Get ready for this year’s The Scream Literary Festival — six exciting days of literary events across Toronto!

Now in its 18^th year, The Scream is a tribute to all that is radical, provocative, and new in literature. Events of all kinds will be happening throughout next week, all leading up to the massive main attraction: The Scream in High Park, a super-sized poetry reading in the beautiful outdoors.

Find a list of this year’s happenings (with links to their respective Facebook event pages) below! And you can visit The Scream’s website for even more details.

Welcome to the Carnival: An Evening with Steve McCaffery and David Antin (Tuesday, July 6 @ 7 pm) The first event of the festival features readings by “two of literature’s greatest provocateurs” (in fact, one of them, Steve McCaffery, is a past DESCANT contributor!).

Choose Your Own Poetic Adventure: A Scream Pub Crawl (Wednesday, July 7 @ 7 pm) A huge, sprawling poetry-reading event — featuring past DESCANT contributors Gary Barwin, Michael Knox, Nathaniel G. Moore, Emily Schultz, Daniel Scott Tysdal — former Now Hear This! S.W.A.T writer and DESCANT blogger Zoe Whittall — and many, many more writers!

The Centre for Sleep & Dream Studies (Wednesday, July 7 @ 11 pm) Poetry, sound and dream diagnosis are combined in the work of Canadian poet and artist a.rawlings!

The Hand That Feeds (Thursday, July 8 @ 7 pm) A celebration of Canadian arts policy that features past DESCANT contributor RM Vaughan, as well as NOW HEAR THIS! S.W.A.T. writers Angela Szczepaniak and Natalie Walschots!

My Voice Says So: The 25^th Anniversary of bpNichol’s Zygal (Thursday, July 8 @ 11 pm) A gathering to celebrate the work of bpNichol – the well-known Canadian poet who was featured in DESCANT’s second-ever issue in 1971 (and again in 1988)!

A Prairie of the Appetite: Margaret Christakos’ Excessive Love Prostheses (Friday, July 9 @ 7 pm) A book-length dinner reading inspired by the work of past DESCANT contributor Margaret Christakos.

Wax & Comb: The Scream’s Moustache Gala (Saturday, July 10 @ 7 pm) Featuring live music and contests for the most innovative and impressive facial hair — start growing ASAP!

YouthTube: User (Re)Generated Content (Sunday, July 11 @ 4 pm) A digital presentation of poetry that encourages participation and contribution from the audience.

Old School vs. New School (Sunday, July 11 @ 5:30 pm) A panel of experts on the written word debate the meaning — and the future — of “radical” literature.

The Scream in High Park (Monday, July 12 @ 7 pm) The main event — featuring past DESCANT contributor Michael Lista along with many other talented writers reading at the Dream Stage in High Park!