S01 E04 - The Booksellers and Librarians

Rebecca Diem: Hi, I’m Rebecca Diem, the Digital Strategy and Communications Manager for The Word On The Street. This is Read the North: a series about CanLit, brought to you by your favourite neighbourhood book festival.
[theme music - ambient indie/electronic by composer James Ellercamp]
When the Word On The Street–also known as WOTS–was first dreamed up, one of the big hopes for the festival was that it would make books and reading accessible to a wider audience. For one exciting day, every year, the vibrant festival streetscape could welcome both hardcore fans and reluctant readers– who came for the fun… and then stayed for the books.
For over thirty years, we’ve been achieving that goal. This year, we’re even expanding the festival to two full days. But WOTS isn’t the only plac