Patrick Radden Keefe: Which Sackler would you talk to?

Patrick Radden Keefe: Which Sackler would you talk to? In spring 2021, as part of its online Imagine On Air series, Wordfest presented award-winning New Yorker journalist Patrick Radden Keefe and his highly-anticipated exposé of the Sackler family’s devastating connection to the opioid crisis: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. See […]

Patrick Radden Keefe: A book that feels like fiction

Patrick Radden Keefe on “A Book that Feels Like Fiction” In spring 2021, as part of its online Imagine On Air series, Wordfest presented award-winning New Yorker journalist Patrick Radden Keefe and his highly-anticipated exposé of the Sackler family’s devastating connection to the opioid crisis: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. […]

Patrick Radden Keefe on Research and Writing

Patrick Radden Keefe on Writing Raddon Keefe traces the roots of the opioid crises through the Sackler family, whose Purdue Pharma pharmaceuticals empire made Oxycontin the top selling pain pill. While other journalists have written on the topic, Radden Keefe’s timing was ideal: thousands of court documents had recently become public. On top of that, […]

Important Show Cancellation Notice

Important Show Cancellation Notice Re: Wordfest presents Tayari Jones Tayari Jones regrets that she is no longer able to travel to Calgary for April 22, 2026, and therefore her show this spring has been cancelled. Single ticket holders will receive a full refund on their ticket purchase. 2026 Season Passholders are invited to select another […]

2025 Festival Preview Night Livestream

https://vimeo.com/1117298351https://vimeo.com/1117298351 Watch the Festival Preview Watch the recording of an exclusive preview of Wordfest’s 2025 Imaginairium (Oct. 14-19), hosted by Wordfest’s CEO & Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut. This is your chance to get the inside scoop on the 30+ shows and stellar lineup coming to this year’s festival so you can plan your festival week. […]

The Big Generous Brain of Ken Dryden

The Big Generous Brain of Ken Dryden Wordfest’s Imagine On Air presented Ken Dryden online in fall 2022 in celebration of his highly anticipated new book The Series, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series. This truly special one-hour conversation was hosted by Wordfest’s Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut. About Ken Dryden Ken Dryden […]

Big Generous Brain of Ken Dryden

The “Impossible” Stanley Cup Day Story Wordfesters are fortunate to have heard so many amazing stories over the years. In 2022, as part our Big Generous Brains online series, Shelley shared an hour with Ken Dryden to talk about The Series: What I Remember, What It Felt Like, What It Feels Like Now. The conversation […]

Ken Dryden on Hope

Ken Dryden on Hope Ken Dryden was a goalie for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s, during which time the team won six Stanley Cups. He played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He was a former […]

Wordfest’s 30th Anniversary Mini Documentary Film

Wordfest’s 30th Anniversary Tribute As we celebrate a legacy of connecting writers with readers, we’re reflecting on our beginning. Thank you to Founding Director Anne Green for taking part in this mini doc, joining Wordfest’s current CEO & Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut to tell the story of how Wordfest began, and share major moments that […]

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Tickets On Sale Aug 26!

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