Read Local BC

Camera Geologica Book Launch
2024-10-17 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Vancouver) | The Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver, BC, V7M3J4, Canada
Camera Geologica: An Elemental History of Photography is a groundbreaking study of photography through the minerals upon which the medium depends by art historian, curator, and organiser Siobhan Angus. Joining her is Kelly McCormick, whose recent research into eco-processing and photography’s relationship to radioactivity, will frame a critical discussion on what we see – or what is obscured – when we look at photographs.
Camera Geologica is published by Duke University Press. Copies will be available for purchase and signing after the talk.
This conversation is co-presented by the Critical Image Forum, an initiative for Research in Photography and Expanded Documentary at the University of British Columbia.
Doors Open: 6pm
Conversation and Q&A: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Reception and Book Signing: 7:30pm

Canadian Photographs Book Launch
2024-10-29 18:30 - 20:30 | The Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver, BC, V7M3J4, Canada
The Polygon Gallery proudly presents the launch of Canadian Photographs, the latest book by renowned British-Canadian photographer Geoffrey James.
Published by Figure 1 Publishing, and designed by Naomi MacDougall, the 144-page volume offers a fresh look at Canada’s in-between spaces and forgotten places, resisting the sense of a cohesive national identity. James documents telling moments: a demolition derby in Quebec, an inmate’s decorated cell at Kingston Penitentiary, the Dickensian side door of Massey Hall in Toronto. Captured with an eye for pictorial depth and detail, James’ photographs do not shy from contradictions: the bifurcation of rural and urban, rapid growth and increasing inequality, and the slow journey toward truth and reconciliation. Largely taken from train windows in the vast terrain between the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts, this unofficial portrait of Canada brings into sharp relief the mercurial nature of the nation.
Canadian Photographs includes a conversation between the photographer and Peter Galassi, former Chief Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
On the occasion of the book launch, the Artist will engage in a conversation with acclaimed art historian and curator John O’Brian, followed by a book signing.
Doors Open: 6pm
Conversation and Q&A: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Reception and Book Signing: 7:30 – 8pm

Orca Group Book Launch
2024-11-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Munro’s Books, 1108 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1Y2, Canada
You’re invited to join Orca Book Publishers as we launch four new books! Meet the authors, enjoy the refreshments, and get a book signed.

Book Launch: THE SACRED HEART MOTEL
2024-11-14 18:30 - 20:30 | City Centre Artist Lodge, 2111 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Grace Kwan for their hometown launch of THE SACRED HEART MOTEL, hosted at the City Centre Artist Lodge (Well Studios) in Mount Pleasant.
Featuring special guests Kyla Jamieson and Clio Lake
Food! Drinks! Readings! Heart-shaped key chains!
This is a free event. There is one flight of stairs to access the venue. There is one all-genders washroom.
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In poet Grace Kwan’s debut, they are ruthless and nimble, guiding us through the recesses of body and roadside space. The reader tours the motel through this multiverse narrative, from amenities to rooms to back alleys, through the generations of ghosts and queer love stories, until they are left alone with the heart at the centre. The Sacred Heart Motel is a disorienting, startling collection about placelessness and longing.
Kyla Jamieson (she/her) is the author of Body Count (Nightwood Editions, 2020), which was shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, named a CBC Best Poetry Book of 2020, and awarded third place in the Metatron Prize for Rising Authors by CA Conrad and Anne Boyer. Kyla currently lives and relies on the traditional unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, where she dreams of systemic change, care-full futures, and disabled joy. Find her online or in the water.
Grace Kwan is a Malaysian-born sociologist and writer based in “Vancouver,” the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Their recent poetry appears in Canthius, Room Magazine, and others. Find them at https://grckwn.wordpress.com/.
Clio Lake is mixed, trans, and gnc, living as a settler on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlil̓wətaʔɬ territories. They like bosc pears, pomegranates, and being in the water. You can find her writing collected by Publication Studio Vancouver, BiteZine N°2, and in ___figuration: an anthology of trans writers, forthcoming from Gnashing Teeth. She is a recipient of accolade for drama from the UC Writing Awards.

