Trillium Book Award Author Readings June 16

Ontario's Literary Landmarks

 
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Welcome to our Map of Literary Ontario! Click on pinpoints to explore locations mapped by Open Book readers, our Curators, our partners and Open Book staff. You'll find information about each Landmark and a lively Scrapbook for each mapped place — please add your stuff! This is a community effort to map Literary Ontario — the more people involved, the better. We look forward to hearing from you and to mapping Literary Ontario together.

Click the Contribute tab on the Scrapbooks to share your related notes, photos, audio and video with fellow Open Book readers. If you are interested in adding a new Landmark, please email us. And be sure to zoom in on the Map below to areas of interest — this will reveal all the currently mapped Landmarks (some are layered in the same areas).

Ontario Literary Landmarks

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Landmark Basic view

Al Purdy A-Frame

Al Purdy A-Frame

Ameliasburg

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"

Avid Reader Magazines & Books

Avid Reader Magazines & Books

Cobourg

Located in Cobourg’s Midtown Mall, The Avid Reader has been one of Cobourg's favourite bookstores since 1997. It sells everything from books and magazines, to gifts and greeting cards. With over 7,500 books and 2,000 magazine titles in stock, it has some of the best selection between Belleville and Oshawa. If you’re looking for a gift item, they have a selection of calendars, notebooks, day planners and trinkets.

Backbeat Books, Music & Gifts

Backbeat Books, Music & Gifts

Perth

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.

Baseline Press

Baseline Press

London

Baseline Press is a small literary press based out of London, Ontario, founded in 2011 by Karen Schindler. Baseline publishes limited edition poetry chapbooks and broadsides for new and mid-career Canadian poets. The press is known for creating hand-made works of literary art — thread-bound books printed on high-end specialty papers, and letterpress broadsides produced in partnership with London’s All-Sorts Press.

Ben McNally Books

Ben McNally Books

Toronto

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.

Biblioasis

Biblioasis

Windsor

Biblioasis is an independent literary press based in Windsor, Ontario. They were founded as a bookshop in 1998. In 2004, owner Dan Wells first turned to publishing, after which the bookshop gradually moved online; since 2007 publishing has been the primary occupation of the company. In their first eight years Biblioasis issued over 100 trade books, chapbooks and limited hand-bound titles.

Blue Heron Books

Blue Heron Books

Uxbridge

Just named Bookseller of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Awards, Blue Heron Books is the literary hub for Uxbridge and surrounding area. Situated in an historic 200-year-old building, the store boasts creaky floors, comfy chairs and wood shelves that house an eclectic mix of hand-selected books. The store offers an unpretentious atmosphere for those seeking a long, slow browse; but don't be deceived by the calm appearance.

Book Vault

Book Vault

Stratford

The Book Vault, located in Stratford, Ontario is a privately owned independent bookstore that prides itself on its fine selection of books that may not be found in other book stores. These include (but are not limited to!) new releases, the shop's best sellers, nationally-listed best sellers (not always the same...) and remainders.
The Book Vault specialized in history, fiction and cookbooks, as well as travel guide books.
Please drop in and look around — you might be surprised by what you find!

BookFest Windsor

BookFest Windsor

Windsor

BookFest Windsor is an annual three-day festival of books and authors that takes place the first weekend of November at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor, Ontario. There are author readings and signings, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, dramatic monologues and dramatizations. The genres presented range from poetry to novels, graphic novels, biography, creative nonfiction and politics.
As well as presenting events on the main stages at the Capitol, BookFest sends authors to meet students in the schools and the public library.

Books & Company

Books & Company

Picton

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.

Canadian Children's Book Centre

Canadian Children's Book Centre

Toronto

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

Coach House Books

Toronto

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

Cobourg Poetry Workshop

Cobourg Poetry Workshop

Cobourg

The Cobourg Poetry Workshop is a group of local poets who meet monthly. Its members read their original poetry and passionately discuss matters related to poetry. As well, the group manages two monthly reading series which are free to the public and feature local and Canadian poets as well as international poets from places such as Ireland and the United States.
Their monthly poetry readings are held at the local cafe known as 66 King East.

Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeebar

Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeebar

Ottawa

Not too far from Ottawa’s downtown, cozied in the capital’s Parkdale neighbourhood, is Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeebar. It’s easily identifiable by the large, eye-catching sign, its books-on-cart sidewalk furniture and the hint of a fresh pot of coffee that hits the air when the door swings open.
It was May 5, 1997, when the store started. Hintonberg and Westboro neighbourhoods were growing and the need for a community-oriented bookstore was clear. There was a void to be filled.

