Get Real Literary at Edmonton’s Non-Fiction Festival

Have you ever read a book that you wished you could keep reading after it ended or ask the author dozens of questions about? LitFest: Edmonton’s Non-Fiction Festival (running from October 16-26) gives you the opportunity to at least do the latter!

The festival features over 25 artists with recent hot sellers, allowing audiences to engage with their work through inspiring lectures, interactive workshops, or conversations over brunch. Most events include a book signing where you’ll have some time to gush to the author about how much you love their work and perhaps gain some insight to a question you’d been dying to ask!

Here are a few of the awesome authors coming to LitFest this year:

1. Naomi Klein
Her books are often considered game changers for the topics they cover, so her new book’s title is very apt: This Changes Everything. You can expect an enlightening talk from the award-winning journalist and activist at her event on capitalism and climate change.

Naomi Klein | Oct 20 | 7 pm
Winspear Centre | 9720 102 Ave.

2. M.G. Vassanji
M.G. Vassanji is a two-time winner of the Giller Prize — and also its first winner with his novel The Book of Secrets. His new book And Home Was Kariakoo is a memoir of his birthplace and homeland, East Africa, that is filled with history and tales that are rarely told.

And Home Was Kariakoo | Oct 23 | 7:30 pm
Stanley A. Milner Library | 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.

3. Rudy Wiebe
A two-time winner of the Governor General’s Award and an Officer of the Order of Canada, Rudy Wiebe is a literary icon of Western Canada and one of its greatest champions. As this year marks his eightieth birthday, he’ll be celebrated twice at the festival: first at an event with emerging writers from the local literary magazine Glass Buffalo, and second at an event with Canada’s foremost writers from local publisher NeWest Press.

Spotlight on Rudy Wiebe | Oct 17 | 12 pm
CBC Centre Stage | 10062 102 Ave.

NeWest Celebrates Rudy Wiebe | Oct 21 | 7 pm
Stanley A. Milner Library | 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.

4. Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail
The Historian Laureate of Edmonton Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail recently won a Rising Star Award at the Northern Lights Awards, which recognize outstanding women in aviation and aerospace. Her new book, Polar Winds, explores the history of air travel in the North, from the Klondike Gold Rush to the end of the 20th century.

Polar Winds | Oct 17 | 6 pm
Alberta Aviation Museum | 11410 Kingsway Ave.

A Brunch of Writers | Oct 26 | 11 am
Sutton Place Hotel | 10235-101 St.

5. Mark Abley
Though he was born in England, Mark Abley grew up in Saskatchewan and Alberta. He’s enjoyed a diverse writing career so far, as he’s published several books of nonfiction and poetry and worked as a feature writer and book-review editor for the Montreal Gazette.

Just Words | Oct 19 | 2 pm
Stanley A Milner Library | 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.

For a full list of authors and events, be sure to visit LitFest’s website!

Contest Alert!
We’re giving away two books from authors highlighted at this year’s festival: Come Back by Rudy Wiebe and Conversations with a Dead Man by Mark Abley. To enter to win one of these books, comment on the blog with the name of your favourite book by a Canadian author! The contest ends on October 14 at noon! Follow WHERE Edmonton on Twitter (@whereedmonton) for more chances to win!