Have no fear— ready, set, queer! Slut Island is this and next weekend in Montreal.
Monday, June 2
TORONTO
Cormorant Spring Poetry Launch, 6pm, Granite Brewerym 245 Eglinton Ave E, free
Cormorant Books launches two spring titles, “When We Were Old” by Peter Unwin and “Looking East Over My Shoulder” by Jill Jorgensen at an undersung microbrewery— go midtown or go home!
Tuesday, June 3
TORONTO
Klipspringer Magazine Launch: “Light”, 8pm, Pamenar, 307 Augusta Ave, free
Web magazine Klipspringer launches its second, light-themed issue at Pamenar in Kensington. Readings by Michael Wickens, Madeleine Christie, Amos Mercier and more!
Wednesday June 4
TORONTO
Toronto Erotica Writers Meet-Up, 7pm, Melody Bar, Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W, free
Write dirty! The Toronto Erotica Writers & Readers group is back with a meet up to share and workshop writing and ideas. The meet-up is followed by Tell Me Something Good at 9pm, a sexy storytelling slam.
MONTREAL
Strip Spelling Bee – Fringe Edition, 9pm, Mainline Theatre, 3997 boul. Saint-Laurent, $10 door + $2 Fringe admin fee (no cover for contestants, plus a free drink!)
Come one, come all for a hilarious night of heckling, hooting, stripping and, well, spelling. This Fringe Festival edition is open to all contestants, but get there early to sign up.
Thursday, June 5
TORONTO
Work It, 7pm, gallerywest, 1172 Queen St W, free
The South Asian Visual Arts Center presents Alize Zorlutuna, Basil Alzeri, Umber Majeed showing work engaging with the current state of affairs in the arts world— funding cuts, discourses round race, gender, and community, and questions around labour.
MONTREAL
Slut Island Festival (through Friday June 13)
Montreal’s Femme Fest is queer as in fuck you, presenting video, cabarets, babes, witches, aliens, badass bands and DJs, and all manner of queer turn up.
Friday, June 6
TORONTO
Downtown East Toronto Women Reclaim the Streets 2014, 5:30pm, Regent Park Community Health Centre, 465 Dundas St E, free
A rally and march to stop violence against women— a coalition of community groups band together to speak up and act out against violence against women, particularly Indigenous, homeless, and sex-working women. A community meal at 5:30 is followed by a rally at 6pm and a march at 6:30pm. Kid friendly! Community meal! Tokens available! Accessible space and march!
HALIFAX
Sorrel Zine Launch and Acoustic Show! 7pm, anchor archive / Plan B, 2180 Gottingen St
Filthy Liars, Hex Partners, and more at this zine launch for Sorrel’s zine about traveling with his bands. Party time!
OTTAWA
The Factory Reading Series pre-small press fair reading, 7pm, The Carleton Tavern, 223 Armstrong St, upstairs
rob mclennan and span-o (the small press action network – ottawa) presents readings from Marthe Reed, David Menear, Chris Eaton, Nicholas Power and Renée Sarojini Saklikar in anticipation of Saturday’s book fair.
Saturday June 7
OTTAWA
ottawa small press fair spring 2014 edition, 12pm-5pm, Jack Purcell Community Centre, 320 Jack Purcell Lane, free for the public
span-o (the small press action network – ottawa) presents an amazing line up of exhibitors hawking and sharing poetry books, novels, chapbooks, cookbooks, and so much, so much more.
TORONTO
Blind Date With a Book Sale, 12pm-4pm, Centre for Social Innovation (Annex), 720 Bathurst St, free
Buy a book without any possibility of judging it by its cover! All books are completely wrapped with only 2-3 bullet points written about it. Prices range from $5-10.
Fan Fiction The Show: Transformers, 7:30pm, Black Swan Tavern, 154 Danforth Ave, $10
Fans come together to share original fan-generated material from a slew of authors. This month’s Transformers themed event features The Fan Fiction The Show Cast, The Sushi Boys, and the Weaker Vessels, hosted by Steve Hobbs.
HALIFAX
Artist Talk with Sharon Stevens, shrine creation, and walk through HFX cemetery, 1pm,
Anchor Archive Zine Library / Plan B, 2180 Gottingen
Calgary artist Sharon Stevens will give a talk about the Equinox Vigil in Union Cemetery that she started in 2012, and her insights into the evolving role of the artist in the sacred.