The Word On The Street Blog

We get it. Canada Day has come and gone, you’re melting into a pool of hot sweat, and you got on the one subway car without air-conditioning (actually, you’re pretty sure they had the heat on). What relief is there is this cruel world?! Well, take solace in the fact that The Word On The Street is less than 3 months away!

And now that it’s so close, we’re determined to find the best and brightest volunteers in town. We need people like you to help out on the day of the festival (Sunday, September 25), but we also need volunteers to help before the festival in our beautiful, air-conditioned office. Indeed, volunteering is next to cleanliness (or however that saying goes).

To explain the benefits of helping out with the festival, our good friend and dedicated volunteer, Joshua P’ng, has all the details below on what you can look forward to.

If you’d like to volunteer for this year’s festival, please visit our Kindness Connect page.

The sun wasn’t even up yet, but there I was, clutching signs and walking through a thunderstorm on the grass of Queen’s Park Circle, the last year The Word On The Street would be hosted there before moving to Harbourfront Centre. The thin rain jacket I wore was battered against my shoulders, leaving a cold trickle underneath my collar, while my jeans dampened to near black. Standing outside in the rain watching all the other dedicated volunteers shivering in plastic ponchos, clutching white cardboard signs directing attendees to the TD KidStreet, I had to ask myself, why was I here?

The answer came quick: being there was about more than just a love of books, love of authors, love of festivals, or love of some other literary-related-answer. There are many reasons that have me automatically visiting the volunteer sign-up page when the call out hits my email:

1. Don’t let your shy nature stop you, it’s a great opportunity to meet new people

The first time I volunteered, I was most surprised by how most volunteers were not just high school students looking to check off their 40 required hours to graduate. Helping me lug signs in the rain was an aspiring agent hoping to meet soon-to-be mentors, looking to understand the industry she has just entered. Another volunteer from Brampton was new to Toronto and wanted to meet new friends. Even many of the pre-festival volunteer sessions offer a great opportunity to meet other volunteers and of course, the hardworking staff that runs the festival.It’s just so great to see that people from all walks of life can find a reason to give up their Sundays for books.

Volunteer Appreciation Day

2. No matter what happens at The Word On The Street, there are always fun volunteer duties

Most volunteering opportunities for other organizations are often simple and repetitive. This isn’t the case at The Word On The Street. Since starting to volunteer three years ago, my tasks have ranged widely, from making small talk with authors while guiding them to their event, setting up fencing for the TVO kids tent, to taking an impromptu tour of Toronto libraries and Starbucks locations to put up posters on every community board I saw.One year, during the festival set-up, I had the job of shuttling volunteers and tent equipment in a golf cart.

Now if you had seen me, you might have said, “My my! Is that the King?” To which I would respond, “No, my dear, fellow. We don’t have a king. I’m a Word On The Street Volunteer!” I would then drive off leaving a trail of rainbow-coloured books behind me that could be planted (because they’re biodegradable) and a rainbow book-tree would grow that would provide a great many tales of my golf cart adventures to all the people in this fair land.

Such is the life of those who help book and magazine festivals.

3. Probably the best opportunity to meet your favourite author, publisher, or agent (do people have favourite agents?)

A great reason that so many people go to The Word On The Street is for a chance to meet their favourite best-selling author, but as a volunteer, meeting an author becomes easy. For one day, hundreds of authors, editors, and publishers converge together at the Harbourfront Centre to celebrate reading and writing.

Volunteers get the front row seat to meet them whether helping the publishers of a indie press find their booth, or standing backstage at an author talk session (think of VIP passes where the V. stands for volunteer). Best of all, everyone already has a reason to like you because in that desperate time of need, you’ll be that nice person who can point out where the washrooms are.

4. You can gain access to the super-secret office where The Word On The Street lives year-round

Ever wonder where the magic behind The Word On The Street happens? If you volunteer for a pre-festival opportunity, you’ll probably get to visit The Word On The Street’s office. Situated in Liberty Village at the Carpet Factory (which is an incredibly cool building – just saying), a day there is like Open Door Toronto. You can walk through the front door and poke around the inner workings of The Word On The Street. You’ll get to meet the awesome staff and find out how their spine-shattering superpowers* help make the festival as exciting as it is.*

Note: The staff will let volunteers use their superpowers for a short time if you ask nicely.

5. The Achilles heel of any book nerd, The Word On The Street is a bounty of new books

Cracking open a fresh book and smelling its fresh print is one of the most fantastic experiences you can have. And finding a new book at The Word On The Street is as easy as finding a Starbucks in Toronto (bazinga!). Whether perusing the books in the office library, helping your favourite press, or getting excited from an author’s talk, there are so many opportunities for a fresh new book is at The Word On The Street.

Find a new book you’ve never read before, crack it open, and live the spirit of the festival.

It only stopped raining when the next shift of volunteers, the ones to replace me, came ready to greet the first attendees to the festival grounds. I walked past them, splashing through puddles, as the sun finally came up to turn into a perfect September day. Like every year, good or bad, it was an experience to cherish.

So come down on September 25, in the festival’s second year at the Harbourfront, and you’ll find me among the books with a volunteer T-shirt, having the time of my life (and probably reading something new).

Sign up today on Kindness Connect!

Joshua has volunteered at The Word On The Street so many times he has lost count. When he is not volunteering, he is writing short stories about the near future, sketching people on the train, reading graphic novels, and taking bike trips in unfamiliar neighbourhoods. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaPng1

Please visit our Volunteer Registration page for more information on how to be involved.