WordFest

WordFest Connecting readers with the world’s best authors through lively conversations and more, year-round.

Celebrating its 26th year, Wordfest connects Calgarians (and now the world) with life-changing experiences, both live and now online through Imagine On Air, our broadcast channel for your imagination.

06/24/2026

Thank you, Calgary, for celebrating the joy of reading together! This was Wordfest & Calgary Public Library’s third and we more than doubled the attendance from last year! 🌳🫶🏻📚

If this was your first time - welcome to the Wordfest family! We bring readers together with the world’s coolest authors (and with each other!) all year round. Make sure you stay tuned to the socials and sign up for our newsletter to hear who’s coming next… 👀

We couldn’t have done this without our event partners:

Calgary Public Library
Calgary Public Library Foundation
Dave Kotsibie
Village Ice Cream
Wild Folk
Tuesday Brewing Co.
Bacteria Bar
Barrow Coffee Roasters
PARK BY SIDEWALK CITIZEN
Solatidoyyc

We’ll see you next year! Happy reading! 📖

06/23/2026

The most wholesome day of the summer is finally here 💗☀️💗

📚

The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026, and we’re delighted to share these ...
06/23/2026

The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026, and we’re delighted to share these U.S.-based authors will be crossing the border to express themselves freely in Calgary. 💗

🤩Bonnie Garmus: Peck & Peck
🚀Anand Giridharadas: Man in the Mirror
⛱️Andrew Sean Greer: Villa Coco
💐Rachel Eliza Griffiths: The Flower Bearers
💛💚🧡Tayari Jones: Kin
🖌️Larissa Pham: Discipline
💡David Treuer: The Savage Mind

Just a few of the 50+ stars who are coming to the Imaginairium — with more reveals rolling out all summer long!

🎟️ Get your passes now at Wordfest.com

06/22/2026

I just needed … Reading in the Wild 3! 🌳☺️

Spy some goodies that would make you happy? We’ve got limited-edition totes, kid t-shirts and dog bandannas designed by Tori English all for sale June 23rd, 4-7 PM!

Bring a book or borrow one there, and you and your best boy or girl can be styled to the Reading in the Wild nines! 🐶👜

📣 New Show Announcement 📣Wordfest Presents Téa Mutonji téa mutonji + Imaginairium Preview🗓️ Thursday, September 10, 6:0...
06/19/2026

📣 New Show Announcement 📣

Wordfest Presents Téa Mutonji téa mutonji + Imaginairium Preview

🗓️ Thursday, September 10, 6:00PM
📍Memorial Park Library, Calgary
🎟️ $25 - This special show, hosted by Wordfest’s Paula Turcotte Paula Turcotte and proeceeded with a Festival Preview from Shelley Youngblut Shelley Youngblut, includes an audience Q and A and book signing fuelled by Owl's Nest Books

Téa Mutonji’s conversation with Joshua Whitehead was one of the standouts of our 25@25 online anniversary shows in 2020. So we’re thrilled to (finally!) be presenting her in person to celebrate My Person, her debut novel, in conversation with Paula Turcotte.

This special show will be preceded at 6PM with an exclusive preview of Wordfest’s 2026 Imaginairium (Oct. 13-18), presented by Wordfest’s Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut. This is your exclusive opportunity to optimize your festival experience: get the inside scoop on the 30+ shows and stellar international lineup, ask questions, and be the first to buy festival books and the official festival tote. It’s also your last chance to secure a Festival Pass for the early bird rate of $195. (Buy now before June 30 for an additional $30 savings!)

🎟️ Get tickets at Wordfest.com

The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026, and we’re delighted to share six mo...
06/18/2026

The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026, and we’re delighted to share six more authors coming to Calgary. They range from Wordfest faves (Richard Kelly Kemick and Vivek Shraya, both of whom have called Calgary home at key points in their careers) to long sought-after firstimers Kim Fu and Jackie Morris. And you won’t want to miss the return of Iain Reid, who’s joining us with his co-author, award-winning Cameroonian American filmmaker Ellie Foumbi.

💗 Ellie Foumbi: A New Kind of Clean
👻 Kim Fu: A Valleu of Vengeful Ghosts
🦌 Richard Kelly Kemick: Decadence
🐦‍⬛ Jackie Morris: The Book of Birds
🎭 Iain Reid: A New Kind of Clean
❤️‍🔥Vivek Shraya: The Hystericals

And this is just the start. 50+ authors are coming to the Imaginairium — with more reveals rolling out all summer long!

🎟️ Get your passes now at Wordfest.com

Wordfest presents Patrick Radden Keefe Patrick Radden Keefe 🗓️ June 16, 2026📍 DJD Dance Centre, Calgary 📗”London Falling...
06/17/2026

Wordfest presents Patrick Radden Keefe Patrick Radden Keefe

🗓️ June 16, 2026
📍 DJD Dance Centre, Calgary
📗”London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth” Shelf Life Books Doubleday Canada

🎤 Shelley Youngblut Shelley Youngblut
💐 Peaseblossoms Flowers
📸 Dave Kotsibie

We’re thrilled to reveal the first six authors appearing at the 2026 Imaginairium festival: Superstars who personify the...
06/16/2026

We’re thrilled to reveal the first six authors appearing at the 2026 Imaginairium festival: Superstars who personify the dazzling range of Canadian storytelling! And they are all the very best humans, which makes the opportunity for you to connect with each of them this fall even more magical.

💙Patrick deWitt: Dodge City
🔍Catherine Leroux: Republic of Glass
🍾Emily St. John Mandel: Exit Party
⌨️Ruth Ozeki: The Typing Lady
🎧Rollie Pemberton: Ways of Listening
🐍Eden Robinson: The Sorceress of Sky Serpents

And this is just the start. 60+ authors are coming to the Imaginairium — with more reveals rolling out all summer long!

🎟️ Get your passes now at Wordfest.com

Drumroll please 🥁 🥁🥁🎉 The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026 🎉Watch tomorro...
06/15/2026

Drumroll please 🥁 🥁🥁

🎉 The Imaginairium, Canada’s Liveliest Literary Festival, returns Oct. 13 to 18, 2026 🎉

Watch tomorrow for the first festival author reveal. Even we can’t believe the star power coming to Calgary this fall. 🤩

Get your Festival Pass now for the best value—save $30 until June 30! It’s also the best way to secure seats for our most popular returning formats, including The Way We… Wear and Literary Death Match.

👉 Go to Wordfest.com/passes or the link in bio to get your pass at the best available rate!

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1221 2 Street SW
Calgary, AB
T2R0W5

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