Ontario's Literary Landmarks

Backbeat Books, Music & Gifts is a store split in two sections. The right half of the shop is dedicated to books, music and movies. Although they specialize in literary fiction, and mostly trade paperbacks, they also have smaller History, Poetry, Mystery, Classics, "Older Than Dirt" and Children's book sections. They have a large and very popular "Read Canadian" section and a growing number of first editions and older "rare" books in our display case by the cash register.

Before he had his own independent bookstore in Toronto bearing his name, Ben McNally was the manager at Nicholas Hoare for a long time. He left Front Street for the heart of the financial district right on Bay just south of Richmond in September, 2007, which was considered an unprecedented move for an independent bookseller.

Nestled in the heart of Prince Edward County, an area known for its artisanal wines, is Books & Company. It’s an independent bookstore housed in a rebuilt building from the 1860s at the tail end of Picton’s Main Street.
Before the store opened in 2008, there were two other bookstores in town. David and Barb Sweet owned Books on the Bay, an independent shop specializing in new releases. Alexandra Bake owned the used bookstore Olivia & Company.

The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) is a national, not-for-profit organization, founded in 1976. We are dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing, illustrating and publishing of Canadian books for young readers. With book collections and extensive resources in five cities across Canada, the CCBC is a treasure-trove for anyone interested in Canadian books for young readers.

Coach House Books is a publishing legend in Toronto, in Ontario, in Canada and beyond. The best profile comes direct from their amazing website:

On May 14, the town of Cobalt had a dedication ceremony for former Highway Bookshop owner/publisher and Order of Canada recipient Dr. Douglas Pollard. The Dr. Pollard Poetry Park is Canada's most historic community poetry park. It's Northern Ontario's only park dedicated to preserving the memory and legacy of poetry hall of fame inductees Dave MacLaren, John Gore, Muriel E. Newton-White. Dedication plaques have been placed for all the poets including two honourary 19th century poets who ventured north, Dr. William Henry Drummond and Archibald Lampman.

The Eden Mills Writers' Festival is an annual event held in beautiful Eden Mills. The festival was founded in 1989 by Leon Rook and now draws thousands of people each year, who come to listen to wonderful author readings while surrounded by beautiful scenery. The Festival is a weekend-long affair culminating with Festival Sunday, a day of readings, music, book signings, art and delicious refreshments. For more information, visit the website here.

August 2011 marks the second anniversary of the Fish Quill Poetry Boat Tour. Seven poets and one musician will paddle from Elora to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, stopping to read at cafés, arts venues and local heritage sites along the way. Organized by Linda Besner and Leigh Kotsilidis, this unique reading tour launches in Toronto on August 6th with stops in Elora, West Montrose, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Brant Conservation Area and wraps up on August 13th at Chiefswood National Historic Site at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

Grey Borders was created in 2002 as the Grey Borders Magazine and the Grey Borders Reading Series. Currently, Grey Borders has expanded to include Grey Borders Books, Virus Readings, The Hearthside Hearings and the Niagara Literary Arts Festival. Always seeking submissions for their various publishings, you can find submission guidelines and event listings at www.greyborders.com.

The Grey Borders Reading Series is a not-for-profit literary organization based in St. Catharines, Ontario. The series holds monthly events during the fall and winter that features poetry and/or fiction by established and emerging talent. seasons at local arts venues and cafes. In the past the series has hosted events at the Niagara Artists’ Centre, Strega Cafe, Pan Cafe and Brock University.

July 21, 2010, Gwendolyn MacEwen Park, a small island of grass and trees at the centre of Walmer Road Circle, one block north of Bloor Street West in Toronto, reopened in a memorial ceremony to erect a bronze bust of the late poet and author who spent most of her adult life living in the Annex area. The park originally opened in 1996, but members of the Annex Residents' Association spent the next fifteen years in consultation with the city of Toronto in an attempt to reimagine the space in a more fitting tribute to a creative genius. Finally, 19 years later, the park was reopened.

About the Bookmark
On October 6th, 2011, the City of Hamilton became home to a plaque commemorating writer John Terpstra’s poem, “Giants,” which highlights the city’s geography and prominent escarpment. This permanent installation displays the entire text of Terpstra’s poem from his latest collection, Two or Three Guitars, published by Gaspereau Press.

Hosted annually by the Pelham Public Library, the Heart of Niagara Fall Reading Series welcomes some of Canada's most respected authors to their idyllic wine country location. Readings are held in the Festival Room of the Fonthill Branch, which also serves as an art gallery.

House of Anansi Press is an independently-owned Canadian Publishing House that was founded in 1967 by writers David Godfrey and Dennis Lee who were frustrated with the cultural norms of their time and place and shared an aversion towards “the establishment.” Originally, Anansi’s mandate focused on publishing only Canadian writers, and they garnered recognition for publishing well-known and critically acclaimed authors.

