Celebrate the power of words shaped by the mountains at Banff Centre. Writers from the three-week Mountain Writers Intensive will share new work exploring adventure, wilderness, and the human connection to landscape.

Guided by mentorship and time to hone their craft in Banff’s inspiring setting, participants present their voices in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and journalism. Hosted by award-winning faculty Helen Mort (A Line Above the Sky, The Illustrated Woman) and Kate Harris (Lands of Lost Borders), the evening highlights the spirit of mountain literature.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, hear fresh work, and connect with artists and faculty. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., readings begin at 7:00 p.m., and mingling will continue until 9:30 p.m.

Final frames — bold voices shaping the future of graphic literature.

Join us for an evening celebrating the power of visual storytelling as part of our Literary Cabaret series, featuring the Comics & Graphic Novels Residency at Banff Centre. This final showcase brings together original works from resident artists, spanning the deeply personal to the wildly imaginative through comics, zines, and graphic narratives. Short artist talks and readings from works-in-progress will offer a glimpse into creative process, character development, and illustrated storytelling in all its forms.

Hosted by Matt Madden – cartoonist and translator known for playful and inventive works like Ex Libris and 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style. A member of Oubapo (Workshop for Potential Comics), Madden was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2013. His work includes translations, textbooks, and award-winning editorial projects, and has been published internationally. He will guide the evening, read from his own work, and share the stage with the residency’s artists.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, browse a curated selection of books at Pages Books, and immerse yourself in the vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay after and mingle with artists and faculty until 9:30 p.m.

Breaking boundaries — mid-residency revelations in visual storytelling.

Join us for a mid-residency gathering that delves deeper into the creative evolution of our Comics & Graphic Novels artists. Chapter 2 showcases new developments and discoveries as residents test, tinker, and take bold narrative risks in the graphic narrative form. With informal readings, in-progress page reveals, and behind-the-scenes commentary, this evening offers a rare glimpse into the breakthroughs unfolding in the studio.

Hosted by Bishakh Som – Indian-American trans femme visual artist and author whose graphic novel Apsara Engine won the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel and the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Comics. Her graphic memoir Spellbound was also a Lambda finalist. Som’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Autostraddle, The Boston Review, and more. She will guide the evening, read from her own work, and share the stage with the residency’s artists.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, browse a curated selection of books at Pages Books, and immerse yourself in the vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay after and mingle with artists and faculty until 9:30 p.m.

Illustrated beginnings — meet the resident artists shaping bold new graphic narratives.

Kick off the Comics & Graphic Novels Residency with an evening of introductions, inspirations, and illustrated beginnings. Chapter 1 invites you into the world of this year’s resident artists as they share early glimpses of their works-in-progress and the ideas driving their projects. Through short artist talks, readings, and visual excerpts, you'll meet a cohort exploring the boundaries of the graphic narrative form.

Hosted by Tom Hart – cartoonist and founder/executive director of The Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW). Hart is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Rosalie Lightning, translated into five languages and nominated for two Eisner Awards. His work spans graphic novels, memoirs, instructional books, and syndicated comic strips, with features in Greatest American Comics and newspapers in New York and Boston. He will guide the evening, read from his own work, and share the stage with the residency’s artists.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, browse a curated selection of books at Pages Books, and immerse yourself in the vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay after and mingle with artists and faculty until 9:30 p.m.

The grand finale — visionary worlds and unforgettable stories to close the series.

Conclude the series with an evening of visionary worlds at Literary Cabaret, part of the Science Fiction Residency at Banff Centre. This final chapter showcases original, genre-bending works by our residency writers, exploring new worlds, alternate futures, and the boundaries of possibility.

Hosted by Ai Jiang – Chinese-Canadian author and Ignyte, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Award winner, as well as a finalist for the Hugo, Astounding, Locus, Aurora, and BFSA Awards. Jiang is the author of Linghun and I AM AI, with her novella A Palace Near the Wind forthcoming in 2025 from Titan Books. Her work appears in F&SF, The Dark, The Masters Review, and more. She will guide the evening, read from her own work, and share the stage with the residency’s writers.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, browse a curated selection of books at Pages Books, and immerse yourself in the vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., readings begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay after and mingle with writers and faculty until 9:30 p.m. 

Push the boundaries — bold voices take science fiction into uncharted territory.

Venture into new futures and alternate universes at Literary Cabaret, part of the Science Fiction Residency at Banff Centre. This chapter showcases original works by our residency writers, pushing the boundaries of what science fiction can be.

Hosted by Premee Mohamed – Nebula, World Fantasy, and Aurora award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton. Mohamed is the 2024 Edmonton Public Library Writer-in-Residence, Assistant Editor at Escape Pod, and author of the Beneath the Rising series, along with numerous novellas and short fiction published worldwide. She will guide the evening, read from her own work, and share the stage with the residency’s writers.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, browse a curated selection of books at Pages Books, and immerse yourself in the vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., readings begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay after and mingle with writers and faculty until 9:30 p.m.

Begin the journey — opening night launches our exploration into alternate futures and impossible worlds.

Step into worlds yet to be imagined at Literary Cabaret, part of the Science Fiction Residency at Banff Centre. This opening chapter features original, genre-bending works by our residency writers, exploring alternate futures and the boundaries of what could be possible.

Hosted by Amal El-Mohtar – award-winning author of fiction, poetry, and criticism, and co-author (with Max Gladstone) of the multiple award-winning This Is How You Lose the Time War. El-Mohtar is the New York Times’ science fiction and fantasy columnist, with work appearing in Tor.com, Fireside Fiction, Lightspeed, and more. She will guide the evening, read from her own work, and share the stage with the residency’s writers.

Enjoy a drink from the bar, browse a curated selection of books at Pages Books, and immerse yourself in the vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., readings begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay after and mingle with writers and faculty until 9:30 p.m