Vancouver Writers Fest’s 39th annual festival takes place October 18 to 25, featuring a free Bedtime Stories Hotline and events including horror and hockey author conversations and a lyrics night dance party.
The Story
The 39th annual Vancouver Writers Fest runs October 18 to 25, bringing more than 150 authors and 90 events across Vancouver, with festival programming centred on Granville Island and additional venues.
A highlight is the festival’s free Bedtime Stories Hotline, which lets callers hear a chosen storyteller read a bedtime story by phone without needing to speak to anyone. To use it, dial 778-369-BOOK (2665), choose an author, and follow prompts to enter a four-digit extension to hear the selected recording.
Festival organizers say the hotline is available around the clock from October 18 to 25, and that a specially decorated phone booth is set up near the Festival Bookstore on Granville Island at 100-1398 Cartwright St. For the festival week, 26 storytellers—including Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Canisia Lubrin, Iain Reid, Clara Hughes, Monique Gray Smith and Kai Cheng Thom—lend their voices to exclusive recordings.
Beyond bedtime listening, the festival includes multiple events for readers, film fans and hockey audiences. On October 20 at 8:30 p.m., “Horror in Hollywood: For the Spooky Book People” is at Waterfront Theatre, where thriller writer Iain Reid and filmmaker Ellie Foumbi discuss their collaborative horror novel, A New Kind of Clean, with VIFF programmer Tom Charity moderating. The event costs $28.
On October 23 at 5 p.m., “Icons of the Ice: For the Hockey Fans” takes place at Performance Works for $28. Olympic legends Jennifer Botterill and Cassie Campbell-Pascall join a conversation moderated by Karin Larsen about women’s hockey, their careers and life beyond the rink.
The same evening, Performance Works hosts two bookish music events. “Lyrics Night,” scheduled for October 23 at 8 p.m., is $45 and features around 20 authors reading song lyrics as serious poetry. Later at 10 p.m., “Let’s Groove: Dance Party” is $10 and includes DJ Ice B, with the event also taking place at Performance Works.
The festival’s details are listed with a note that it is primarily based on Granville Island, with additional Vancouver venues and online programming. Tickets and the full lineup are available through writersfest.bc.ca, and the Bedtime Stories Hotline number is 778-369-2665.
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