Read Local BC

Creator Series: Audio Plays with Cee Peal
2026-04-11 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Vancouver) | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
An audio play or drama relies strictly on acoustical elements for its manifestation. There are no visual components involved as it’s rendered strictly with dialogue, sound effects, and music alone to help listeners imagine the characters and the story.
At this fun and playful event, participants are invited to create a live audio play with Cee Peal the 2026 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence.
Have you ever imagined yourself as an actor? If so, then maybe you’d like to use your voice to recite dialogue (practice with our play collection on level 6 at Central Library). Would you like to be more in the background and create noise with sounds effects? Do you know about the Inspiration Lab and its resources? If you are a musician, you may want to experiment with a new instrument. In that case, we want to make sure that you are aware of our Musical Instrument Lending Library. If you’d prefer to sit and watch that is wonderful too as audience members are a huge part of this event as well.
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Cee Peal is a theatre artist from the Nisga’a First Nation of Northern B.C. now working in Vancouver on the traditional, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. He brings to the library his experience in storytelling, theatre, and image making, drawing from his experience working as an actor, director, writer, dancer, and producer on various productions. With a passion for Indigenous studies and cultural evolution, Cee is also the Indigenous outreach coordinator at The Cultch and the artistic associate at The Carmen Arts Group.
To find out more about Cee’s residency and keep up with his upcoming events visit: vpl.ca/storyteller

Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading featuring Wayde Compton
2026-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Please join SFU English and Poetry in Canada for the 4th annual Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading featuring award recipient Wayde Compton. This free event takes place on Saturday, April 11th (Doors: 6:15 PM; Event: 7-9 PM) at SFU Harbour Centre (Room 1400). Special guests include Cecily Nicholson and Courtenay Chan. Hosted by Professor Stephen Collis. 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 2026, the fourth annual Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading honours poet Wayde Compton, who is the author of six books and the editor of two literary anthologies. His collection of short stories, “The Outer Harbour”, won the City of Vancouver Book Award in 2015 and his work has been a finalist for three other City of Vancouver Book Awards. He won a National Magazine Award for Fiction in 2011 and was nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize in 2000. In 2002, Compton co-founded the Hogan’s Alley Memorial Project, an organization devoted to researching and promoting Vancouver’s historical Black community and later helped establish the Hogan’s Alley Working Group and the Hogan’s Alley Society, its successor organizations. From 2006-2011 Compton co-published Commodore Books, Western Canada’s first Black Canadian literary press. He has been writer-in-residence at Simon Fraser University, Green College at the University of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Public Library. Compton currently teaches in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria, and his latest book is “Toward an Anti-Racist Poetics” (U of Alberta P, 2024).
Important Information:
Venue and Accessibility: This in-person event takes place at the SFU Harbour Centre (Room 1400). It is easily accessible by transit and near SkyTrain. The campus is wheelchair accessible and has wheelchair accessible washrooms. Gender neutral washrooms are also available.
Please note: This event may be recorded and/or photographed. If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform the photographer.

Stage Your Own Play with Cee Peal - Part One
2026-04-14 18:00 - 20:00 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the playwriting process from initial concept to production and finally opening night in this three-part series program. Learn about the concepts of Scene and Monologue Writing, Text Analysis, Staging, Performance, Production and more.
Use this time to explore the early stages of theatre development and experiment with others in a collaborative and unique process.
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Cee Peal is a theatre artist from the Nisga’a First Nation of Northern B.C. now working in Vancouver on the traditional, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. He brings to the library his experience in storytelling, theatre, and image making, drawing from his experience working as an actor, director, writer, dancer, and producer on various productions. With a passion for Indigenous studies and cultural evolution, Cee is also the Indigenous outreach coordinator at The Cultch and the artistic associate at The Carmen Arts Group.
To find out more about Cee’s residency and keep up with his upcoming events visit: vpl.ca/storyteller

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

BC Book Day
2026-04-21 - 2026-04-22
WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
WHAT: 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.
GOAL: To raise awareness among government and the public of BC’s publishing ecosystem and its cultural and economic contributions.
WHO: BC Book Day is coordinated by Books BC, which works to support the long-term health and success of the Canadian-owned book industry in British Columbia.
How can you support BC Book Day and BC’s Independent Publishers?

