This one’s for the word nerds.

Word Vancouver is back for another year, offering a slew of in-person and hybrid (aka streamable) events that celebrate the written word in all its forms.

That means free activations, exhibitors, and talks on everything from books, to magazines, to zines, to screenplays at UBC Robson Square on September 16. Curated by C.E. Gatchalian and Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler, Word Vancouver’s 2023 edition offers a dizzying number of options, with the first events starting at 10am and the last ones starting at 4pm.

At 10am, true crime writer Eve Lazarus will be in conversation with historian Aaron Chapman about the former’s latest book, Cold Case BC. Also at 10am, Orange Shirt Day founder Phyllis Webstad will discuss her new children’s book Every Child Matters.

At 11am, Cicely Belle Blain, JD Derbyshire, and Michael V Smith will take turns reading from their recent works in an event centered around queer memory.

For active (or aspiring) wordsmiths, there will be a panel discussion at 1pm on how to combat writer’s block. Moderated by JJ Lee, it will feature thoughts from Emi Sasagawa (author of Atomweight), C.A. Tanaka (author of Baby Drag Queen), Emelia Symington-Fedy (author of Skid Dogs), and Sareh Farmand (author of Pistachios in My Pocket).

In another 1pm slot, Teodoro Alcuitas, Patria Rivera, and Leah Ranada will read from their contributions to Magdaragat: An Anthology of Filipino-Canadian Writing (the first of its kind to be published by a mainstream press).

Later on at 4pm, Ayaka Yoshimizu (UBC assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Asian Studies) and Saeyong Kim (Korean studies and dentistry‐medicine reference librarian at UBC’s Asian Library and Woodward Library) will discuss the work of seminal Japanese feminist writer Tamura Toshiko, specifically exploring the intersection of language and oppression.

There’s so much more (seriously). View the full list of events here.

Word Vancouver

When: September 16

Where: UBC Robson Square, 10am to 5pm

Admission: Free