The Saskatchewan Festival of Words is an annual four-day literary celebration in July that offers writing workshops, poetry readings, spoken word showcases, interviews, panels, book launches, and more.
The festival is a major summer event, now in its 26th year. In 2022, it will be both in-person and virtual. Organizers hope the blended format will increase accessibility — although they admit they are excited to mix and mingle with authors and fellow book-lovers in real physical space.
“There’s still part of us that’s like, ‘Wow, it’s going to be in-person. Real people, in rooms, and authors flying here!’ So, the reality of it is still setting in,” said Sarah Simison, executive director of the Festival of Words.
Simison said that Moose Jaw’s hospitality has made its festival a draw for authors across the country — in addition to bringing as many renowned Saskatchewan authors as possible.
The list of authors for 2022 includes David Bergen, Anthony Bidulka, Robert Currie, Khodi Dill, Tara Gereaux, Michelle Good, Warsha Mushtaq, Zarqa Nawaz, Jason Purcell, Kai Cheng Tom, and Lisa Bird Wilson.
Emma Donaghue, author of international bestseller Room, will be in attendance virtually.
The Festival of Words prioritizes the equity and the mental and emotional safety of marginalized groups such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color), LGBTQ+, and disabled people over the comfort of others. They strive to be representative, bringing diverse authors to share perspectives that will advance the progress of social justice in Canada.
Planning for the Festival begins in September, Simison said. The lineup of authors and artists is usually confirmed by January or February.
The Festival of Words staff is active throughout the year, however, and they don’t spend all that time only planning for their major three days in July — there are other events every month to keep fans engaged.
“We normally have a Performer’s Café program. That was on hiatus for a little bit because of COVID,” Simison said. “We’re bringing (that) back in now, which is an open-mic night that happens monthly. We run a film series that happens monthly. (That is for) independent and foreign film that we bring to Moose Jaw because those are the films that don’t normally make it to the cinema here.”
They also have a book club, which they moved online temporarily; writing workshops (there was one in February); youth programs with local school partnerships; and the Festival pursues partnerships with the Moose Jaw Public Library, the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, and anyone else helping to raise the profile of literature.
That means there are things to do even now while you wait impatiently for July.
Amanda Farnel, the operations co-ordinator for the festival, said that the pandemic has allowed them to experiment with an increased virtual presence.
“Every author at the festival is going to be livestreamed at least once,” Farnel said. “All of our sessions from the art museum theatre are going to be streamed, everything from the Mae Wilson is going to be streamed. So it’s allowing us this cool time to experiment and see what happens and see where we can take the Festival in the future.”
The festival will begin on July 14 with a series of workshops in which participants can learn about things like the connection between poetry and watercolour with Kevin Wesaquate; breathing life into characters with Michelle Good; or how to write a 10-minute short film script with Daniel Scott Tysdal.
There will be youth events including spoken word poetry basics with Khodi Dill; storytime with Kai Cheng Thom; and teen writing with Kristine Scarrow.
And, of course, there will be plenty of interviews, readings, a book launch, a concert, trivia night, and more.
See the full schedule, register for specific events, and buy a Festival pass at www.festivalofwords.com.
Events leading up to July’s big weekend include:
- Shimmers of Light book launch with author Robert Currie, May 4 at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Public Library.
- Indigenous Persistance on the Prairie: Rematriation and Reparations is a virtual conversation between Michelle Brass and Erica Violet Lee on May 4 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sign up for the event at www.wildaboutsaskatoon.org/conversations.
- Anthony Bidulka will interview fellow author Linwood Barclay online on May 19 at 7 p.m. Register for the interview on the Festival website.
