A FEST WITH ZEST

Wordfest has a little something for everyone: big-name authors sitting down with big-name interviewers, as well as sessions that will appeal to poetic arborists, tone-deaf singers and those who love more conventional mysteries. Tickets at wordfest.com.

WADE DAVIS & LUIS FABINI

Fabini spent more than a decade photographing gauchos and cowboys throughout the Americas. The result is Cowboys of the

Americas; Davis, a noted anthropologist, wrote the text, which considers the role of the quiet man on horseback in the New World. Friday, Oct. 7.

KAREN HINES

We begin with a disclaimer: Hines writes for

Swerve. In 2009, she wrote “My Little House of Horrors,” which won a National Magazine Award and now serves as the source of

Crawlspace (A Staged Reading). It’s like a scared-straight course for real-estate speculators. Tuesday, Oct. 11 to Saturday, Oct. 15.

LITERARY DEATH MATCH

It’s a literary showdown as seven—count ’em, seven—authors vie to land the knockout punctuation. Hooting and hollering is encouraged, but audience members should not climb into the ring armed only with unpublished work. Wednesday, Oct. 12.

BAD SINGALONG

Tim Falconer makes a couple of appearances at the festival. The author of Bad Singer will read from his work Oct. 12, and the following day he will lead a noon-hour singalong at Eau Claire Market. It’s free to join in, but don’t expect to hear any golden voices. Thursday, Oct. 13.

ERIN BOW & MARIKO TAMAKI

The festival is stacked with sessions aimed at young readers, but this one seems particularly interesting. It brings together Bow, author of

Plain Kate and Sorrow’s Knot, and Tamaki, whose graphic novels include Skim and This

One Summer (both are collaborations with her sister Jillian). Thursday, Oct. 13.

EMMA DONOGHUE & ELEANOR WACHTEL

Donoghue’s latest is The Wonder, set in 19th-century Ireland and centred on the reactions—medical, spiritual, societal—to an 11-year-old girl who claims to have fasted for four months. She will be joined by Eleanor Wachtel, host of CBC Radio’s Writers & Company. See the session live, then wait a few months and hear it on your radio. Saturday, Oct. 15.

ADULT SPELLING BEE

If participants spell the word correctly, they get to spell again. Those who spell things incorrectly must remove an article of clothing. It’s unlikely that total nudity will be achieved: after three misspellings, contestants are eliminated. Cash bar. No cameras allowed. Saturday, Oct. 15.

MYSTERY & SUSPENSE SHOWCASE

This one goes on a Sunday at 10 a.m., a time when solid, upstanding citizens are heading for church. Fans of mystery and suspense, however, will be heading off to hear Michael Helm, Jay Hosking, Michael Koryta and Andrew F. Sullivan talk about their dark art. Sunday, Oct. 16.

SO YOU WANT TO GO INTO POLITICS?

Political junkies and lovers of comic tales alike will want to attend this session that features Noah Richler ( The Candidate), Sydney Sharp and Don Braid ( Notley Nation) and Edward Riche ( Today I Learned It Was You). Sunday, Oct. 16. —Bruce Weir