Read Local BC

An Evening with Holly Howe, author of Mouthwatering Sauerkraut
2025-09-23 18:00 - 20:30 (America/Vancouver) | Vinca’s Kitchen Shop, 5042 48 Ave, Delta, British Columbia, V4K1V8, Canada
Join us at Vinca’s Kitchen for a special evening with Chef Holly Howe to celebrate the release of her new cookbook Mouthwatering Sauerkraut: Fermentation Made Easy!
Tickets are $40.00 plus tax and come with a copy of the new cookbook. There are only 35 tickets available.
Doors open at 6:00 pm and the event will start at 6:30 pm. Chef Holly will be demonstrating a couple of recipes, providing samples, and answering all your questions!
PLEASE NOTE – to purchase a ticket for this event online you MUST have your shopping location set as the Ladner store OR the Langley Warehouse location.

Indigo Park Royal: Book Signing
2025-10-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Chapters Indigo – Park Royal, 900 Park Royal S., West Vancouver, BC, V7T 1A1, Canada
Visit Indigo Park Royal between 1PM – 3PM on October 11th to meet local author Emma Sloan and claim your free gift with purchase of your signed copy of “Opheliac.”

Love At First Page
2025-10-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, 350 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 6B1, Canada
Writing a book is a labour of love that often involves working through complex relationships right on the page. Join four Canadian novelists writing at the intersections of romance, comedy and mental health as they discuss creating lovably flawed characters, share the process of writing second chance storylines and offer their tried-and-true writing tips to emerging authors. Author meet-and-greet with book signings to follow after the event, courtesy of bookseller Perfect Match Bookshop.
Featuring Natalie Sue, bestselling author of I Hope This Finds You Well & 2025 Leacock Medal winner; Noreen Nanja, debut author of breakout hit The Summers Between Us; Leanne Toshiko Simpson, 2025 Kobo Prize in Romance winner for Never Been Better; and Jacqueline Firkins, author of 5 novels – including Marlowe Banks, Redesigned – and UBC professor & costume designer. A selection of Jacqueline’s romance cover dresses will be on display at VPL during this event.
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Natalie Sue is the bestselling and award-winning author of I Hope This Finds You Well. She is a Canadian author of Iranian and British descent. She spent her formative years moving around western Canada with a brief stint in Scotland, where she discovered her passion for storytelling as a means of connection and reading as a means of comfort. When she’s not writing, she enjoys bingeing great and terrible TV, attempting pottery, and procuring houseplants. She lives in Calgary with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Noreen Nanja is the author of contemporary romance debut The Summers Between Us. As a second-generation Canadian, Noreen’s writing explores themes of identity, race and belonging, wrapped in stories of romantic and familial love. Born and initially raised in small-town British Columbia, she then spent her formative years in Edmonton before moving to Montreal to pursue her Bachelors in Psychology and English Literature at McGill University and then the University of Calgary to complete her medical degree. She currently lives with her partner and her small dog in Toronto, where she enjoys working in healthcare, drinking vast amounts of strawberry matcha and exploring local bookshops.
Leanne Toshiko Simpson is an award-winning writer, educator and mental health advocate from Toronto. She writes joyful, messy, laugh-out-loud stories about living with mental illness and the moments of hope that help us get out of bed day after day. Leanne’s mental health rom-com Never Been Better won the 2025 Rakuten Kobo Prize for Romance. She teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto and spends her free time designing mental health greeting cards for Pebbles and Company.
Jacqueline Firkins is a writer (Marlowe Banks, Redesigned), costume designer, and lover of beautiful things. She’s on the full-time faculty in the Department of Theatre & Film at the University of British Columbia where she teaches character design, world building, and period costume construction courses. When not obsessing about where to put the buttons or the commas, she can be found running by the ocean, eating excessive amounts of gluten, listening to earnest love songs, and pretending her dog understands every word she says.
***Jacqueline’s dresses (#booksasfashion) will be on display during the event and afterwards (until October 20th) through the windows of the Yosef Wosk Poet’s Corner on level 9 where the rooftop garden is.
In partnership with Perfect Match Bookshop (Vancouver’s first romance bookstore).

