25th Trillium Award

The Word On the Street (Toronto)

 
Submitted by Julie Wilson on September 27, 2023 - 7:11pm
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Every September on one Sunday in cities across the country, the word is books, literacy and free events for all. The Word On The Street brings together readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and community organizations in a celebration of the written word. City streets become a vibrant marketplace, and parks come alive with tented workshops, panels and signings by some of our nation's best and brightest authors.

Coinciding with International Literacy Year, the festival began in 1990 in Toronto as the Toronto Book and Magazine Fair and grew out of the Promotions Committee of the Book and Periodical Council to help promote our national publishing program on the world stage.

Since then, Word had grown from 40,000 attendees to more than 200,000 visitors annually, all the while maintaining its objective to foster awareness of the written word and literacy, and to promote local artists. (One quarter of exhibit space is available at cost to small presses, independent authors and writing associations; literacy organizations are accommodated at no charge.)

The Word On The Street began on Queen Street and has since moved to Queen's Park.

In 2007, the festival expanded its locations to include Halifax, Kitchener, Saskatoon and Vancouver.

Founding Organizations

• Book and Periodical Council
• Canadian Give The Gift of Literacy Foundation
• Canadian Authors Association
• Canadian Book Information Centre
• Canadian Book Publishers
• Council Canadian Booksellers Associations
• Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Freelance Editors Association of Canada
• Canadian Library Association
• Canadian Magazine Publishing Association
• League of Canadian Poets
• Literary Presses Group
• Ontario Literacy Coalition
• Periodical Writer's Association of Canada
• Playwright's Union of Canada
• Writer's Union of Canada

For more information, visit the official site for The Word On The Street.

Watch YouTube videos about The Word On The Street (Toronto).

Landmark curated by Julie Wilson. Wilson is the literary voyeur behind Seen Reading, The Madam at Book Madam & Associates, and the author of Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion (under the pen name Becca Wilcott).

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The Word On the Street (Toronto)
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