This past weekend, Queen’s Park was transformed into a bookish haven, attracting bibliophiles and great literary minds alike as over 200,000 people flocked to the annual Word on the Street (WOTS) Festival.
Characterized by booths, stalls, and stages dotting the circle around the ROM, Victoria College, and Hart House, WOTS is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating Canadian reading, writing and literacy through a free outdoor festival. In a recent interview with The Varsity, Heather Kanabe, U of T alumna and current festival director of WOTS, chatted about the importance of the festival, and why it’s such a great opportunity for U of T students: “I think the core of what we are has remained the same and true over time, and it’s a simple message — that we support books and magazines, and promote Canadian authors and literacy,” she explained.
“People love to have that chance to both browse different small publishers, books, connect directly with authors in that exhibit or marketplace, as well as to meet authors that otherwise they wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to.” With a carnival-like atmosphere, the festival not only gives its attendees an unparalleled spread of the best of Canadian literature, but is also important in supporting smaller publishers and booksellers, and emerging authors.
Since its inception in 1990, WOTS has been a staple of the fall season in Toronto, with a smorgasbord of genres and events to suit everyone’s taste in literature. WOTS is proof of Toronto’s love of reading, having grown from a mere 40,000 in attendance on Queen West to a national festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian literature. “I guess you can say the word has gotten out, and people love it!” laughed Kanabe. What started out as a glorified book fair has expanded to include programming to engage with festivalgoers, where authors participate in thematic discussions.
“For example, this year our “This is Not Shakespeare” stage, which is focused on teen audiences, has a panel discussion called We Found Love in a Hopeless Place, and it’s looking at these fun love stories from different authors and how that plays in different themes today,” Kanabe explained. While this has been an ongoing initiative, new this year is Toronto Poetry Slam’s Guerilla Spoken Word, as well as a partnership with Moleskine to feature original journal content from authors such as Joseph Boyden, on sale in the Map Room at Hart House.
With Canada’s proximity to the United States, it’s often difficult for us to see our country a separate publishing industry, however promoting Canadian authors and publications is the mission at the very heart of WOTS. As Kanabe relates, “Our mandate is to present 100 per cent Canadian authors and I don’t think you’ll find that almost anywhere else, and definitely not at this scale.” With over 200 authors presenting their works at the festival this year alone, WOTS aims to reserve a quarter of its exhibit space for small presses, independent authors and writing associations in order to support emerging artists. “We’ve taken pride in being one of the first places for Joseph Boyden to platform his work, and now look where he’s come!” exclaimed Kanabe.
For students, WOTS is the perfect way to engage with the literary and academic world in Canada, according to Kanabe. “Some of my fondest memories are getting together with my friends and having my Sunday at WOTS, and because it’s around Queen’s Park Circle, it just felt like a part of being a student and part of expanding our vocabulary and getting a feel for what it meant to be an academic in Canada.” However, even though the festival is right on campus, most U of T students are unaware of its occurrence, due to the fact that it takes place at the very start of term, and classes are just beginning to heat up. “That’s really interesting — perhaps we need to get some professors on board!” said Kanabe. “It’s both the best Canadian literature coming out for the fall, but there are also such great discounts on magazine subscriptions and other publications that you might otherwise not find, and those are the gems that are such a great part of your development as a student.”
Even though, as students, we tend to shy away from reading much more than courses require in the heat of the school year, WOTS offers a wonderful opportunity to rectify that. “It’s tough, but I think the people who inspired me when I was a student were my peers that read above and beyond. Those are the ones that really brought different things and new perspectives to the classroom.”
When asked what her must-see event at this year’s festival was, Kanabe gushed, “I think it would be Joseph Boyden because he is such an amazing author and The Orenda (Boyden’s latest book), has gotten such great reviews — I think he is where Canadian literature is at, and I feel like he completely reflects that sense of being Canadian that we’re all searching for as university students.”
