This is Part 3 in a 3-part series about annually held writing and reading festivals that have moved online this year. The good news is that these festivals are now open to readers and writers all over the world! (Link to Part 1 and Part 2)

I was involved in the very first Lethbridge Word On The Street Festival back in 2011! It was organized by the Lethbridge Public Library (where I had connections!). During the first couple of years, I set up a display table of books written by Alberta Authors and took part in a panel discussion on self-publishing (which I was involved in doing myself at the time, having already self-published my first novel). After that second year I moved away from Calgary and have not attended another Festival, but I’ve kept in touch. Especially as Elisabeth Hegerat, LPL librarian and daughter of Calgary author Betty Jane Hegerat, is now in charge! I’ve asked her to provide us with the details of this year’s Festival, which, out of necessity, has been moved online. All the better though for those of us who aren’t able to attend in person!

Join Lethbridge Public Library Online for The Word On The Street

September is upon us, and the main programming events for Lethbridge Public Library’s annual The Word On The Street Festival are only a short week away! This year we’ll be going online with our lineup, with festival events starting Monday, September 14, leading up to our main events on Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19. We’re also excited to share that we’ll be hosting festival events well into September with our Indigenous Artists Series as well as into the fall with our Fall Reading Series.

This year marks the Library’s tenth year hosting its annual award-winning literary event, and while things look a little different than we initially anticipated, we’re happy to bring this annual celebration of literacy, storytelling, and the literary arts to our community. “Though we’ve had to make some adjustments, I’m very glad we’re able to still go ahead with the festival this year,” says Elisabeth Hegerat, festival organizer and Manager: Community & Economic Advancement at Lethbridge Public Library. “It may look and feel a bit different this year, but we have created a festival that represents the diversity of our community, is accessible to all ages, and most importantly is lively and fun!”

Festival activities include:

Sept. 14–Sept. 26: B-93.3 and 95.5 Virtual Escape Room and Global News Lethbridge At-Home Scavenger Hunt.

Sept. 16: Pride Fest presents Drag Story Time for Everyone with special guests Killa Watt and Francheska Dynamites.

Sept. 16 & Sept. 17: Comics Program featuring Teresa Wong, Sam Hester, and Eric Dyck, presented with the support of the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge.

Sept. 18 (morning): CVS Midwest Tapes Kid’s Program featuring Susin Nielsen, Richard Van Camp, Jeremy and Hermoine Tankard, and Eric Walters.

Sept. 18 (afternoon): Lethbridge Herald Teen Program featuring Tom Ryan, Bethany C. Morrow, Nafiza Azad, and Courtney Summers.

Sept. 19: Canadian Heritage Adult Program featuring Virginia Bordeleau and Susan Ouriou, Gil Adamson, Shane Chartrand, Jennifer Cockrall-King, Cheryl Foggo, Robert J. Sawyer, and Danika Stone.

Sept. 20: Canada-wide The Word On The Street Double-Header: First, join us on a regional mystery tour with Alberta author D.K. Stone and St. John’s writer Kevin Major. Then, Carol Rose GoldenEagle and Andrea Gunraj discuss their characters’ journeys through loss, intergenerational trauma, healing, and recovery.

Sept. 22–Sept. 26: Indigenous Artists Series featuring Hali and Faye Heavy Shield, Amber Weasel Head, Jamie John Kehewin, Sheena Potts Mai’stoistowaakii (Crow Pretty Woman), and Richard Van Camp.

All program events will be online via Zoom, and online ordering will be available through the festival bookseller, the University of Lethbridge Bookstore.

“Even though we’re online, the festival is a great chance to meet a favourite author or discover someone new,” says Hegerat. “The heart of the festival stays the same. It is a literary festival celebrating the written and spoken word. There really is something for everyone.”

For the full Festival schedule visit Word On The Street Lethbridge.

More Information About the Word On the Street Festivals …

Celebrate Reading and Literacy with the Lethbridge Public Library!

We’re proud to join communities across the country in a national celebration of literacy, storytelling, and the literary arts for the 10th year in a row. This signature event in southern Alberta presents established and emerging authors, storytellers, workshops,and other online activities. It may look and feel a bit different this year, but we still strive to create a festival that represents the diversity of our community, is accessible to all ages, and most importantly, well attended, lively, and fun!