Wordfest is More Than 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 in our own theatre in Memorial Park Library, as well as at Central Library, Decidedly Jazz Dance Centre, and The Bella Concert Hall. 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 featuring Calgary’s independent booksellers. Our shows sell out quickly, so act fast!
AI SCAM ALERT: Invitations to appear at Wordfest are sent by publishers to their authors. If you receive any communication from an email account (particularly a gmail account) purporting to be from a Wordfest representative, it is likely an AI-generated scam. We only work through publishers to avoid this unconscionable exploitation and our official emails are from emails ending in wordfest.com. We never charge authors or artists to be part of our programming.
October
The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026.
This fall, Wordfest is where your imagination goes to get real. We’re thrilled to present 41 shows featuring the 60 authors appearing at our 31st annual festival: Superstars who personify the dazzling range of Canadian and international storytelling. They are the very best humans, which makes the opportunity for you to connect with each of them in person even more magical.
Get your Festival Pass now for the best value—and access to our most popular shows, such as The Way We… Wear and Literary Death Match. We just revealed the full festival schedule, and you can get the inside scoop at the Festival Preview on Sept. 10 (followed by a bonus show featuring Téa Muntonji).
After far too long an absence, the writer and visual artist Anita Rau Badami makes a triumphant return to Calgary with her highly anticipated new novel—fifteen years in the writing!—Asha in Her Garden. Her previous novel, The Hero’s Walk, was a Canada-Reads finalist defended by actor Vinay Virmani who, in this clip, described Badami’s writing as timeless in its nuanced exploration of family dynamics and intergenerational conflict. We can’t wait to experience Badami’s storytelling gifts first-hand in this conversation, hosted by Kirti Bhadresa, which includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fueled by Owls Nest Books. You can order copies of her new book, plus her award-winning backlist, here.
No one is more excited than Joshua Whitehead that Jordan Tannahill has added Calgary to his North American tour. Okay, maybe everyone who was lucky enough to see them on the Wordfest stage in 2018—and we’ve been dreaming ever since about pairing them again in a show. A playwright, novelist, screenwriter, director, and performance artist, Tannahill is at the height of his creative prowess in his much-anticipated new novel, The Living Realm.
“In the idylls of The Living Realm, every queer artist emerges moss-laden and enriched with thought, crusted with sand and raw and cruised, and is asked to birth themselves anew, armed with a lament made joyful,” Whitehead says. “Tannahill is an artist we should all bear witness to at least once in our lives.”
The conversation includes an audience Q&A and post-show signing fulled by Shelf Life Books, who will be on site with copies of Tannahill’s new novel and backlist.
November
Thank you, Wordfesters! THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT! You can join the waitlist here.
Newfoundland isn’t just home to so many of Canada’s greatest authors and comedians, it’s also the birthplace of one of our greatest athletes: six-time Brier Champion Brad Gushue. Join the curling legend to celebrate the launch of his memoir, which offers provocative opinions on the future of his sport, what it means to be a leader, the importance of family, and the profound impact that the people and landscape of his childhood had in shaping Gushue as a person and a competitor. We are fortunate to have award-winning sports journalist (and co-founder of Writers at Woody Point) Stephen Brunt hosting the conversation, which will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. You can pre-order Gushue here from Owl’s Nest Books, who will also be on site with copies of the memoir.
Break out your stretchy pants! Just in time for the season of comfort food, Mary Berg—host of The Good Stuff with Mary Berg and judge on MasterChef Canada—returns to Wordfest with her coziest book yet: Mary’s Comfort Classics: Food to Fill Your Plate. The conversation, hosted by Saïd M’Dahoma (Calgary’s Pastry Nerd), includes an audience Q & A and book signing. You can preorder copies of Mary’s Comfort Classics here from our friends at Cookbook Co. Cooks, who will also have copies of Mary’s backlist at the show.
Get ready for the literary equivalent celebration of the Gatorade splash! We’re turning the spotlight on beloved Blue Jays sportscaster, Hazel Mae, to celebrate her new memoir, Before I Let You Go: My Life in Broadcasting, Baseball, and Beyond. Says Toronto legend Joe Carter, “When it comes to Major League Baseball, Canadian or U.S., Hazel Mae is a pre-eminent voice in baseball broadcasting.” From her early days in the Philippines to her arrival in Canada and her rise through the ranks of sports journalism, Mae offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at her life on and off the field (where she’s the best-sourced and best-dressed journalist on the diamond).
The conversation, hosted by obsessive Blue Jays fan Shelley Youngblut, includes an audience Q&A and book signing, fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books. Want to be first in line to meet Hazel Mae post-show? Pre-order Before I Let You Go: My Life in Broadcasting, Baseball, and Beyond.
[Sold Out]
Nov 25 @ 7 PM $25
Thank you, Wordfesters! THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT! You can join the waitlist here.
The legendary anchor is still sparking vital conversations for Canadians—and not just on his daily podcast, The Bridge. Peter Mansbridge returns to Wordfest with About A Noble Profession: Inspiring Stories of the Teachers Who Shape Our World, co-authored with his former CBC colleague and longtime collaborator, Mark Bulgutch. Says education expert Dr. Jody Carrington, “This book is a beautiful, necessary love letter to the people who keep showing up, often unseen and under-appreciated, as some of the most critical life-changers and life-savers of our next generation.”
This timely conversation, hosted by The Calgary Eyeopener‘s Loren McGinnis (whose wife is an educator in Calgary), includes an audience Q&A and post-show book signing. Eager to be first in line to meet Peter Mansbridge? You can pre-order About a Noble Profession here and pick it up at the Owl’s Nest Book table before the show.
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