Poetry in Translation
2025-10-30 18:30 - 20:00 | Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, 350 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 6B1, Canada
Join us for an evening lost in translation with three talented poets as they discuss the often overlooked art of translation. How do you carry a book from one language to another, line by line, with precision? UBC Associate Professor Bronwen Tate will moderate the discussion with poets Rhea Tregebov, Rahat Kurd and Deborah Woodard.
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Bronwen Tate is the author of the poetry collection The Silk the Moths Ignore. She is an Associate Professor of Teaching and Undergraduate Chair in the UBC School of Creative Writing, where she offers courses in poetry, creative writing pedagogy, and literary translation. A Practical Guide to Teaching Creative Writing: Supporting Inclusive Pedagogy, a collaboration with colleague John Vigna, is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic in Spring 2026.
Rhea Tregebov is the author of eight collections of poetry, most recently, Talking to Strangers. She edited and co-translated the anthology Arguing With the Storm: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers and taught workshops in literary translation at UBC. In 2019 she taught a graduate course for the English Department at Tsuda University in Tokyo entitled “Translating the Self: Issues in Literary Translation.” Tregebov has translated poetry from French and Spanish and has worked in tandem translation from Japanese, Catalan and Finnish, languages she does not know. She is now an Associate Professor Emerita at the School of Creative Writing at UBC.
Rahat Kurd is a poet, writer, and editor of Kashmiri and north Indian family origin, born in Canada and based in Vancouver. The Book Of Z, published by Talonbooks this fall 2025, is her second full-length work of poetry. Her previous literary titles with Talonbooks are The City That Is Leaving Forever: Kashmiri Letters, (2021), co-authored with Kashmiri poet Sumayya Syed, and Cosmophilia, (poems, 2015). In her work as a beginner translator of contemporary Urdu poetry, Rahat Kurd is particularly interested in the ways lyrical resonances from the classical ghazal tradition have influenced modern and feminist Urdu-language poetic sensibilities.
Deborah Woodard studied with Charles Simic at the University of New Hampshire and has a PhD from the University of Washington. Her books include Borrowed Tales (Stockport Flats) and No Finis: Triangle Testimonies, 1911 (Ravenna Press). With Roberta Antognini, she has translated the poetry of Amelia Rosselli in Hospital Series (New Directions), Obtuse Diary, The Dragonfly, and Notes Scattered and Lost (Entre Rios Books). Their translation of Rosselli’s Document has just been published by World Poetry Books. Deborah teaches at Hugo House in Seattle, Washington and co-curates the reading series Margin Shift.
*This event is curated by writer, Jen Currin (Disembark and Trinity Street amongst many others).

Robin Ducharme Launches Real Love Ready
2026-04-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Bolen Books, #111-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria, BC, V8T 2C5, Canada
Victoria author Robin Ducharme launches Real Love Ready: A Guide to Relational Literacy, a compassionate guide to the knowledge, skills, and daily practices that help us love with greater intention, truth, and heart. In conversation with Monique Gray Smith, Robin will discuss how relational literacy can shape the way we connect in love, friendship, family, work, and self. A meaningful literary event for readers drawn to relationships, personal growth, and conscious living.

Book Signing with Garth Mullins
2026-04-18 15:30 - 17:00 | Munro’s Books, 1108 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1Y2, Canada
Please join us for a book signing with Garth Mullins; author of “Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War on Drugs”. This will be in collaboration with the Name the Crisis community art show, which will be running from April 7-26th. Prior to the signing, you can attend Garth’s reading and Q&A event at the Victoria Art Council Bay Centre Gallery at 1150 Douglas Street from 2-3:30pm!
“Crackdown” is an intimate portrait of Garth’s relationship with opioids, and a searing indictment of a broken system that is failing drug users and non-users alike. With street drugs getting more toxic by the day, drug users and their families, friends and communities are left to pay the price. This book asks us to radically reimagine our approach to drug use, and to envisage a system that helps rather than harms.
What: Book Signing with Garth Mullins
When: Saturday, April 18th from 3:30-5:00pm
Where: Munro’s Books – 1108 Government St
How: This event is free to attend

Canadian Independent Bookstore Day at Munro's Books!
2026-04-25 09:30 - 18:00 | Munro’s Books, 1108 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1Y2, Canada
Come celebrate Canadian Independent Bookstore Day at Munro’s Books on Saturday, April 25th! The party will include a contest to win $1000 to spend at the indie bookstore of your choice, exclusive bookstore swag with each purchase (while supplies last), two author signings, double rewards points on purchases (in-store and online), blind date with a book, a draw for a Munro’s Prize pack, photo booth, bookmark colouring station, and more!
This will mark the annual day when readers, writers, illustrators, publishers, and others come together to celebrate indie bookstores across Canada. By joining the celebration, you are advocating for independent businesses, supporting a flourishing book selling community, and investing in Canadian culture.
The book signings will include authors April Howells from 11:00am-1:00pm , and Phoebe Wang from 1:00pm-3:00pm.
We hope you can come party with us!
What: Canadian Independent Bookstore Day Celebration
When: Saturday, April 25th during opening hours (9:30am-6:00pm)
Where: Munro’s Books – 1108 Government St
How: This event is free to attend