Cranberry Tree Press

Cranberry Tree Press

Windsor

Cranberry Tree Press Publishing Services is known for literary excellence, tasteful and attractive design, and quality printing and binding.
They publish a wide variety of genres, including poetry, novels, short fiction and all varieties of non-fiction. Recent books include The Road to Zeringet by Maggie Ziegler.

CSPI/Women's Press

CSPI/Women's Press

Toronto

Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc. (CSPI) was started by Jack Wayne in 1986 as a “hobby” and is now one of Canada’s leading independent academic publishing companies. As one of the few firms publishing scholarly works of particular interest to the Canadian market, their academic publishing program creates books that make a genuine and lasting contribution to a wide variety of disciplines from History to Health Studies.

Dr. Pollard Poetry Park

Dr. Pollard Poetry Park

Cobalt

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.

Dundurn Press

Dundurn Press

Toronto

In 1972, Kirk Howard was a community college instructor frustrated by the lack of books dedicated to Canadian history. So he decided to start up Dundurn Press. He named the company after Dundurn Castle, located in Hamilton, Ontario, where he’d grown up.

ECW Press

ECW Press

Toronto

Welcome to ECW Press.
Publishers Weekly recognized ECW Press as one of the most diversified independent publishers in North America. ECW Press has published close to 1,000 books that are distributed throughout the English-speaking world and translated into dozens of languages.

Eden Mills Writers' Festival

Eden Mills Writers' Festival

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.

Elliot Lake: Audrey Austin

Fish Quill Poetry Boat Tour

Fish Quill Poetry Boat Tour

Toronto

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.

General Store Publishing House

General Store Publishing House

Renfrew

Canadian-owned and grown in the historic Ottawa Valley, General Store Publishing House has 30 years of experience publishing over 900 titles for the enjoyment of millions of readers worldwide.

Established in 1981 by Tim Gordon, GSPH began in the bohemian hamlet of Burnstown, Ontario. A former distributor for Canonnbooks, Tim drew on his vast-reaching territory from Kingston to Deep River to respond to the contemporary appeal for Ottawa Valley titles.

Greenley's Bookstore

Greenley's Bookstore

Belleville

Housed in a historic building from the 1820s, the charming façade of Greenley’s Bookstore is a gem in Belleville’s downtown.
This independent store sells new books, hosts author readings and has worked hard to enrich literary life in the community. Authors such as Margaret Atwood, Francis Itani and Louise Penny have been in house.

Grey Borders

Grey Borders

Niagara Falls

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.

Grey Borders Reading Series

Grey Borders Reading Series

St. Catharines

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.

gritLIT Festival

gritLIT Festival

Hamilton

Hamilton writer and writing teacher Krista Foss started the gritLIT Festival in November, 2004. Since its inception the festival has grown considerably. At first, readings started out small and intimate at the Staircase Theatre. When the festival started to gain momentum, expanding its reach, it needed to branch out to a number of venues such as the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre, the Sky Dragon Centre and the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts.

Gwendolyn MacEwen Park

Gwendolyn MacEwen Park

Toronto

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.

Hamilton's Bookmark

Hamilton's Bookmark

Hamilton

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.

Heart of Niagara Fall Reading Series

Heart of Niagara Fall Reading Series

Fonthill

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

House of Anansi Press

Toronto

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.

IFOA Ontario

IFOA Ontario

Toronto

IFOA Ontario began as an offshoot of the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), a registered Canadian non-profit charitable organization that presents an 11-day literary festival in Toronto each year. Now in its seventh year, IFOA Ontario partners with libraries, bookstores, universities and communities to present the best writers of contemporary literature across the province.

International Festival of Authors

International Festival of Authors

Toronto

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

Kaleidoscope Kids' Books

Ottawa

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!

Kids Can Press

Kids Can Press

Toronto

Started in 1973 by a small group of women in Toronto who wanted to produce books for Canadian children, Kids Can Press is the largest Canadian publisher of children’s books today, with over 500 books published for children of all ages, from toddlers to young adults. These attractive picture, fiction and curriculum-based non-fiction books are available worldwide in over 30 languages.

Kingston WritersFest

Kingston WritersFest

Kingston

The Kingston WritersFest is one of the most highly anticipated and well regarded festivals on the Canadian literary scene. First launched in 2006, it was expanded and improved in 2009 by a group of bibliophiles dedicated to bringing an exciting, dynamic and thought-provoking program to this book-loving city.

