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Wordfest by Harry Vandervlist PanCanadian WordFest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival distinguishes itself from its two larger cousins in several ways. There's the Banff connection, to start with. Neither the Toronto nor the Vancouver festivals can offer an affiliation with a renowned international arts centre set in a national park. And there have been those memorable Poetry Bash nights, where music and words share the stage. This year Out Loud Live promises to spice up that recipe even further. Take the U.K.'s Joolz Denby – crime novelist, performance poetry legend and Glastonbury Festival regular – and add a pint each of Canadian dub poetry prince Clifton Joseph and Calgary action-poetry queen sheri-d wilson. Fold in Paul Dutton, Montreal's Fortner Anderson and American Bob Holman (as seen on PBS and MTV, to mention only two acronyms). All that's left is to follow those simple instructions from "Memphis Soul Stew," – i.e. "beat... well." Save your Friday the 13th for this. One of the most appealing things about the festival is the chance to see and hear distinguished Canadians alongside international authors like Mexico's Jose Augustin. Augustin has been recognized for his satirical novel Deserted Cities, receiving the Premio Latinamericano de Narrativa Colima, and for his overall achievement with the Jan Ruiz de Alarcon national literary prize. Over the last two festivals, Calgary audiences have discovered a taste for readings in Spanish – perhaps Augustin or his compatriots will oblige sometime during the festival, such as Thursday’s noon-hour event, Hola!, which features Augustin, Verónica Volkow and Hernán Lara Zavala. If you've never seen the lanky figure of Leon Rooke stride the stage, don't miss Thursday's evening showcase. A master at creating distinctive voices on the page, Rooke also excels at giving them life in person. Bill Richardson always charms, and he'll be up there, too. To add a global dimension, Maori novelist Witi Ihimaera will read from his new novel, The Uncle's Story. To round out the lineup will be Canada’s Mark Jarman with his intriguing 19 Knives, and Joan Clark with Latitudes of Melt. This year it's more important than ever to make the effort to get to Banff. Mordecai Richler's only reading takes place there on Saturday evening, along with Todd Babiak and Barb Scott. The Banff Poetry Cabaret and the Banff version of Out Loud Live, as well as the screenwriting discussion with Emma Donoghue, Catherine Bush and Augustin, all look tantalizing. And Lynn Coady appears twice in Banff. Carpool, hostel, tent or impose on your Banff friends, because this weekend is a unique opportunity to learn from, get inspired by, and just talk to a rare assembly of artists. The gold pass to all the events is a reasonably good deal – this is far richer fare than any nine movies you might see all winter. But even if you're rifling the couch cushions for change, you can see the free Out Loud Live sessions at the Art Gallery of Calgary, and the Afternoon with Alistair MacLeod at MRC's Nickle Theatre. It's the people's fest, too. And the kid's fest – Kenneth Oppel and Dennis Lee, among others, are kid's writers that can teach the adults plenty as well. (Schoolkids in Calgary, Banff and Canmore also benefit from WordFest through a whole series of special sessions, and there’s a teacher's guide as well.) Finally, B.C.'s Eden Robinson will soon be better known across Canada since her Giller Prize nomination for Monkey Beach. Here in Calgary, you can hear her read on Thursday and Saturday.

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