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SINCE ITS LAUNCH

four years ago, the annual Growing Room festival has been on a roll—owing, at least in part, to the bewildering fact that it remains the only feminist literary fest in North America. And the momentum keeps building. This year’s edition, running from March 11 to 15 at venues around town, widens its scope to include not only poets, novelists, and essayists, but also musicians, comedians, filmmakers, and dancers—the makings of a full-tilt, all-encompassing arts festival, in other words. Here are just a couple of the highlights on the complete schedule available at festival.roommagazine.com/.

SOMETHING FUNNY

(March 12 at the Fox Cabaret) Humour writing meets its extroverted cousin standup comedy for a boisterous evening featuring everyone from author-podcaster Dina Del Bucchia to storytellercomedian Soo Jeong.

INDIGENOUS BRILLIANCE

(March 15 at the Beaumont Studios) For the last two years, the local reading series of the same name has reflected the storytelling powers of Indigenous women and Two-Spirit and Indigequeer people. This allday showcase (starting at 1 p.m., ending at 9) displays the full reach of those powers through poetry, visual art, sound, film, and more.

THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST: BOUNDLESS FORMS

(March 15 at the Native Education College) World-building is the declared theme of Growing Room 2020, and this event is out to show how the worlds we make from stories can take on surprising new shapes when the art of memoir fuses with sculpture, music, and poetry. Moderator Jocelyn Tennant will be joined by Aimee Louw, Aisha Sasha John, Alex Leslie, and Carleigh Baker.