Read Local BC

LiterASIAN 2026: Re-Generation
2026-06-27 13:00 - 2026-06-28 20:00 (America/Vancouver) | Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, 555 Columbia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 3X3, Canada
The LiterASIAN Festival returns for its 14th annual edition with “Re-Generation,” a timely exploration of how Asian Canadian writers are reshaping literary culture today.
Running from June 27-28 across Vancouver, the festival brings together leading and emerging voices for a national celebration of storytelling, community, and creative exchange.
Widely recognized as Canada’s premier festival dedicated to Asian Canadian literature, LiterASIAN 2026 spotlights a new generation of writers who are reimagining inherited narratives and pushing the boundaries of form, voice, and identity.
This year’s lineup features Jinwoo Park (Oxford Soju Club), Evelyn Lau (Parade of Storms), Yasuko Thanh (To the Bridge), Larry Grant and Scott Steedman (Reconciling), Kagan Goh (Surviving Samsara), Steffi Tad-y (Notes from the Ward), Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho (Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street), and Keiko Honda (Hidden Flowers).
Additional speakers include Jessica Gin-Jade Chan (former Ricepaper Editor-in-Chief), Bonnie Quan Symons (poet and chapbook author), and Taslim Jaffer (editor, writer, and professor at the University of King’s College MFA program).
Festival programming includes feature readings, panel discussions, and workshops. Events will take place at leading cultural and literary venues across Vancouver, including the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, and Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
“Fifty years after Inalienable Rice, the first anthology of Asian Canadian writing, we are witnessing a renewal,” said Festival Director Allan Cho. “LiterASIAN 2026 brings together writers who are not only reflecting on cultural inheritance, but actively transforming it.”
Highlights include:
● Literary Walking Tour — A guided exploration of Vancouver’s Chinatown through history and literature with filmmaker and photographer Larry Chin
● Emerging Writers Showcase — Featuring new voices from the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers’ Award
● Writing Workshop — Exploring expressive writing as a practice for reflection and healing
● Chapbook-Making Class — A hands-on introduction to editing, sequencing, and design for a cohesive, self-published work
● ACWW Community Builders Award — Honouring leadership in advancing racial equity in Asian Canadian communities
● Live Drafting Session — An intimate, behind-the-scenes look at writers developing new work in real time
LiterASIAN 2026: Re-Generation is presented by the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW), with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, ACCESS Copyright Foundation, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the City of Vancouver, and community partners.
For tickets and full program details, please visit www.literasian.com.

Poetry & Art Salon
2026-06-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia St., New Westminster, British Columbia, V3M 1B6, Canada
Enjoy an afternoon of poetry readings, art “Show & Tell”, chats, and more! Come listen, share, and connect. Presented by Janet Kvammen, Poet Laureate of New Westminster. In partnership with Royal City Literary Arts Society.
Admission Fee: Free, Drop-in
Feature Poet Lozan Yamolky
Feature Artist Tristan Wright

Start an Easy Graphic Memoir With Jon Claytor
2026-07-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Upstart & Crow, 1387 Railspur Alley Vancouver, BC V6H 3R7, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7, Canada
Simply put, this workshop is about opening the door to telling your story with words and images. We’ll start a 12-page memoir, no skills necessary. We will do some simple drawing and writing activities to get started and then dive into creating your memoir with images and text and above all encouragement to continue your story. There is no such thing as a bad drawing, and we all have a story to tell. Let’s find out what yours is.
The registration fee for this event is $10. All proceeds of the event go to Upstart & Crow’s non-profit programming, including writer residencies, book clubs, grants and more. Please RSVP here to reserve your spot.

Richmond Reads: Author Event with Robyn Harding
2026-07-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Richmond Public Library, Brighouse Branch, 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, BC, V6Y 1R8, Canada
You are invited to a free upcoming author event featuring bestselling local author Robyn Harding, who will be talking about her brand new psychological thriller Strangers in the Villa. This book is the Richmond Reads Adult Summer Book Club pick for 2026, and the reading club runs from June 24 to August 31. Membership in the Richmond Reads Summer Book Club is not required to sign up to attend this author event. Robyn will be talking about her book and will take questions from the audience. After the event, participants will have the chance to meet Robyn and get a signed copy of her book – copies of her book will be available for purchase.

