While the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival is justly known for the high calibre of international poets it draws to our humble city, the contributions of local wordsmiths should not be overlooked. As exciting as it is to hear Jon Giorno or Ras Michael perform, poet Tom Wayman notes that seeing Calgary’s disparate literary scene come together for a week of spoken word can be equally inspiring.

“There’s a fabulous literary scene in Calgary that has many dimensions, some of which overlap,” says Wayman, who will perform with a slate of poets as part of Friday night’s Smart Men Hot Words event. “Coming out of the university, there are a lot of poets and writers interested in pushing language to the edge. There’s another group more based on using language to tell stories. Straddling both those worlds, you have spoken word.”

It was always artistic director (and noted poet and performer) Sheri-D Wilson’s intention to have the festival serve as a focal point for a wider community. “The festival is a great way to gather people together and share stories,” she says. “And I think that at this time in particular, stories, and the sharing of stories and ideas, is paramount.”

Sharing their stories this year will be a group of local artists that reflect the inclusiveness of the spoken word community and the diversity of Calgary’s literary scene. From standup comic Cory Mack, to sound poet Steven Ross Smith, to hip hop artists Dragon Fli Empire, this year’s festival will showcase local performers that are more than capable of reading alongside the giants of the genre. This mix all but guarantees there will be something for everyone at this year’s festival, something Wayman sees as crucial for drawing in an audience that isn’t necessarily familiar with poetry. “People seem willing to accept that there’s really different kinds of music, like they might not like classical, or they might not like country and western, but they don’t say therefore, ‘I hate music,’” Wayman says. “But weirdly enough, people will say, ‘I hate poetry.’ For me, it’s as goofy as saying, ‘I hate music.’ What they mean is some kinds of music they don’t appreciate, or some kinds of poetry they don’t appreciate, and that’s fine. But the idea that people write off an entire art form because they’ve had one bad experience…. It’s an odd phenomenon.”

By casting a wide net, the festival can act as a cure for this phenomenon, connecting artists with audiences in unexpected and exciting ways. By doing so, Wilson hopes that the festival will continue to grow organically.

“From the beginning, we’ve had a large audience, and it keeps on growing and growing,” she says. “People realize how much fun it is, and then they come back, and then it’s all word of mouth, which is so reflective of the art itself. It’s spoken word and the word travels by word of mouth.... That’s what we do.”