Two Calgary authors, who are also father and son, will kick off Wordfest event

It can becommon for children to follow in their parent's footsteps, especially when it comes to careers.

But two Calgary authors, who also happento be father and son, now get a chance not just a profession, but a virtual stageforWordfest's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Will Ferguson, aGiller Prize winning Calgary author, says being paired up with his sonGenkiseemed "natural."

"My son, Genki, has a novel coming out next spring so I thought it was a perfect fit and it's always nice sharing an event with my son," he toldThe Homestretch.

"His writing is so rich andso different than what I do, and beyond the fatherand son connection,you have two very different authors discussing the craft [on stage]."

Genki's debut novel Satelllite Loveis about about a young girlwho falls in lovewith a satellite that flies over her home in southern Japan. The story touches on loneliness, alienation, and what it means to be human.

Genki says he wrote the story in his first years of university and has learned from his father about the importance of squeezing in as much writing as you can per day.

"I've seen him sit down every day and just go through the story and kind of tackle problems from different angles ... understanding writing is an art of disciplinein more ways then just strictly inspirationaland flights of fancy," said Genki.

Despite having afellow author just a phone call away, Genki says he didn't tell his dad about his noveluntil he was done.

"Itwas a very personal project for me and something I wanted to set and completed all on my own in one go," he said.

His father, Will alsoalso has a new book out called The Finder.He describes it as a storyabout a character's journey to track down lost objects like Buddy Holly's iconic glasses, Muhammad Ali's Olympic gold medal and eventhe last reel of Alfred Hitchcock's first film.

"I've always been interested in lost objects but the strange thing was I illustrated a children book for my niece many, many years ago about the king of forgotten things, so I think the ideas been percolating in my head for a long time," he said.

When asked if writing is in the genes, Will added that he comes from "a big storytelling family" and that Genki's grandfather has also writtena book making his sona third-generation author.

"I've always said in most families, there's talking and listening but in my family it's talking and waiting to talk," he laughed.

Anniversary event an 'extravaganza'

Initially planned as a live festival over five days, Wordfest's 25th year has been re-imagined as what CEO Shelley Youngblutsaid will be an "extravaganza" called25 at 25.

The event willfeature 25 emerging and veteran authorswho Youngblut feelsrepresent the "very best" in Canadian fiction.

They will present in a weekly seriesevery Tuesday from Sept. 8 to Dec. 8.

"Seriously, it is such a killer list," Youngblut said. "We asked for everyone, and everyone is saying yes."

Part of the reason everyone can say yes is the pandemic. With no travel plans to coordinate, and schedules a bit freer than usual, festival organizers discovered they could actually bring25 high-profile authors togetherfor the same event which would have been just about impossible under normal circumstances.

"There's something unbelievable about everybody being in the same space, so we miss that," Youngblut said.

"On the other hand, we've been able to get anyone, prettymuch, that we wantedfrom all over the world."

Another element that hasbeen enhanced by going online is accessibility.

Those with mobility issues, or who might not be comfortable in crowds, can enjoy the festivities wherever they are.

"The other thing that's really important to me is that, these are events thatare now accessible to people who otherwise could not leave their homes," Youngblut said.

"And so, we've been able to go into their homes and into their living rooms and bring them into the family. And that's been cool, too."