In recognition of the Festival’s impact and profile throughout Canada and around the world, Mayor Naheed Nenshi has also proclaimed October to be WordFest Month.
“When planning the Festival we went to our audiences and asked what they wanted to see and they responded that three things draw them to WordFest: having the chance to see international writers, award-winning Canadian authors and the opportunity to discover new writers and compelling stories. This year’s program features all of those elements,” says Jo Steffens, Executive Director for WordFest.
The Festival’s popular evening showcases run from October 10 to 12 at the Vertigo Theatre and will feature David Bergen, Jian Ghomeshi, Steven Heighton, Rawi Hage, Vincent Lam, Annabel Lyon, Linden MacIntyre, Pasha Malla, Linda Spalding, Susan Swan, M.G. Vassanji and Karen Thompson Walker among others.
There are also interviews with writers from home and abroad, such as lauded essayist and writer John Ralston Saul and bestselling mystery author Anne Perry from Scotland.
The Festival location moves to the picturesque Banff Centre on the weekend, featuring an event with outspoken and celebrated British novelist Martin Amis. The Banff program concludes with an event featuring some of the international talent at the festival, such as Australian novelist Gail Jones, Mohammed Hanif from Pakistan and Columbia’s Santiago Gamboa.
WordFest is also introducing new programming this year in the form of an intensive three-hour workshop with Douglas Glover, a respected professor of creative writing and award-winning author of multiple story collections and novels.
Multilingual programming is always an important part of the Festival, with events in Italian, Spanish and a dedicated French-language program, Festival des mots.
The Festival also features daytime events for grades K–12 students in French and English that engage over 6,500 students across Calgary and the Bow Valley. For more information on the First Calgary Financial Book Rapport Program, please visit bookrapport.com.
In addition to the popular readings and panels that make up the Festival, WordFest is also expanding further into art installation programming by bringing back Word Projects for a second year. This collection of installations based on text- and word-based art features a radio play, digital poetry installations and a screening of numerous animated shorts based on words and books.
Bookending the Festival are two special events in Calgary; Richard Ford on September 24 at the John Dutton Theatre and Alexander McCall Smith on October 25 at the Knox United Church.
Tickets for WordFest events are now on sale. Please visit wordfest.com for more information on the writers, events and where to buy tickets.
2012 Festival Artists
Martin Amis (GBR)
Ken Babstock (CAN) Douglas Barbour (CAN) Deni Y. Béchard (CAN) David Bergen (CAN)
Jaap Blonk (NED) Maureen Bush (CAN) Marjorie Celona (CAN) Ivan E. Coyote (CAN) Megan Crewe (CAN) Lorna Crozier (CAN) Maxim Cyr (CAN)
Marie Darrieussecq (FRA) Angèle Delaunois (CAN) Kris Demeanor (CAN)Marcello Di Cintio (CAN) Joanne Drayton (NZL) Louis Émond (CAN)
Terry Fallis (CAN) Santiago Gamboa (COL)
Shree Ghatage (CAN) Jian Ghomeshi (CAN) Douglas Glover (CAN) Karine Gottot (CAN)
Rawi Hage (CAN)
F.G. Haghenbeck (MEX) Phil Hall (CAN) Mohammed Hanif (PAK) Rachel Hartman (CAN) Steven Heighton (CAN) Simonetta Agnello Hornby (ITA)
Gail Jones (AUS)
Arno Kopecky (CAN) Vincent Lam (CAN) Billie Livingston (CAN) Annabel Lyon (CAN) Pasha Malla (CAN) Linden MacIntyre (CAN) Kath MacLean (CAN)
Kyo Maclear (CAN)
Joe Meno (USA) Caroline Merola (CAN) Felicia Mihali (CAN) A.F. Moritz (CAN) Donna Morrissey (CAN) Sheila E. Murphy (USA) Andrew Nikiforuk (CAN) Grace O’Connell (CAN) Alix Ohlin (CAN)
Shane Peacock (CAN) Anne Perry (SCO) Sandy Pool (CAN)
Kim Purcell (CAN) Vaddey Ratner (USA) Waubgeshig Rice (CAN) Noah Richler (CAN)
J. Jill Robinson (CAN) Leon Rooke (CAN)
Cyndi Sand-Eveland (CAN)
John Ralston Saul (CAN) Kim Scott (AUS)
Shauna Singh Baldwin (CAN)
Linda Spalding (CAN) Ashley Spires (CAN) Susan Swan (CAN) Jeremy Tankard (CAN) M.G. Vassanji (CAN) John Vigna (CAN)
Karen Thompson Walker (USA)
Russell Wangersky (CAN) Mélanie Watt (CAN) Deborah Willis (CAN) Julie Wilson (CAN) Sheri-D Wilson (CAN) Rachel Wyatt (CAN) Robin Yang (USA)
Nora Young (CAN) WordFest would like to thank the following Platinum and Gold sponsors for their support of the Festival:
Canadian Oil Sands, CBC, Calgary Herald, Canada Safeway Foundation, CJSW, Espace Musique, Fast Forward Weekly, First Calgary Financial, SWERVE, TransCanada Corporation, TD Canada Trust, WAX Partnership Inc. and The Westin Calgary (official hotel for WordFest 2012).
Mary Kapusta, WordFest Marketing Manager
P 403 237 9068 • F 403 237 9093 • [email protected]