Save The Dates: Oct. 15 to 19, 2025
It’s the 30th Annual Wordfest Fall Imaginairium Festival!!!
Thank you for making the 2024 Imaginairium a larger-than-life confetti canon of big ideas—proof that, when we gather together around the power of words, the world feels… WonderFULL. By enthusiastically showing up in Calgary for the world’s best writers, you’ve co-created the interconnected, diverse, propulsive, thriving community of Wordfesters.
Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival returns next fall, Oct. 15 to 19, in Calgary’s vibrant Beltline neighbourhood. Since Wordfest was founded in 1996, we’ve been exceeding expectations about what a literary event can be (and selling out shows), so please sign up for our newsletter to avoid missing out. We’ll be showcasing your favourite authors from the past 30 years, as well as writers we’ll be talking about for the next 30 years, at the 2025 Imaginairium, as well as in special events throughout the year. Festival and Year-Round Passes are on sale now!
Here’s What WonderFull Looks Like
YEAR-ROUND SCHEDULE
January
One Yellow Rabbit & Wordfest Co-Present The First Bad Man
Jan 30 @ 7:30 PM MT $55
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2 St SW
February
Looking for the antidote for the chaos that has overwhelmed any attempt to understand what is news and what is fiction? Wordfest is thrilled to welcome Alberta's misinformation expert Timothy Caulfield and his new book, The Certainty Illusion: What You Don’t Know and Why It Matters. Says Dr. Jen Gunter, “Caulfield masterfully unpacks how we often confuse data with knowledge, offering readers a clear, actionable guide to discerning fact from fiction in a world overflowing with conflicting information. Whether navigating health advice, social issues, or daily news, this essential read empowers you to think critically and avoid the traps of certainty.”
READ MORE
"A treasure." That's what Shelagh Rogers says about David A. Robertson and his new memoir, All The Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety. "My friend Dave is wide open, unflinchingly honest, and brave. So brave." The opening chapter recounts unforgettable backstage and onstage examples of collective kindnesses that took place during the 2019 Imaginairium festival. It's all part of Wordfest's David Robertson lore, our special bond that makes the Calgary launch event an unmissable opportunity.
READ MOREMarch
"Doom and gloom and unspeakable horror abound and overwhelm these days, but it remains important to understand what we already know is happening now and how it will be understood in the future. It helps when we feel helpless to give our time and attention, our hearts and consideration to a voice like this, a book like this, from our particular time and for it." That's Tommy Orange (There There), highlighting the relevance and necessity of this exclusive Wordfest event with Omar El Akkad and his new book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.
READ MOREAbout 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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