Say No With Love: A Writing Workshop with Chelene Knight
Join Chelene Knight, award-winning author and founder of Breathing Space Creative Studio, for a transformative in-person workshop that could change the way you live and write. For one special evening, Chelene brings her renowned Say No With Love Workshop to our studio. This offering is for writers who want to set nourishing boundaries, protect their creative energy, and ...read more
Thursday, Sep 4 Upstart & Crow Studio
Praise and the Practice of Naming: A Generative Writing Workshop for a Complex World
In this 90-minute online session, Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal—our 2025 resident poet—will guide you through an exploration of praise poems as a radical, expansive form—not just for gratitude and joy, but for holding the contradictions of being alive. Together, we’ll explore how praise can be a practice of witnessing the full complexity of our lives: the beauty and ...read more
Tuesday, Sep 9 Online via Zoom
‘A Precarious Enterprise’: An Evening with Publishing Legend Scott McIntyre
Join us for an evening celebrating a cornerstone of Canadian publishing history with the launch of A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing by Scott McIntyre. McIntyre has lived, and shaped, the story of Canadian literature. From his early days at McClelland & Stewart to cofounding Douglas & McIntyre in 1970, his career spans the ...read more
Wednesday, Sep 10 Upstart & Crow Studio
Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature
Join us on Thursday, September 11 at 6:30pm for an author talk with writer and political scientist Alyssa Battistoni in celebration of her new book, Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature. Capitalism is typically treated as a force for relentless commodification. Yet it fails to place value on vital aspects of the nonhuman world, whether carbon ...read more
Thursday, Sep 11 Upstart & Crow Studio
Encrypted: A Reading with Arleen Paré
Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. for an evening reading with award-winning poet Arleen Paré to celebrate her new collection, Encrypted. Encrypted is a tribute to family and youth in a time of complex anxiety and loneliness. In September 2020, Arleen's almost 20-year old grandson moved into the basement of her home to attend courses nearby. ...read more
Wednesday, Sep 17 Upstart & Crow Studio
‘Slice the Water’: A Book Launch with PP Wong
Join us for an evening to celebrate the launch of PP Wong’s second novel, Slice the Water, a magical new work called “a knockout,” by novelist Annabel Lyon and one of 49th Shelf’s Most Anticipated Fall Fiction. Wong will be in conversation with tech journalist Lisa Tanh to explore themes in her novel, including how social media and AI ...read more
Thursday, Sep 18
Lit and Libations: An Evening at Upstart & Crow
Come to Upstart & Crow on Friday, Sept. 19 to enjoy the sweet and sultry final days of summer with a evening celebrating beautiful B.C. wines and books. Because this place makes exquisite stuff! Join us for a glass and a hobnob with your fellow readers in our romantic “literary living room.” We’ll be sharing ...read more
Friday, Sep 19 Upstart & Crow Studio
Crafting the Meet-Cute: A Romance Writing Workshop with Leanne Toshiko Simpson
Join us on Friday, October 17 at 6pm for a special romance writing workshop! Open to writers, dabblers and everyone interested in an evening with romantic flare, this 1.5 hour workshop with award-winning U of T creative writing teacher, Leanne Toshiko Simpson, will help you design compelling lead characters and the perfect meet-cute to carry ...read more
Friday, Oct 17 Upstart & Crow Studio
‘Bloom’: A Book Launch Celebrating Letters on Girlhood
Join us for the Vancouver launch of Bloom: Letters on Girlhood, a timely new memoir exploring how societal expectations shape identity, and how we can continue, at any age, to release the past. This is a free event, but please RSVP for your spot here, as capacity is limited. Books will be on hand for sale and ...read more
Saturday, Oct 18 Upstart & Crow Studio