Beloved Canadian military chronicler Tim Cook joins poet and Afghanistan veteran Benjamin Hertwig to explore aspects of war that many of us thankfully never see. Bathed in the stained-glass light of one of Calgary’s oldest churches, this free lunchtime event is essential for anyone interested in the stories behind those who serve.   Hosted by Rod Moody-Corbett.

Presented in partnership with Wordfest.

Celebrating its 23rd year, Wordfest connects Calgarians with life-changing experiences at over 180 events with 120+ artists year-round, and at the Festival, from October 8 to 15, 2018.

Tim Cook is the Great War historian at the Canadian War Museum as well as an adjunct professor at Carleton University. In 2008, he won the J.W. Dafoe Prize for At the Sharp End and again in 2018 for Vimy. Shock Troopswon the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. In 2013, he received the Pierre Berton Award for popularizing Canadian history. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

Benjamin Hertwig is a National Magazine Award-winning writer, painter, and ceramicist, born and raised under big prairie skies and currently living on unceded Coast Salish territory, Vancouver. As a child, he liked sports publicly and books privately. Since graduating from high school, he has spent time as a soldier, a student, a bike courier, a tree-planter, an inner-city housing worker, and an English instructor. His first book of poetry, Slow War, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Website: benjaminhertwig.com. Twitter: @benjaminhertwig.