Mashed Poetics 82: Hole's Live Through This
2026-07-09 20:00 - 23:00 | Lana Lou’s, 362 Powell Street , Vancouver, BC, V6A 1G4, Canada
Mercedes Eng, author of cop city swagger, Prison Industrial Complex Explodes and more, is one of the poets performing at Mashed Poetics 82: Hole’s Live Through This. Head to Lana Lou’s for an evening of music and poetry. For more information, click here.
Mashed Poetics 82: Hole’s Live Through This
Lana Lou’s
Vancouver, BC
July 9, 2026
Doors at 8 p.m., show beings at 8:30 p.m. PDT

North Shore Authors Showcase
2026-07-14 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-07-18 14:00 - 15:30 | West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Dr., West Vancouver, BC, V7V 1J8, Canada
Hear from many of the talented writers who are featured in the 2025/26 North Shore Authors Collection!
The North Shore Authors Collection inspires, supports, and celebrates the talent of North Shore authors by showcasing locally-created content in all three North Shore libraries.
Join us on July 14 and 18 as we highlight some of the talented writers who are featured in the 2025/26 collection!
With only a few minutes to grab your attention, this group of established and emerging local authors will showcase their recent work.
Learn more about the NSAC at https://northshoreauthorscollection.com/, or browse at either the North Vancouver City Library, West Vancouver Memorial Library, or Lynn Valley Library (NVDPL).
Tuesday’s authors:
John D’Eathe
Susan Erikson
Carmen Farrell
Mikaela Jordan
M.J. Milne
Ana Miranda
Kirsten Pendreigh
Lindy Pfeil
L.J. Vanterra
Peter Zednik
Saturday’s authors:
Elspeth Bradbury
Jane Callen
Laurel Gurnsey
Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho
Bill Koch
Toby Rogers
Marie Sadro
Mary-Anne Taylor
Lucy Yang

Poetry in the Park 2026
2026-07-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park, New Westminster, 220-238 1 Street, New Westminster, BC, V3L 1L7, Canada
Royal City Literary Arts Society presents
Poetry in the Park 2026
In partnership with Arts New West and City of New Westminster
Every Wednesday night from July 15 – August 19 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Each weekly session will feature 2 poets and an Open Mic.
OPENING NIGHT JULY 15
Two Featured Poets each week
Host: Janet Kvammen, Poet Laureate
Special Guest: Tristan Wright, Qayqayt First Nation for Opening Night
📍 Where? Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park, New Westminster
📅 When? Wed evenings JULY 15-AUGUST 19 | 6:30pm | Open Mic Sign Up 6:15pm
🎉 Why? Because poetry is alive and well in New West!

White Mice Poetry Reading
2026-07-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Irish Heather Shebeen, 248 E Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
On Thursday, July 16, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Indran Amirthanayagam, and David Radavich and others will read with the winners of the “Home Port” White Mice Poetry Contest hosted by Rod Kessler, 6–8 pm, at the Irish Heather Shebeen, 248 E Georgia St. This reading is sponsored by the International Lawrence Durrell Society as part of the On Miracle Ground XXIII conference (some poetry will be in Greek and French).
Registration for the conference is NOT required at attend this event, but seating is limited.

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!

Contemporary Romance for a Swoon-worthy Summer
2026-07-20 17:30 - 20:00 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
What’s not to love about the huge surging interest in romance books and ebooks? With #RomanceRecs, #BookTok and #FriendsToLovers hashtags influencing reader behaviour find out what’s hot in the world of romance at the library.
Join us for a sweet summer social hangout with workshops, author readings, meet and greets with local romance authors and more! Bring your favourite books to discuss and recommend to the community.
This event features local Mother-Daughter romance authors Jody Holford (AKA Sophie Sullivan) and Kalie Holford, Lily Miller, Lindsay Maple, Hunter Snow, Sara Blaydes, Sophie Sullivan, Anthony Nerada, and Julia Jarret. Joining as well will be moderators Amy Pelletier (Perfect Match) and Courtney and Lauren from River City Reader Events.
In partnership with Perfect Match Bookshop (Vancouver’s first romance bookstore).

Interview Protocols and Practices for Playwriting with Kamila Sediego
2026-07-21 17:30 - 19:00 | Vancouver Public Library – Mount Pleasant Branch, 1 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5T 3H7, Canada
Do you have a play idea and need to interview someone for your research? Whether it’s for learning personal or familial histories, understanding historical/cultural/societal contexts, or digging deeper into a niche expertise the method and means of interview can affect what information is collected. Join a workshop with local published playwright and dramaturg, Kamila Sediego, for tips on how to ethically gather information, how to conduct interviews, and how to turn that research gold into storytelling tools and inspiration.
Kamila Sediego (she/her/siya) is a daughter of immigrants, sister, auntie, partner, playwright, and dramaturg grateful to live on the unceded and stolen territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Her ancestral roots stretch across the Pacific, and are embedded in the lands of Iloilo, Cebu, and Manila, Philippines.
Kamila’s play Homecoming was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2025 and its world premiere (Urban Ink) was at the Cultch and at the Evergreen Arts Centre in 2024. Most recently, Kamila participated in the PuSh Festival’s In Dialogue program, and she was a playwright at Caravan Farm Theatre’s National Playwright Retreat. She was a Playwrights Theatre Centre Associate (2021-2024), and is a current Resident Dramaturg and co-lead of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s Creation Lab. With the care and support of many, she is developing a new play, Engkanto.
Photo credit: Veronica Bonderud
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Presented in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre.
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This event is open to all with limited space available and registration is required. It takes place in the Mount Pleasant Branch Meeting room.

