In-person Arts & Culture

Roading and Eh, Writing

Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
12:00pm to 1:30pm

Part of: LitFest

Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)

books festivals talks readings

Selected as a Taproot pick

More Information Register/Tickets

Organized by: LitFest

Oct.
17

Natasha Deen will host a discussion with Will Ferguson about his new travel book, Meanwhile Back in Nokomis: Tales from Canada and Elsewhere.

From the Arctic Circle to the mud pools of New Zealand, Will Ferguson has spent a career chasing stories that reveal as much about Canada as they do about the world. Meanwhile, Back in Nokomis brings together his funniest, sharpest and most surprising adventures—collected here for the first time. Ferguson brings readers on a journey, from a tiny theatre town in rural Alberta to the haunted (and horse-grazed) shores of Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. He weighs the benefits and drawbacks of the Confederation Bridge, wanders the jumbled cultural mixture of Montréal’s neighbourhoods and confronts his queasy relationship with Scottish whisky.

In between, Ferguson muses about the defining elements of Canadian culture and offers readers some writerly advice. He ponders the merits of selling out to advertisers, Canada’s national reputation for peacekeeping and the most frequently asked questions in literary interviews. He also offers his thoughts on the real questions: What’s the most Canadian condiment? The best contender for a national bird? And why didn’t he get the handyman gene? With his trademark humour and a sincere appreciation for Canada and beyond, Ferguson roams through a life of travel, writing and the moments in between from a distinctly Canadian point of view.

Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)

7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq NW
Edmonton, AB, T5J 2V4