The Art of the Book: Scott McIntyre
2026-04-30 18:30 - 19:30 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
At this upcoming Alcuin event, legendary publisher Scott McIntyre will offer a deeply personal retrospective on his nearly 50-year career at the forefront of the Canadian literary landscape. As the force behind Douglas & McIntyre, McIntyre will trace the evolution of one of the country’s premier independent houses, sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving industry icons and celebrated authors. More than just a history lesson, the talk serves as a passionate defense of the physicality of books—emphasizing why craftsmanship in paper, binding, and design remains a vital tribute to the written word even in an increasingly digital age.
For Scott, the physicality of books remained fundamental. Echoing the imperatives of Knopf; paper, binding, and type design had to honour the words. That resulted in winning more Alcuin awards than any other single house, national or multinational, while building the largest art book program in Canada, and establishing an international reputation for high quality books. Even the D&M logo, the Burghead Bull, declared intent, based upon a carved image from a 9th century Pictish fort overlooking Moray Forth: defiant; Scottish; echoing the traditions of old-line publishing houses.
Anecdotes about the evolution of Canadian publishing will focus on important D&M projects: The Art of Emily Carr, History in Their Blood, Doug Coupland’s Souvenir of Canada, and A Story as Sharp as A Knife, amongst many others.
This will be his personal take on the world that he chose to embrace and why the old standards still matter, even in a digital world.
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Scott McIntyre, CM, OBC, LLD (Hon), BA, is best known as the co-founder and the retired Publisher and CEO of the pre-eminent, Vancouver headquartered, Canadian publishing house Douglas & McIntyre. His company published over 2000 Canadian books from its founding in 1971 to his retirement in 2013. He also spent over 40 years engaged in industry/government relations.
Scott remains an active member of Canada’s cultural community. His recent Boards have included PEN Canada, the BC Achievement Foundation and, at UBC, Green College, the Global Reporting Centre, the Museum of Anthropology, and the Vancouver Institute. He delivered the 2019-2020 Clyne Lectures at Green College. His memoir, A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing, was published by ECW of Toronto on September 9, 2025. Scott is a graduate of UBC, and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from SFU. He is a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. His significant contributions to Canadian publishing have been further recognized by the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals.

Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize: Celebrating 2026 winner Tom Wayman
2026-05-05 19:00 - 20:30 | People’s Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L 3X5, Canada
Join us in celebrating Tom Wayman, the winner of the 2026 Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize, at the People’s Co-op Bookstore on Tuesday, May 5th at 7 pm. Tom will read from his award-winning poetry collection, Out of the Ordinary, and pay tribute to Al Purdy’s legacy. Free admission.

Book Signing: The Heart of Japan
2026-05-16 11:30 - 15:30 | BC
Meet New Westminster author Lesley Hebert at an author book signing for her unique travel memoir The Heart of Japan.

The Flash of Fireflies: Writing the Short Story
2026-05-19 18:30 - 20:00 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
Celebrate short story month with four talented fiction writers, Alix Ohlin, Andrea Routley, Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross, and Shashi Bhat, in conversation with local author Jen Currin about the art and craft of this wily and often misunderstood genre.
Alix Ohlin’s most recent book, the story collection We Want What We Want, won a Lambda Literary Award. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Short Stories, and many other places. She teaches creative writing at UBC.
Andrea Routley is the author of the short-fiction collections This Unlikely Soil and Jane and the Whales, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction and the Malahat Review Novella Prize. She has taught creative writing in both institutional, community, and one-on-one settings, with a focus on writing as an orientation to the world, one that cultivates curiosity and compassion. She is the editor of Walk Myself Home: An Anthology to End Violence Against Women, and was the founding editor of Plenitude, Canada’s queer literary magazine.
Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross is a writer and editor based in Vancouver, the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph, and her fiction, poetry, essays, and art criticism have appeared in BOMB, C Mag, The Ex-Puritan, Fence, Mousse, and elsewhere. The Longest Way to Eat a Melon, her debut collection of short fictions, was published by Sarabande Books in 2025.
Shashi Bhat is the author of the story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart), and the novels The Most Precious Substance on Earth (M&S, Grand Central), and The Family Took Shape (Cormorant). Her fiction received the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, the Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and a silver National Magazine Award. She has been a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for fiction, the Danuta Gleed Award, the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award, and other prizes, and was longlisted for the Giller Prize. Shashi’s work has appeared in publications across North America, including Hazlitt, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Best Canadian Stories, and The Journey Prize Stories. She is the editor-in-chief of EVENT and teaches creative writing at Douglas College.
Jen Currin has published two collections of stories, Hider/Seeker (Anvil, 2018) and Disembark (House of Anansi, 2024), and five collections of poetry, most recently Trinity Street (Houseof Anansi, 2023). Currin lives on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples, including the Qayqayt, Musqueam, Kwikwetlem, and Kwantlen Nations, in New Westminster, BC. They teach creative writing and English upgrading at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Book Signing with Dora Dueck
2026-05-24 13:00 - 15:00 | Black Bond Books – Ladner, 5251 Ladner Trunk Road, Ladner, BC, V4K 1W4, Canada
Meet-and-greet with award-winning writer Dora Dueck, signing her 6th book, Like a River Divides the Earth

