Shawn Micallef, photo courtesy of the artist.
Join us for an engaging evening of nonfiction storytelling at this Literary Cabaret, a sharing of works in the Literary Journalism residency at Banff Centre. Across three nights, explore boundary-pushing readings from participants and faculty mentors.
The three-week residency brings together writers working on long-form journalism, narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, and reported essays. Participants focus on deeply researched, real-world storytelling—where reporting meets literary craft.
This chapter is hosted by Shawn Micallef, a celebrated urban journalist and cultural commentator whose work explores cities, civic life, and everyday culture. He is a Toronto Star columnist and the author of books including Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto and Frontier City: Toronto on the Verge of Greatness.
Enjoy a drink from the bar and immerse yourself in a vibrant literary atmosphere. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., with readings starting at 7 p.m. Afterward, mingle with the writers and faculty until 9:30 p.m.
Don’t miss this chance to hear excerpts of articles and books that will soon be discussed across the country.
Literary Journalism is generously supported by the Flanagan Foundation, Fondation David R. Graham, and the Rogers Communications Chair in Literary Journalism Endowment.
About Shawn Micallef
Shawn Micallef
Shawn Micallef is the author of Frontier City: Toronto on the Verge of Greatness (2017), The Trouble With Brunch: Work Class and the Pursuit of Leisure (2014) and Full Frontal TO: Exploring Toronto’s Vernacular Architecture (2012). The updated and expanded edition of his first book, Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto, was published in 2024. He’s a Toronto Star columnist, civics instructor at University of Toronto, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College where he was also a 2011-2012 Southam Journalism Fellow. Shawn is a co-founder of Spacing, a magazine about Canadian cities and urban issues. In 2002, while a resident at the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab, he co-founded [murmur], a location-based mobile phone documentary project established in over 20 cities globally.