The summer is drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean the festivities are over! For booklovers out there, you’ll be happy to know that a number of literary festivals are only beginning to kick into high gear. Check out our list of FREE Toronto festivals you should check out before the summer’s up! 

Pivot Reading Series – SEPTEMBER 13

8:00–10:00 PM

Tranzac Club

Donations are accepted

The Pivot Reading series is a really fun poetry reading series hosted at the Tranzac Club. A rustic space with dark wood paneling and a fireplace, the Tranzac is the ideal place to spend an evening. Grab a drink and relax as a number of poets read their published work and sometimes give you a sneak peek at a work-in-progress. At Pivot, you can discover a new poet or come out to support your favourites. In either case, you can pick up copies of all their work and add it to your collection. And you will certainly walk away with great memories!

The poets for the upcoming reading include Klara Du Plessis, Stephanie Warner, and Sheena Kamal. Here’s a short bio for the poets of this week’s reading series: https://pivotreadings.ca/2018/09/02/pivot-on-september-13-kamal-warner-and-du-plessis/

IFOA: Claudia Dey – SEPTEMBER 18

7:00 PM

Gladstone Hotel

The Toronto International Festival of Authors is responsible for some very exciting literary events. Spread across the year, the IFOA organizes book launches, panels, and workshops. Upcoming is the long-awaited book launch of Claudia Dey’s Heartbreaker at the Gladstone Hotel. If you are planning to attend one book launch this summer, make it Claudia’s!

Read the full book description here: http://ifoa.org/events/toronto-lit-claudia-dey

CANZINE – SEPTEMBER 22

Art Gallery of Ontario

10:00 AM

Celebrate the underground arts at Canzine Toronto. A full day event featuring indie artists, comics, chapbooks, merchandise, and more! Featuring a combination of traditional comic artists, small press, and indie/underground artists—this literary festival encompasses a wide array of talent. Canzine always offers a different experience every year. One year, an artist set up a coin-operated toy ball vending machine each with a unique illustration. Another artist brought in clay sculptures of characters in their comics. Once, there was even someone selling cassette tapes with their music recorded on it. To say the least, there’s always something new and exciting to discover at the festival. When you purchase art at the festival, more often than not, you’re buying it directly from the artist. So chat them up, have them autograph their work, and support all your local creators!

Word On The Street – SEPTEMBER 23

10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Harbourfront Centre

Word On The Street is an annual literary event held at the Harbourfront Centre. WOTS features authors and publishers across genre and style, so you can certainly find hidden gems and fan favourites alike. On top of all your regular festival activity, you can purchase books for just a couple of bucks. Or if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find really great package deals for your favorite literary magazines (like Room). On a warm day, you can spend a whole evening walking up and down aisles of vendors. With your down time, sit by the water and flip through your new finds before starting all over again! WOTS also hosts some really exciting events and panel discussions. Last year, David Suzuki made an appearance, and this year’s guest speakers, authors, and vendors will be equally as exciting!

These are only a few of the numerous literary events hosted in Toronto. Check out one or maybe all of them and take home some good books and even better memories. Happy festivities!

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