s patios sheath their umbrellas, beaches close, and ice-cream shop proprietors skip town, requiems for summertime culture murmur in the streets. However, don't be too quick to hole up in an exposed-brick loft, drinking screw-top wine and pining for the smell of sunscreen.

In the autumn, Vancouver's cultural calendar may eschew in-the-avenue parties, but it doesn't abandon revelry. Gone is the sweat and garbage stink of urban summer, replaced with aesthete-exciting pageants and unveilings; a post-festival-season roster of killer concerts; and the best cinema of the year. Here is your guide to the city's best distractions and entertainments. Buy a new scarf, find your peacoat, crunch leaves underfoot, and get out there.

Word on the Street: Sep. 28
For avid readers, this is Christmas. Word on the Street offers more than 500 literary attractions including exhibits by local and national publishers, booksellers, and writers' associations. Expect some big name authors doing readings, some discussions, advice for young writers, events for kids, and a ton of music, food, and entertainment. Plus, you can pick up a bunch of free and cheap books that you'll probably never read. Full Story -R.T.

Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago: Oct. 1
A communist, José Saramago is inherently intrigued by the collective. In Blindness, he considered the effect that sudden, mass, nearly complete blindness would have on a city. In his forthcoming Death with Interruptions a New Year's Day passes without a single death. What implications would a deathless existence have, in terms of the philosophical, socio-economic, and existential ramifications? Will death have to go on the dole? Saramago presumably explores these questions in his new novel. Anything with Saramago's name attached is water-cooler provocative. Expect this to dot the eyelines of subway readers everywhere. -S.T.

Rachel Getting Married: Oct. 3
This time of year, beautiful prodigals return to cinemas in droves. Anne Hathaway takes yet another shot at stardom as Kym, a model turned rehab survivor that returns home for her clean-cut sister's wedding; baggage airing, bickering, and hugging begins. Hathaway is a better actress than you think and she has been close to breaking free of her squeaky Disney-sponsored image before. This time, there's no Emily Blunt or Heath Ledger to distract from her. Director Jonathan Demme is beyond due for a hit and, evidently, Deborah Winger is still alive. Who knew? -S.T.