On Friday night the Toronto Women’s Bookstore (73 Harbord Street) hosts the launch of a new anthology about the political ramifications of motherhood blogs, Mothering and Blogging: The Radical Act of the MommyBlog, edited by May Friedman and Shana Calixte (7 p.m., FREE). Not far down the road at the U of T’s St Thomas Aquinas Chapel (50 Hoskin Avenue), author Margaret Visser (The Gift of Thanks) talks about her work and the importance of gratitude in worship and everyday life (7 p.m., FREE). And at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street), PEN Canada presents a Freedom to Read panel discussion, “Child Soldier: Banned in Canada (Orwellian language and our human rights obligations).” The event is $10 (all proceeds go to PEN Canada) and features Afua Cooper, Mark Kingwell, Judy Rebick, and Carol Off (7 p.m.).
World-War-One aficionados should head down to Fort York (100 Garrison Road) on Saturday night at 7 p.m. for a free event with authors Ward McBurney and Bruce Cane discussing the Great War.
Things pick up again on Sunday morning with the Ben NcNally/Globe and Mail Brunch series at the King Edward Hotel (37 King Street East). Authors Nicholas Ruddock (The Parabolist), Lynne Olson (Citizens of London), and Elizabeth Abbott (A History of Marriage) will be on hand to help attendees digest the brunch fixings (10 a.m., $45). Arnold Itwaru, Osaze Dolabaille and other poets and musicians gather at Ellington’s Cafe & Music (805 St Clair West) as part of the International Festival of Poetry of Resistance. The event, which honours black history in Haiti and Mumia Abul Jama,l starts at 2 p.m. and is free. A fundraiser for the Toronto Women’s Bookstore gets underway at 8 p.m. at The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West). Authors Lorette C Luzajic, Alec Butler, Lisa Foad, and Kristyn Dunnion will all read for the crowd (PWYC).