Kingston's Bookmark

Kingston's Bookmark

Kingston

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

Knowledge Bookstore

Brampton

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.

Lillian H. Smith Library

Lillian H. Smith Library

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.

Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario

Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario

Leaskdale

From the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society:
The Lucy Maud [L.M.] Montgomery Society of Ontario is a not-for-profit organization incorporated within the Province of Ontario. The purpose of the Society is to bring together people who share an interest in the heritage of Lucy Maud Montgomery, particularly as it relates to her life in Leaskdale.

Midland's Bookmark

Midland's Bookmark

Midland

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.

Miraculous Bench Writing School & Retreat (Withrow Park & Foursquare)

Miraculous Bench Writing School & Retreat (Withrow Park & Foursquare)

Toronto

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.)

Mississauga's Bookmark: Jeff Latosik

Mississauga's Bookmark: Jeff Latosik

Mississauga

About the Bookmark
On September 30, 2023 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).

Muskoka Chautauqua Reading Circle

Muskoka Chautauqua Reading Circle

Minett

Almost a century ago, Muskoka was known as Canada's Literary Summer Capital and was part of a large network of Chautauqua assemblies across North America.

Muskoka Novel Marathon

Muskoka Novel Marathon

Huntsville

The Muskoka Novel Marathon is an annual 3-day novel writing event held on a (hopefully!) sunny July weekend and which raises funds and awareness for adult literacy in Muskoka. Started in 2001 with just four writers at a coffee shop in Huntsville, the Muskoka Novel Marathon now raises thousands of dollars annually for YMCA Muskoka Literacy Services. Writers join us from across Ontario and beyond to attempt to write a novel (or a collection of short stories or poems) in 72 hours, some at our Huntsville venue and others as remote participants from the location of their choice.

Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association

Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association

St. Catharines

Since 1983, the Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association has been helping local writers by offering them a unique mix of workshops, guest speakers, writing groups, publications, networking opportunities and most of all, friendship. During our regular meetings at the St. Catharines Public Library, we feature guest speakers from the industry who discuss areas of particular interest to writers – whether it’s manuscript editing, journalism, scriptwriting or self-publishing.

Nicholas Hoare Books

Nicholas Hoare Books

Toronto

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.

Northern Woman's Bookstore

Northern Woman's Bookstore

Thunder Bay

Only a few blocks from the white-capped swells of Lake Superior, The Northern Woman’s Bookstore sits in Thunder Bay’s historic Port Arthur downtown.
It was the 1980s and the closest feminist bookstore was nearly 1000 miles away. Being avid readers, Anna McColl and Margaret Phillips decided to embrace the spirit of the north and in 1984 they opened the store.

Ontario Writers' Conference

Ontario Writers' Conference

Ajax

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.

Ottawa International Writers Festival

Ottawa International Writers Festival

Ottawa

Founded in 1997, the Ottawa International Writers Festival celebrates the worldʼs best writing from home and abroad with a diverse program that presents interactions with leaders in the worlds of science, history, poetry, politics, spoken word, economics, drama, fiction, biography, music and more. Since 2004, the Festival has consisted of two annual Editions: Spring and Fall.

Ottawa's Bookmark

Ottawa's Bookmark

Ottawa

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.

Owen Sound's Bookmark

Owen Sound's Bookmark

Owen Sound

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.

Palimpsest Press

Palimpsest Press

Kingsville

Palimpsest is defined as a piece of writing on which the original text has been effaced to make room for later writing, but which traces remain. Metaphorically, it refers to something that is altered but still bears the visible traces of its history. Palimpsest Press is a publishing company that takes its inspiration from the new and the old in its production processes, combining the best of the modern digital age, along with historical techniques like letterpress printing and foil stamping.

Poetry London

Poetry London

London

Poetry London was created by Cornelia Hoogland and Carolyn Doyle in the fall of 2004, to serve as a focus for poetry in London, Ontario. The series makes its home in Wortley Village’s beautiful Landon Branch library. Through monthly readings, workshops, and special events, Poetry London aims to help increase the audience for Canadian poetry and nurture London’s vibrant and thriving poetry community.

Port Colborne's Bookmark: Sheree-Lee Olson

Port Colborne's Bookmark: Sheree-Lee Olson

Port Colborne

About the Bookmark
On October 12, 2023 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).

Prince Edward County Authors Festival

Prince Edward County Authors Festival

Picton

The Prince Edward County Authors Festival is an annual event hosted by Books & Company, an independent bookstore in Picton.
Each spring, authors and book lovers unit for a series of book readings, signings, workshops and evenings filled with all things literary.
The festival also includes its version of CBC’s Canada Reads, aptly naming the event, The County Reads.

