Showing posts with label book events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book events. Show all posts

12 May 2023

Science Fiction and Fantasy Fridays: Event Recap: Heroes, Antiheroes, and Everyone in Between featuring Brent Weeks and Andrea Stewart!

12 May 0 Comments
Science Fiction and Fantasy Fridays introduces readers who are unfamiliar with the Adult SF/F genre to books, authors, and discussions all about the vast expanse of the world of Adult SF/F!

As fantasy readers, we cheer for a hero… but we also stan an assassin. It’s not always as easy as black-and-white in new books from Brent Weeks, Andrea Stewart, C.L. Clark, and Justin Lee Anderson!

Join the authors and moderator Bradley Englert for a conversation about the larger-than-life characters we love, hate, and love to hate.

Heroes, Antiheroes, and Everyone in Between

Spotlight on the Panel Discussion



Newest Releases

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11 May 2023

We Can(ada) Read: Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD Festival) 2023 Recap!

11 May 0 Comments
We Can(ada) Read is by Canadians for EVERYONE to learn more about some amazing Canadian authors!

About the Event

The Festival of Literary Diversity is Canada’s first festival for diverse authors and storytellers, held in historic downtown Brampton. The FOLD provides one-of-a-kind events for kids and adults that engage readers, inspire writers, and empower educators by highlighting important and underrepresented voices.

This year's FOLD festival took place from April 30, 2023 to May 7, 2023.

2023 FOLD Festival Event Recap

This year's festival had a huge lineup, both virtually and in person! Beyond the panels, there was a chance to hang out with publishing people and authors during the roundtable and after party options and trivia for the first few days!

I ended up with a cold on Sunday but attended everything I could virtually. I really enjoyed the "Sh*t No One Tells You About Publishing" and "Queer Joy" panels! I also won two rounds of trivia and really enjoyed learning more about some authors and genres that have a heavy Canadian presence that I didn't necessarily know about.


It was such a nice time chatting with people online and being part of the Canadian book scene again. I found it really interesting to take part in the roundtable discussions and have a virtual hangout space to write (reviews) and just be around people to keep myself accountable. I wish that existed in more spaces! (Maybe I'll start live streaming on my YouTube channel to do that!)

If you've never been to FOLD before, I highly recommend attending next year! Especially a virtual pass and getting to see the events live and after the fact. And who knows, maybe you'll best me in trivia!

About The FOLD Foundation

The FOLD Foundation was founded in 2014 by author Jael Richardson. In May 2016, the organization launched the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) – the first literary festival devoted to celebrating underrepresented authors and storytellers.

The festival takes place in Brampton, Ontario, providing an important space for writers to discuss their craft and the challenges involved in creating stories that ask difficult questions, expose hard truths and push literary boundaries.

The FOLD continues to provide new and innovative opportunities to engage readers, inspire writers, and empower educators.

Since the flagship festival launched in May 2016, the FOLD Foundation has grown to include a reading challenge, a kids festival, an author visit series, and monthly online webinars.

The FOLD Foundation became a charitable organization in 2019.

What's the last book event you went to?
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27 Apr 2023

We Can(ada) Read: gritLIT Festival in Hamilton, Ontario!

27 April 0 Comments
We Can(ada) Read is by Canadians for EVERYONE to learn more about some amazing Canadian authors!

About the Event

gritLIT is Hamilton’s annual literary festival, a four-day celebration of Canadian authors. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has built a reputation with readers in the Golden Horseshoe as a place to get “up close and personal” with their favourite authors and to discover new voices.

gritLIT brings together diverse voices – the biggest Canadian authors, up and coming talent, and local Hamilton writers – in a series of readings and themed events. The festival’s mandate is one of accessibility for both authors and audiences. gritLIT puts a focus on local authors, giving them the exposure to readers that they richly deserve.

The festival includes readings at local schools including French language presentations. And gritLIT ticket prices are among the lowest of any Southwestern Ontario literary festival.

