Wordfest SHOW FORMATS
The Way We… (Storytelling Format)
The Way We… is Wordfest’s most popular original format, in which each writer has 7 minutes to share a story on a theme (which you are encouraged to interpret laterally and not literally). The best stories are anecdotal (and NOT a reading from your book). Think of it as our version of The Moth. As you will discover through the sample audio clips below, the power of this showcase lies in the authenticity, variation in tone, and unpredictability of how each author chooses to approach the theme.
After you tell your story, the show host will ask you a question about your story and a question about your book. (Listen to the audio samples below from 2024’s The Way We… Wear.) This showcase is followed by book signing, and it’s our biggest selling event of the festival.
We recognize that telling a story can be daunting. You were chosen for this format because we believe in you and know you’re ready to share something special. The audience is firmly in your corner: they are ready to support you, both on stage and then afterward in the signing line. We create a theatrical backdrop but can also show high-res visuals if they’ll add to your story. We’ll just need them in advance.
Please reach out to Shelley Youngblut (syoungblut@wordfest.com) if you’d like to talk through how best to approach this opportunity.
Audio samples from The Way We… Wear
Sample Show Themes
The Way We… Wear
The Way We… Talk About Nature
The Way We… Talk About Animals
The Way We… Hex the Patriarchy
The Way We… Unnerve Ourselves
The Way We… Talk About Monsters
The Way We… Navigate
The Way We… Talk About Place
The Way We… Calgary’d
New Header
The Way We… is Wordfest’s most popular original format, in which each writer has 7 minutes to share a story on a theme (which you are encouraged to interpret laterally and not literally). The best stories are anecdotal (and NOT a reading from your book). Think of it as our version of The Moth. As you will discover through the sample audio clips below, the power of this showcase lies in the authenticity, variation in tone, and unpredictability of how each author chooses to approach the theme.
After you tell your story, the show host will ask you a question about your story and a question about your book. (Listen to the audio samples below from 2024’s The Way We… Wear.) This showcase is followed by book signing, and it’s our biggest selling event of the festival.
We recognize that telling a story can be daunting. You were chosen for this format because we believe in you and know you’re ready to share something special. The audience is firmly in your corner: they are ready to support you, both on stage and then afterward in the signing line. We create a theatrical backdrop but can also show high-res visuals if they’ll add to your story. We’ll just need them in advance.
Please reach out to Shelley Youngblut (syoungblut@wordfest.com) if you’d like to talk through how best to approach this opportunity.
Literary Death Match
The Way We… is Wordfest’s most popular original format, in which each writer has 7 minutes to share a story on a theme (which you are encouraged to interpret laterally and not literally). The best stories are anecdotal (and NOT a reading from your book). Think of it as our version of The Moth. As you will discover through the sample audio clips below, the power of this showcase lies in the authenticity, variation in tone, and unpredictability of how each author chooses to approach the theme.
After you tell your story, the show host will ask you a question about your story and a question about your book. (Listen to the audio samples below from 2024’s The Way We… Wear.) This showcase is followed by book signing, and it’s our biggest selling event of the festival.
We recognize that telling a story can be daunting. You were chosen for this format because we believe in you and know you’re ready to share something special. The audience is firmly in your corner: they are ready to support you, both on stage and then afterward in the signing line. We create a theatrical backdrop but can also show high-res visuals if they’ll add to your story. We’ll just need them in advance.
Please reach out to Shelley Youngblut (syoungblut@wordfest.com) if you’d like to talk through how best to approach this opportunity.
Past Shows
2025: Starring Emily Austin, Gabrielle Drolet, Jon Hickey & Wesley King, with a legendary trio of judges: E. Jean Carroll, Cory Doctorow & Emma Donoghue. Hosted by Adrian Todd Zuniga
2024: Starring Shashi Bhat, JD Derbyshire, Roddy Doyle, Catherine Hernandez, Alice Kuipers, Heather O’Neill, Nita Prose & Alice Winn
2019: Youth authors who are either professional “couples” (Cale Atkinson and Ashley Spires) or professional and actual couples (Morgan Baden and Barry Lyga) performed their most electrifying seven-minute sets in front of an all-star judging panel: Alice Kuipers, Anakana Schofield, and Joshua Whitehead
2018: Dave Bidini, Ali Bryan, Benjamin Hertwig, and Joshua Whitehead performed their most electric passages in seven minutes before an expert judging panel made up of Patrick Weekes, Jordan Tannahill, and Alice Kuipers, 2017’s “take no prisoners” champ.
2017: Starring Ben Clanton, Susan Juby, Wesley King, Alice Kuipers, Bill Richardson & Esta Spalding
2016: Starring Jillian Christmas, C.c. Humphreys, Mark Leiren-Young, Kenneth Oppel, Aaron Paquette, Alissa York, and Andi Zeisler