Over the last decade, Wordfest has inspired thousands of Calgary teens by connecting them with leading authors, including Pulitzer Prize winner Tessa Hulls, Academy Award winner Sarah Polley, Governor General’s Literary Award winners Cherie Dimaline, Sarah Everett, and David A. Robertson, Emmy Award winner Matty Matheson, nine-time Juno Award winner Max Kerman, Vogue Senior Fashion & Style writer Christian Allaire, and Booker Prize winner Yann Martel. Tegan & Sara, Omar El Akkad, and Tanya Talaga shared their best selves with our kids, sparking them to think and dream bigger.

Thanks to donors like you, we’ve given out thousands of books by contemporary, relevant, award-winning Canadian authors (often the first books teens are able to claim as their own). Our innovative outreach activities fuel teen literacy in Grades 5 to 12 to spark the next generation of engaged Calgarians and avid readers.