Blue Heron Books – KEVIN CRAIG

Upcoming Events! #Trafalgar24 #AuthorsForIndies #OWC2016

Just a quick shout-out to the 3 upcoming events in my calendar. I am extremely fortunate to get these moments in my life where I get to fully immerse myself in the thing I love–THE WRITING LIFE. My immediate future is bountiful with writerly stuff.

Listed To Do List:

TRAFALGAR 24 BY DRIFTWOOD THEATRE: Right around the corner–coming at me like a freight train–is Trafalgar24. This incredible play creation festival at Trafalgar Castle in Whitby, Ontario, is a highlight of the year. I can’t believe I get to participate yet again! My 7th kick at the can. I love the fear, the tension, the excitement, the horror, the panic, the joy of it. Being locked in Trafalgar Castle overnight and needing to write a 10-minute play before the sun comes up? Yes, please. I still haven’t figured out who the Elf is and who the Shoemaker is in this scenario. Sometimes I feel like the Elf, cobbling a play together overnight and leaving it behind for the shoemaker (the actors and the directors) to discover in the morning. And sometimes I feel like the Shoemaker…leaving my unmade shoes in the castle and having the Elves (the actors and the directors) come in and cobble my play into something presentable. Either way, I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it! And I love that I get to go back to the castle on the Friday night and see all 6 Trafalgar plays performed. Not to mention the cheese and cracker spread, the neverending flow of wine, and the beautiful dessert table! And…the amazing silent auction items! This is THE premiere event of the year in Durham Region. GET. YOUR. TICKETS. NOW: Trafalgar 24 – Driftwood Theatre – Friday March 11, 2016 @ 6:30pm They do NOT make the audience stay overnight in the castle. Do not fear!
AUTHORS FOR INDIES: This is a country-wide event. Authors hang out at bookstores and pimp their favourite books. It’s a way to thank independent bookstores and talk books. It’s a beautiful thing! I was invited to BLUE HERON BOOKS in Uxbridge, Ontario. The date is SATURDAY APRIL 30th, 2016. No matter where you live in Canada, make a trip to your local bookstore that day. Show the independent bookstores that you love and appreciate what they do! Also at Blue Heron Books on this day, will be: Linda Granfield, Ted Barris, Marissa Campbell, Guy Gavriel Kay, Jan Dolby, Rebecca Bender, Kate Hilton, and, Ann Douglas. JOIN US! BLUE HERON BOOKS
ONTARIO WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – Another year, another OWC! I was a founding member on the Board of Directors for the OWC. I worked on the organizing committee for a number of years. Though no longer affiliated with the conference, I have been facilitating as a Manuscript Mentor for the past two conferences. I get to take on that role again this year! And, naturally, I will also be attending. Who in their right mind would miss it? The conference takes place over 2 days. The FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS gala is on SATURDAY APRIL 30th, 2016 and it is open to the public. You need to attend the Sunday conference to attend the Festival. Tickets are $20 and anyone can attend. But get them fast. This is a much lauded literary event. The conference proper takes place on SUNDAY MAY 1st. Take a look at the day’s SCHEDULE HERE. Here are the WORKSHOP TOPICS. And HERE is the REGISTRATION PAGE. If you are a writer in the GTA (or beyond), GIVE YOURSELF THIS MOMENT…go to the Ontario Writers’ Conference this year. You won’t regret it. And a heads up for all—I went to dinner with Wayson a couple of weeks ago to celebrate Chinese New Year, and he is over-excited for another year at the Ontario Writers’ Conference. The Honorary Patron since its inception, Wayson brings an element of love and light to the conference that no other person could bring. SEE YOU THERE!

Trafalgar Castle, Whitby, Ontario

Wayson Choy – Honorary Patron of the Ontario Writers’ Conference

BLUE HERON BOOKS in Uxbridge, Ontario.

The Incomparable Wayson Choy!

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Authors for Indies 2016 – Return to Blue Heron Books!

My first book launched way back in 2011. Shelley Macbeth of Blue Heron Books invited me to celebrate the birth of SUMMER ON FIRE at her incredible bookstore in downtown Uxbridge, Ontario. It has since been voted CANADA’S #1 INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER. Quite an amazing feat, as you could imagine.

BLUE HERON BOOKS in Beautiful Downtown Uxbridge, Ontario

My first booksigning, for SUMMER ON FIRE, which took place at BLUE HERON BOOKS in Uxbridge. A packed house!

