Royal City writers will be in the spotlight when an expanded Word on the Street festival hits downtown Vancouver this weekend.
The festival is taking place over three days this year, Sept. 23 to 25.
As always, the Sunday activities will take place at Library Square in the heart of downtown Vancouver, with extra programming on Saturday at the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings streets.
Friday evening activities are set for the historic Joy Kogawa House on West 64th Avenue and Banyen Books and Sound on West Fourth Avenue.
"We are delighted to be moving into three days of free programming," said Bryan Pike, producer of Word on the Street, in a press release.
"Our new partnerships . expand not just our programming, but our geography, bringing The Word On the Street to several venues in different areas of the city."
Several New Westminster writers will be part of the weekend's activities.
Poets Ariadne Sawyer and Alejandro Mujica-Olea host the World Poetry Reading Series in the poetry tent at 3: 45 p.m. on Sunday.
Calvin Wharton, who teaches at Douglas College in New Westminster, will read from his new poetry collection, The Song Collides, also in the poetry tent on Sunday. He's set to appear at 11 a.m.
J.J. Lee will read from his new book, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son and a Suit, in the authors' tent, also on Sunday. He's scheduled to appear at 11: 30 a.m.
And Annabel Lyon, the award-winning author of The Golden Mean, will be featured when her book is read in its French translation by France Perras.
That's scheduled for the Canada Writes tent on Sunday at 4: 40 p.m., and Lyon will be on hand to take questions about her work.
For full details and scheduling information, see www.thewordonthestreet. ca/vancouver or visit the blog at http: // wotsvan.wordpress.com.
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