Book launch: The Art of Looking Back by Theresa Kishkan
2026-05-29 13:00 - 15:00 | Sechelt Public Library, 5797 Cowrie St, Sechelt, BC, V0N 3A0, Canada
Join Theresa Kishkan for the release of her memoir, The Art of Looking Back: A Painter, an Obsession, and Reclaiming the Gaze.
Theresa examines her youth and her role as muse to Victoria artist Jack Wilkinson. More than a reminiscence, this poetic memoir asks questions about older men and younger women and girls, and the persistence of that dynamic in art.

Book Signing: The Heart of Japan
2026-05-31 12:00 - 16:00 | Indigo Robson, 1033 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, V6E 1A9, Canada
Meet Lower Mainland author Lesley Hebert, who will be signing copies of her unique travel memoir The Heart of Japan

Spirit of the Great Bear Exhibition & Book Signing with Photographer Jack Plant
2026-06-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Brackendale Art Gallery, 41950 Government Road, Squamish, BC, Canada
Experience the Great Bear Rainforest – a gallery exhibition and book launch celebrating one of Earth’s last true wildernesses.
Celebrate the launch of Spirit of the Great Bear, a powerful new book exploring one of the world’s last intact coastal rainforests. Featuring a foreword by Paul Nicklen, this special evening invites you to connect with the landscapes, wildlife, and stories that define the Great Bear Rainforest.
Join us at the Brackendale Art Gallery for an inspiring night of storytelling, learning, and visual immersion. Discover the rare spirit bear, gain insight into this unique ecosystem, and experience a curated exhibition of photographs from the book.
Books will be available for purchase, and guests will have the opportunity to meet Jack Plant, get their copy signed, and enjoy the exhibition. (No purchase necessary)

First Annual BC Author Market
2026-06-06 10:00 - 18:00 | Chilliwack Heritage Park, 44140 Luckakuck Way, Chilliwack, British Columbia, V2R 4A7, Canada
A gathering of BC local authors, for mingling, connecting, and selling their books to the public. This event is intended to build the local author community and to encourage BC residents to support local authors.

Debunking the World We Live In: Unpacking the Matrix and System: Book Signing
2026-06-13 12:00 - 15:00 | Indigo Grandview Corners, #10 - 2453 161a Street, Surrey, BC, V3S 0M6, Canada
Meet Raminder Hayre for a book signing of Debunking the World We Live In: Unpacking the Matrix and System.
This book explores the idea of adjusting your expectations of the 3D world, offering insight into how energy works and influences our everyday lives. It examines the systems that surround us and questions why we are conditioned to become codependent on the people, places, and things in our lives.
Through this perspective, readers are invited to reflect on the changes they can make to better understand the human condition and move toward a more fulfilling life.

Book Launch & Signing with Saul Leslie
2026-07-18 11:45 - 12:30 | Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vancouver BC, 842 Cambie Street, Vancouver, Canada
Book Launch and signing with Saul Leslie for “A Working Title I Want to Change: A Novel” (Repeater Books, 2026)
“A Working Title I Want to Change” explores the bleach-scented, dizzyingly over-lit world of a supermarket’s aisles, as austerity makes everyone within the store’s walls poorer. In the labyrinth of Tesco’s flagship supermarket, precariously employed workers search for dignity at the margins of late-capitalist London, while a nameless narrator cycles through the discarded nametags of sacked colleagues. Gradually absorbing their stories, he drifts from shifts at the superstore to temporary accommodation, as imminent homelessness threatens his intellectual hopes. Petty triumphs, quiet humiliations, and fleeting acts of kindness become markers of resistance to the wider collapse beyond the store’s walls.
Saul Leslie is a writer and academic in Liverpool. He teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Liverpool and Hope University. His fiction has been published by Bloomsbury and Liverpool University Press, and his remarks about disability and literature have appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, The Conversation, and The Poetry Review. His academic research on disability and employment was instrumental in influencing policy that brought about the British Sign Language Act in 2022. In addition to his PhD research on disability and the workplace, he also works with Penguin-Random House as an editor of disabled writers’ memoirs and novels.
This reading is sponsored by the International Lawrence Durrell Society as part of the On Miracle Ground XXIII conference. Registration for the conference is NOT required to attend this event.