I have the honour of returning to the bookstore for this year’s upcoming AUTHORS FOR INDIES (AFI)day! If you haven’t heard of Authors for Indies, it’s a Canada-wide lovefest for independent bookstores. Authors from Cape Spear, Newfoundland to Mt. St. Elias, Yukon Territories (or, from east to west) will be visiting independent bookstores on Saturday, April 30th…to help flog their favourite reads. And they may even have their own books on hand for signing. All writers are readers (hopefully, passionately so). I love having the opportunity to gush about the books I love. For one day, authors across Canada get to be booksellers. It’s filled with so much awesome, I can’t even!

You can check out the AFI ABOUT PAGE to learn everything you need to know about what goes on during this incredible day. Quickly, from their site, here’s the WHAT IS IT? details:

Authors for Indies Day (Saturday, April 30, 2016) is a day when authors show their appreciation for Canadian independent bookstores (indies). We do this by volunteering as guest booksellers for the day. When you visit an indie bookstore on AFI Day, you’ll have the opportunity to meet local authors, chat with us booklover to booklover, and get book recommendations from us. Perhaps share your recommendations with us. You may buy a book or two, or just get to know your local bookstore better.

Authors are doing this to raise awareness of indie bookstores and how important they are to our communities, our reading lives, and our cultural well-being. It’s a day to give some love to your local neighbourhood bookstore.

So save the date on your calendar. Tell your friends, family, and colleagues about Authors for Indies Day on April 30.

All other questions will be answered on their ABOUT page linked above.

What you need to know is—GO TO YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER on Saturday, April 30th. Buy BOOKS. Meet AUTHORS. Talk BOOKS. SUPPORT LOCAL.

See you at BLUE HERON BOOKS! Connect with Canada’s #1 Independent Bookseller on FACEBOOK. You can also follow @BlueHeronBooks on Twitter.

Thanks to Shelley for the invite back to her incredible bookstore. And thanks to the organizers of this wonderful event! What could be better than celebrating books and the people who bring them to us in such beautiful ways on a spring day in Canada!

NOW 3 Reasons to Visit Blue Heron Books on June 16th!!

#SaveBookStores is coming! June 16th is the date this year. Go to your local independent bookstore on this day and buy a book (or 4)! This event is the brainchild of agent KELLY SONNACK of ANDREA BROWN LITERARY AGENCY. You can read my previous post on the event HERE. That’s the 1st reason to head to Blue Heron Books on June 16th (OR, if you’re not in the area, just head to your own favourite independent bookseller…after all, that’s what it’s all about. Supporting your local).

Bookswarm is from 10AM-1PM—but early or latecomers will also be celebrated! PLACE: Blue Heron Bookstore – 62 Brock Street W. Uxbridge, Ontario (905) 852-4282

The 2nd reason to get yourself to Blue Heron on the 16th? To congratulate them for being awarded CANADIAN BOOKSELLER OF THE YEAR at the CBA LIBRIS AWARDS! (Check out the nomination story HERE!) (Photo is from Blue Heron Books’ website)

What is the 3rd reason to get yourself to Blue Heron in Uxbridge, Ontario on June 16th?

One of Canada’s funniest people will be on hand at 1:00PM on Saturday June 16th to sign copies of his new book, WHO FARTED! (I am so compelled to change the title to WHO TOOTED.) The F word was a bad word in our house. (-:

Neil is a Canadian staple. He’s a screen star, a stage star, a columnist, comedian, Emcee extraordinaire! You need to get to Blue Heron on Saturday to meet him and get a copy of his book. (Read more about Neil Crone at his website HERE.)

With all these things happening at Blue Heron this coming Saturday, it kind of feels like Uxbridge is the new mecca of the arts in Ontario…not that those of us in the know didn’t already know this. (-:

See you SATURDAY!

Save Bookstores Day – June 16th – Support YOUR Local!

Reminder that Save Bookstores Day is coming up! Which means – BLUE HERON BOOKS 2ND ANNUAL BOOKSWARM!

Thanks again to Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary Agency for starting SAVE BOOKSTORES day! Kelly was frustrated with the closing of several historical bookstores and put a call out last year to get people to support their favourite independent bookstores.

Kelly’s 2011 campaign inspired me to hold a BOOK SWARM for my own favourite bookstore, BLUE HERON BOOKS in Uxbridge, Ontario. Last year’s swarm was a great success…and lots of fun, too. It’s always fun hanging out in your favourite bookstore.

