Since early spring, literary festivals across the country have been bringing readers and writers together, celebrating the goodness of books and reading, and it's been the most glorious build-up to this moment right now where the literary festival season tips over into fall, which is when everything happens.

Find out what's going on near you! 

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The legendary Eden Mills Writers' Festival returns for its 30th year September 7–9 in Eden Mills, ON, with many events, and author readings on September 9 including Madeleine Thien, Rawi Hage, Esi Edugyan, Thomas King, Dennis Lee, Sharon Bala, Omar El Akkad, and more.

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Get ready for more words in the woods with the Dunedin Literary Festival near Creemore, ON, on September 8 with authors Heather O'Neill, Karma Brown, Tish Cohen, Uzma Jalaluddin, Wayne Grady, Arif Anwar, Amy Stuart, David Demchuk, Claudia Dey, Iain Reid, and Heidi Sopinka, plus a kids' tent, and a lot more fun!

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The Word on the Street Festival begins sweeping the nation with the festival in Halifax, NS, on September 15, and then in Saskatoon, SK, on September 16. 

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The Telling Tales Festival takes place September 16 in Rockton, ON, celebrating kids' books and family literacy. This year's presenters include David Bouchard, Lana Button, Melanie Florence, Jess Keating, Andrew Larsen, Dennis Lee, Qin Leng, Evan Munday, Richard Scringer, Sydney Smith, and many others. 

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Wordfeast runs September 17–23 in Fredericton, NB, with a lineup of authors to be announced soon. 

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The LiterASIAN Festival explores "Writing Across the Pacific" September 21–23 in Vancouver, BC, with Canadian authors including Evelyn Lau, Michael Kaan, Carrianne Leung, Madeleine Thien, Kevin Chong, and Katherine Luo. 

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The Word on the Street Festival in Lethbridge, AB, takes place September 22 and then comes to Toronto on September 23. 

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The Winnipeg International Writers Festival takes place September 21–29 with a lineup still to be announced—but check out their 2018 Reading List for a preview of writers to look forward to. 

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From September 25–October 1, the Victoria Festival of Authors runs in downtown Victoria, BC, with Kate Braid, Dina Del Bucchia, Marita Dachsel, Esi Edugyan, Bill Gaston, Daniel Griffin, Daniel Heath Justice, Chelene Knight, Heather O'Neill, Julie Paul, Eden Robinson, Laisha Roseau, Vivek Shraya, Sarah Selecky, Yasuko Thanh, Katherena Vermette, and others. 

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Kingston WritersFest takes place September 26–30 in Kingston, ON, with authors including Dionne Brand, David Chariandy, Lorna Crozier, Elisabeth de Mariaffi, Esi Edugyan, Rachel Giese, Rawi Hage, Helen Humphreys, Canisia Lubrin, Carol Off, Iain Reid, Elizabeth Renzetti, Waubgeshig Rice, Naben Ruthnum, Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang, and Tim Wynne-Jones.

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The Lunenburg Lit Festival runs September 28–29 at Nova Scotia's South Shore Libraries with Jonathan Torrens and Jeremy Taggart, Donna Morrissey, Genevieve Graham, Timothy Taylor, and other excellent authors. 

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The 10th Annual Cabot Trail Writers Festival takes place September 28–30 in Englishtown, NS, with Madeleine Thien, Linda Spalding, Sharon Bala, Oisin Curran, Joanne Schwartz, and more.

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Words in the Park celebrates all things literary in Sherwood Park, AB, along with a book fair, on September 29, an initiative of the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County.

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Wordfest runs October 8–15 in Calgary, AB, with Katherine Ashenburg, Dave Bidini, Dionne Brand, Ali Bryan, Tim Cooke, Paige Cooper, Patrick DeWitt, Claudia Dey, Esi Edugyan, Robyn Harding, Elizabeth Hay, Michael Hingston, Keith Maillard, Maria Mutch, Casey Plett, Tanya Tagaq, Vivek Shraya, Jordan Tannahill, Kim Thuy, Katherena Vermette, and many other greats. 

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The Knowlton Literary Festival this year takes place October 11–14 in Knowlton, QC, with authors including Giles Blunt, Wayne Johnston, Isabelle Laflèche, and more. 

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The Whistler Writers Festival returns October 11–14 in Whistler, BC, with Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Sharon Bala, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Claudia Casper, Kevin Chong, Esi Edugyan, Bill Gaston, Wayne Grady, Rawi Hage, Lisa Moore, Elizabeth Renzetti, Eden Robinson, Laisha Rosneau, Kim Thuy, Sam Wiehe, and many others. 

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LitFest Alberta (Canada's Original Nonfiction Festival) runs October 11–21 in Edmonton, AB, with authors including Dave Bidini, Marcello Di Cintio, Rachel Giese, Darrel McLeod, Heather O'Neill, Elizabeth Renzetti, Vivek Shraya, and Andrea Warner. 

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Vancouver Writers Fest takes place October 15–21, with Canadian authors including David Chariandy, Amber Dawn, Cherie Dimaline, Rawi Hage, Elizabeth Hay, Uzma Jalaluddin, Chelene Knight, Carrianne Leung, Iain Reid, Sarah Selecky, Katherena Vermette, and more. 

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Bookfest Windsor runs October 18–21 with featured authors including Michael Barclay, Randy Boyagoda, Sharon Butala, Carol Rose Daniels, Shawna Lemay, Steve McOrmond, Casey Plett, and Jan Wong.

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The Stratford Writers Festival in Stratford, ON, takes place October 19–22 with Sarah Selecky, Emily Anglin, Andrea Bain, Joanna Goodman, Cherie Dimaline, Candy Palmater, Eden Robinson, and others. 

The Toronto International Festival of Authors runs October 18–28, with another spectacular lineup to announced in September. 

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From October 25–30, the Ottawa Writers Festival is back, with a line-up still to be announced. 

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Don't miss the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival happening October 27–November 4 in Banff, AB. 

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Wordstock Sudbury runs November 1–3 in Sudbury, ON, with lineup due to be announced very soon. 

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Words Aloud celebrates the best of spoken word in Durham, ON, November 2–4 with featured performers including Steven Heighton and Anne Michaels. 

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And the seventh annual Wild Writers Festival happens November 2–4 in Waterloo, ON, with Sharon Bala, Rawi Hage, Naben Ruthnum, Liz Harmer, Claire Tacon, Claire Cameron, Michael Redhill, Katherine Ashenburg, and many other excellent authors. 

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Have we missed anything? Email *editor at 49thShelf dot com* to have your event added to the schedule.