Poetry in The Park
2026-07-29 18:30 - 20:30 | Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park, New Westminster, 220-238 1 Street, New Westminster, BC, V3L 1L7, Canada
Royal City Literary Arts Society presents
POETRY IN THE PARK 2026
In partnership with Arts New West and City of New Westminster
Every Wednesday night from July 15 – August 19 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Each weekly session will feature 2 poets and an Open Mic.

A Word About Mental Health with Sandra Yuen
2026-07-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Isabella Mori, author and mental health advocate, will be speaking with Sandra Yuen, discussing recovery from mental illness, creativity, and Sandra’s new book of art and poetry, I Want to be Buried Standing Up. They will each read from their body of work, show some of Sandra’s art in the book and after a conversation between the two of us, we’ll invite you to join in.
Sandra Yuen is an Asian female artist, writer and musician with a disability. This neurodivergent prose poetry collection was written during a time of transition and personal growth. These works transcend the everyday into a microcosm of humour, play, insight and philosophical introspection with themes of aging, city life, character and love. Twenty-six colour plates of Sandra Yuen’s artworks accompany the poems. This is her first full-length poetry book.

Debunking the World We Live In: Unpacking the Matrix and System: Book Signing
2026-08-01 12:00 - 15:00 | chapters Indigo Coquitlam
Meet Raminder Hayre for her sixth 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.

Pride Week Author Talk with Mischa Oak: Rainbow Wisdom
2026-08-08 14:00 - 15:30 | Richmond Public Library, Brighouse Branch, 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, BC, V6Y 1R8, Canada
In celebration of Richmond Pride Week, Richmond Public Library is inviting readers to connect with author, educator, and advocate Mischa Oak at an inspiring book talk and live Q&A!
A long-time advocate for 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, Mischa will discuss his recent book Rainbow Wisdom: 18 LGBTQ+ Life Lessons for Everyone, an uplifting exploration of how the LGBTQ+ experience can inspire anyone to live more joyfully and authentically. This event will be followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing. Books will be available to purchase.

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)

"Freecouver" Book Signing
2026-08-22 15:00 - 18:00 | Kinder Books, 810 Quayside Drive, New Westminster, BC, V3M 6B9, Canada
Book signing and meet-and-greet with John Lee and Rebecca Bollwitt, co-authors of “Freecouver: 101 Free Things to do in and Around Vancouver.”

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.

Human-Centered Journalism: An Evening with Megaphone Editor Paula Carlson and The Shift Peer Newsroom
2026-09-15 18:00 - 19:30 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
Join Megaphone Editor Paula Carlson and members of The Shift peer newsroom for an engaging conversation on the ethics of journalism, with a particular focus on reporting from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The evening will also explore the evolving role of print media in 2026 and offer a behind-the-scenes look at Megaphone’s peer newsroom and the collaborative process behind its reporting.
After the event stay for a Q & A with the Megaphone team!
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In partnership with Megaphone Magazine.
For nearly three decades, Paula Carlson has worked as an editor and reporter at various newspapers throughout the Lower Mainland, contributing stories and stick-handling special projects that have won more than 50 industry awards for news, feature and opinion writing, page layout and design. Her work has appeared across B.C. and Canada. She’s fairly certain a good cup of coffee improves almost anything.

The Sorceress of Sky Serpents Book Launch
2026-09-28 18:00 - 20:30 | Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1H4, Canada
Join internationally acclaimed Haisla and Heiltsuk author Eden Robinson for an unforgettable evening exploring the power of Indigenous storytelling, mythology, and imagination. Register now and get your signed copy of The Sorceress of Sky Serpents!
Celebrated for her award-winning novels Monkey Beach and the bestselling Trickster trilogy, Robinson returns with a sweeping new fantasy inspired by the Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Her newest novel, The Sorceress of Sky Serpents, follows Yuala, a young woman whose unusual connection to creatures feared as monsters may hold the key to her people’s survival.
The evening will begin with a welcome from Manuel Axel Strain. Then, in conversation with Secwépemc and St’at’imc writer Julian Brave NoiseCat, Robinson will discuss the origins of her richly imagined world, the role of Indigenous mythology in contemporary fantasy, and the enduring importance of stories as vessels for culture, identity, and resilience.
The evening will include an engaging conversation, an audience Q&A, and a post-event reception and book signing with Eden Robinson. Books by both Robinson and NoiseCat will be available for purchase on-site.
Eden Robinson is one of Canada’s most celebrated literary voices. Her work has earned numerous honours, including the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, the Writers’ Trust Fellowship, and the 2024 Indspire Award for her contributions to Indigenous arts and storytelling.
This event is co-presented with generous support from Penguin Random House, SFU Library, SFU LIVE, Capilano University Library, and Talking Stick Festival.

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