This year, we’re having another swarm. On Saturday June 16th, head to Uxbridge for the 2nd Annual Blue Heron BookSwarm! (This is the day before Father’s Day…great time to pick up some books for Dads!) 10AM-1PM—but early or latecomers will also be celebrated!

PLACE: Blue Heron Bookstore – 62 Brock Street W. Uxbridge, Ontario (905) 852-4282

Please come. Please bring friends. Please tell everybody you know about it.

Who: You
What: Buy a book (or 4)
Where: Your local bookstore (or Powell’s ships)
When: June 16th (The Saturday before Father’s Day!)
Why: Because we need to support our storefronts. No more obituary section in publishing news, please!

Don’t forget to support your favourite local independent bookstore year-round! June 16th is the day to CELEBRATE them. (-:

JOIN THE BLUE HERON BOOKSWARM FACEBOOK EVENT!

June 16th is Save the Bookstore Day…

…or as we like to call it here in Durham Region, the 2nd Annual BLUE HERON BOOKS BOOKSWARM!

Before explaining the details, I’d like to give credit where credit it due:

Save the Bookstore day is the brainchild of literary agent KELLY SONNACK of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Ms. Sonnack was tired–like everybody else–of seeing independent bookstores closing their doors. Save the Bookstore Day was created as a way to bring people into their favourite brick & mortar bookstore…to encourage them to support that bookstore before the unthinkable happens.

Here is a blurb from last year’s Facebook Event page for SAVE BOOKSTORES (I’ve updated it with this year’s info)!

That WHY is a very good reason to get thee to your favourite independent bookstore on June 16th and buy some books!

You can click on the poster below to go to LAST YEAR’S Facebook Event page for Save the Bookstore:

I will post a link to the event page for this year, once it is created. This is a North American event…so wherever you are, all you have to do to participate is go to your fav independent on the date and buy a book (or 4).

You can also organize an event for your local store. It’s extremely easy. You just talk to the owner to let them know what you’re doing. Then, you advertise. Use Twitter, Facebook, a blog if you have one, email, etc. Just get the word out there that everybody’s meeting up at your fav indy bookstore to show support and celebrate its existence.

I organized one for my fav bookstore last year. You can read about it here. If enough people show up, there’s nothing like a party in a bookstore. You can meet new locals who share your interests…you can have great conversations about your favourite books. Last year was an amazing day. It was great to see BLUE HERON BOOKS filled with booklovers. Our fav. bookstore is well and truly loved. They support the arts in our community like nobody else. We’re lucky to have them. Participating in Save The Bookstores Day was a no-brainer for Uxbridge, Ontario and the surrounding area.

So, on to the 2nd annual!

In the heart of the cozy wildly artistic community of Uxbridge, Ontario sits a sentinel. (Ha…sounds a little too Star Warsy. But it’s true.) Blue Heron Books is in the centre of town and in many ways it is the town’s pulse! Owner Shelley Macbeth is a whirlwind. She’s the bookseller for the annual nearby Ontario Writers’ Conference, and the bookseller at the monthly nearby Writer’s Community of Durham Region Breakfast Meetings. She has writing workshops running at the bookstore. She organizes zany and wonderful events such as the HUNGER GAMES reaping in the streets of Uxbridge last week to celebrate the release of the blockbuster movie that began life in independent bookstores across North America (Thankfully nobody died in the playing out of that particular reaping)! Shelley also hosts author talks and lectures. Her BOOKS & BRUNCH series is extremely popular. In a word, Shelley Macbeth and her crew at Blue Heron Books HAVE IT GOING ON! (That’s four words, but I hope you’re not counting)

Blue Heron was recently named in the TOP 10 BOOKSTORES OF NORTH AMERICA. If you think that’s a small feat, you’re crazy.

In appreciation for all Shelley and her fine employees do for BOOKS, WRITERS, READERS, UXBRIDGE, DURHAM REGION and BEYOND…I ask that you mark June 16th on your calendars. AND that you make EVERY EFFORT to get to Blue Heron Books on that day. We’re going to celebrate them in the way that they spend the rest of the year celebrating books and the creative community.

2nd Annual BLUE HERON BOOKS BOOKSWARM – In participation with SAVE THE BOOKSTORE!

DATE: SATURDAY JUNE 16th, 2012

TIME: 10:00am – 1:00pm

PLACE: Blue Heron Bookstore – 62 Brock Street W. Uxbridge, Ontario (905) 852-4282

Please come. Please bring friends. Please tell everybody you know about it. Please buy a book (or 4) while you’re there. (-: