Richard Harrison is a multiple-award-winning poet, essayist, and editor. His poetry books include 25: Hockey Poems Selected and New, On Not Losing My Father’s Ashes in the Flood (awarded the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry and the Stephan G. Stephansson Alberta Poetry Prize), Big Breath of a Wish, poems about his daughter’s acquisition of language, and Hero of the Play, poems in the language of hockey (launched at the Hockey Hall of Fame). Harrison has also published literary criticism, cosplay, spoken word poetry, and mathematics. A Professor Emeritus at MRU, Harriso’s scholarly and artistic efforts are focused on the teaching of writing and on poetry as contributor to public dialogue and social change.
Wordfest turns 30 this year and we’re throwing a lively bash to celebrate the Calgarians who helped build Wordfest. It’s our way of thanking writers, readers, and community builders for helping to spark our thriving literary scene. And what better way to showcase this city’s range of wordy goodness than inviting seven of our finest storytellers to share a seven-minute tale about the relationship between their art and their hometown, in its all its contradictions, complexities, and connections. Join us for The Way We… Calgary’d, featuring Ali Bryan, Marcello Di Cintio, Will Ferguson, Cheryl Foggo, Richard Harrison, Joshua Whitehead, and Teresa Wong, with a special performance by Tom Phillips.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Iyarhe Nakoda Nations, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta District 6, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
