Author Richard Wright

We’re halfway through WordFest, but the city is still swarming with internationally acclaimed authors, so stay sharp — you might find Kenneth Oppel in line at Second Cup, or Meg Tilly walking down Stephen Avenue. There are still some smokin’ literary events lined up this week, and I hope to see you all at the Poetry Bash.

Even as WordFest brings writers from around the world to Calgary, some of our homegrown talent is spreading the word across the country. The Calgary Slam Team — Shone Abet, Möe Clark, Kirk Ramdath and Sabo — are off in Halifax, representing Calgary in a nation-spanning competition at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. If you’re in the area, check out the festival schedule at www.cfsw2007.wordolympics.com. Otherwise, send them encouraging hometown vibes!

Welcome to the Garfax. It’s a sleepy village that you won’t find on any maps, with a local prophet who steals a boat and floats on the bay for a week, radios that speak dark secrets and a shy boy named Oswald who watches it all. William Neil Scott’s debut novel, Wonderfull, is a magic realist tale of endless rainstorms and dead relatives. Don’t miss his launch at the Auburn Saloon on October 14, 7 p.m.

They’re also appearing at WordFest, but if you want to get up close and personal with Lynn Coady and Lisa Moore, join them for the latest Writers Guild of Alberta event, The Craft, Process and Business of Writing. The pair of dynamic, award-winning authors will share their tips on agents, publishers, inspiration and the writing life at the Rose and Crown pub on October 15, 7 p.m., $5 for WGA members and students, $8 for everyone else.

Many people were angered and frustrated when Canada dropped its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. In Hot Air: Meeting Canada’s Climate Change Challenge, Globe and Mail columnist Jeffery Simpson lays out some simple policies — using examples from other countries — that will help Canada reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. You have two chances to meet Simpson on October 16 — first, at McNally Robinson at noon, then at the Castell Central Library at 7 p.m.

Amber Hayward likes to keep life interesting. By day, she manages the Black Cat Guest Ranch, hosting murder mystery weekends in the Rockies. By night (or, more likely, whenever she has a spare moment), she writes the Children of the Panther fantasy series. In the series’ second novel, Darkness of the God, a psychic child must confront Caldos Moriera, the deceitful preacher who murdered her parents. Catch a slice of the action at McNally Robinson on October 16, 6 p.m.

Ron Woods knows politics. He’s been a television anchorman, a radio news director, press secretary to Preston Manning and communications advisor to Stephen Harper. In his new book, And God Created Manyberries, he brings his shrewd political knowledge to the hamlet of Manyberries (71 kilometres south of Medicine Hat), where the local old-timers gather at the Ranchmen’s Saloon to swap razor-sharp criticisms of government officials. For a real taste of the book, join Woods for his launch at the Ranchmen’s Saloon in Manyberries on October 13, 2 p.m. If you can’t make the trip, head to Pages Books on October 17, 7:30 p.m.

Fire tower observers have a lot of time to consider their surroundings. Sharron Stratton, in Between Forest and Sky, provides a glimpse into the solitary life of the observer. She reads at McNally Robinson on October 18, 7 p.m.

It’s Single Onion time again, and the group’s latest poetry night features the talents of Leslie Greentree, Lori D. Roadhouse and Sabo, not to mention visual art by Jon Sasaki and music by Jon McKiel. From slam to short stories, the Onions always provide an unpredictable party of wordplay. Join the festivities at the New Gallery’s new location (Eau Claire Market) on October 18, 7 p.m.

On a trip to England to visit his sick daughter, James Hillyer encounters a man that he hasn’t seen since the Second World War, in Quebec. After six decades, on his daughter’s deathbed, he embarks on a journey through history and memory. Richard Wright, winner of both the Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award, presents his new novel, October, at the Memorial Park Library on October 18, 7 p.m.