Events

List

October 2026

‘Confronting the Resurgent Right’: Author Talk

Join us for an evening with Miriam Edelson and Will Horter, two contributors to the new book Confronting the Resurgent Right, which explores the deep roots and new threats of Canada’s regressive right-wing entities. Over the past decade, we have witnessed the global mainstreaming of hate as false narratives and conspiracy theories about equity and inclusion, immigration, ...read more

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September 2026

Climate Solutions

Sharpen Your Climate Story: A Workshop with Chloë Fraser

Sharpen your climate story in this cozy, hands-on workshop for women working in the environmental space and adjacent fields. Part journaling, part talking circle, part strategic brainstorm, this 90-minute session helps you find the language and framework to share why you care about climate change. We'll use guided prompts to draw out your personal climate ...read more

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Hallelujah Anyhow: A Poetry Launch with Lisa López Smith

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 ...read more

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‘Brotherhood Is a Constant Possibility’: An Evening with Ryan Cho

Join us in celebrating the launch of Brotherhood Is a Constant Possibility: Asian Masculinity in a World Made for Whiteness, the debut from Vancouver-based author Ryan Cho. Drawing from his own experiences and interviews with other Asian men and nonbinary people, Cho explores how culture, sexuality and race combine to influence identity. Along the way, he meets ...read more

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Racial Virtuality: A Book Launch and Celebration with Danielle Wong

Join us for an evening of discussion and light refreshments to celebrate Danielle Wong's new book, Racial Virtuality: Information Capitalism and the Suggestive Materiality of Asianness (New York University Press, 2026). Danielle will be in conversation with Christopher Kawika Guillermo and Christine Kim. Racial Virtuality contends that racialization not only occurs through representation in media, but also ...read more

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Riskier Than Fiction: Autobiography on the Page and the Stage

“Sometimes, memory is more powerful than metaphor.” — Sophy Romvari Artists have been writing about their lives forever, finding rich and resonant stories in the infinite complexity of their own internal world. And they have always had to navigate the tricky questions of what to share and what to keep private, how to balance personal ...read more

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Climate Solutions

Women Talking Climate: End of Summer Connect

We hold this truth to be self-evident: not only do women play an essential role in ensuring the long-term wellbeing of their communities, especially in times of crisis, but we cannot weather the climate impacts we face without their leadership and solutions-building. That’s why we’re hosting a reoccurring event series for women and non-binary folks ...read more

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August 2026

In Translation

In Translation Book Club: Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun

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, August 26 at 6:00pm, we'll be ...read more

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Pauline Holdstock and Richard Kelly Kemick: Launch Party!

Behold, two amazing local authors have new collections out with one of our favourite Canadian indie presses, Biblioasis. Let’s celebrate! Join us for a night of joyful readings and conversation with Pauline Holdstock, author of the short story What Endures, and Richard Kelly Kemick, author of the essay collection Decadence. What Endures represents Holdstock’s responses to a world evolving ...read more

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Common Threads: Readings and Conversation

Join writers Suzanne Elki Yoko Hartmann, Keiko Honda and Raymond Nakamura for an evening of conversation and celebration of their shared Japanese heritage. Toronto-based Hartmann will read from her hybrid memoir The Nail That Sticks Out: Reflections on the Postwar Japanese Canadian Community. The work of creative non-fiction is a next-generation account that explores an evolving community ...read more

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July 2026

Community & Skills

Befriend the Taboo: An Erotica Writing Workshop with Adèle Barclay

Anais Nin wrote, “Sex must be mixed with tears, laughter, words, promises, scenes, jealousy, envy, all the spices of fear, foreign travel, new faces, novels, stories, dreams, fantasies, music, dancing, opium, wine.” Writing about sex and sexuality is an opportunity to explore the vastness and nuances of the human experience. In this workshop, we will ...read more

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litty Book Club: Contrapposto

The litty book club is your chance to read the books everyone’s talking about before they’re talking about them. Created by readers and for readers, the litty book club is a bi-monthly function and a welcoming space for strong opinions and lively conversation around a curation of litty’s prospects — newly published books the litty team ...read more