2023 gritLIT Event Recap


Day Zero - Virtual Events

I attended all the virtual events that took place throughout the week and really enjoyed them! I think my favourite was the pop culture discussion with Jen Sookfong Lee (SUPERFAN: HOW POP CULTURE BROKE MY HEART). It was really interesting to see the comedy aspects of pop culture mixed in with identity, belonging, and female rage.


Day One - Saturday, April 22, 2023

Day one was really exciting! I started my day with the Book Club for Catherine Hernandez's THE STORY OF US. The conversation centred on non-spoiler aspects of the book and how much work, love, and care Hernandez put into the novel to really capture not just the personal support worker reality but the immigrant personal support worker reality in combination with the queer experience. I highly enjoyed this conversation and it made me pick up the book!

I then listened to the Romance panel put on by the Youth Committee which featured Jenny Holiday (DUKE, ACTUALLY) and Farah Heron (KAMILA KNOWS BEST). I really enjoyed the discussion around how romance fiction is written through the female gaze, which means that sex and relationships are rooted in what women want rather than what men think women want.


Both of the Earth Day discussions around climate justice and Indigeneity were really interesting. I loved seeing the collaboration between authors and how we need to work together to move forward in social justice. I appreciated the frankness in conversation around moving forward and centering equity-deserving and racialized communities in the fight to move forward.

I did have to leave after these, but I was excited for day two! Except that I woke up with a migraine on Sunday so I wasn't able to get to Hamilton.


About gritLIT

gritLIT was established in November, 2004, by Hamilton writer Krista Foss. It started as a small, intimate festival, with readings taking place in the Staircase Theatre. Over the past seven years, gritLIT has evolved into a larger-scale and wider-reaching endeavour. 

Since its inception, gritLIT has been associated with LIT LIVE, Hamilton’s monthly reading series. In recent years, we have also joined forces with the Hamilton Poetry Centre and Steel City Stories.

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14 Oct 2022

Science Fiction and Fantasy Fridays: Event Recap of Naomi Novik & Terry Brooks in conversation, hosted by Shawn Speakman

14 October 0 Comments

Science Fiction and Fantasy Fridays introduces readers who are unfamiliar with the Adult SF/F genre to books, authors, and discussions all about the vast expanse of the world of Adult SF/F!
Bestselling Del Rey Books authors Naomi Novik and Terry Brooks will be in discussion talking about fantasy, writing, and their two new books The Golden Enclaves and Daughter of Darkness.

It was an enjoyable night of learning about their newest books and about writing in general.

Naomi Novik & Terry Brooks in conversation, hosted by Shawn Speakman

Spotlight on Naomi Novik & Terry Brooks

Terry told the group how when he was a child he wasn't given access to just anywhere in the library, so he would have to sneak around. He read some books before he should have because of this!

Naomi mentioned that her daughter isn't censored for what she can read, but definitely read some of her books before she thought or intended her to. She has kept the door open for conversation, which has gotten her some awkward questions.

What are you currently reading?


Naomi Novik: I'm currently reading, BOATS WITH AN OPEN MIND, which is about the design of yachts and WE, THE NAVIGATORS about Polynesian traditions of ocean navigation. When I'm working on a project, my fiction reading drops off a cliff.

Terry Brooks: I tend to read a lot of fiction when I'm writing because I seem to write better when I'm caught up in someone else's story. I go back to mine and feel fresher about it. Except at the end - because I'm locked in and have to finish.

What is your next project?

Naomi Novik: It's related to the books I'm reading and all the research I'm doing is for a very short prequel story that will probably have minimal impact on the story overall. It will be two lines of text, but I find that it really matters. I'm writing about the discovery of new continents and I have to figure out how they do that.

Terry Brooks: I'm 75% done with the next Child of the Light series, but to write the rest, I have to learn more about mermaids. I'm learning about mermaid history throughout the world. I research as much as I can and write down as little as I have to. I want to get the feeling and sense of what it would be like and work from there.

Do you see yourself as having periods in your writing life?

Terry Brooks: I'm just trying to remember what my childhood was like. Everything runs together in a way. I just had a class reunion that I did not go to and those people are elderly! Not only that, I looked at the photos and don't know a single person and so little I remember about that period of my life.

