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Your Fall 2017 Literary Festival Guide

We've been waiting for this all year long...

We love spring literary festivals, with the magic of their sense of possibility and reawakenedness, and we love summer literary festivals, for the glow of the sun and the grass beneath our feet, but sometimes it seems like all of these are just build-up for the definitive thing, the fall literary festival, which is a way to stave off winter's darkness for just a little while longer. All across the country, readers are gathering to celebrate books and writers. Be part of it! Find out what's happening near you. 

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Logo Dunedin Literary Festival

The Dunedin Literary Festival returns for its second year on September 9 in Dunedin, ON, with featured authors including Nino Ricci, Claire Cameron, Cecily Ross, Alison Pick, Brent Preston, and Antanas Silica.

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Logo Eden Mills Festival

In Eden Mills, ON, The Eden Mills Writers' Festival runs September 9–10, featuring Jordan Abel, Lorna Crozier, Terry Fallis, Barbara Gowdy, Linden MacIntyre, Jessica Westhead, Zoe Whittall, Kathleen Winter and more.

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Logo Telling Tales Festival

The Telling Tales Festival is back on September 17 in Rockton, ON (near Hamilton), with amazing writers for young people, including Erin Bow, Emma Donoghue, Andrew Larsen, Evan Munday, Itah Sadu, and many others. 

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Logo Word Feast

Word Feast, Fredericton’s literary festival, takes place September 18-24 in Fredericton, NB, and features Rebecca Rosenblum, Don McKay, Claire Kelly, Riel Nason, and many more. 

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Logo WOTS

The Word on the Street Festival comes to Halifax, NS, on Sunday September 16, Lethbridge, AB, on Saturday September 23, Toronto, ON, and Saskatoon, SK, on Sunday, September 24. And Word Vancouver will be taking over that town with events throughout the city from September 19–September 24. 

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Logo LiterAsian

From September 21–24, Literasian celebrates Asian Canadian literature in Vancouver, BC, with featured authors Eleanor Guerrero-Campbell, Catherine Hernandez, Janie Chang, Jen Sookfong Lee, Julia Lin, Leanne Dunic, Leslie Shimotakahara, and Terry Watada.

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Logo Winnipeg International Writers Festival

The Winnipeg International Writers Festival takes place September 22–30 in Winnipeg, MB, with Suzette Mayr, Steve Burrows, Lydia Kwa, Katherena Vermette, Cary Fagan, Méira Cook, Trevor Cole, Pasha Malla, Andrew Pyper, and many others. 

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Book Cover Kingston Writers Fest

Kingston Writers Fest runs September 27–October 1 in Kingston, ON, featured Canadian authors including S.K. Ali, Michelle Berry, Janie Chang, Karen Connelly, Adam Gopnik, Helen Humphreys, Kyo Maclear, Lee Maracle, Alison Pick, Diane Schoemperlen, Merilyn Simonds, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, and Kathleen Winter.

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Logo Victoria Festival of AUthors

Books and readers take over Victoria, BC, from September 27-October 1 with the Victoria Festival of Authors, featuring Carleigh Baker, Gurjinder Basran, Lorna Crozier, Esi Edugyen, Zsuzsi Gartner, Barbara Gowdy, Yasuko Thanh, Zoe Whittall, and Robert J. Wiersema. 

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Logo Lunenburg Lit Fest

From September 29-30, Lunenburg, NS, hosts the Lunenberg Lit Festival, this year with Romeo Dallaire, Pauline Dakin, Nino Ricci, Terry Fallis, and other great writers. 

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Words in the Park Logo

Words in the Park celebrates all things literary (and beyond!) on September 30 in Sherwood Park, AB, with 33 local authors on hand and lots of great events. 

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Logo Wordfest

In Calgary, AB, Wordfest takes place from October 9–15, with Canadian authors including Michael Redhill, Linda Spalding, Nick Cutter, Lindan MacIntyre, Claire Cameron, Heather O'Neill, Ron Sexsmith, and many others. 

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Logo Knowlton Literary Festival

The Knowlton Literary Festival runs October 12–15 in Brome Lake in Quebec's Eastern Townships, with featured authors including Douglas Gibson, Ian Hamilton, Donna Morrissey, Heather O'Neill, and Kathy Stinson. 

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Whistler Writers Fest

The Whistler Writers Festival runs October 12–15 in Whistler, BC, with Caroline Anderson, Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Gurjinder Basran, David Chariandy, Barbara Gowdy, Jane Eaton Hamilton, Teva Harrison, Helen Humphreys, Lee Maracle, Suzette Mayr, Lenore Rowntree, Doug Saunders, Michael Redhill, and more. 

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Logo Litfest

October 12–22, the non-fiction festival Litfest takes over Edmonton, AB, with Janice MacDonald, Kit Dobson, Merilyn Simonds, Scaachi Koul, Britt Wray, Chris Turner, Kamal Al-Solaylee, Jen Agg, Jessica Kluthe, and more. 

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Logo Celebrating Stories

Family festival Celebrating Stories is back in Milton, ON, on October 15, with Sharon Jennings, Patricia Storms, and Vikki VanSickle. 

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Logo Vancouver Writers FEst

Vancouver Writers Fest runs October 16–23, with Canadian authors including S.K. Ali, Margaret Atwood, Carol Bruneau, Cynthia Flood, Wayne Johnson, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Grace O'Connell, Alison Pick, Jennifer Robson, Doug Saunders, Kathleen Winter, and more.

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Ottawa International Writers Fest

Ottawa's Writers' Festival takes place October 19–24, with Lee Maracle, Bev Sellars, Martha Baillie, Eden Robinson, Eliza Robertson, Linden MacIntyre, Alison Pick, David Chariandy, and many others. 

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logo ifoa

Toronto's International Festival of Authors kicks off from October 19–29, with Canadian authors including André Alexis, Lee Maracle, Anne Michaels, Heather O’Neill, Carol Off, Eden Robinson, Seth, and lots more. 

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Bookfest Windsor

This year Bookfest Windsor takes place October 20–22 in Windsor, ON, with featured authors including James Bartleman, Eva Crocker, Elise Levine, Rebecca Rosenblum, and Armand Garnet Ruffo. 

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Logo Stratford Writers Festival

The Stratford Writers Festival returns to Stratford, ON, on October 22, with Ron Sexsmith, Eden Robinson, Scacchi Koul, Candy Palmater, Glenn Dixon, Alice Zorn, Rebecca Rosenblum, and lots more. 

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Banff Mountain FB festival

From October 25 to November 5, the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival puts readers up where they belong, in Banff, AB. 

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Logo Wordstock Sudbury

Wordstock Sudbury returns for a fourth year in downtown Sudbury, ON,  this year November 2-4 with Merilyn Simonds, Wayne Grady, Sean Micheal, Nathan Adler, Kateri Akwenzie-Damm, Darlene Naponse, Tanya Neumeryer, Nina Nesseth and even more.

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Words Aloud Festival

The Words Aloud Festival celebrates spoken word in Durham, ON, (near Owen Sound) from November 3–5, with artists including Kate Cayley, Janet Rogers, Angeline Schellenberg, Sue Sinclair, Carolyn Smart, and more. 

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Wild Writers Festival

And don't miss the Wild Writers Festival in Waterloo, ON, from November 3–5, with Alison Pick, Kathleen Winter, Evelyn Lau, Robert Rotenberg, Alicia Elliott, Trevor Corkum, Stacey May Fowles, Helen Humphreys, Wayne Johnson, Karen Connelly, and more! 

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