About Us
WordFest™ supports vibrant and healthy communities by providing accessible and engaging programming that shares the power of story. WordFest is a not-for-profit organization that brings readers and writers together through the power of story.
WordFest hosts year-round literary events in Calgary, Banff and Bow Valley featuring the world’s best writers. Over 700 writers have been presented at these events over the past 17 years, including Margaret Atwood, Douglas Coupland, John Irving, Chuck Palahniuk, Richard Ford, Alexander McCall Smith and David Suzuki.
The Festival: October 14-20, 2013
WordFest’s main event is a literary festival that features upwards of 70 writers from the local, national and international stage. The Festival has approximately 60 separate events and attracts an audience of over 14,000. Some events also offer programming in multiple languages such as French and Spanish. Festival events take place across Calgary and in Banff through founding production partner, The Banff Centre.
Year-Round Events
In addition to the annual Festival, WordFest hosts various events throughout the year. They include poetry and spoken word performances, current event panels, publishing industry workshops, youth and multilingual programming and marquee showcases that feature the biggest and brightest stars of the book scene. They often include music, visuals and technology.
Book Rapport: October 15-18, 2013
First Calgary Financial Book Rapport is a popular youth and education program that brings students together with authors to stimulate literacy and encourage a love of reading and writing. As part of its commitment to youth literacy, WordFest also created the Book Buddies program, which subsidizes literary events for high-needs and at-risk youth. WordFest supports accessibility and engagement for readers of all ages.
Festival des mots: October 14-20, 2013
Festival des mots is a French-language program that hosts emerging and award-winning writers from across Canada and other French-speaking countries to participate in literary and cultural exchanges with Alberta’s Francophone and francophile communities.
Festival des mots, un programme littéraire de langue française, accueille écrivains émergents et lauréats connus du Canada et d’autres pays francophones afin de participer à des échanges culturels et littéraires avec les communautés francophones et francophiles de l’Alberta.
Future Festival Dates
- 2014 – October 13–19
- 2015 – October 12–18
History
The initial seed for WordFest was planted in 1995 when The Banff Centre, interested in profiling its Writing and Publishing programs, sponsored the Hospitality Suite at The Vancouver International Writers Festival. Don Stein, then Associate Director, Planning for The Banff Centre, established a relationship with the Writers Guild of Alberta and a number of other interested parties, to explore the realities of establishing a Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival.
WordFest was established in 1996 as a project of The Banff Centre, Calgary Public Library, Mount Royal University and The Writers Guild of Alberta. The Banff Centre then approached respected arts professional Anne Green to develop the Festival and create an independent entity. The annual Festival would take place in October and feature international, national and local writers.
Founding Festival Director Anne Green programmed the first WordFest, featuring 50 writers and two dozen events, taking place over four days. The 1996 line-up featured Margaret Atwood, Roch Carrier, Wayson Choy, Tomson Highway, Paul Quarrington and Sheri-D Wilson.
In 1997, WordFest was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. This year also marked the inaugural Summit Salon, hosted by The Banff Centre. The Summit Salon was an exclusive writer retreat immediately following WordFest and preceding the Vancouver International Writers Festival.
Over 15 years WordFest has presented many notable and world-renowned writers, such as Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernières, Wayson Choy, Douglas Coupland, Roddy Doyle, Richard Ford, Diana Gabaldon, Rawi Hage, Tomson Highway, Nancy Huston, John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver, Dany Laferrière, Alexander McCall Smith, Annie Proulx, Mordecai Richler and David Suzuki.
The Festival has grown over the years to attract over 14,000 people to a six day festival that features over 70 writers in more than 60 events. WordFest also includes a celebrated youth education program, First Calgary Financial Book Rapport, and the dedicated French-language component Festival des mots. In addition to the annual Festival in October, WordFest now also presents events throughout the year.
In 2010, Founding Festival Director Anne Green introduced Festival audiences to incoming Director Jo Steffens. The 16th annual WordFest was the first under Steffens’ artistic guidance and continued the rich tradition of world-class and ground-breaking literary arts programming.
Director’s Vision
WordFest comes together each year by virtue of a collaborative effort involving its dedicated staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, partners, donors, audiences — and the writers who make it all possible. Our small team works tirelessly to pull off this minor miracle each year — and it’s a great privilege to be able to orchestrate all of the parts that contribute to making the festival. A Director’s job is part editor, diplomat, critic, manager, promoter, producer, DJ, technician, scout and ringmaster. “Curator” also describes the role but in the end we just try to put on a good show. A literary festival is a showcase for the best writing produced in any given year. There are always more authors published each year than there are openings in the festival. This forces some hard choices but it can also help narrow down the focus in the programming. We always ask for the best writers, keep our fingers crossed, and hope that the festival gods are shining down on us. In the end we let the chips fall where they may and let the miracle begin.
Jo Steffens, a Calgary native, returned home from the United States to take the Director position at WordFest in 2010. Steffens moved from New York, NY, where she was a curator at The Municipal Art Society (MAS) and director of their bookstore. Steffens founded the Independent Booksellers of New York City with Sarah McNally. She also brings a depth of experience in new technologies and their application to the literary arts. Steffens has launched a series of books based on one of her MAS exhibits. Unpacking My Library, Architects and Their Books (Yale University Press) is the first book of the photographic series that has gone on to look inside the libraries of writers and artists.
Photo Credit: Monique de St. Croix