Hey, everybody! Join us for Word Up’s next event @ Unity Market Cafe & Studios. We’ll start at the usual 7 pm and feature one or two guest authors, followed by the ever-popular and always inspiring open mic.
Word Up Thursday December 13, 2018
Sky Gilbert is a poet, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, theatre director and drag queen extraordinaire. He was co-founder and artistic director of Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre — one of the world’s largest gay and lesbian theatres — from 1979 to 1997. He has had more than 40 plays produced, and written 7 critically acclaimed novels and three award winning poetry collections. He has received three Dora Mavor Moore Awards as well as the Pauline McGibbon Award, and The Silver Ticket Award. There is a street in Toronto named after him. He’s latest novel Sad Old Faggot (ECW Press) was critically acclaimed. Spring of 2018 will mark the premiere of his new opera Shakespeare’s Criminal at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre with music by Dustin Peters.
Book: Small Things (a random selection of anti-essays)
Small Things is a book of mini-anti-essays, part of Sky Gilbert’s project to dismantle and challenge the rigid classifications of genre, thus challenging 21st century notions of truth. Inspired by Oscar Wilde, Foucault, and the post-structuralist project, the small writings in small things are story, essay, and memoir combined. They question the notion that an essay is necessarily fact, or fair opinion, or even informed opinion, while at the same time challenging the dictum that fiction might necessarily be free of didacticism, or at least, ideas.
Darrell Epp is the author of 3 poetry collections: Imaginary Maps, After Hours, and Sinners
Dance. His poems have been published in over 100 magazines on 6 continents. He lives in Hamilton.
Word Up Thursday January 10, 2018
Heather Cadsby is the author of five books of poetry. The most recent book is 
titled Standing in the Flock of Connections (Brick Books, 2018). In the 1980s, she and Maria Jacobs founded Wolsak and Wynn Publishers. Since that time she has been involved with Phoenix: A Poet’s Workshop, The Axle Tree Coffee House readings, The Art Bar Poetry Series among other poetry related activities. She lives in Toronto.
Jeanette Winsor writes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Her first novel Molly Chant is currently in submission. She has published journal articles with Green Teacher Magazine, The Catholic Digest, The Navigator, Homemakers Magazine, and DownHome Magazine. Her short stores can be found in Wayfaring: Journeys in Language, Learning and Culture, Unleashed Ink, The Canadian Authors Association CanWrite Collection, and The Antigonish Review. Her scholarly journal articles have been published internationally. Jeanette lives in Angus, ON. She is represented by Olga Filina of The Rights Factory.
Word Up Thursday April 11, 2019
Johanne Levesque was born and raised in Quebec City. She did extensive research in archives to bring you life during the Great Depression in Toronto in Trouble and Strife.
She is, at the moment, writing the sequel to Trouble and Strife titled In The Pink where she reveals the Second World War from the point of view of a family living in Toronto.
Her novels are based on true events from a Torontonian perspective.
Wendy Ranby is a teacher with over 25 years of experience teaching “literally every grade”. She currently teaches grade 8 and is inspired every day by the life force of adolescents. She recently received her Masters of Education degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto and has also taken Creative Writing courses from U of T. Wendy enjoys travelling, rooting for the Blue Jays, working out with her golden retriever, and family time with her husband and three grown children. Under the Floorboard is her debut novel, but she has kept a journal since she was a young child. She was born and raised in Rothesay, New Brunswick and now lives in Tottenham, Ontario.
Under the Floorboard – 15-year-old Aileen never feels good enough to please her mother. When she pries up the floorboard at her aunt’s house, she sheds a light on the dark secret she worked so hard to forget. Why does no one ever talk about her baby sister Claire and what happened to her?
When her mother announces she’s pregnant and starts acting strange. After the baby is born, her mother descends into a depression, and Aileen has to cope with the effect this has on both her and her family. Life isn’t easy when your parent has a mental health issue. Especially when no one talks to you about it. Honesty is tough. Does her mother have secrets of her own and is Aileen ready for the truth? Miscommunications abound, but underneath there is love—even if it is hard to feel it sometimes.
Please check back for updates on Future Word Up Events!
