Events

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July 2025

Climate Solutions

Listen to the Land Speak: Manchán Magan Live

What if the land speaks, but we’ve simply forgotten how to listen? Join us for an unforgettable evening with one of Ireland’s most visionary voices. On Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m., Irish writer and documentarian Manchán Magan invites us to tune in again to the forgotten frequencies of the natural world in a special ...read more

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June 2025

Poetry

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

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‘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

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Community & Skills

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

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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

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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

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May 2025

Climate Solutions

The Climate Readers’ Retreat

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

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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

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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

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In Translation

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

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Poetry

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

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April 2025

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