Purdy Country LitFest (PurdyFests)

Purdy Country LitFest (PurdyFests)

Marmora

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"

Richard Outram's House at 81 Pine Street South, Port Hope

Richard Outram's House at 81 Pine Street South, Port Hope

Port Hope

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)

Robertson Davies Park

Robertson Davies Park

Toronto

City of Toronto announces Robertson Davies Park renaming ceremony
May 28, 2023
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)

Scene of the Crime Mystery Writing Festival

Scene of the Crime Mystery Writing Festival

Wolfe Island

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.

Scream in High Park Mainstage Event

Scream in High Park Mainstage Event

Toronto

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: The Literary Voyeurism Project

SeenReading.com: The Literary Voyeurism Project

Toronto

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.

Sleeping Giant Writers' Festival

Sleeping Giant Writers' Festival

Thunder Bay

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

Spring Pulse Poetry Festival

Cobalt

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

Stratford Festival

Stratford Festival

Stratford

The Stratford Festival, located in picturesque Stratford, Ontario, is North America’s leading classical theatre, drawing half a million visitors a year. It presents a seven-month season of a dozen plays in four venues, along with a Forum of events to enrich the play-going experience. With the works of Shakespeare at its core, the Festival features classics, contemporary dramas, musical theatre and new plays.

The Alice Munro Writers and Readers Festival

The Alice Munro Writers and Readers Festival

Wingham

The Alice Munro Writers and Readers Festival is a festival in Huron County that is devoted to providing a forum for writers to develop their craft and connect with like-minded literati. Each year in September, they celebrate literacy through a variety of events. Visitors to the festival can hear featured guest speakers read from their own works or discover “Munro Country” through a guided walking tour.

The Bookshelf

The Bookshelf

Guelph

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

By Stacey Madden

The New Quarterly Magazine

The New Quarterly Magazine

Waterloo

An award-winning journal with a sense of fun, The New Quarterly: Canadian Writers and Writing has been publishing the best of new Canadian writing for 31 years. They offer a lively mix of fiction, poetry, author interviews, and talk about writing. Each issue will introduce you to a new generation of Canadian writers, share the delight in the sound and sense of a story well-told, and take you inside great writing.

The Word On the Street (Toronto)

The Word On the Street (Toronto)

Toronto

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.

This Ain't the Rosedale Library

This Ain't the Rosedale Library

Toronto

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:

Thousand Islands Writers Festival

Thousand Islands Writers Festival

Brockville

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.

Toronto's Bookmark: Anne Michaels

Toronto's Bookmark: Anne Michaels

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).

Toronto's Bookmark: Ken Babstock

Toronto's Bookmark: Ken Babstock

Toronto

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.

Toronto's Bookmark: Michael Ondaatje

Toronto's Bookmark: Michael Ondaatje

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.

Walkerville Publishing Inc.

Walkerville Publishing Inc.

Windsor

Walkerville Publishing Inc.
716 Windermere Road
Windsor ON N8Y 3E1
519-255-9527

Walkerville Publishing Inc, has been publishing books in the Windsor area since 1999, with more than 30 titles to date. Their latest book, 500 Ways You Know You're From Windsor, quickly sold out its first run of more than 5,000 copies in only five months, making it a Canadian bestseller. A second edition is in the offing with new material and photos, as demand remains strong for this fun romp through post World War 2 Windsor and area.

Wayzgoose

Wayzgoose

Grimsby

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.

Wild Writers Literary Festival

Wild Writers Literary Festival

Waterloo

The first Wild Writers Literary Festival took place in November 2012. But it wasn’t the first time The New Quarterly had gathered Wild Writers in the region.

Wintergreen Studios & Wintergreen Studios Press

Wintergreen Studios & Wintergreen Studios Press

South Frontenac

Located in the beautiful Township of South Frontenac, Wintergreen Studios, a not-for-profit wilderness retreat, offers meeting facilities, workshops (including writing workshops) and a dinner and entertainment series that features some of Canada's finest writers.

Words Aloud Festival

Words Aloud Festival

Ontario

The Words Aloud Festival, an artistic celebration which runs from November 2 to 4, brings a diverse set of artists from all over Canada, and from a diverse set of backgrounds, to perform their work. The festival takes place in Durham, Ontario, which is about 170 km northwest of Toronto, at the beautiful Durham Art Gallery.

Words Worth Books

Words Worth Books

Waterloo

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.