Wordfest originated as an idea conceived by Donald Stein, then associate director of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, who in 1996 envisioned the coordination of a southern Albertan writers' festival.
The concept of Wordfest was first proposed by Donald Stein, the then-deputy director at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, who in 1996 conceptualized a gathering to bring together southern Alberta's writers.