As I reacquaint myself with my bustling birth city, I’ve decided to make an effort to journey to as many events as I can now that I attend school in Toronto full-time.
As a journalist major who hopes to publish novels in the near future, I enjoy biding my time until then at literary events across the Greater Toronto Area. And what better event to kick off the season than the 35th annual The Word on the Street Toronto festival?Â
The Word on the Street Toronto is one of Canada’s largest free book and magazine festivals, which brings together various bookshops, publishing houses, authors, universities, and even Toronto’s Mayor, Olivia Chow. And I had the absolute pleasure of dawdling around and getting to know a few friendly faces and their organizations.
I spent my day at Queen’s Park, venturing from one tent to the next, running on my last two (very sought-after) Craig’s Twix Cookies. I was greeted by plenty of fascinating booths buzzing with information to echo into the world.
I learned that the New Quarterly Literary Society just so happens to publish quarterly. Three New York Times bestselling authors sitting in as judges declared “grumpy x sunshine” the best romance trope in a comical battle. I was also given a new anatomical fear relating to atherosclerosis (Thank you, TMU and Soapbox Science).
I attended a few stages scattered across the four zones of the festival of authors offering excerpts, suggestions on how to build a story, and insight into the themes, writing process, and significance of their works.
So, to properly celebrate the 35th anniversary of this exciting literary festival, I’ve highlighted a few of my favourite booths, vendors, and novels I’d like to add to my already lengthy to-be-read list.
- Met Radio
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Among the sea of white tents was Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Met Radio, the university’s multi-media hub airing diverse programs of spoken word, local talent, new releases, and much more.
Met Radio drew me in with its familiar sign and fluorescent palette, enticing onlookers to design their own miniature zines and sign the radio’s volunteer sheet.
TMU’s third-years Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng and Delphine Winton were operating the booth, from whom I learned their literature hot takes, Canadian literature recommendations, and more about their community as I bedazzled my own zine with heart stickers.Â
- Meettheauthor.ca
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Not too far from Met Radio stood the meettheauthor.ca booth, managed by author Aubrey Clarke and illustrator Rita Burke.
Their booth particularly stood out to me because of their Afro-centric children’s books. The primary message of Clarke’s works is to inspire Black youths to believe in themselves. He emphasized that breathing life into literature will reinvigorate children’s passions and dreams, as without parental representation in certain spheres, children can be discouraged from pursuing certain avenues.
Burke, who works with author and husband Sam Burke, also stressed the importance of representation in children’s literature, expressing that one cannot aspire if one’s existence is not present and acknowledged. She and her partner own Burke’s Bookstore in Toronto, focusing on Afro-centric storybooks.Â
- Poesy
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In the middle of the festival was Poesy, giving out live typewriter-written custom poems in exchange for a donation at which customers set the rate.
This Canadian poetry agency started in 2022 to mend the disconnect between interpersonal and self-relationships through custom poems. Poesy offers live poetry, live poetry albums, and live journaling, which you can book on their website for events.
Martin Gomes, an Afro-Latino queer artist with an extensively impressive repertoire, wrote me a heartfelt poem about perseverance enveloped with a teal wax seal. The personalized message behind each verse was not only beautiful to read over but also to watch in the making.Â
- The Local
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My afternoon nearly concluded with an informative talk with Inori Roy, the Associate Editor at The Local, a non-profit online magazine emphasizing wellness and social issues in underrepresented areas in Toronto.
Roy revealed that The Local offers part-time, paid fellowships to people from underserved communities in May and plans on doing so next year. The fellowship is a part of the magazine’s desire to remove restrictions marginalized people experience in the workforce by taking on specifically aspiring journalists of colour and providing them with training, seminars, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Roy advised me to sign up for The Local’s newsletter to stay connected with issues that tend to fly under the radar and to think the fellowship over, as applications open in January.Â
- Robert Munsch
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The highlight of my adventure at Word on the Street Toronto was making a quick stop at the Robert Munsch booth to heal some part of my inner child.
There, I was animatedly greeted by staff and watched as children moved through the booth shading in colouring pages, making cootie catchers, and writing letters to Robert Munsch, which I found particularly heart-warming.
I was encouraged to vote with a range of small multi-coloured cotton balls for my favourite Munsch book out of the few held above brown baskets, tallying its popularity among guests. I cast my vote for Mortimer and later suffered from a massive headache onwards as “CLANG, CLANG, RATTLE-BING-BANG. Gonna make my noise all day” rang in my ears at any brief interval of silence.Â
The Word On The Street Toronto presented several lovely representatives, and I enjoyed absorbing all that this book and magazine festival had to offer.
This festival has certainly made a fan out of me. I’m eager to see what it has in store for 2025, and to ensure that day approaches, we were encouraged to make a donation on our way out, which can also be done online on their website.
Some honourable mentions and gems I discovered among countless booths I visited were some books that I will be adding to my reading list. Here are some of them:
Book Recommendations:
- What Moves The Dead by Ursula Vernon
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What Moves The Dead is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, which, funnily enough, I read earlier this year.
This edition follows a retired soldier, Alex Easton, who returns to the ancestral home of their family friend after they learn their childhood friend is dying. What Moves The Dead deals with gothic and horror themes of possession, obscure illness, and the inevitable fall of yet another house of Usher.
- The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls by Angela Sylvaine
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The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls is a collection of 17 stories written by Angela Sylvaine.
Within the horror-stricken pages, Sylvaine spins stories about women and girls confined by circumstance, abuse, and society.Â
- The Dark Library by Cyrille Martinez
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The Dark Library is a satirical take on our society written by Cyrille Martinez as the world continues to replace what’s physical with digital and how that is reflected in areas, namely libraries, and where they lie in contemporary times.
Martinez examines the digital world with wit and offers readers a new perspective on rejecting modernity and embracing tradition.