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
Strips and Remnants: A Short Poem Workshop with Vancouver’s Poet Laureate Elee Kraljii Gardiner
Join Vancouver’s Poet Laureate—award-winning poet, editor, and artist—Elee Kraljii Gardiner, for a short poem workshop on Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30pm. Using the idea of fragments (visual, sonic, or otherwise) this poetry workshop explores how small pieces become part of a whole. We will experiment with physical materials on site, perhaps generating new materials in ...read more
Tuesday, Apr 22 Upstart & Crow Studio
I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself: Book Launch
Please join Upstart & Crow and Adelle Purdham to celebrate the West Coast launch of her debut memoir-in-essays, I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself (Dundurn Press). Purdham will be in the shop talking about her new collection, which, at its heart, is about being a mom to a daughter with Down syndrome and ...read more
Tuesday, Apr 15 Upstart & Crow Studio
A Sunday Morning with ‘Crooked Cross’ and Persephone Books
Join us for an online chat with Francesca Beauman, publisher of the U.K.-based Persephone Books, about the press’s forthcoming book — the forgotten classic Crooked Cross by Sally Carson, “a richly detailed, page-turning and remarkably prescient account of the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany and its devastating impact on the lives of the fictional Kluger ...read more
Sunday, Apr 13 Online via Zoom
Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre — A Special Event with Mark Bourrie and The Tyee
As Canada nears a pivotal election, we’re proud to partner with The Tyee to bring you a conversation about an essential and timely new book delving deep into the background of political “ripper,” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre. Join us on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. PST for a special online author talk with ...read more
Thursday, Apr 10 Online via Zoom
Staying Creative: A Workshop with Master Writing Coach Sarah Selecky
How do we cultivate a sustainable writing practice and keep our creative energy alive? Join acclaimed author and master writing coach Sarah Selecky on Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. for a meditative writing workshop on maintaining your creative spark. Whether you're beginning your writing journey anew or seeking to deepen your relationship with an ...read more
Tuesday, Apr 1 Upstart & Crow Studio
An Evening with Nalo Hopkinson, Speculative Fiction ‘Grand Master’
Spend an evening with Nalo Hopkinson, the brilliant speculative fiction writer and youngest ever winner of the Science Fiction Writers of America’s Grand Master award. Hear a reading from her latest story collection, Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions, and take the opportunity to ask her your questions. We’ll have books on hand for sale and signing! ...read more
Wednesday, Mar 12 Upstart & Crow Studio
Translator for a Night: A Workshop with Janet Hong
Translation, often considered an act of literary alchemy, allows beloved texts to live fully in new linguistic and cultural spaces. Yet despite its essential role in the literary world, it’s an art form that many of us who speak only one language have never experienced first-hand. What if you could step into the shoes of ...read more
Tuesday, Mar 11 Upstart & Crow Studio
Windows as Metaphor: A Poetry Workshop with Doretta Lau & Holly Flauto
How might windows serve as a dual metaphor—a lens to the outside world and a mirror reflecting the self? Join writers Doretta Lau and Holly Flauto on Saturday, March 1 at 9am for an immersive poetry workshop on perspective, reflection, and transformation. The barriers we pass through, both in body and in metaphor, can be ...read more
Saturday, Mar 1 Upstart & Crow Studio
Power Metal: Vince Beiser in Conversation with Christopher Pollon
Both the world’s critical transition to renewable energy, along with ever-evolving technology, require massive amounts of metal. And the race to mine it is already spawning environmental havoc, political upheaval, and rising violence. Join us on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. for an evening with journalist Vince Beiser, author of the new book Power ...read more
Thursday, Jan 23 Upstart & Crow Studio