Buy BC-published books directly from your local independent bookstore or the publisher’s website (list of BC publishers here).
Encourage your school and public library to buy and stock both BC and Canadian-published books (find our Books for Schools database here)
Celebrate Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 25 (learn about the day and how to participate here).

Stage Your Own Play with Cee Peal - Part Two
2026-04-21 18:00 - 20:00 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY

Off the Shelf Poetry Reading Series with Cornel Bogle, Lisa Richter, Salena Wiener
2026-04-24 19:00 - 21:00 | SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Please join SFU English and Poetry in Canada for a poetry reading featuring Professor Cornel Bogle, Lisa Richter, and Salena Wiener.
Details:
Date/Time: Friday, April 24th (Doors 6:30 PM; Event: 7-9 PM)
Location: SFU Belzberg Library at Harbour Centre campus
This is a free event, no RSVP required.
Bios
Cornel Bogle engages Caribbean archives and diasporic memory through erasure, found, and lyric poetry. Their work has been published in literary platforms such as “brick”, “Arc Poetry Magazine”, and “Pree: Caribbean Writing”, and has been presented in readings across Canada and the Caribbean.
At SFU, they teach in areas such as Black and Caribbean literatures, decolonial literary studies, diaspora, transnationalism, and creative writing, guiding students to explore how storytelling travels across borders, histories, and communities. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, they earned their BA at the University of the West Indies, and both their MA and PhD at the University of Alberta, joining SFU in 2023.
Lisa Richter is a Toronto-based poet, writer, and educator. She is the author of two books of poetry, “Closer to Where We Began” and “Nautilus and Bone”, winner of the Canadian Jewish Literary Award, the National Jewish Book Award (U.S.), and the Robert Kroetsch Award. Her work has been longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize, a National Magazine Award finalist, and appeared in “Best Canadian Poetry”, “The Fiddlehead”, “The Malahat Review”, and “The New Quarterly”, among other places. She holds an MFA from the University of Guelph and teaches at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Her third book, “Sublunary”, is forthcoming with University of Alberta Press in March 2026.
Salena Wiener is a poet and PhD student in English Literature at Simon Fraser University. Her research interests include British Romantic women’s writing, print and manuscript culture, digital humanities, and ecopoetics. She has worked as a Research Assistant for SpokenWeb and the Women’s Print History Project. Her critical and creative work appears in “Honey & Lime Lit Magazine”, “Peculiars Magazine”, “Montreal Review of Books”, “Digital Studies”, and elsewhere. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, “bodies like gardens” (Cactus Press 2023) and “Cities of Delusions” (Anstruther Press 2026).
Venue Accessibility
This in-person event takes place at the SFU’s Harbour Centre campus. It is easily accessible by transit and near SkyTrain. The campus is wheelchair accessible and has wheelchair accessible washrooms. Gender neutral washrooms are also available.

Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD)
2026-04-25 - 2026-04-26
Save the date!
April 25, 2026 is this years celebration of Canadian Independent Booksellers.
Indie booksellers work hard to serve their customers and communities. CIBD is our opportunity to say thank you.
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.
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.
Help us spread the word. CIBD is an opportunity to raise awareness about everything that indies have to offer. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to share our info about the campaign throughout the month of April.

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

Canadian Children's Book Week Author Visit: Marsha Skrypuch
2026-04-28 13:30 - 14:30 | North Vancouver Public Library – Lynn Valley branch, 1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7J 0A2, Canada
In celebration of Canadian Children’s Book Week, children’s author Marsha Skrypuch will present on her book trilogy Kidnapped from Ukraine.
Marsha Skrypuch is an internationally bestselling children’s author whose books span a century of wars from a kid’s view, concentrating on those stories that have been erased by oppressive regimes. Her best-known book is Making Bombs for Hitler. Her most recent is the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. She has received death threats and honours for her writing. Marsha lives in Brantford, Ontario, and you can visit her online at calla.com
Marsha talks about the war, the books, how she did her research, and the challenges she encountered. She also talks about what happens when you’re banned for life by Russia (she is the only children’s author in North America thus targeted).
Teachers of grades 4-6 may register their group to attend. Maximum of 3 classes. Please include the number of students attending.
Interested members of the public may also register to attend.
Best for children grades 4-6

