgary.) Come and celebrate trans art, words, and lives with us! Wordfest and trans artist Vivek Shraya have partnered to co-curate a glorious night of trans storytelling, featuring noted essayist Kai Cheng Thom, comedian and theatre artist JD Derbyshire. They will be joined by four stellar Calgary-based multi-disciplinary artists: Ceci Chow, Blake McLeod, Rip Em, and Sable Sweetgrass. This unforgettable show begins at 7PM MT and includes book signings with the featured authors. Shelf Life Books will be on site with books and ticket holders can also pre-order copies here for pick-up at the event. READ MORE
Wordfest presents bestselling author and economist Jeff Rubin and his new book A Map of the New Normal: How Inflation, War, and Sanctions Will Change Your World Forever. Tracking trade wars and kinetic wars, central banks and runs on banks, pipelines blown up and start-ups knocked down, Rubin gives us a glimpse of a near future that will look very different from the recent past. It reminds us that our mortgage rates and job security, our grocery bills and investments, are all tied to events set in motion by governments, corporations, and black swans around the world. READ MORE
June
What could be more timely than an in-depth conversation about democracy with Ali Velshi, MSNBC's Chief Correspondent, and Calgary political strategist (and host extraordinaire) Zain Velji? We're thrilled to be presenting one of the world's leading broadcast journalists, as he celebrates the launch of his newest (and most personal) book, Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy. This event is assigned seating, so you can relax and focus on getting a libation and a book. After the show, you'll have the opportunity to meet Velshi and get your book signed. Limited copies of his previous books will also be available for purchase before and after the show, with proceeds going toward Wordfest's Youth Program. A big thank you to Raincoast Books for making this vital conversation possible! READ MORE
This pairing is guaranteed to be a total trip! Join veteran journalists David Beers (The Tyee and Mother Jones) and Steve Burgess (The Tyee and Swerve) in conversation with longtime collaborator (and major fan of both authors) Shelley Youngblut. Expect lively insights into travel, current affairs, and broad-based culture, all delivered with intelligence, humour, and more than a little irreverence. The show starts at 7PM MT and will be followed by an audience Q & A and book signing. READ MORE
Lucky us! We get to celebrate the returns of flailing actress Miranda Abbott and Buddhist butler Helen Thorpe, two of Canada's most delightfully written amateur sleuths in the sequels to two of 2023's beloved new cosy mystery series. These delightfully quirky characters sprang from the imaginations of three Leacock Medal for Humour winners Ian Ferguson, Will Ferguson, and Susan Juby, who will be sparking mayhem on the stage at Memorial Park Library. The afternoon conversation, hosted by Wordfest’s CEO and Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut, starts at 1PM MT and and will be followed by an audience Q & A and book signing fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books. If you can't wait until after the show to find out whodunnit, you can pre-order both sequels and backlist titles here. READ MORE
Carley Fortune is FINALLY going to be on stage in Calgary! The breakout bestselling author of Meet Me at The Lake is doing a 4PM afternoon extravaganza on Sunday, June 23 at Central Library. Your ticket includes an exclusive, in-depth conversation, hosted by Wordfest's Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut, as well as an audience Q & A and book signing. A Wordfest photographer will be there to take selfies with Carley that you can download after the show. READ MORE
July
Wordfest is thrilled to be showcasing Jessica Waite and her no-holds-barred, sometimes wry, always moving memoir, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards. The conversation, hosted by Ali Bryan, starts at 7 PM MT and includes an audience Q & A and book signing. Waite's journey from emerging author to centerstage with one of 2024's most highly anticipated new books is almost too good to be true. And now you have the power to put her on the bestseller lists by pre-ordering copies of the book here for pick-up at the show. Of course, Owl's Nest Books will also have The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards for sale at the event, along with Bryan's backlist. READ MORE
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