Abstract
In October 2006, Edmonton became the first city in Canada to host a literary festival completely devoted to the genre of creative nonfiction. By the time Edmonton LitFest settled down for its sixth edition—its long-form title is the Edmonton International Literary Festival—organizers had been searching for a focus that would increase its audience and draw attention from across the country. For the first time in its six years, the festival actually made a profit, by showcasing a collection of cutting-edge and award-winning practitioners of the form, ranging from John Ralston Saul and Maggie Siggins to Ameera Javeria and Steven Heighton.
The talent roster included novelists, journalists, biographers, memoirists, essayists, filmmakers, and even editorial cartoonist Terry Mosher (a.k.a. Aislin) for a three-day examination of the status of the genre in which nonfiction stories are told using the tools of the fiction writer. These include characterization, setting, conflict, drama, dialogue, imagery, symbolism, viewpoint, subjectivity, and often, authorial interruption.
Often known by such names as literary journalism, Gonzo Journalism, and New Journalism, the genre has grown in popularity, particularly in the West where publishers such as Coteau Books, NeWest Press and Banff Centre Press routinely release works of creative nonfiction. Studies in the genre have also increased with courses and programs offered at the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and Grant MacEwan College; the U of A also offers MA and PhD degrees in English with a specialization in creative nonfiction.
The 2007 edition of Edmonton LitFest has been expanded to four days, Oct. 11-14, and this year’s theme is Hot North!, with a focus on adventure, aboriginal peoples, resources and exploration, exile and lost souls, and climate change and environment. The authors on the guest list include Edith Iglauer, Rudy Wiebe, Barbara Kingscote, Susan Aglukark, George Monbiot, Andrew Nikiforuk, Elizabeth Kolbert, Nancy Wachowich, Rhoda Katsak, Tom Radford, Ken McGoogan, David Solway, Anthony Dalton, and Melanie McGrath.