Art Talk: You Don't Know Jack (Shadbolt)
2024-11-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5G 2J3, Canada
The secret inner turmoil of a great artist struggling to express his deepest fears and insights comes to life in a candid imagined memoir. Arts critic Susan Mertens brings Burnaby artist Jack Shadbolt—after whom this centre is named—vividly alive through his personal journals, letters and poems in her new book, Jack Shadbolt: In His Words. Lavishly illustrated with images created throughout his long career, the book reveals the raw and unrelenting human compulsion, and the fierce emotion and intelligence, that drove Shadbolt to his Acts of Art. The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts is delighted to host the launch of the book with an illustrated talk by the author.
Books will be available for purchase and can be signed by the author.
EVENT SCHEDULE
6:30 p.m. Doors open
7:00 p.m. Talk and Q&A
8:00 p.m. Reception (light refreshments served) and book signing
For more information about the Shadbolt Centre, including accessibility and parking information, please visit the City of Burnaby website or contact Marianne Otterstrom at 604-205-3014.

Opheliac: Launch Party
2024-11-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Caffè Fantastico Specialty Coffees, 965 Kings Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8T 1W7, Canada
This is a free event, but please RSVP on this Eventbrite page due to limited capacity: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/opheliac-launch-party-tickets-1035204884677?aff=oddtdtcreator
OPHELIAC: LAUNCH PARTY
Join us on Wednesday, November 20th to launch Opheliac, the debut of BC-based author Emma Sloan.
As an informal night of celebration, mingle with others in the literary community while enjoying Caffe Fantastico’s wide variety of seasonal sips and eats. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options will be available.
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Emma Sloan is a poet, short fiction author, and journalist of 10+ years with works published across 300+ international publications.
As a Writing and Publishing graduate of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, Emma works as a professional copywriter.
Her chapbook Opheliac was named a finalist in the Black River Chapbook Competition and is forthcoming with Black Lawrence Press in Fall 2024.
PRAISE FOR OPHELIAC:
Opheliac invites lovers of both Shakespeare and wordplay with vivid imagery that invokes a sensory experience throughout. This modern retelling of the literary figure of Ophelia leaves room to ponder femininity, fragility, and the haunting impact of tragedy–and is a collection to read again and again.
–Natasha Silva, author of North Star Heart
In Opheliac, Emma Sloan shatters memory and rearranges its pieces into arresting shapes. The past is never far away in Opheliac—but that doesn’t stop Sloan from trying to grow a new “girl tongue,” a voice with which to tell overlooked and necessary truths: “This is a reel of film / on the cutting room floor.”
–Lucy Wainger, author of In Life There Are Many Things
MORE ABOUT THE BLACK LAWRENCE PRESS:
Founded in upstate New York, The Black Lawrence Press is an independent publisher of contemporary poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Their collections are distributed nationally through Independent Publishers Group to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various brick and mortar retailers, as well as assorted conferences and book fairs.

Family Day
2025-02-05 08:00 - 17:00

Freedom to Read Week
2025-02-06 08:00 - 17:00
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event which raises awareness about censorship and emphasizes the importance of access to literature, and intellectual freedom. This event unites booksellers, publishers, authors, schools, universities, and libraries in the reaffirmation of the commitment to intellectual freedom for all.
Find more information here.

Valentines Day
2025-02-14 - 2025-02-15

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
2025-02-14 08:00 - 17:00

I Read Canadian Day
2025-02-19 - 2025-02-20
I READ CANADIAN DAY is a national day of celebration of Canadian books for young people. This is a day dedicated to ‘reading Canadian’ and will empower families, schools, libraries and organizations to host local activities and events within the week.

World Day of Social Justice
2025-02-20 - 2025-02-21

Pink Shirt Day
2025-02-26 - 2025-02-27
Pink Shirt Day is national day to raise awareness against bullying, particularly in schools. Participants wear a pink shirt in solidarity of anti-bullying and bullying prevention.

International Women's Day
2025-03-08 - 2025-03-09

Writing the Queer Short Story at Wildfires Bookshop
2025-03-16 15:00 - 16:30
Join writers Corinne Manning, Adele Barclay, and Alex Leslie, as they read from their work and discuss working in the short story form at Wildfires Bookshop (a lovely, queer-owned bookstore, if you haven’t been there yet!) in New West on Sunday March 16, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

A Short Story Celebration
2025-03-17 13:00 - 14:00
Alex Leslie and Shashi Bhat on March 17th at a Short Story Celebration in the University of Fraser Valley library, Abbotsford Campus— They’ll be reading in two fiction classes and doing a public reading.

Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading featuring Erín Moure and Chantal Neveu
2025-04-05 19:00 - 21:00 | SFU Segal Building, 500 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1W6
Please join Simon Fraser University’s Department of English and Poetry in Canada for the third annual Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading, featuring award recipients Erín Moure and Chantal Neveu in conversation with special guests Oana Avasilichioaei and Annie Lafleur. This free event takes place on Saturday, April 5th (Doors: 6:15 PM; Event: 7-9 PM) at the SFU Segal Building (SG 1300). Enjoy readings, discussion, and light refreshments.
The Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading honours a Canadian poet(s) with a cash award and a celebration of their work. This event will occur each April and will be organized and administered by the Poetry in Canada Society, https://www.poetrycanada.org/.
A Governor General’s Award–winning poet and a member of the Order of Canada, Phyllis Webb was a major Canadian cultural figure from the 1950s through the 1980s, publishing ten celebrated collections of poetry and prose and co-founding the CBC Radio program Ideas (in 1965). When “words abandoned” her in the early 1990s and she was no longer able to write, she took up photography, photocollage, and eventually painting.
As Stephen Scobie once wrote, the work of Phyllis Webb “has always been distinguished by the profundity of her insights, the depth of her emotional feeling, the delicacy and accuracy of her rhythms, the beauty and mysterious resonance of her images – and by her luminous intelligence.” It is this legacy that the Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading seeks to honour, by selecting a poet who is distinguished by similar qualities.
In 2025, the third annual Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading honours two poets: Erín Moure and Chantal Neveu.

TriCities Writers Fest
2025-04-07 08:00 - 17:00
Get ready for the Tri-Cities Writers Festival 2025!
We’re welcoming more than a dozen celebrated authors to our community for four days of talks, panels, and workshops this May. Sessions will be in-person and online, and include a kick-off cocktail reception, where you can enjoy great food and drink alongside your fellow book lovers, and our panel of guest authors.
The Writers Festival is a collaboration between local libraries and the Tri-City Wordsmiths, with support from OverDrive, Evergreen Cultural Centre, and the Writers’ Union of Canada. With funding from Canada Council for the Arts/Conseil des arts du Canada.
For the schedule and author lineup, visit: https://www.coqlibrary.ca/seasonal-pages/tri-cities-writers-festival

BC Book Day
2025-04-15 - 2025-04-16
BC Book Day invites British Columbians to celebrate the province’s book & magazine publishers, authors, illustrators, bookstores, libraries, festivals, and literary prizes that connect us with local stories.
The goal of BC Book Day is to raise awareness among government and the public of BC’s publishing ecosystem and its cultural and economic contributions.
BC Book Day is coordinated by the Association of Book Publishers of BC, which works to support the long-term health and success of the Canadian-owned book industry in British Columbia.
www.readlocalbc.ca/bcbookday/

Enabling Arts Poetry Open Mic
2025-04-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Enabling Arts, 104-343 Railway Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1A4, Canada
We’re back & we can’t wait to hear your words!
Join us for a poetry night at 343 Railway St (#104). Whether you’re a seasoned poet or a first-timer, this event is the perfect opportunity to share your work in a supportive and welcoming environment. It’s a chance to connect with fellow poetry enthusiasts and be inspired by the power of spoken word, whether or not you get behind the mic.
All ages, all stages of your poetry journey!
Doors open at 6:30 pm, with the event starting at 7 pm.
The open mic is first come- first serve, each poet will have 5 minutes MAX to share 1 poem.
Hate speech will not be tolerated.
$13.13 general admission
Email: info@enablingarts.com with any questions.
*No one turned away for lack of funds; let us know if you need an accessible spot*

An Evening with Holly Howe, author of Mouthwatering Sauerkraut
2025-04-17 18:00 - 20:30 | 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.
Your receipt is your ticket. Your book will be available for pick up at the event. Thank you!

Earth Day
2025-04-22 - 2025-04-23
April 22nd is Earth Day, a day dedicated to celebrate environmental protection movements. This year’s theme is “Our Power, Our Planet” highlighting the impact of collective climate action.
Earth Day Canada encourages action around biodiversity, citing a strong desire among Canadians for access to information on this topic and its crucial role in supporting food security and climate resilience.