Book Signing with Rosanna Elves
2026-07-18 12:00 - 15:00 | Chapters Indigo – Victoria, 1212 Douglas St, Victoria, BC, V8W 2E5, Canada
Meet children’s author and fiction writer, Rosanna Elves. She will be signing her debut book, “The Amusingly Amazing Alphabet.” Each letter has a vibrant and hilarious scene illustrated by Canadian illustrator Rebecca Carlyle-Allen and a 3-word alliteration story to match. You’ll discover more than meets the eye with the recommended activities for extended learning at the back of the book. Ask Rosanna when she’ll finally get to meet her illustrator in person and about her next children’s book coming out soon!

Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts
2026-08-13 - 2026-08-17 | Rockwood Pavilion, 5511 Shorncliffe Ave, Sechelt, BC, Canada
The 44th annual Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts will take place August 13-16, 2026, featuring established literary stars and exciting new voices, with opportunities for writers and readers to mingle amidst Rockwood’s heritage gardens.
With 19 events and 3 workshops to choose from, there is an event for everyone! The festival will feature renowned Canadian authors such as Terry Fallis (The Marionette and The Best Laid Plans), Donna Morrissey (Tell It to the Water and Rage the Night), and Michelle Good (Eliza Sunshine and Five Little Indians).
Some of your favourite personalities on stage have now taken to the page; also here to present their new books are Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Charles Demers (comedian), and Christopher Gaze (actor and founder of Bard on the Beach).
Don’t miss your chance to see Sam Wiebe (Guns Across the River and Invisible Dead), Dr. Alika Lafontaine (The Outrage Cure), Monique Gray Smith (Sharing the Light and Tilly and the Crazy Eights), and so many more! BTU – otherwise known as Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and Shari Ulrich – will conclude our festival with a concert that’s sure to be memorable.
The Festival is held in Sechelt, BC at the Rockwood Centre. The open-air pavilion and surrounding garden offers a uniquely beautiful and intimate venue for the events.
The Festival venue also includes drink concession options including a pop-up from Strait Coffee and alcoholic/non-alcoholic soft drinks at our beverage booth, pre-order lunch options from Gourmet Girl, and a book tent hosted by Talewind Books. Following each event, patrons may head up to the Book Tent and have their books signed by the author. Take part in the free festival contests or purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win some amazing prizes!
Visit www.writersfestival.ca for more information, but don’t wait too long – tickets are selling fast!
Tickets can be purchased for $18-$20 (including tax). Workshops (special events) are $25-$40. Passes range from $100 for a day pass to $295 for the full festival. Purchase tickets online at https://writersfestival.tickit.ca or by phoning the Festival Office at 604-885-9631.

Special Author & Illustrator Co-Book Signing
2026-08-21 12:00 - 15:00 | Chapters Indigo – Victoria, 1212 Douglas St, Victoria, BC, V8W 2E5, Canada
Celebrating their 2nd book birthday, Author Rosanna Elves and Illustrator Becky Allen of “The Amusingly Amazing Alphabet” are meeting in person for the first time! Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to hear their stories of the making of a children’s picture book.
Friday, August 21, 2026 at Indigo Mayfair, Victoria (12pm-3pm)

Jessica Peterson Launch Event for Colt
2026-08-23 19:00 - 21:30 | St James Community Square, 3214 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6K2L2, Canada
Join us for this ticketed event to celebrate the release of Colt! The event will have a moderated discussion, Q&A, and a signing line. Colt is the first in a brand new series from the author that brought you the Lucky River Ranch series. A guaranteed happily ever after, Colt is a spicy, cowboy romance featuring a single dad and a city girl that definitely isn’t supposed to fall for the hot foreman.

Spooky Book Event
2026-10-17 11:00 - 15:00 | legion 240, 2643 128th St, Surrey, BC, V4A 3W6, Canada
Community driven book event. For all ages with diverse genre. Meet and greet with book signing. Trick or treat and more
