The week in readings kicks off on a healthy note on Monday night when the Hart House Social Justice and Literary and Library Committees host an evening of readings and talks with contributors to Coach House Books’ primer on local food issues, The Edible City: Toronto’s City from Farm to Fork. The event, which also showcases delicious samples from local food producers, takes place in the Hart House Debates Room (7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto) and features readings from anthology contributors David Alexander, Joshna Maharaj, Jason McBride, and Wayne Roberts (7:00 p.m., FREE). Just off campus at the Harbord House Gastro Pub (150 Harbord Street), the Rowers Pub Reading Series continues with readings by Michael Winter, Sonja Greckol, and Jacob Scheier (7:30 p.m., FREE, for our profile of the series go here).
On Tuesday night the Artbar Poetry Series at Clinton’s (693 Bloor Street West) features live poetry from Asa Boxer, A.F. Moritz, and Adrienne Gruber (8 p.m., FREE), while local authors Anthony De Sa, Jenny Sampirisi, and Lesley McAllister take the stage at the Brockton Writers Series (1438 Dundas West, 7 p.m., FREE), an event that also features a short open mic segment. Stephen Brockwell and Stuart Ross, editors of the Rogue Stimulus anthology, gather contributors Jim Smith and Robert Earl Stewart and other special guests to Little Italy’s Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton Street) to celebrate the anti-prorogue poetry movement (7:30 p.m., FREE).
Wednesday is the night for the weekly Authors at Harbourfront Centre series (235 Queens Quay West). Tonight’s event features Man Booker Prize–winning novelist John Banville in conversation with Antanas Sileika. Tickets are $8, or free to members, and the event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Brigantine Room. For our profile of Authors at Harbourfront Centre go here. Up at Yonge and Eglinton, young adult authors Becca Fitzpatrick and Lisa McMann read from recent works at the mega Indigo store (2300 Yonge Street, 7 p.m., FREE), and out on Queen West the (In)side the Veins poetry open mic and workshop gets started at 8 p.m. at Culturshoc (1205 Queen Street West, FREE).
Finally, head to the Free Times Cafe (320 College Street) on Thursday for the 58th gathering of the Strong Words series. Tonight’s event features readings from Sachiko Murakami, Mark Goldstein, Steve Venright, and Jessica Moore. The event is PWYC and the series organizers would love it if folks could donate a saleable book or two for the Book Ends program at the Toronto Public Library (8 p.m.). Novelist John Bemrose visits the Taylor Memorial Library (1440 Kingston Road) for a free reading at 7 p.m., and over at the Regal Beagle pub (355 Bloor Street West) the Rochdale Rhymes and Readings series brings Luciano Iacobelli, Shawn McLeod, and Duncan Armstrong to the stage (8 p.m., PWYC).
