Word Vancouver a whirlwind of reading and writing: Your must-see list at the 2017 festival

At Read Local BC, we’re big fans of Word Vancouver, but not just because they feature a lot of local authors. We also love how accessible and serendipitous the festival is by its very nature of being free and (mostly) outdoors. The short readings may leave you wanting for more, but they also can whet your appetite for something you didn’t know you craved.

We could easily reprint the entire festival line-up as our recommendation, but unless you have a Time-Turner, you’re going to have to pick and choose. Here are some authors we highly recommend checking out during the main event at Library Square on Sunday, September 24.

You could easily camp out in the Community Garden venue for the entire morning and be entirely satiated. Morning readings centre around the local flavour and history of the city: Eve Lazarus shares the story of Vancouver’s first forensic investigator in Blood, Sweat, and Fear (Arsenal Pulp Press);  Aaron Chapman uncovers the Clark Park Gang in The Last Gang in Town (Arsenal Pulp Press); Kate Bird visually documents the protests, riots and strikes of early Vancouver in City on Edge (Greystone Books); and Jayne Seagrave presents the story of Bard on the Beach in All the World’s a Stage (Heritage House). In the afternoon, catch even more local tales with a personal flare: Grant Lawrence takes the mic to share music tour stories from Dirty Windshields (Douglas & McIntyre); Doug Sarti reports on 50 years of Georgia Straight history (Rocky Mountain Books); and John MacLachlan Gray fictionalizes the 1924 murder of Scottish nanny Janet Smith in The White Angel (D&M).

Out on Homer Street, in the Suspension Bridge venue, you can hear a variety of poetry, nonfiction, and short stories. In the morning Ahmad Danny Ramadan reads from his novel The Clothesline Swing (Nightwood Editions) and Carleigh Baker from her collection of short stories, Bad Endings (Anvil Press). In the afternoon, YA author Darren Groth will read from his latest, Munro vs. the Coyote (Orca Book Publishers).

Personal trainer and motivator Louise Green will be at the Suspension Bridge tent in the afternoon to read from Big Fit Girl: Embrace the Body You Have (Greystone). Shekhar Paleja will be reading from his debut novel, An Extraordinary Destiny (Brindle & Glass). Closing out the day at this venue are a dynamic duo both reading from short story collections: Daniel Zomparelli reads from Everything is Awful and You’re a Terrible Person (Arsenal Pulp) and Dina Del Bucchia reads from Don’t Tell Me What to Do (Arsenal Pulp).

We’re probably biased, but we really think you need to attend the Kids Read Local event at The Quay on the South Plaza, presented by (gasp!) Read Local BC. Hosted by Leslie Bootle of Orca Books, this one-hour event is jam-packed, with four authors and an illustrator. Hear from Nicola I. Campbell (A Day With Yayah, Tradewind Books), Jen Sookfong Lee (Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone, Orca Books), David Starr (The Nor’Wester, Ronsdale Press), and Irene N. Watts & Kathryn E. Shoemaker (Seeking Refuge, Tradewind).

Later in the afternoon at The Quay, catch Judson Beaumont with a new instalment in the Timbertown Tales series, Chester Gets a Pet! (McKellar & Martin Publishing Group).

Also on the South Plaza, hit up the Sunrise Suite to hear Heidi Greco talk about Flightpaths: The Lost Journals of Amelia Earhart (Caitlin Press) and Rodney DeCroo with his new book of poetry, Next Door to the Butcher Shop (Nightwood).

Our official launch of this year’s Poetry in Transit also takes place in The Sunrise Suite, in partnership with TransLink and BC Transit. There will be readings by some of the 2017 featured poets, including Adèle Barclay, Wendy Donawa, Rhonda Ganz, Ulrike Narwani, Jeff Steudel, and Onjana Yawnghwe. Also, be sure to hop on board The Poetry Bus—snap a photo and you can be entered to win a prize package.

The afternoon at Sunrise Suite continues the poetry party. Several poets will join in a celebration of Jamie Reid and his posthumously published, A Temporary Stranger (Anvil). Jónína Kirton will read from her debut collection, An Honest Woman (Talonbooks) and Michael V. Smith will read from Bad Ideas (Nightwood).

WOW! With all those incredible readers and events, I don’t know how you’ll decide. And don’t forget to wander and just discover what awaits you at Word Vancouver.

Word Vancouver runs from September 19-24, 2017 at various venues from Tuesday to Saturday, with the main event on Sunday at Library Square downtown. Full schedule and event details available online.