The International Festival of Authors (IFOA), one of the most celebrated literary festivals in the world began was in 1980 as part of Authors at Harbourfront Centre. With a mandate to ‘cultivate and advance the cause of literature,’ the organization operates, year round, under the principal sponsorship of Harbourfront Centre, Toronto’s leading multidisciplinary centre for contemporary arts.

Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books—“Ottawa’s Only Children’s Bookstore”—was opened in February 2006 by three partners, Kim Ferguson, Kelly Harrison, and Karin Fuller. The three women met when their daughters were in the same Senior Kindergarten class in school and soon realized that they all shared the same dream: to one day open their own bookstore. A few years later, that dream finally became a reality and they’ve been having a blast ever since!

About the Bookmark
On September 23rd, Kingston became home to a permanent installation dedicated to the influential poetry of the late Bronwen Wallace when Mayor Harvey Rosen unveiled a new plaque in the downtown area. The plaque bears the entire text of one of Wallace’s poems, “Mexican Sunsets” (from Common Magic, published by Oberon Press in 1985), and was installed on the Northwest corner of Princess and Clergy streets.

Knowledge Bookstore, located in Brampton, Ontario, is an Afrocentric bookstore containing everything from books to shea butter, movies, music and artwork, with a focus on the power of knowledge (of both self and world). The bookstore first opened its doors in 1997 and has been a major hub for Africentric literature in Ontario ever since.

The Toronto Public Library system is one of the best in the world, and the Lillian H. Smith branch is one of its prized locations. Located in the heart of the Discovery District, on the cusp of both Kensington Market and Chinatown and right in the outer boroughs of the University of Toronto, Lillian H. Smith gets a lot of traffic.

About the Bookmark
On October 4th, 2011, the Town of Midland became home to a plaque commemorating author Sylvia Maultash Warsh’s novel, The Queen of Unforgetting, published by Cormorant Books. The plaque will display a passage from the novel set in Little Lake Park, where the permanent installation will be displayed.

About the Bookmark
On September 30, 2011 the City of Mississauga become home to a plaque commemorating the poet Jeff Latosik. This permanent installation displays the entire text from Latosik’s poem “Song for the Field Behind Mississauga Valley Public School” from his Trillium award-winning collection Tiny, Frantic, Stronger (published by Insomniac Press).

Stepping into Nicholas Hoare Books is like stepping into a scene from the Disney animated classic Beauty and the Beast. The exposed brick walls are lined with fully stocked wooden bookshelves, adorned with ladders to help you access the books housed up top at unreachable levels.

About the Bookmark
On October 26th, Ottawa marked its place in Canada’s literary landscape when a plaque bearing a portion of Elizabeth Hay’s Garbo Laughs (McClelland & Stewart, 2003) was unveiled in the neighbourhood of Old Ottawa South. The installation is located on the west side of Bronson Place (near Fulton) at Colonel By Drive, on the south side of the Canal, just east of the Bronson Street Bridge.

About the Bookmark
On September 2nd, Owen Sound received a permanent literary tribute when Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners and author Terry Griggs unveiled a new plaque at the city’s waterfront. The plaque bears approximately 500 words from Terry Griggs’s novel Rogues’ Wedding (published by Random House of Canada in 2002), depicting a scene that takes place at the Owen Sound harbour, on the exact site where the plaque was installed.

About the Bookmark
On October 12, 2011 the City of Port Colborne became home to a permanent installation bearing a passage from the novel Sailor Girl by Sheree-Lee Olson (published by The Porcupine’s Quill).

Bush land scrub land — 

Cashel Township and Wollaston

Elvezir McClure and Dungannon

green lands of Weslemkoon Lake

where a man might have some 

opinion of what beauty

is and none deny him 

for miles —
-Al Purdy "The Country North of Belleville"

Trains and more trains crash
across the deathless viaducts.
              Given
    we must burden love
the Town Hall clock strikes just
              eleven.

— Richard Outram, "Silence in Port Hope" (Remembrance Day 2002)

City of Toronto announces Robertson Davies Park renaming ceremony
May 28, 2007
Media Advisory: Avenue Road Playground to be renamed for Canadian author Robertson Davies
Councillor Michael Walker (Ward 22 St. Paul’s) and representatives from City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation will join community members to officially rename Avenue Road Playground to Robertson Davies Park.
Date: Wednesday, May 30 (Rain date: Thursday, May 31)

Grant Allen, Canada's first crime writer, was born in 1848 on Wolfe Island, the largest of Ontario's Thousand Islands. He is the inspiration for the Scene of the Crime Festival, an annual event for mystery readers and writers held on Wolfe Island.

Books and wine. Books and tea. Books and cookies. Just about anything goes well with books. But one of my favourite pairings is books and outdoor readings. And the Scream Literary Festival has had that on offer for twenty years, expanding into a multi-day affair in partnership with publishers, authors and multiple venues, all leading up to an evening reading in High Park. Sometimes, it's sunny. Sometimes, it's buggy. Sometimes, it's rainy. But the stars always come out for Scream, the hill lined with blankets, picnic baskets and . . . grape juice.

