The week of words is fast approaching, and no, I am not merely giving a pithy description of the festival. The week of October 13 has officially been deemed WordFest week by the Mayor of Calgary. WordFest is an active organization throughout the entire year, culminating in a week filled with a variety of artists and interesting events for bibliophiles and casual readers alike.

For fourteen years now, WordFest has been known for bringing readers and writers from all over the world together through a week-long series of interactive and diverse events. From debut writers to award-winning authors, WordFest is an exciting festival that enhances quality of life and encourages literacy in people of all ages.

The launch for WordFest was held August 25, 2009 at the Art Gallery of Calgary. Festival Director Anne Green announced the list of artists that will be participating in the 2009 WordFest. There will be over 70 artists participating in the week long festival, including 57 Canadian authors, 15 of which are Albertan, and international artists from Australia, Great Britain, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, USA, Mexico, and Spain. This year, the festival will run from October 13 to October 18.

The diverse group of artists is sure to draw many people to WordFest 14^th annual festival. Anne Green, Festival Director, says, “I am absolutely thrilled with this year’s amazing roster of artists. They have made it so easy to build a really interesting, diverse, and entertaining program.”

Highlights of the upcoming festival include the collective creation of a 150 metre long poem. This will be led by the Spanish poet Miguel Ángel Arenas. Mariatu Kamara, who survived attacks by armed rebels in Sierra Leone as a child, will also be part of the festival, sharing her experiences and discussing her book, The Bite of the Mango. Author Diana Gabaldon will also be attending, as the seventh book of her famous Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone, is to arrive on bookshelves this fall.

Each night during the festival, there are showcases that highlight talented Canadian authors, as well as informative and entertaining day events. There are also poetry events for those who love skilled wordplay, and Edmonton’s new poet Laureate, Roland Pemberton (aka Cadence Weapon) is one of this year’s participants.

“It is such a great privilege and opportunity to meet all these wonderful artists and to hear their work,” says Anne Green, who has been with the festival since it was founded in 1996 as a project of the Banff Centre, Mount Royal College, the Writer’s Guild of Alberta, and the Calgary Public Library.

New to the festival this year is the expansion of Festival des Mots, the francophone component of WordFest. Headliners for this part of WordFest include Dominique Demers, Dany Lafferière, Marc Levy, and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.

Some of the authors were able to attend the WordFest launch at the Art Gallery of Calgary, including Michael Davie, Marcello Di Cintio, Cecelia Frey, John Lathrop, David Poulsen, and Kris Demeanor, the last of whom performed at and hosted the launch. The success of the launch demonstrates the growth of WordFest as a cultural cornerstone of Calgary. The festival has grown immensely in its 14 years, and is likely to keep increasing in popularity.

Events are held in both Calgary and in Banff, at the Banff Centre. There are many benefits to the inclusion of two locations, says Anne Green, including the natural beauty of Banff. “For the writers who are not from Calgary, it gives them a look at two completely different areas of our community, and for the audience it provides a more varied and interesting program experience.”

“I think I have the very best job – when I stop and think about it, I can’t believe how lucky I am to do what I do,” says Anne Green.

There are always things going on at WordFest, whether it the official festival week or not. WordFest is proud to host Margaret Atwood on September 29, John Irving on October 21, and Rex Murphy on October 27. For a full list of events and authors, further information, volunteer opportunities, and to buy tickets, please visit www.wordfest.com

Written by :

Meghan

 

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