Latest news with #Wordfest
CTV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Wordfest brings Margaret Atwood back to Calgary for celebration of memoir
Margaret Atwood, pictured in Toronto in 2023, will be in Calgary Dec. 10, 2025, for 'Wordfest Presents Margaret Atwood.' THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Wordfest in Calgary 'began with Margaret Atwood—literally,' said event CEO Shelley Youngblut. Thirty years ago, Youngblut said, the internationally acclaimed author and cultural icon 'set the tone for everything that followed.' Come Dec. 10, Atwood will return. The Handmaid's Tale scribe will take the stage at the Jack Singer Concert Hall for Wordfest Presents Margaret Atwood, in celebration of her new memoir—Book of Lives. 'Her new memoir is pure Atwood—smart, wide-ranging, hilarious—and initial interest in this show has been among the most enthusiastic in our history,' Youngblut said. 'We're expecting a packed house of Atwood superfans.' Tickets will go on sale Aug. 12 at the Werklund Centre Box Office. Exclusive pre-sale access is available now through Wordfest. Margaret Atwood will take the stage at the Jack Singer Concert Hall for Wordfest Presents Margaret Atwood, in celebration of her new memoir. Margaret Atwood will take the stage at the Jack Singer Concert Hall for Wordfest Presents Margaret Atwood, in celebration of her new memoir. Owl's Nest Books will have copies of Atwood's memoir and other works available for the event, in the lobby. Book of Lives can also be pre-ordered through Owl's Nest Books. But there won't be a book signing at the event, a release issued on Wednesday noted. Atwood's appearance bookends Wordfest's 30th anniversary celebration, which includes the Imaginarium Festival, Oct. 14-19. Proceeds from the Atwood event will go to Wordfest's youth literacy program.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Wordfest announces first 6 authors for 30th Imaginairium Festival in October
Writer Madeleine Thien, poses for the media with her book "Do Not Say We Have Nothing" during a photocall for the 6 shortlisted authors for the Man Booker Prize for fiction in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2016. (AP/Alastair Grant) One night after hosting an anniversary celebration at the Central Library, Wordfest announced the first six authors confirmed to appear at the 2025 Imaginairium Festival. Emma Donahue, Miriam Toews, David A Robertson, Thomas King, Terry O'Reilly and Madeleine Thein will be among the bold-faced names featured in the 30th edition of the festival, which kicks off Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 19 at a variety of venues across Calgary. Thomas King makes Literary Awards finalist Canadian author Thomas King is shown in a handout photo. (ho-RBC Taylor Prize-Hartley Goodweather / THE CANADIAN PRESS) The list includes a two-time Governor General Literary Award winner (Robertson), an Academy Award nominee (Donohue), a Giller Prize (and GG award) winner (Thien), a literary superstar (Toews), a master storyteller (King) and a radio and marketing icon (O'Reilly). Miriam Toews Winnipeg author Miriam Toews is shown in a 2008 handout photo. Toews and Kim Thúy are among the female authors dominating this year's Scotiabank Giller Prize long CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Carol Loewen They're just the tip of a literary iceberg that will include over 50 authors participating in over 40 shows, including live interviews, literary cabarets, storytelling extravaganzas, solo spotlights and a literary death match to be named later. David A. Robertson David A. Robertson, an award-winning author and member of the Norway House Cree Nation, discovered his book titled The Great Bear had been temporarily removed from schools in Ontario's Durham District School Board pending a review. (Source: Instagram/davidrobertsonwriter) 'This first batch of authors is everything that makes the Imaginairium an unmissable experience for curious, plugged-in Calgarians of all ages,' said Wordfest creative ringleader Shelley Youngblut, in a media release. Emma Donoghue Author Emma Donoghue speaks during the press conference for "Room" at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Monday, Sept, 14, 2015. (Marta Iwanek / THE CANADIAN PRESS) 'The superstars are all provocative, genre-bending, at the top of their craft, and wildly entertaining,' she added. 'If you're someone who loves great stories—and great minds—the Imaginairium is where you'll want to be this fall.' Wordfest Wordfest returns to Calgary Oct. 11 Tuesday night at the Central Library, Wordfest celebrated its 30th anniversary with readings by seven Calgary authors including Ali Bryan, Will Ferguson, Cheryl Foggo, Marcello Di Cintio, Richard Harrison, Joshua Whitehead and Teresa Wong, and music by Tom Phillips. The 2025 Imaginairium Festival takes place between Oct. 14 and Oct. 19. For festival passes, go here.
Calgary Herald
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
'It was exciting . . . but not a lot of sleep': Thirty years later, founding artistic director looks back on 'crazy' first year of Wordfest
Article content Anne Green sought out advice from a number of people while helping organize and run the first Wordfest 30 years ago. Article content Green had a background in performing arts and a knack for organizing events, although she had never worked directly in literary arts. She had founded Edmonton's Theatre 3 in 1970 and had spent nine years in Ottawa working for the Canada Council for the Arts. There was certainly support for a new literary festival. Modelled after the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival, there was a 12-person steering committee. There was involvement from the founding community partners, which included the Banff Centre, Calgary Public Library, Mount Royal University, and the Writers' Guild of Alberta. Green had plenty of writer friends to confer with and Calgarians whom she knew who had a background in business or were on national boards of directors. So, advisors were not in short supply. Article content Article content Still, some were more memorable than others. Article content Article content The first event established itself as a serious literary enterprise from the get-go. Wayson Choy, Lorna Crozier, Tomson Highway, Joy Fielding, Patrick Lane, Paul Quarrington and Guy Vanderhaeghe all showed up, as did CBC's Vicki Gabereau, Stuart McLean, Bill Richardson and Arthur Black. But it was scoring that first headliner, CanLit royalty Margaret Atwood, that was the major coup. This would not be a festival with humble beginnings. Article content 'It was pretty amazing,' Green says. 'She was so generous. She was and still is a serious trooper. I remember there was a little coffee shop on one side of the Uptown (Theatre) that served amazing coffee. Sitting there with her, she gave me advice that really saw me through the 15 years of the festival. She told me stuff that I kept with me all those years on how to treat authors, what they expected, what the stereotypes were and what was true about that and what wasn't true of that.' Article content Article content The festival launched in October 1996, with events in Calgary and Banff. The Calgary events were held at the old Uptown Theatre downtown. It was a bit of a blur for Green, who would stay on as artistic director for Wordfest's first 15 years. Article content 'It was just crazy,' she says. 'It was unbelievable that we had managed to do this. It was exciting… but not a lot of sleep.' Article content It was such a success that Year 2 saw an equally stellar lineup. Irish-lit superstar Roddy Doyle made his first appearance, despite not having a book to promote at the time. Green had managed to find his office number in Ireland and cold-called him with an invite. That was also the year that legendary Canadian short-story legend Mavis Gallant came from France. Wordfest's fax machine was at Green's home, and Gallant only communicated via fax, so Green remembers occasionally receiving missives from the formidable expat at 4 a.m. Gallant attended some events in Banff and became infamously disgusted by the elk roaming through town. She claimed a few had tried to run her off the sidewalk.
