What’s the “Word” this weekend?

Suzanne Gardner — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:08:43 +0000

This Sunday, my favourite festival rolls out across the nation, as The Word On The Street festival takes place in Vancouver, Halifax, Kitchener, and, thankfully, Toronto. I volunteered at WOTS in Toronto last year and am thrilled to be helping out again this year. A day-long event celebrating Canadian books and magazines? Clearly, the perfect day for a Canadian publishing junkie like myself.
This year I’m volunteering as an Information Ambassador, meaning that I get to greet visitors to the event, give them maps and answer their questions, and (bonus!) I get to walk around the whole park, checking out presentations and booths as I go! I’m really looking forward to meeting tons of great people and learning about tons of great books. I already have a wish list of books I want to purchase on the day, which includes the brand-new Lemon by Cordelia Strube from Coach House Books, the adorably nerdy Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen from Tundra Books, and the fantastic Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki from Groundwood Books (which I’ve already read once, but I’m dying to own and read again!). And the list will likely grow several times over when I get to the fest on Sunday!

All this is why, my friends, I will be bringing a designated amount of money with me to WOTS this Sunday, and will not allow myself to take out any additional cash or use any credit or debit cards. Because as much as I’d like to leave the festival carrying as many books as the guy pictured on the right, I’d probably break my back (and my bank account).

Whether you’re a book lover or a magazine lover, if you live near Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, or Kitchener, get yourself to The Word on the Street festival this Sunday.

Suzanne Gardner » event

What’s the “Word” this weekend?

{Photo by Garry Knight}