Writing Toward Borderless Solidarities: A Workshop with Poet in Residence, Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal
Presented in collaboration with Indian Summer Festival, this generative workshop with Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal, Upstart & Crow’s 2025 Poet in Residence, invites participants to explore the theme of borderless solidarities through creative writing, connection, and shared reflection. We’ll begin with a series of freewriting exercises that invite you to explore the idea of borders — between people, places, identities, and within ourselves. ...read more
Wednesday, Jun 25 Upstart & Crow Studio
‘A Catalogue of Risk’: Launch and Reading with Alisha Mascarenhas
Join us at Upstart & Crow for an evening of poetry with Brooklyn-based poet Alisha Mascarenhas, joined by local writers Sasha J. Langford and Danielle LaFrance, as we celebrate the launch of Mascarenhas’ new collection, A Catalogue of Risk. This debut book of poetry is a “volte-face of the neoliberal market economy’s construction of isolated, individual ...read more
Monday, Jun 23 Upstart & Crow Studio
Write/Draw: An Outdoor Magpie Practice
Join us for an outdoor workshop where writing and drawing meet the natural world! Held outside in Granville Island’s vibrant, sensory-rich environment, this Write/Draw session invites you to slow down, tune in and collect what catches your attention, magpie-style. Guided by artist Louise Phillips, you’ll explore sights, sounds and textures through a series of writing ...read more
Tuesday, Jun 10 Upstart & Crow Studio
A Day of Joy for the Writers’ Exchange!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 7! We are planning an extra special day at Upstart & Crow to benefit The Writers’ Exchange, which offers fun literacy programs for under-resourced kids and youth in Vancouver, and volunteer opportunities for awesome people who want to see kids thrive. Come down and meet the team, see the ...read more
Saturday, Jun 7 Upstart & Crow Studio
An Evening with the BC and Yukon Book Prizes Finalists
Join us on Thursday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate the finalists of the 2025 BC and Yukon Book Prizes! We’ll hear readings from shortlisted authors Shashi Bhat, Leanne Dunic and Minelle Mahtani, and toast the wonderful writerly talent this region has to offer. The BC and Yukon Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate ...read more
Thursday, Jun 5 Upstart & Crow Studio
Our world needs scalable, systemic change, and now. But most of us don’t have the time and space in our daily lives to deeply reflect on what our contribution to solving the climate crisis might be. The Climate Readers’ Retreat is an opportunity for people with a passion for climate and democracy to work through ...read more
Wednesday, May 21 Hollyhock Retreat Center
The Erotics of Cutting Grass: A Reading with Kate Braid
Join us on Friday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. for a night with lauded B.C. author Kate Braid and enjoy a reading from her new collection The Erotics of Cutting Grass (Caitlin Press), a celebration of life’s later chapters and an embrace of ageing on one’s own terms. Braid will be joined by author Rob Taylor for a ...read more
Friday, May 16 Upstart & Crow Studio
An Evening with Literary Magpie: Tree Abraham
Take the opportunity to meet one of the literary world’s most exciting young talents — writer, collager, book cover designer, and all round scavenger, Tree Abraham. We can’t wait to host her for a virtual conversation about her work, her process, her artistic life, and much more! Abraham is the author of the brand-new book ...read more
Thursday, May 8 Online via Zoom
Translation Spotlight: An Evening of Mexican Literature With Jorge Amigo & Sarah Revilla-Sanchez
There’s no perfect translation for sobremesa. It’s a cherished tradition across Latin America—that warm, beautiful time after a meal where you talk, debate, laugh… you sobremesa! We’re hosting a sobremesa on Monday, May 5 at 7pm, with a combination of sweet treats, conversation, and the chance to delve into the fascinating, brilliant world of contemporary ...read more
Monday, May 5 Upstart & Crow Studio
Spontaneous Particulars: Collage as Poetic Practice
How does tactile, sensory play enliven a poem-making practice? In this experimental workshop with poet, editor and teacher, Sheryda Warrener, you’ll layer, collide, disrupt, and juxtapose visual fragments as a way to prime the mind for poem-making. To inspire your practice, Sheryda will share examples of contemporary collage, as well as strategies to promote spontaneity, ...read more
Thursday, May 1 Upstart & Crow Studio
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest: Book Launch
Join us for a special evening to launch the debut novel of Amy S. Kaufman, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, published by Penguin. The book is an immersive, sultry, heart-pounding historical reimagining of the Robin Hood ballads, as told through the piercing eyes of one of his spies. It’s “Sherwood Forest as you’ve never seen it: through a ...read more
Tuesday, Apr 29 Upstart & Crow Studio
Letterpress Poetry: A Two-Day How To with New Leaf Editions
We’re partnering with New Leaf Editions for a fascinating, hands-on, two-day workshop in which attendees can transform a short poem into print form. You’ll learn the essentials of letterpress, including inking and printing techniques, how to set your own type, and how to operate the press yourselves. The end result will be a broadsheet with your ...read more
Saturday, Apr 26 New Leaf Studio