Nova Scotia’s Port Medway Readers’ Festival kicks off on July 4 with author and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald, whose most recent novel is 2014’s Adult Onset. On July 12, Canadian celebrity chef Bonnie Stern will share her Essentials of Home Cooking. Poet and author Michael Crummey reads from his most recent poetry collection, Under the Keel, on Aug. 1, while novelist, poet, essayist, and screenwriter David Adams Richards closes the festival on Aug. 15.

On the West Coast, the two-day Elephant Mountain Literary Festival takes place in Nelson, B.C. A social gala on July 10 will precede the July 11 creative panels and reading night, featuring authors Marina Endicott and Kate Pullinger.

Also in July, the Lakefield Literary Festival hosts readings by an array of writers. Thoughout the weekend of July 10–12, attendees can take in panels with authors Helen Humphreys, Heather O’Neill, Frances Itani, and others. The festival also includes a children’s tent.

The Latitudes Storytelling Festival takes place in Waterloo, Ontario, on June 22. Adults and kids can take in the festival amid the “sounds, smells, and flavours” of the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival in Victoria Park. 

Moe Clark (photo: TEDx Montréal)

Saskatchewan’s Festival of Words, held in Moose Jaw on July 16–19, hosts a diverse lineup of 20 authors, poets, and writers. From Métis spoken word poet Moe Clark to bestselling-author Terry Fallis, the five-day lineup is packed with speakers. The festival also offers workshops where attendees can learn about loop pedal performance, or get editorial advice from the University of Alberta Press’s Peter Midgley.

From July 16 to 19, B.C.’s Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival brings writers together in an intimate, ferry-accessible setting. Featuring readings by author Fred Stenson, writer, editor, and storyteller Luanne Armstrong, and a slam poetry performance by Vancouver-based artist Siling Zhang, the festival also offers workshops on the creative process, including one-on-ones with Armstrong. There is also a writer-in-residence program run by author and poet Steven Price.

On July 20, attendees of the annual Read by the Sea festival congregate in River John, Nova Scotia. Held annually on the Northhumberland shore, Read by the Sea is celebrating its 15th year of bringing together authors, illustrators, and fans from all over Canada. This year, the lineup includes novelists Linden MacIntyre and Giles Blunt, and others.