wordfest: literature-a-go-go

the 10th annual Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival (Wordfest) started yesterday and this city is crawling with famous, and not-so-famous, writers. Everyone from Margaret Atwood (The Blind Assassin) to Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy, An Equal Music).

today I coffeed in the very posh lounge of the Palliser Hotel with David Bergin (The Time in Between), who has been shortlisted for the Giller Prize, and Craig Davidson (Rust and Bone).

The Time in Between is about a haunted veteran who returns to Viet Nam, and the daughter who looks for him after he disappears. The writing is taut and the dialogue true. David and I talked about life, writing, and the time he and his family lived in southeast Asia.

Craig Davidson was a bit of a surprise. Rust and Bone is a collection of short stories that are visceral and often gory yet Craig is wide-eyed and mild-mannered. Somewhat like Chuck Palaniuk, come to think of it. Hmm.

Wordfest moves from Calgary to Banff on Saturday, when Margaret Atwood will be awarded the Banff Centre National Arts Award. I've got time with Ms. Atwood on Friday and four other interviews in the meantime so watch for lots more from the Wordfest front.