Flourish Festival of Letters and Art

A whole bunch of calligraphers, lettering artists and people who simply love beautiful letters are coming to Calgary this October.

And some of the biggest names in the calligraphy world are coming with them.

From October 21–25, the Flourish Festival of Letters & Art will bring artists from across Canada, the U.S. and around the world together in Calgary for five days devoted to an art form that is thousands of years old and, somewhat surprisingly, having a very modern moment.

Among the faculty are internationally recognized calligraphers including Suzanne Cunningham, Paul Antonio and Michael Sull, alongside an extraordinary group of artists teaching everything from traditional scripts and flourishing to contemporary lettering and creative techniques.

But Flourish isn’t really about perfect penmanship.

It’s about what happens when people put down their phones, pick up a pen and make something with their hands.

There are some wonderful visual stories too.

We’ll have live demonstrations, workshops, hundreds of people writing together, an evening where roughly 100 attendees will paint bottles, emerging artists, beautiful tools and inks everywhere, and a very special opportunity to experience the Heritage Edition of the St. John’s Bible.

In a world of AI-generated everything, there is something rather wonderful about hundreds of people travelling to Calgary to celebrate something that can only be made one stroke at a time.

I’d love to talk with you about a story, interview, on-location segment or visit to the festival.

And if you’ve never tried calligraphy before, even better.

We can put a pen in your hand.

Jill Burk
Flourish Festival of Letters & Art
Calgary, Alberta
October 21–25, 2026