Time:11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cover: none

The Word On The Street festival currently takes place in Toronto, Halifax, Kitchener, Saskatoon and now Lethbridge, in September. In 2014 this is Sunday, September 21, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Lethbridge Library Main Branch at 810-5th Ave S and on the adjoining streets.

The Word On The Street Lethbridge is a national celebration of literacy hosted in Lethbridge by the Lethbridge Public Library. In this role, the mission is multi-faceted; to acknowledge and promote writers, publishers and literary arts organizations in Alberta; to build bridges between literary arts and literacy in southern Alberta; to involve Aboriginal writers, theatre groups, and storytellers as integral contributors to Alberta’s heritage and culture; and to ensure The Word On The Street Lethbridge represents the diversity of all our communities and is accessible to everyone.

 Fall Festival Fever! Come out to the streets September 21
Welcome to WOTS 2014!
It’s fall and the spirit of learning, reading and books surrounds us. It’s time to enjoy a special Festival that is woven around author readings, music performances, a tent marketplace and fun activities for everyone. The Word On The Street Festival offers you a chance to meet the initiators: the writer or publisher behind the book, the musician that’s part of the band and talent behind the art. Our reading experiences are enriched by hearing the story behind the story, where did the idea come from, how was the poem, article, performance polished to perfection. The Word On The Street Festival is happening across Canada on Sunday, September 21 and right here in Lethbridge on the streets around the Main Branch of the Library from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s all free.
“This is the 4th year that the Library is hosting this outdoor event; it definitely provides an avenue for us to connect with the community in a fun way. It’s a wonderful opportunity to work together with national and local sponsors and volunteers and to showcase authors and talent to highlight the Festival’s theme: advocating literacy and celebrating reading.” says Library CEO, Tony Vanden Heuvel.
Elisabeth Hegerat, Associate Director, who helped round up the talent for this year’s event, says that The Word On The Street Festival will showcase many exciting authors like Julie Van Rosendaal and Lyndon Penner from CBC Radio One; Calgary Poet Laureate Derek Beaulieu; Alberta’s Reader’s Choice Award nominees: Diana Davidson and Michael Hingston; Karen Bass, winner of the 2014 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year and popular children’s author Ruth Ohi. “I'm very excited that we're able to bring such diverse voices from across the country to our community.”
The Word On The Street Festival is hosted by the Lethbridge Public Library and sponsors for 2014 include: TD, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Astro Insurance and Registry Services, TransCanada Corporation, B-93.3 and Country 95.5 and The Lethbridge Herald.
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The Word On The Street Festival Page 2
Bonnie Mikalson-Andron, Manager, Program Development/WOTS Coordinator, says “The Word On The Street has quickly become a signature fall festival and everyone can expect a full day of entertainment! Last year close to 4000 people attended. We have an amazing line-up of local of talent on our B-93/Country 95.5 Stage, featuring: Steve Keenan and Greg Gomola, Tangible Radiance, Kavanagh & Hepher, Who’s Yer Daddy and Three Jacks and A Jill. And there are tempting treats: come down and enjoy Antojitos, M&M Meat Shops, West Winds Kettle Corn and Red Engine Roasters.
Barbara Longair, Manager Children’s Services notes there will be many family activities thanks to community sponsors: Family Centre, Galt Museum, Helen Schuler Coulee Centre, Southern Alberta Art Gallery and the U of L Art Gallery, “In addition to these family activities, we have a dream line-up of authors and illustrators coming:    Ruth Ohi, Martin Springett, Dawn Sprung, and Michelle Mulder will be visiting us, doing readings, and talking with you. Having watched authors interact with kids as part of my job, it’s a privilege to see the spark that ignites the creative spirit in another. This is a fantastic opportunity for people of all sizes and shapes to interact with a ‘real live author!’
Paige McGeorge, the Library’s teenbrarian, notes that this year “in the Teen Zone, all our authors will be presenting live. Morgan Rhodes and Erin Bow will be talking about their fantasy novels. We’ll also have authors for teens who like realistic fiction, or historical stories. Plus prizes, snacks, and all-day activities – there’s really something for everyone.”
“For the adult audience we have two stages featuring a mix of great fiction, non-fiction authors and poets. We are proud to host authors Julie Van Rosendaal, Michael Hingston, Kim McCullough, Diana Davidson, Lyndon Penner, Stephen Legault, Herb Hicks, and Taylor Lambert. We are also excited about our great poetry line-up featuring Christian Bök, Derek Beaulieu, and Sharron Proulx-Turner. This year the Word on the Street festival is sure to delight Lethbridge readers”, says Sarah Head, Adult Services Librarian.
Special Workshops on Festival Day include: Cartooning for Kids and Cartooning for Teens, both hosted by local artist Eric Dyck. This workshop entitled Making Comics with Eric Dyck from Slaughterhouse Slough offers participants the chance to learn about Lethbridge's weekly webcomic, Slaughterhouse Slough, and to hear about Eric's adventures making a comic strip! You will also get to take part in some hands-on comic creation of your own! Participants can create their own micro-comic-book, or contribute to a collaborative comix jam page with Eric.
The second workshop, Getting Your Writing Published, with Kelsey Attard from Freehand Press will discuss how to get your work published; how to submit writing to publishers; what to expect at every stage along the way and what you need to know before you try to get published.
For updates on the upcoming festival, follow us on www.facebook.com/LethbridgeWOTS. A full festival schedule is posted at www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/lethbridge, along with author profiles, a time line for events and volunteer opportunities.