This jam-packed bash pulls them in year after year with a storybook location, party atmosphere and an egalitarian lineup that mirrors the city’s many interests and identities. Margaret Atwood, new novel in tow, and other literary bigwigs (John Bemrose, Bonnie Burnard) anchor the two mainstages, but there are financial experts at a smaller one, cookbook types at another, and queer authors at yet another. Aspiring writers gather at the feet of Humber School faculty and alumni at the Wordshop Marquee; finalists for the Toronto Book Award and other Hogtown heavies read at the City of Toronto Tent. Families flock to the kids’ village; bargain hunters browse the booths of publishers and retailers that ring the park.—Brent Ledger