FILE UNDER BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

FIRST THE LESS GOOD NEWS

Let me tell you something you haven't learnt yet, something you learn only by living awhile.
As you get older, you find that life begins to wear you down.Doesn't matter who you are or what you do, it happens."
― Terry Brooks, The Elf Queen of Shannara

Okay, so... Terry Brooks SWORE up and down and sideways that he would be in Calgary come heck or high water in August 2026… and then he retired. Look, we can’t blame the guy. At 81 years old, he’s been working harder than almost anyone would (Face it, some of us are just counting down the days until we can collect CPP/OAS/GIS). He deserves a break. 

However, he knows how excited we all were to meet the writer of the epic fantasy series, Shannara. So he has offered to come and meet us in the virtual realm. Stay tuned for details on a very special online In-Conversation with Terry during the festival.

​We love you, Terry. 

Hurt leads to bitterness, bitterness to anger. Travel too far that road and the way is lost.”
― Terry Brooks, The Elfstones of Shannara

NOW THE BETTER NEWS

 Give me power and also weakness, struggle but also reams of joy. Our lives are made of this fabric--our stories deserve nothing less.”
― Amanda Leduc, Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space

We are excited to tell you that Amanda Leduc has just confirmed she will join us as a Special Guest for 2026. 
​
Long-listed for the 2025 Giller Prize for her novel, Wild Life, Amanda is a writer of magical realism, as well as a notable non-fiction writer and disability rights advocate. Amanda is speaks regularly at festivals, conferences, and events across Canada, the US and Europe on accessibility, inclusion, and disability in storytelling, and contributes regularly to publications across Canada, the US, and the UK.

Read an interview with Amanda.

Amanda Leduc’s dazzling new novel follows two walking, talking hyenas as they interact with humans over decades. Blurring the line between human and animal, these strange messengers reveal what is possible when the cages that contain us are broken."
​― Penguin Random House