(Thursday, May 5, 2011)

The Word On The Street takes to the water for 2011

In a Canadian first, Word On The Street Halifax will celebrate its book and magazine festival in two cities—and on the water.

“We’re excited to hold the event seaside on the Halifax waterfront this year,” says Colleen Ritchie, executive director. “We’ll have readings on boats like Theodore Tugboat and the CSS Acadia.  Programming will stretch over to Alderney Landing on the Dartmouth waterfront. Using Metro Transit ferry service is the perfect way for attendees to travel back and forth and puts people on the water. We are certain that this innovative approach will heighten the already rich variety of readings, discussions and interviews people are used to enjoying at Word On The Street.”

Word On The Street is pleased to partner with Waterfront Development and Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to create a multi-sensory experience where attendees can celebrate reading, promote literacy and enjoy our Maritime heritage. 

“Hosting a free national caliber event, where people can combine their love of literacy with the stories and history of one of the world’s great harbours is wonderful,” says Colin MacLean, President & CEO of Waterfront Development.

Halifax’s Word On The Street is a FREE event and will be held on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information visit www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/halifax,  join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @wotshalifax.

(Monday, February 28, 2011)

Word On The Street Halifax is pleased to announce the appointment of Colleen Ritchie as its new executive director.

“This is an exciting time for Word On The Street,” says Lisa Doucet, co-chair of the festival.

“We are working hard to turn the festival into one of the best in Canada. Colleen is in a great position to help us do that.

Ritchie, a graduate of Nova Scotia Community College with an Advanced Diploma in PR, is the founder of the go to group,

an event production and sponsorship consultancy. She spent the first part of her career with Progress magazine as their event manager.

Her work there provided the perfect foundation to move on to larger festival style events. Ritchie was part of the team that helped bring the

Word On The Street festival back to the street in 2010.

“Our focus for the upcoming festival will be to engage new community partners and connect with readers at all levels. We want to showcase

the many faces of writing, and to help people find ways to foster reading and writing in their every day lives," says Ritchie.


The 2011 Word On The Street Festival will be held on Sunday, September 25, 2011.


For more information, please contact:

Colleen Ritchie
(902) 471-6044 
ritchgal@gmail.com
 
The Word On The Street is a national celebration of all forms of literacy and reading. Festivals are held in Halifax, Kitchener, Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon and new this year – Lethbridge. On one extraordinary Sunday each September, in communities from coast to coast, the public is invited to participate in hundreds of author events, presentations and workshops and to browse a marketplace that boasts the best selection of Canadian books and magazines you'll find anywhere.