Edmonton is celebrating all things non-fiction at LitFest. The hybrid festival features 22 in-person and virtual events with over 50 speakers. The in-person events will take place at Latitude 53 and Metro Cinema, and all of the events will be live-streamed for anyone who isn’t comfortable attending in person.
“We learned last year from the online events that there is some advantage to doing online events just in general,” says executive director of LitFest and Top 40 Under 40 alumna, Fawnda Mithrush. “The accessibility is just completely different with the online events and it is really positive for some people who can’t make it to those in-person events, even in a normal year.”
LitFest kicks off October 14 with a double-header event at Metro Cinema with author Omar Mouallem, who will be talking about his recently published book Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas, followed by a screening of his documentary, The Last Baron.
Other key events include a conversation with former Liberal cabinet minister and then independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, author of “Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power, and Ian Williams, author of Disorientation: Being Black in the World.
“LitFest is a really good way to grow your awareness of what’s out there for reading and to buy some books and just settle in for winter,” says Mithrush.
LitFest 2021 takes place October 14 to October 24. Tickets are available for purchase online, and proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required for all in-person events.
