The urban alternative to the beach read, the Scream festival proves summer can be literary, too, with a hip lineup and an ironic theme (The Book Is Dead) that moves the festival well beyond its once-bucolic High Park origins. Indie lit darlings Derek McCormack (The Haunted Hillbilly) and Tony Burgess (whose Pontypool Changes Everything inspired Bruce McDonald’s latest film) headline Die Scream Die: A Musical Revu, a song-and-dance variety show featuring various Scream alumni. Mariko Tamaki, author of the GG-nominated graphic novel Skim, hosts Comics to the Rescue. There’s also a book-length dinner reading with Dennis Lee and, of course, the climactic outdoor lit-athon, the Scream in High Park, held over several hours at the park’s amphitheatre.—Brent Ledger