Celebrating Elise
2025-04-23 18:30 - 21:00 | Book Warehouse – Main Street, 4118 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V5V 3P7, Canada
Celebrating Elise Partridge
Wednesday Apr 23rd, 2025
6:30 PM
–
9:00 PM
Main St.
Main St. Book Warehouse
Celebrating Elise
A National Poetry Month reading to celebrate the work and life of Elise Partridge (1958-2015) on the tenth anniversary of her passing. A number of Elise’s friends will read poems by or about her, or poems she loved.
Stephanie Bolster, John Donlan, Mary Gomez Fonseca, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Christopher Levenson, George McWhirter, Barbara Nickel, Bonnie Nish, Rachel Rose, Rob Taylor, and Fiona Tinwei-Lam will be reading. Elise’s and participating readers’ books available for purchase.
Thanks to the League of Canadian Poets and the Canada Council for the Arts for their support.
Doors at 6:30 pm, event starts at 7:00 pm; free to attend and all are welcome.

Rodney DeCroo Book Launch + Concert
2025-04-23 19:00 - 21:00 | VIFF Centre, 1164 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3N3, Canada
Come celebrate the launch of Night Moves, Rodney’s first collection of street photography. Happening at VIFF Centre on Wednesday April 23, count on a lively evening of poetry, music, film, and thought-provoking discussion.
7:00 pm — Reception
7:30 pm — Introduction and slide show featuring work from Night Moves
7:45 pm — Conversation with The Georgia Straight’s Mike Usinger on the art and ethics of street photography, followed by Q&A and intermission
8:30 pm — Poetry, Music and Short Films with Rodney and his band, The Wise Blood

Crime Writers of Canada: A Night of Suspense and Intrigue!
2025-04-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Book Warehouse – Main Street, 4118 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V5V 3P7, Canada
The Crime Writers of Canada invite you to an electrifying evening where the shadows deepen and the truth is unveiled.
Witness the unveiling of the 2025 Awards of Excellence shortlist, a moment where literary titans clash and the best in crime fiction are crowned.
And brace yourselves for the grand reveal of The Derrick Murdoch Award, honouring a legendary figure whose contributions have shaped the very landscape of our beloved genre. A whisper on the wind suggests a celebrated western author (a long-standing CWC luminary) holds this coveted prize. But the identity remains shrouded in mystery… Only those who dare to attend will unlock the truth. Are you ready to play detective?
Book Warehouse, 4118 Main St., Vancouver

Canadian Independent Bookstore Day
2025-04-26 - 2025-04-27
Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD) is 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 bookselling community, and investing in Canadian culture.

Here are some ways you can participate in Canadian Independent Bookstore Day:
Buy books! Purchase books and other items in-person, online, or by phone to show your support and to enter our annual Contest for Book Lovers.
Check out bookstore activities. Local shops across Canada are planning celebratory activities for the big day including customer giveaways, discounts, exclusive products, author events, and more. Visit their websites and social channels for details.

Want to find your local indie bookstore? See this list for indie bookstores in BC!

Tawahum Bige: Book Launch & Conversation at Enabling Arts
2025-04-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Enabling Arts, 104-343 Railway Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1A4, Canada
Tawahum Bige will launch a new poetry collection, Stages of Tanning Words and Remembering Spells, at Enabling Arts on Granville Island on April 26, 7pm.
In their second poetry collection, Tawahum Bige explores belonging and voice of a Two-Spirit Dene youth. These poems are a stark plunge—an answer to how voice emerges for a young Two Spirit growing up in so-called “Surrey, BC,” far from his Łutselk’e Dene territories.

Orca Book Publishers Book Launch
2025-04-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Munro’s Books, 1108 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1Y2, Canada
Join Orca Book Publishers on April 30th at Munro’s Books for a group book launch. Meet the authors, enjoy refreshments and get a book signed. All ages welcome!

Anna Veprinska and Joseph Kidney: Dual Poetry Launch
2025-05-05 19:00 - 20:30
A dual launch of poetry books Devotional Forensics and Bonememory at
Cross and Crow Books. Featuring the wonderful Dominique Bernier-Cormier.
2836 Commercial Drive, Vancouver B.C.

Indie Kids Book Buzz
2025-05-06 10:00 - 11:00
Join on May 6 for an indie kids bonanza as five publishers chat through their fall 2025 titles with host Kellyanne Healey, children’s librarian at Lake Hiawatha Branch Library / 2024 ALA Emerging Leader.Register for the event here!
