On Saturday, November 1st, the Toronto Small Press Book Fair is holding a special evening mini-fair, “The Small Press Affair”, at the Tranzac Club. From 6 pm to 11 pm, writers, fans and friends of Canada’s smaller presses/publishers/publications will gather at the Tranzac to support a new twist on a long-standing tradition on the Canadian literary scene. The Small Press Affair will feature lively entertainment, including readings and musical performances – all celebrating the spirit of independent press.

While enjoying the evening’s eclectic literary entertainment, attendees can browse a range of vendor tables. Small presses of every size, from the micro to the not-so-tiny will offer all kinds of books for sale, including chapbooks, spoken word CD’s and ‘zines that offer different perspectives and opportunities to enjoy alternative literary experiences.

The Ottawa small press book fair Fall edition will be happening Saturday, October 27, 2007 in room 203 of the Jack Purcell Community Centre (on Elgin, at 320 Jack Purcell Lane). Contact rob at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to sign up for a table, etc.

General info: The ottawa small press book fair noon to 5pm (opens at 11am for exhibitors). Admission free to the public. $20 for exhibitors (payable to rob mclennan, c/o 858 Somerset St W, main floor, Ottawa Ontario K1R 6R7). full tables only. for catalog, exhibitors should send (on paper, not email name of press, address, email, web address, contact person, type of publications, list of publications (with price), if submissions are being considered & any other pertinent info, including upcoming ottawa-area events (if any). also, due to the increased demand for table space, exhibitors are asked to confirm far earlier than usual. i.e.—before, say, the day of the fair.

Writes Joe Meyers in The Connecticut Post Online

Whether your dream is to write a novel, a Hollywood movie or a newspaper op-ed piece, experts in those writing fields and many more will be available at the fourth annual Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association gathering set for May 12 at the Hartford Steam Boiler Conference Facilities.

The conference, which CAPA calls "Professional Development Day," will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include 15 sessions on every aspect of writing from putting the earliest ideas down on paper to finding an agent and marketing a finished book.

CAPA was founded in 1994 to help professionals and aspiring writers "improve their writing skills and increase the visibility and sales of their books and articles by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information.

Art Bar poetry readings generally feature three poets performing their own work for twenty minutes, followed by ten poets each reading not more than three minutes on an open-stage. Featured poets are invited guests, and occasionally will be accompanied by musicians. Anyone from the audience is welcome to participate on the open-stage.

There is ample time between sets for people to talk with the featured poets, buy books and CDs, and get books signed (even if they were not bought at the Art Bar).

Theme nights are the exception to this format. These vary from year to year and include such nights as our annual Valentine's reading, Black History Night and Discovery Night. Occasionally, there is an All Open-Stage night.

The Art Bar is recognized as Canada's longest running poetry-only, weekly reading series. Since 1991, it has featured both emerging and established poets from across Canada and occasionally from abroad. It has become a hub for the poetry community, and entry point for new voices, a place for people to enjoy one of the oldest arts.

Via Village Soup:

Gary Lawless will be speaking at the Camden Public Library on Thursday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. on "Listening to the Heart of the World: Poetry and Spirituality Across All Borders." The library is co-sponsoring this event with Camden Conference Community Events. Lawless's appearance is also in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Gary Lawless was one of the founding members of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. He has published 14 collections of poetry in the United States and 3 collections in Italy. He has had poems translated into 8 languages. Much of his writing is about environmental and social justice, and listening to the voices of the underprivileged and overlooked.

He currently lives at Chimney Farm, the Maine farm of writers Henry Beston and Elizabeth Coatsworth, now owned by their daughter Kate Barnes, Maine's first poet laureate.

From the Torontoist, comes this piece on Sandra Alland:

A long-awaited book of poetry, Blissful Times, gets launched tonight at Clinton’s by writer, multimedia artist and activist Sandra Alland. We’d like to call Sandra Alland the sweetheart of the Toronto small press scene, but she might kick our asses, so forget that we had that thought. We can safely say that Clinton’s will be full of good cheer tonight for BookThug’s spring launch.

Sandra has written three collections of poetry, performed all over the western hemisphere, and is also a bookseller and micropress publisher who advocates for the protection and nourishment of independent publishers and bookstores. 

On, Tuesday, April 24, 6:30 p.m. the Union of Maine Visual Artists welcomes Deer Isle artist Susan Webster and poet Stuart Kestenbaum, collaborators on work that integrates words and images. In this talk, they will discuss their working process, present examples of both their individual work and the work that they created together--including images from a 24 piece series of work that was shown as part of the "Couples" exhibit at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in 2004.

Susan Webster and Stuart Kestenbaum began making work combining words and images in the mid 1990s. Besides their artistic collaborations, they have been working together raising two children, Isaac and Sam, since 1980.

SPD's Spring Open House is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th, 2007 from 12pm to 4pm. 20–50% off all books! Readings begin at 2pm. Trade in a poem or story for a Free Book!

Small Press Distribution is a non-profit literary arts organization located in Berkeley, California. Our goal is to connect readers with writers. We believe that our diverse culture must be served by an equally vibrant diversity of literature. We’re the only wholesaler in the country dedicated exclusively to independently published literature. We distribute these small press books nationally and internationally. This makes us a great centralized source for interesting poetry, fiction and non-fiction you won’t hear about anywhere else. On our myspace blog, you’ll hear about some of SPD’s public programs and advocacy efforts, newly arrived books, and the amazing writers who often visit our warehouse.

The Gneiss Poetry Series presents "The Art & Poetry of Stan Rice" on Tuesday, April 10 at 7pm in the UCR Palm Desert Theater, 75-080 Frank Sinatra Drive.

Rice (1942-2002) was a painter and author of eight collections of poetry, including “Red to the Rind”, “Radiance of Pigs”, and “False Prophet.” He is survived by his wife, the novelist Anne Rice, and their son, the novelist Christopher Rice.

Stan Rice was associated for many years with San Francisco State University where he was professor of English, chairman of the Creative Writing program and assistant director of the Poetry Center.

Contributing to the program through readings and commentary will be Andy Brumer, Rick Bursky and family and friends.