About Us
WordFest supports vibrant and healthy communities by providing accessible and engaging programming that shares the power of words.
WordFest is a non-profit arts organization that brings readers and writers together through a premier international writers festival and year-round literary events in Calgary, Banff and the Bow Valley.
In October, WordFest presents an annual six-day literary festival that features more than 70 writers from the local, national and international stage and hosts more than 60 events. This year, the Festival will take place from October 9-14, 2012. The annual Festival is considered one of North America’s premier literary festivals, attracting over 14,000 audience members and offers events in multiple languages, such as French and Spanish.
In addition to the annual Festival in October, WordFest presents numerous events throughout the year that seek to share a love of reading and engage Southern Albertans with writers and words in various formats.
WordFest events are interesting, fun, dynamic and explore various literary genres. The eclectic range of events 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. Events can also include musical, visual and technological elements.
Festival venues include numerous spots in downtown Calgary, such as Vertigo Theatre Centre, Central Public Library, Glenbow Museum and The Banff Centre.
Accessibility and engagement are pillars of WordFest’s programming and are supported through the Festival’s two programming arms. 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 created the Book Buddies program, which subsidizes literary events for high-needs and at-risk youth.
WordFest also presents Festival des mots, 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.