ASSINIBOIA - The 26th annual Festival of Words, Saskatchewan’s only multi-day literary festival, is back with its first fully in-person festival since 2019.
The Saskatchewan Festival of Words is returning to the city of Moose Jaw with a fully in-person festival from Thursday to Sunday, July 14 to 17. This is the first in-person festival to be held since 2019.
Featuring some of the best and brightest authors in Canada right now, the festival is a major event in the Canadian literary scene and one of Moose Jaw’s biggest annual events.
After two years of online and hybrid programming, the festival’s organizers are excited to finally welcome audiences back to the heart of Moose Jaw’s historic downtown for the long-running literary festival.
“The past few festivals have looked so different, and it’s nice to get back to a sense of normalcy,” says the festival’s artistic director, Sarah Simison.
“One of the biggest draws for our attendees is the chance to meet their favourite authors and discover new ones. Now, they can do that again.”
With over fifty different events packed into the four-day festival, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Events include, reading sessions with authors, writing workshops, discussion panels, spoken-word showcases, a film-screening, a country concert, and a trivia night.
Returning festival goers can expect to see a mix of their favourite established authors as well as some of the best up-and-coming writers. “We’re bringing in over twenty authors, poets, and spoken-word artists to the festival this year,” adds Simison. “We’ve had lots of people say they’re excited to see writers like Zarqa Nawaz, Anthony Bidulka, and especially katherena vermette.”
The line-up this year also includes Moose Jaw’s own Robert Currie, a former Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan and a recipient of the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for lifetime achievement in the arts.
“Robert has been a longtime friend and supporter of the Festival of Words,” says Simison, “and we’re so honoured to have him be one of our presenters this year.”
While back in a fully in-person format this year, the festival will also be live-streaming a number of sessions free-of-charge from the historic Mae Wilson Theatre. Simison says that option is an important part of their outreach.
“Over the past two years, our online events brought in audiences from all over North America; even all over the world. We definitely want to keep that option available for our audiences who can’t physically make it to the festival this year.”
The festival is also taking measures to ensure the safety of in-person attendees such as individually packaging snacks and keeping room capacities below the allowed limit.
“We understand that everyone has different levels of comfort when attending large events,” says Simison. “It’s important to do what we can to make everyone feel welcome and looked after.”
Now in its 26th consecutive year, the Saskatchewan Festival of Words continues to celebrate literacy and literature while supporting a thriving arts scene in and beyond the province. Simison hopes that everyone is as excited as she is: “We can’t wait to have you back!”
For more information on this year’s festival, residents can visit the website at festivalofwords.com
