Sharp Words is coming on February 25, 2023 to Bridgeworks (200 Caroline St. N., Hamilton)! Join us at this free event to discover fabulous new books from innovative writers and publishers, to talk to authors and artists, and to celebrate writing in our city.
The book fair will be open from 11:00am to 6:00pm and will feature great independent presses, artists, comic book creators and writers along with talks about publishing, the writing life and more.
Vendors are slated to include 845 Press, Arc Poetry, Baseline Press, Between the Lines Press, Black Eye Books, Book*hug Press, Canthius, The City & the City Books, Gordon Hill Press, gritLIT, Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton Children’s Authors Collective (ft. Joyce Grant, Joanne Levy, Aimee Reid, and more), Dawn Hussy and Jane Enright, Lime Press, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Mawenzi House, Ojistoh Publishing, Palimpsest Press, Pallor Publishing, Rose Garden Press, Serif of Nottingham, Simulacrum Press, Stelliform Press, The Shale Project, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, West Meadow Press, Wolsak and Wynn and more.
At 7:00pm, join us for our Literary Cabaret — an evening of live music where your favourite local authors will pick up the microphone… not to read, but to sing!
EVENT SCHEDULE
11:00 am
Doors Open
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11:00 am to 12:00 pm [Onstage]
It’s the Next Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Understanding the Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing
Join author and publishing industry veteran Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Wolsak and Wynn publisher Noelle Allen in a discussion about the different kinds of publishing options out there and why there is no “one weird trick” for selling your book.
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12:00 pm to 1:00 pm [Online]
Small Press Lunch Dates
Join author and journalist Ariel Gordon as she hosts an online session introducing you to many fascinating small press authors from across Canada. Please note: This is a virtual session. Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/small-press-lunch-dates-tickets-551595987447
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1:00 pm to 2:00 pm [Onstage]
Making it Big in the Hammer
Join award-winning and nationally recognized authors Gary Barwin, Sheila Murray, and Joe Ollmann as they talk about their experiences writing and living in the Ambitious City and what happens when the rest of Canada discovers your book. This panel will be moderated by Hamilton Review of Books Editor in Chief Dana Hansen
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2:00 to 3:00 pm [Online]
Small Press Coffee Dates
Ariel Gordon returns for another round of online small press speed dates. Tune in to find more fascinating books from Canada’s most innovative small publishers. Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/small-press-coffee-dates-tickets-551605927177
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3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
All You Can Do is Laugh [Onstage]
Join Ralph Benmergui and Erin Pepler in a discussion about the importance of humour in writing about difficult topics in their recent memoirs I Thought He Was Dead: A Spiritual Memoir and Send Me Into the Woods Alone: Essays on Motherhood. This event will be moderated by Tanis MacDonald, the author of Straggle: Adventures in Walking While Female.
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7:00 pm
Sharp Words Literary Cabaret [Onstage]
Join host Nathan Whitlock as he leads us through an evening of music, singing and performance! Featuring performances by Gary Barwin, Andrew Bondy, Matt Cahill, Janet Hoy, Amy Jones, Sheila Murray, Nicola Winstanley, Andrew F. Sullivan, Jamie Tennant, John Terpstra, and Liz Worth, with music by Andrew Bondy, Tom Shea, Nathan Whitlock and Mark Woodland.
Sharp Words respects, supports and encourages the wearing of masks at our in-person events.