Did you have any issues in school?

Naomi Novik: In retrospect, so many of us remember misery from those years because the miserable bits are what stick in our minds. I was the library nerd with no friends because I wasn't quite ready to do that. I was so deeply engaged in the world in my head which was more exciting than the real world. I hadn't found my people and I didn't until college and the internet.

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28 Sept 2022

Event Recap: The Word on the Street's Community Pop-Up at Evergreen Brick Works

28 September 0 Comments

I spent my Sunday attending The Word on the Street's Community Pop-Up at Evergreen Brick Works! It was such a lovely Sunday to be surrounded by books and community members. And any time I get to go to Evergreen Brick Works, I'm happy!


You can see more pictures from the event on my Instagram page!

The Word on the Street's Community Pop-Up at Evergreen Brick Works

About the Event

The Word On The Street Toronto is bringing our festival to your backyard. In this inaugural community pop-up event, we're hosting a mini-WOTS at an internationally-renowned hub of sustainability: Evergreen Brick Works! An abandoned brick-making factory nestled in Toronto's lush ravines, Evergreen Brick Works was transformed into a community hub for all to enjoy.

Enjoy author-led forest walks, a book-filled vendor marketplace, activities for the whole family, Soapbox Science, a featured discussion with environmentalist Maude Barlow, and readings by the finalists for the City of Toronto’s 2022 Toronto Book Awards.

Our community marketplace will include 30+ exhibitors including long-time WOTS favourites such as Annick Press, House of Anansi and Groundwood Books, Brick Books, Coach House Books, ECW Press, Invisible Publishing, Literary Press Group, Stelliform Press, Second Story Press, Wolsak & Wynn, and more. You can also meet some of Toronto’s newest literary shops: Little Ghosts Bookstore, Happily Ever After Books, and Issues Magazine Shop.

My Experience

I really enjoyed the layout of the event - and it was super great to meet the Toronto Word on the Street team! I got to the event right for when it opened at 9 so I could take in the full event and make sure I knew what was available before I spent all my money at the first booth. (I almost did that anyway).


I was lucky to get a media pass, which meant that I got an awesome swag bag filled with stuff from some of the publishers and shops that came to the event. You can see that list of books on Goodreads!


In case that reel was too quick for you, in my swag bag was:

I loved the mixture of publishers, bookstores, and other cute bookish shops. I really enjoyed my custom live poem from Poesy! Because I got a ton of books in my goodie bag, I spent time learning more about upcoming releases, on small goodies, and coffee to make sure I can stay up all night reading.

I also shopped at Happily Ever After Books, Canada's first romance specific bookstore! I picked up ANGELIKA FRANKENSTEIN MAKES HER MATCH by Sally Thorne, a set of enamel pins, and was gifted a cute keychain!

Author Readings

The best part of the day was the author readings! I really enjoyed the reading and the conversation with the authors, which added an extra level of detail to it all.

I sat through the majority of the author readings, which you can see on their YouTube page:
        1. Clayton Thomas-Muller: Life in the City of Dirty Water
        2. Toronto Book Awards Shortlist Readings
        3. Maude Barlow: Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism
        4. Diaspora Dialogues with Tanya Turton

I really appreciated the honesty with which Clayton Thomas-Muller discussed colonialism, Indigenous perspectives, and the need to be active in our communities.

I also got my copy of WRONG SIDE OF THE COURT signed by H.N. Khan! And shout out to my fiance for taking this picture (and generally being a good sport about carrying around all my books for me).

If you haven't gone to a Word on the Street event before - I recommend you go to the next one they host! It's always so much fun, you get to meet a bunch of new people, and learn about new books. What more could you ask for?

About The Word on the Street Toronto

The Word On The Street Toronto is an annual celebration of storytelling, ideas and imagination, hosting Canada’s largest FREE book and magazine festival, and promoting great books by Canadian and Indigenous authors year-round. Since 1990, WOTS Toronto has animated the city's streets and celebrated the stories that connect us with diverse and inclusive programming while championing literacy for readers of all ages. To learn more, visit their website.

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