More Than Just a Festival
Every October, Wordfest produces The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival. But wait, there’s more. We also present the world’s most intriguing authors (in every genre!) from January through December at our theatre in Memorial Park Library, Central Library, and Calgary’s best venues. We work with local independent booksellers and community partners to bring you illuminating, invigorating, affordable, life-affirming experiences.
Check out our upcoming shows and discover more about the writers and their books, which can be picked up onsite at our pop-up bookstores. Our shows sell out quickly, so act fast!
"It's the Perfect Night Out"
“The access and Intimacy that Wordfest allows isn’t captured anywhere else.”
Video by Pluto Pictures.
December
January
Our first show of the new year presents TikTok sensation Imani Erriu, author of the international bestselling romantasy series Heavenly Bodies and Fallen Stars. The conversation, hosted by Calgary’s own Danielle L. Jensen (A Fate Inked in Blood), includes an audience Q & A, and book signing, fuelled by Slow Burn Books.
Want to be first in line? You can pre-order Fallen Stars by Imani Erriu here for pickup at the show, as well as the new deluxe edition of Heavenly Bodies.
Join us for an illuminating conversation with Trina Moyles about her latest book, Black Bear, a dazzling memoir about one woman’s coexistence with bears in the boreal forest and a singular meditation on sibling loss.
Your ticket includes the conversation, hosted by Kevin Van Tighem, and an audience Q&A. Shelf Life Books will be on site with copies of Black Bear and Moyles’ back list. You can also pre-order copies of the book here.
February
We’ve been trying to entice Chris Kraus to Calgary for a decade. And we’re not alone in our excitement about her new book, The Four Spent The Day Together, which The New Yorker describes as “reinventing the true crime novel.” Rachel Kushner, Rick Moody, and Eileen Myles added their praise. Writes Colm Toibin, “This is a novel of the American moment by a writer whose antennae are attuned to subtle connections and strange crosscurrents.”
The conversation, hosted by Wordfest’s Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut, will include an audience Q&A and book signing, fuelled by Shelf Life Books.