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The Word On The Street has been renowned for the quality and diversity of its event programming and our 2025 festival promises to offer the best so far. Check out our schedule for Saturday, September 20, 2025!
Is the story your friend told you true or is it a contemporary legend or conspiracy theory that has been told by numerous other people or appeared on social media or in popular culture?
In this workshop, Gail de Vos, the author of three books on contemporary legends, will be telling several contemporary legends, reading from her newest book, and leading a discussion on the possible reasons for their popularity and relevance today.
Bring the stories you have heard and find out if they indeed may be contemporary folklore.
Storyteller, author, librarian and educator, Gail de Vos has been an active promoter of the oral tradition of literature in Alberta for over three decades. Gail teaches courses on storytelling as well as courses on Canadian Children’s Literature, Comic Books and Graphic Novels, and Young Adult Materials at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Library and Information Studies. Gail is the author of ten award winning resource books on storytelling and folklore in popular culture intended for educators working with students in Grade 6 and above as well as numerous guest chapters on comic books and graphic novels, storytelling, monsters, and folklore in popular culture for academic monographs. Her specialty is telling contemporary legends to young and not so young adults and is an active champion for intellectual freedom.