We can’t wait for you to sample all the timely and tasty treats Wordfest has cooked up for the 2017 Festival. For one week in October, the most delicious writers from Canada and the rest of the world will be serving up life-changing ideas at theatres around Calgary, as well as Wordfest’s new home at Memorial Park Library. Come with a hungry mind and leave with a replenished soul. Take part in meaty conversations about how we can help make Calgary an even more dynamic, equitable, and nourishing place to call home.
Seven days of meaningful, memorable fun is guaranteed no matter which of the 80+ international best-sellers, groundbreakers and up-and-comers we bring to Calgary’s stages. Don’t wait! Gain entry to all regular Wordfest events from October 9 to 15, 2017 (anything priced $24 and under) at a ridiculously low Early Bird price, and make the most of your Festival week in Calgary.
Here are a few of Wordfest’s featured events:
Happy Hour: Can Lit Unbound, featuring the Short Story Advent Calendar Launch
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Tickets: eventbrite.ca/e/happy-hour-can-lit-unbound-featuring-the-short-story-advent-calendar-launch-tickets-37251563429
Toast the opening of the Festival with a lively discussion of the future of Can Lit with Nick Mount, author of Arrival, and Michael Hingston and Natalie Olsen, co-founders of Hingston & Olsen Publishing, who are rewriting the rules of artisanal self-publishing. The Alberta-based duo will be launching the 2017 edition of their hotly anticipated Short Story Advent Calendar, whose fans include Margaret Atwood and Patton Oswalt.
Workshop: Character Development
Sunday, October 15, 2017 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Tickets: eventbrite.ca/e/workshop-character-development-tickets-37287208043
Good character development is a critical part of writing both fiction and non-fiction (and can also be surprisingly relevant to poetry!). This workshop by Man Booker Prize nominee Alison Pick will help you get to know the characters you are writing about in new and fun ways. Come prepared to brainstorm, to play games, to write hard, and to learn how understanding your characters deeply can take your writing project to a whole new level.
Workshop: Stand-Up Comedy
Saturday, October 14, 2017 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Tickets: eventbrite.ca/e/workshop-stand-up-comedy-tickets-37286154893
A fast-moving introduction to the most demanding – yet rewarding – form of writing, led by Dawn Dumont, a veteran of Yuk Yuk’s, the Laugh Resort, the Improv, and New York’s Comic Strip. From sitting in your seat to standing on your feet, the goal is to get everyone to write and perform one minute of stand-up comedy by workshop’s end.