We've been eagerly awaiting Daniel J. Levitin's return to Calgary since he had to cancel his sold-out in-person show at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Lucky us – the best-selling neuroscientist, musician and author is returning this September with I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine. This mind-expanding conversation, hosted by Calgary musician and arts advocate Erin Thrall, includes a book signing and an audience Q&A for which you can submit questions in advance here. (If you’d like to read one of his New York Times bestsellers or his new book in advance of the show, you can order books for pick up at Shelf Life here. READ MORE

Wordfest presents  TikTok Sensation and bestselling author Becka Mack to celebrate the release of Fall with Me, the fourth book in her "Playing for Keeps" hockey romance series. “Hilarious, hotter than a ghost pepper, with an amazing cast of characters I can’t get enough of, found family that hits right in the heart and utterly addicting storytelling, Fall with Me captivated me from the very first page and never let me go," raves Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author of Pucked. Your ticket includes an exclusive conversation, hosted by Slow Burn Book's Nicola MacNaughton, as well as a book signing. READ MORE

SOLD OUT! But not to worry. Wordfesters who were unable to secure tickets will still be able to access a free livestream of the 2024 Imaginairium Preview Night from 6PM to 7PM MT, broadcast on wordfest.com (note: livestream access does not include the conversation with Carol Off). Click here to receive a reminder and watch link (sent 1 hour before showtime).

Let’s talk about big, timely ideas – and the big, penetrating brain behind them. Wordfest is thrilled to bring acclaimed Canadian journalist Carol Off to Calgary to discuss A Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage. This 7PM MT conversation, hosted by Shelley Youngblut, will be preceded at 6PM MT with an exclusive preview of Wordfest’s 2024 Imaginairium. Owl’s Nest Books will have copies of Off’s new book and backlist (pre-order here), as well as a tasty selection of titles by festival authors.

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We’ve been waiting and waiting for the brilliant Teresa Wong to publish her new graphic novel All Our Ordinary Stories. (Fortunately, she’s been busy creating comics for The Believer, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and The Walrus.) Thankfullly, we get to celebrate her book’s birthday together in Calgary, in a presentation and conversation hosted by local community builder Alice Lam. This event includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books, who will be on site with copies fresh off the presses. READ MORE

Join Wordfest for a passionate conversation about local news with Jeremy Klaszus, author of The Hollowing of the Calgary Herald, based on his 2023 Sprawlcast. He'll be joined on stage by Herald alumni Bob Blakey, Catherine Ford, Gwendolyn Richards and Shelley Youngblut, who witnessed the newspaper's heyday ­and its slow decline over the decades. The 75-minute show includes an audience Q & A and book signing. Independent Alberta publisher Hingston and Olsen will be on site with copies of the limited edition hardcover, which features electric green paper, foil-stamped iconography, and a letterpress-printed title band. It also includes an all-new afterword in which Klaszus receives and responds to “letters to the editor” about the initial report. READ MORE

Wordfest is thrilled to showcase Alex Sarian, President & CEO of Arts Commons, and his new book The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture. The conversation about the endless possibilities for reinvention at a time of crisis for the cultural sector, hosted by Wordfest's Shelley Youngblut, will be bursting with creative surprises and global insights. This event includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fuelled by Shelf Life Books. (And while we’re certain The Audacity of Relevance is going to be a national bestseller, you make that happens by pre-ordering copies of the book here for pick-up at the show!) READ MORE