Welcome to the inaugural Word Feast: Fredericton’s Literary Festival! After a harvest, it’s time for a feast. Once we knew that our festival would take place the week after the Harvest Jazz & Blues Music Festival, our name was born.
We are thrilled to be bringing writers from across the country to Fredericton. Known as the Poet’s Corner of Canada, Fredericton is also, arguably, the birth place of Canadian literature, so we’ve strived to include fiction, creative nonfiction, graphic novels, and children’s literature in our programming. We believe that books feed creativity and imagination, and we wanted to be sure there was something for everyone.
Aspiring writers will find stimulating talks and plenty of workshops to hone their craft. We’ve also put special care into our children’s programming, as inspiring the next generation of readers and writers is part of our vision to foster literacy and inspire creativity, and we are confident that our 2017 program makes a lasting impact. …
Now . . . are you ready to feed your imagination? We can’t wait to see you at this year’s feast! Welcome!
— Ian LeTourneau, Festival Chair
Info: download the program, wordfeast.ca, info@wordfeast.ca, @WordFeast_Ftn, #DineOnBooks, facebook.com/wordfeastfredericton
MAIN EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, September 20, 2017
Word Feast Official Launch | Fredericton Public Library Art Gallery | 7 – 9 pm | Free!
Join us for the official kickoff to Word Feast in the art gallery of the Fredericton Public Library! We’ll be presenting the first ever Word Feast Community Impact Award, showcasing the literary diversity of our community, as well as hearing a reading by Peter Clair from his new novel Taapoategl & Pallet: A Mi’kmaq Journey (Chapel Street Editions, 2017). Coinciding with our launch in the gallery space is a special Book Cover and Design Exhibit (from September 12 – 30). It includes cover art and book design from six regional publishers: Goose Lane Editions, Chapel Street Editions, Anchorage Press, Rabbittown Press, Monster House Publishing, and Gaspereau Press.
And did we mention . . . there will be cake!
Book & Magazine Fair | Fredericton Public Library | 3 – 7 pm | Free!
THURSDAY, September 21, 2017
Celebrate New Brunswick | Beaverbrook Art Gallery | 7 – 9 pm | Free!
Helps us celebrate the amazing literary talent in our province! The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is host to readings by the winners of this year’s New Brunswick Book Award winners: M. Travis Lane (Poetry), Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon (Nonfiction), and Kerry-Lee Powell (Fiction). There will be a cash bar.
FRIDAY, September 22, 2017
Hops and Line Breaks | King Street Ale House | 5:30 – 7 pm | Free!
Join us for a suppertime poetry reading featuring Claire Kelly, Elena Johnson, and Don McKay.
Word Feast Lecture | Memorial Hall, UNB | 8pm | $10
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Book Launch | Harriet Irving Library, UNB | 4pm | Free
Join editors Sheree Fitch and Anne Hunt along with various contributors as they celebrate the launch of Whispers of Mermaids and Wonderful Things: Atlantic Canadian Poetry and Verse for Children.
SATURDAY, September 23, 2017
Poets Past | Forest Hill Cemetery | 1pm | Free
Join poet Jane Tims as she leads a talk about the cultural history of Fredericton’s poets with special guest readers reciting poems of those buried at Forest Hill Cemetery and others. Poets remembered will include Elizabeth Brewster, Christian Brun, Bliss Carman, Fred Cogswell, Alden Nowlan, Charles G.D. Roberts, and Francis Sherman.
Words & Music | Memorial Hall, UNB | 8pm | $10
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SUNDAY, September 24, 2017
Odd Sundays | Fredericton Public Library, Chickadee Room | 1 pm – 4 pm | Free
TICKETS
Tickets for the two marquee events are available at Westminster Books. Each event costs only $10 and tickets will be available at the door as well.
word-feast-2017-programFriday Night Fiction (Friday, September 22, 8pm, Memorial Hall, UNB) features a reading by Riel Nason, the first annual Word Feast Lecture to be delivered by Rebecca Rosenblum, and a conversation with both authors led by CBC host Colleen Kitts-Goguen. The event includes a silent auction of tremendous artwork and there will be a door prize of books!
Words & Music (Saturday, September 23, 8p, Memorial Hall, UNB)
The marquee event of the festival celebrates words and music. Allan Cooper will read from his book Everything We’ve Love Comes Back to Find Us (Gaspereau, 2017) and festival headliner Rebecca Rosenblum will read from her novel So Much Love (Penguin Random House, 2017). We will also have sets of original music by local singer-songwriters Tim Walker and Jon Bowie.
