Name: Hallelujah Anyhow: A Poetry Launch with Lisa López Smith
Start: 2026-09-27T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-09-27T19:30:00-04:00
Location: Upstart & Crow Studio

Description

Join us for a wonderful evening to celebrate the launch of Lisa López Smith’s debut poetry collection, Hallelujah Anyhow. In conversation with local author Renee Sarojini Saklikar, López Smith will discuss her life on a small biodynamic farm in Jalisco, Mexico, and how the rhythms of farming, family, and community have shaped her writing.

This event is free, but please RSVP here as capacity is limited. Books will be on hand for sale and signing!

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 and 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. As part of disability justice and community care for the chronically ill, vulnerable and elderly, we ask that you refrain from attending if you feel sick.

Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.

More about the author:

Originally from Kelowna, Lisa López Smith now lives in Jalisco, Mexico, where she and her Tapatío husband raise their children and livestock on a small biodynamic farm. She has a BA from the University of Calgary and an MA from Royal Roads University in subjects unrelated to writing or farming. Her poems and essays have appeared in more than 60 literary journals and have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best New Poets, and Best of the Net. Hallelujah Anyhow is her debut poetry collection.

More about the moderator:

Renée Sarojini Saklikar is the author of five books, including the award-winning children of air india and Listening to the Bees. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies, including Exile Editions, Chatelaine, The Capilano Review, and Pulp Literature. She was Poet Laureate for the City of Surrey (2015–2018), co-founded Lunch Poems at SFU and teaches Creative Writing at Douglas College. Bramah’s Discovery is the third volume of her epic fantasy in verse series, THOT J BAP, which includes Bramah and the Beggar Boy and Bramah’s Quest. She lives in Vancouver.