Vancouver book and mag street fair splits away from WOTS and grows

For 12 years, Word on the Street Vancouver was part of a network of one-day reading and literacy festivals across Canada (including the original fair,Toronto plus Kitchener, Halifax, Lethbridge and Saskatoon). But now the Vancouver Book and Magazine Fair Society has announced that it is disassociating from WOTS's national organization and rebranded its now 5-day festival to be Word Vancouver. 

The event will take place in Library Square, Vancouver, at Homer and Hamilton Streets. 

Among the magazine-related exhibitors scheduled so far are:

• Editors' Association of Canada (BC Branch)
• EVENT magazine
• Geist magazine
• Magazine Association of BC
• Pacific Rim magazine and Langara Journalism Review
• PRISM International
• Ricepaper magazine
• Room magazine
• subTerrain magazine

A story in Quill & Quire reported

Executive director Bryan Pike says the new name reflects the event’s expanded programming. Unlike one-day outdoor street festivals in Lethbridge, Toronto, Kitchener, Saskatoon, and Halifax, Vancouver’s multi-venue event will take place over five days, from Sept. 25–29. 

The inaugural program puts the spotlight on Canadian poetry, with readings by Amber Dawn, George Stanley, bill bissett, Evelyn Lau, and Brad Cran. Pike says there will also be automated poetry vending machines located in various locations around the city. 

A full schedule is available on the event’s new website,wordvancouver.ca.