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LitTO: June 3–11
Photo by kygp.
Tonight the seven finalists for the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize will be reading at the MacMillan Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the reading are completely sold out, so instead you’ll have to settle for a copy of the anthology to get close to the nominees. The Canadian shortlist includes David McFadden and Nicole Brossard, and can be found here. The winners, who each receive $50,000, will be announced on Wednesday at the eighth annual Griffin Poetry Prize Awards Evening.
The obvious pick this week is Saturday’s 21st Toronto Small Press Book Fair. A venue change to the The Miles Nadal JCC means that book-lovers can mix, mingle, and spend in the comfort of air-conditioning. A recent addition to the line-up means that four-time Governor-General Award nominee, Christopher Dewdney, will be the featured reader of the day. Check out the fair and the wares from 12 to 5 p.m.
Also of note, Luminato begins this Friday and offers a packed schedule of literary events, both upscale and free, across the city. Watch for Torontoist’s extensive coverage of the festival, including the Walrus-presented, noir-themed The Dark City, and an evening devoted to the political graphic novel.
Full listings after the fold.
Toronto Literary Listings: June 3–June 11
Tuesday, June 3
Type Books presents Glen Dresser (Correction Road, Oberon Press) and Theanna Bischoff (Cleavage, NeWest Press). Type Books (883 Queen Street West). 6:30 p.m. Free.
Griffin Poetry Prize finalists reading. MacMillan Theatre (80 Queen’s Park). 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 5
Sumach presents Branding Miss G__: Third Wave Feminists & The Media by Michelle Miller. Free Times Cafe (320 College Street). 6:30 p.m. Free.
Friday, June 6
Toronto Noir co-editor Nathaniel G. Moore hosts a night of readings with Peter Robinson, RM Vaughan and Andrew Pyper. World’s Biggest Book Store (20 Edward Street). 7:00 p.m. Free.
Saturday, June 7
Toronto Small Press Book Fair. Miles Nadal JCC (750 Spadina Avenue). 12:00 p.m. Free.
Luminato presents Elyse Friedman (Long Story Short) and Pasha Malla (The Withdrawal Method). Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street). 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 8
Luminato presents David Bezmozgis and Dara Horn paying tribute to Nobel Prize-winning writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. The Al Green Theatre in The Miles Nadal Jewish Community Center (750 Spadina Avenue). 3:00 p.m. $10.
Tuesday, June 10
The Porcupine’s Quill presents the launch of Sailor Girl by Sheree-Lee Olson. Ben McNally Books (366 Bay Street). 6:00 p.m. Free.
Wednesday, June 11
Diaspora Dialogues and Luminato presents the launch of TOK: Writing the New Toronto, The Drake Underground (1150 Queen Street West). 8:00 p.m. Free.
Biblioasis presents the launch of Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets, edited by Zachariah Wells. IV Lounge (326 Dundas Street West). 8:00 p.m. Free.