Stage Your Own Play with Cee Peal - Part Three
2026-04-28 18:00 - 20:00 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY

In Translation Book Club: Now I Surrender, by Alvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer.
2026-04-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Upstart & Crow, 1387 Railspur Alley Vancouver, BC V6H 3R7, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7, Canada
Welcome to Upstart & Crow’s In Translation Book Club, a celebration of global literature and storytelling across languages and borders! This free, bi-monthly event in our studio space introduces readers to powerful voices writing in languages other than English, amplifying fresh perspectives, underheard narratives and bold ideas.
On Wednesday, April 29 at 6:00pm, we’ll be discussing Now I Surrender, by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer.
In 1886, famed Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. army after decades of resistance across the borderlands of Mexico and the United States. Álvaro Enrigue’s newly translated novel takes its title from his words: “Once I moved about like the wind. Now I surrender to you and that is all.”
Beginning with the kidnapping of a Mexican woman, the novel follows the ragtag expedition sent to retrieve her — a soldier, a sharpshooting woman known as “the Nun,” and two devilishly charismatic Yaqui twins. Part anti-imperialist epic and part alt-western, Now I Surrendertakes apart and reassembles the mythology of the “American” borderlands to challenge the stories we think we know about conquest and resistance. The result is a gripping, genre-bending meditation on freedom, myth, and the contested histories of the desert frontier. Named a most anticipated book of 2026 by The New York Times, The Washington Post and LitHub.
Bring yourself and an open mind to discuss the book! You do not need to have purchased the book from us to attend, but we’ll be offering a 10% discount on the title if you do. You can do so by selecting between two ticket options here.
More about Upstart & Crow:
Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit creative studio and literary incubator that champions writers, readers and stories, and the role they play in shaping our lives. We develop original programs, support artists and revel in creative projects focused on Literature In Translation / Climate Solutions / Poetry / Civic Dialogue / Community & Skills Building … all with the aim of elevating the role of literature and storytelling in our lives. Find us on Granville Island, Gibsons and online at upstartandcrow.com.
Accessibility:
The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees.
Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.

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.

Talonbooks Spring 2026 Launch
2026-05-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall, 1955 McLean Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 3J7, Vancouver, BC, V5N 3J7, Canada
Join us at the Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall for the launch of the Talonbooks spring 2026 titles! Come help us celebrate this season’s authors and books. Here’s the lineup! It’s going to be an amazing evening.
Taryn Hubbard will read from Beautiful Unknown Future
Jenn Ashton (attending digitally) will read from Growing My Way Home
George Bowering (attending digitally) will read from Pearl
Jónína Kirton will read from Save Your Prayers – Send Money
Elee Kraljii Gardiner will read from sometimes, forest
Nicole Raziya Fong will read from SUBTEXT and
Danielle LaFrance will read from Verbal Violence!
The launch will be hosted by the author of Future Works, Jeff Derksen!
A live stream will be available on the Talonbooks YouTube page. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Talonbooks Spring Launch
Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall
Vancouver, BC
May 1, 2026
Doors at 7 p.m., readings begin at 7:30 p.m. PDT