SeenReading.com is my literary voyeurism project. For over three years, I've been tracking readers in the wild, largely on transit, because I'm fascinated by the exhibitionist's act of privately reading in a public venue.

The Sleeping Giant Writers' Festival is the largest literary festival in Northern Ontario. Named after the legendary rock formation that rests at the head of Lake Superior, the weekend-long summer festival brings Canadian authors and festival goers to Thunder Bay for workshops and readings. Authors at the 2010 festival included David Carpenter, Terry Fallis, Douglas Gibson, Jeanette Lynes, Richard Scrimger and Miriam Toews.

Spring Pulse Poetry Festival is Northeastern Ontario's premier poetry/arts event. From May 7-14, 2011, Northern Poetry Week will celebrate the memory and legacy of Dr. William Henry Drummond who lived, worked and died in Cobalt in 1907. He was the North's most famous literary figure and Canada's peoples' poet laureate. The week is a 30-event collective showcasing our multi-talented artists through poetry, painting and music. Check our website at www.springpulsepoetryfestival.com

So we built a house, my wife and I
our house at a backwater puddle of a lake
near Ameliasburg, ON.
—Al Purdy "In Search of Owen Roblin"

More than a Bookshelf
One of Ontario’s oldest indie bookstores has it all — and a little bit more

By Stacey Madden

I created The Miraculous Bench Writing School & Retreat in the summer of 2010. I'd lived in the neighbourhood for many years and had my rituals, namely reading and writing from a particular bench. I began to notice just how many authors lived in the area, from as-of-yet published writers to finalists (and winners) of some of Canada's largest literary prizes. (Feel free to read into the name of this bench for a clue into the identity of one such author.)

Almost a century ago, Muskoka was known as the Canadian Summer Literary Capital, part of a larger network of assemblies across North America. Honouring its great literary tradition, the contemporary Muskoka Chautauqua offers a unique perspective — renewal of body, mind and spirit — through the exploration of selected literary works.

What began in 2008 as the dream of a handful of writers who had been heavily involved with their volunteer community of Durham Region became a full-fledged writers’ organization and an annual event on every writers’ calendar.

Every September on one Sunday in cities across the country, the word is books, literacy and free events for all. The Word On The Street brings together readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and community organizations in a celebration of the written word. City streets become a vibrant marketplace, and parks come alive with tented workshops, panels and signings by some of our nation's best and brightest authors.

While no longer open for business, we'd be remiss not to note a bookstore once noted by The Guardian as one of the top independent bookstores in the world and Canada's best indie.
From The Guardian:

In 2008, freelance writer Doreen Barnes, author and columnist Russ Disotell, Brockville Public Library head librarian Margaret Williams, and retired entrepreneur Valerie Kines realized that there was an abundance of talented authors in the Brockville area. They decided to put together an event that would promote and showcase this local talent and bring writers and readers together. And so, in 2009, the Thousand Islands Writers Festival was born.

About the Bookmark
On October 28, the city of Toronto received a third literary installation at the Northwest corner of College and Manning streets. The plaque (or “Bookmark”), which was unveiled by author Anne Michaels and President of CHIN Radio and Chair of the Little Italy BIA Lenny Lombardi, features an excerpt from Michaels’ award-winning novel Fugitive Pieces (McClelland & Stewart, 1996).

About the Bookmark
On Thursday, October 21, Toronto received its second Bookmark at the corner of St. George and Bloor, right across from the St. George subway station. The plaque bearing the text of the poem “Essentialist” from Ken Babstock’s Trillium Award-winning collection Airstream Land Yacht (House of Anansi, 2006) was unveiled by poet Ken Babstock and Toronto bookseller and Project Bookmark Canada President Ben McNally.

About the Bookmark
On April 23, Toronto became home to a very exciting literary landmark when a plaque baring 500 words from Michael Ondaatje’s stunning novel In the Skin of a Lion (McClelland & Stewart, 1987) was unveiled by the author and Toronto Mayor David Miller at the northeast corner of the Bloor Street Viaduct.
The installation is part of Project Bookmark Canada, a national, charitable organization that marks the places where real and imagined landscapes meet.

Book lovers (and wine lovers) looking for a reason to spend a spring day in the Niagara Region need look no further than Wayzgoose, held annually at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery on the final Saturday of April. This year's event from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 30th marks Wayzgoose's 33rd year. With 49 exhibitors from across Canada and the United Stated lined up, it promises to be the town's finest celebration of the book arts yet.

Words Worth Books is a famous, full service general bookstore that has been a community fixture in Waterloo, Ontario, since 1984. Previously the owners, Chuck Erion & Tricia Siemens, carried on a bookstore business for seven years in Mount Forest, Ontario, a small town north of Guelph. Unlike the chain stores, an independent store such as Words Worth Books strives to provide a broad range of interesting books and magazines backed by a knowledgeable staff prepared to special order any in-print title not currently in stock.