2012 Literary Festival Guide

Summer kicks with the Squatchberry Literary Festival in Geraldton ON (northest of Thunder Bay) which runs from June 29-July 1, and features acclaimed writers Amy Jones and Michael Christie, along with other local writers. The 2012 Leacock Summer Festival takes place from July 16-29, with highlights including Andrew Westoll, Mark Kingwell, Rebecca Rosenblum, Ken Babstock, Terry Fallis, Cordelia Strube and Shari LaPena.

The Saskatchewan Festival of Words happens in Moose Jaw from July 19-22, featuring Giller-winner Esi Edugyen, Alison Pick, Marina Endicott, John Vaillant, Douglas Gibson, Phil Hall and John Steffler. This year, the Lakefield Literary Festival is on from July 20-22, with authors including Gail Bowen, Lynn Coady, Charlotte Gray, Wayne Johnston, Charles Foran and Andrew Pyper. And Read by the Sea is back this year in River John NS on July 21, with authors including Rawi Hage and Madeleine Thien.

Wolfe Island (near Kingston ON) is the birthplace of Canada's first crime writer, Grant Allen, and it's also the scene of the Scene of the Crime Festival, which takes place on August 11 and features writers including YS Lee, DJ McIntosh, John Moss, Thomas Rendell Curran, and The Ladies Killing Circle (intriguing!). The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts celebrates its 30th anniversary this year from August 16-19 in Sechelt BC. The line-up includes Charlotte Gill, Michael Crummey, Linden MacIntyre, Ami McKay, Anne Michaels, Richard Wagamese, Camilla Gibb and Jane Urquhart.

On the other coast, the Winterset in Summer Literary Festival takes place in Eastport Peninsula, NL from August 10-12, with writers including Bernice Morgan, Jamie Fitzpatrick, Don McKay, Mark Callanan, and Ed Riche (plus the famous fish supper at the Royal Canadian Legion). When Words Collide 2012 is taking place that same weekend in Calgary, with Kelley Armstrong as one of its guests of honour. Writers at Woody Point is on in Bonne Bay South, NL, from August 21-26, highlights including Miranda Hill, Lisa Moore, Donna Morrissey, and Michael Ondaatje.

The Eden Mills Writers Festival takes place in Eden Mills ON on September 16, with authors including Trevor Cole, Michele Landsberg, Tim Lilburn, Linden MacIntyre, Ami McKay, Tanis Rideout, Carrie Snyder, Eva Stachniak, Evan Munday, Mariko Tamaki, Helaine Becker, and Susan Glickman. Thin Air, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival takes place from September 21-29 this year with a line-up released at the beginning of September. From September 26-30, you can catch Kelley Armstrong, Ken Babstock, Dionne Brand, Will Ferguson, Charlotte Gill, Helen Humphreys, Vincent Lam, Susan Olding, Emily Schultz, Sarah Tsaing and many more at the Kingston WritersFest in Kingston ON.

The Word on the Street takes place in Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Kitchener, Toronto and Halifax on September 23, and in Vancouver on Septemer 28. The North Words Muskoka Literary Festival runs from September 28-30 with featured writers including Joseph Boyden, Elizabeth Hay, Linden MacIntyre, Andrew Pyper, Marina Nemat, Trevor Cole, Carol Off, Gordon Korman, Vikki VanSickle, Frieda Wishinsky, and Ruth Ohi. That same weekend, The Cabot Trail Writers Festival is on, with Wayne Johnston, Kate Beaton and Stephen Kimber among the writers scheduled to appear.

Storyfest is held in Hudson QC throughout October, with featured authors including Wayson Choy, Ami McKay, Elizabeth Hay and Sally Armstrong. Banff and Calgary's WordFest takes place from from October 9-16, with a line-up to be announced at the end of the summer. New this year is the Victoria Writers Festival, taking place from October 12-13, and featuring Esi Edugyen, Tim Lilburn, Steven Price, Anakana Schofield, Melanie Siebert, Ronald Wright and Jan Zwicky.That same weekend is the Thousand Islands Writers Festival in Brockville ON, with Elizabeth Hay, Lilian Nattel, DJ McIntosh, Peggy Blair and Brian Francis. Litfest, Edmonton’s Nonfiction Festival, runs from October 17-28.

Vancouver Writers Fest is on from October 16-21. In Toronto, the International Festival of Authors runs October 18-28. The Ottawa International Writers Festival. And Bookfest Windsor takes place October 25-27 in Windsor ON.

New festival! The Wild Writers Literary Festival takes place from November 2-3 in Waterloo ON with scheduled writers including Terry Fallis, Miranda Hill, Helen Humphreys, Russell Smith and Tamara Berger. From November 16-18, the Pure Speculation Science Fiction & Fantasy Festival takes place in Edmonton. Participating authors include SM Stirling and Spider Robinson, and more will be announced soon. 

Have we missed anything? Email editor at 49thShelf dot com to have a festival added to the schedule.