An Evening with Eve Joseph and Patrick Friesen
2026-05-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Upstart & Crow, 1387 Railspur Alley Vancouver, BC V6H 3R7, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7, Canada
Join us for a beautiful evening of poetry with local legends Eve Joseph and Patrick Friesen. The duo will be launching their latest collections and invite you to join them in readings and conversation. Tickets are free, but please RSVP for your spot here as capacity is limited.
In Eve Joseph’s latest book, Dismantling, the poet is occupied with the idea of poetic imagination and how that often elusive thing can transform the mundane into the mysterious. In a book where fish are classified as bees and rivers are legally people, things are not always as they seem. As the title suggests, sometimes the act of taking something apart and building again from scratch allows a poem to find its true form.
​​The poems in Patrick Friesen’s latest collection, Sightings, move between the visible and invisible, between the contradictions of human history and the immediacy of a complex present. Friesen examines memory and music, rivers and personalities, open to all possibilities and sceptical of wisdom. Instead, these poems rely on the kind of knowledge that comes from experience: tremors and fragments riding on the movement of thinking. The distance from Friesen’s first book, published 50 years ago, to this one, speaks to what it means to have known the world through poetry.
More about Upstart & Crow:
Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit creative studio and literary incubator that champions writers, readers and stories, and the role they play in shaping our lives. We develop original programs, support artists and revel in creative projects focused on Literature In Translation / Climate Solutions / Poetry / Civic Dialogue / Community & Skills Building … all with the aim of elevating the role of literature and storytelling in our lives. Find us on Granville Island, Gibsons and online at upstartandcrow.com.
Accessibility:
The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees.
Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.

Pretendianism
2026-05-05 18:00 - 20:00 | VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
Esteemed novelist Joseph Boyden, acclaimed film director Michelle Latimer and former University of Saskatchewan professor Carrie Bourassa have all made front-page news in recent years for the same reason: each is alleged to have been a “pretendian.”
The term “pretendian” has come to refer to someone who claims distant Indigenous heritage that doesn’t stand up to deeper scrutiny. But why would someone fake an Indigenous identity?
That question is the premise of The Pretendians (2022), a documentary from The Passionate Eye and the latest film featuring Anishinaabe author and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor. The documentary follows his cross-Canada journey, revealing what really lies behind this explosive issue.
Rating: PG / Runtime: 44 mins
Presented in partnership with CBC Gem.
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After the film, join Cee Peal, the 2026 VPL Storyteller in Residence for a discussion around Pretendianism and the harm and division that it creates in Indigenous communities.
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Cee Peal is a theatre artist from the Nisga’a First Nation of Northern B.C. now working in Vancouver on the traditional, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. He brings to the library his experience in storytelling, theatre, and image making, drawing from his experience working as an actor, director, writer, dancer, and producer on various productions. With a passion for Indigenous studies and cultural evolution, Cee is also the Indigenous outreach coordinator at The Cultch and the artistic associate at The Carmen Arts Group.
To find out more about Cee’s residency and keep up with his upcoming events visit: vpl.ca/storyteller

Book Signing: The Heart of Japan
2026-05-16 11:30 - 15:30
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 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

The Heart of Japan: Author reading
2026-06-03 18:00 - 20:00 | New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Avenue, New Westminster, BC, V3M 2B3, Canada
Meet New Westminster Lesley Hebert, who will be reading from her unique travel memoir The Heart of Japan

Author Reading with Theresa Kishkan and Keiko Honda
2026-06-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Munro’s Books, 1108 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1Y2, Canada
Join Theresa Kishkan, author of The Art of Looking Back, and Keiko Honda, author of Hidden Flowers, for a reading and discussion of writing memoir.

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.

Author reading: Theresa Kishkan in celebration of The Art of Looking Back
2026-06-12 18:30 | Upstart & Crow, 1387 Railspur Alley Vancouver, BC V6H 3R7, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7, Canada
Join Theresa Kishkan for a reading from her new memoir, The Art of Looking Back.
At 23, Theresa Kishkan met an artist who became obsessed with her. She was young, she was flattered, and the situation quickly overwhelmed her. He drew and painted her for a few months, after which she went away for a year. When she returned, she was determined not to resume the relationship.
But the artist made contact with her after the birth of her first child and became a family friend, bringing gifts of paintings. Those images hung in Theresa’s home, and one in particular reminded her almost daily of her younger self, in ways both positive and not so much. She avoided looking too closely at his images of her and at his long, passionate and often troubling letters.
Decades later, while sorting old correspondence, she was taken back to those early days and began, at last, to write about her relationship with the now-deceased artist. The Art of Looking Back is a meditation on the male gaze, on reclaiming one’s younger self, and on agency: how we lose it, how we find it again. This poetic memoir asks questions about older men and younger women and girls, and the persistence of that dynamic in art.

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.
