This is our second article in a series of four on this month long festival celebrating the written word.

To experience the Niagara Literary Arts Festival check out the list below of upcoming events that you can indulge in. We will have a post once a week with the events in the seven days ahead that you can experience:

Saturday, June 15^th

6:00pm-8:00pm
@MahTay Café
241 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
Grey Borders Books Launch
With special guest Jim Smith
Readings by Sarah Burgess, Amanda Tulk, Teri Favro and Ron Edding with host Terry Trowbridge

About the Author: Jim Smith moved from his birthplace, Niagara Falls, to Kingston in 1952. He started writing seriously in Grade 8 in 1963. His first published story earned him $5 from West Coast Review in 1972. His magazine, The Front, lasted from about 1972 to 1980, and the spinoff Front Press published books and pamphlets in the ’80s by writers like David McFadde, Wayne Clifford and Stuart Ross. Between 1979 and 1998, Smith published about half a dozen books of poetry, plus a number of chapbooks and ephemera. In the mid-’90s he diverted himself to law, and has been a civil litigator for the last decade. His Mansfield books are Back Off, Assassin! New and Selected Poems (2009) and Happy Birthday, Nicanor Parra. He continues to live and write in Toronto.

9:00am-11:00am
Niagara Falls Farmer’s Market
5943 Sylvia Place, Niagara Falls
With Grey Borders and the Niagara Literary Arts Festival
Readings by Grey Borders Books, freshly hatched books available for sale!
FREE event
ALL AGES

Sunday June 16^th

2:00pm-3:00pm
“Poets in the Park” Sunday Series

Join us live, or wait for the video to be posted to the Hearthside Hearings YouTube channel. The Poet in the Park Sunday Series is presented by the Niagara Literary Arts Festival and will feature recorded readings in various parks and conservation areas across the beautiful Niagara Region. 

Monday June 17^th

7:00pm
Fine Grind Café
37 James Street, St. Catharines
OPEN Mic

Tuesday June 18^th

7:00pm
Fine Grind Café
37 James Street, St. Catharines
OPEN Mic

Wednesday, June 19^th

2:00pm
Fort Erie Public Library – Centennial Branch
136 Gilmore Rd  Fort Erie
Cathy Marie Buchanan
$2.00

7:00pm
Pelham Public Library presents
Cathy Marie Buchanan
Please purchase tickets beforehand
Adults/Students: $8.00

About the Author: Cathy Marie Buchanan is the author of The Painted Girls and The Day the Falls Stood Still. Published January 2013, The Painted Girls has garnered rave reviews and been showered with special attention—everything from selection as a People Magazine pick to designation as a book “People Are Talking About” by Vogue to inclusion in Entertainment Weekly’s Must List. Also an IndieNext pick, The Painted Girls debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list and is a #1 national bestseller in Canada. The Day the Falls Stood Still, her debut novel, is a New York Times bestseller, a Barnes & Noble Recommends selection, and an IndieNext pick. She holds a BSc (Biochemistry) and an MBA from Western University. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, she now resides in Toronto.

Thursday, June 20^th

7:00pm
@ The Niagara Falls Museum
5810 Ferry Street, Niagara Falls
“Heritage Café: Valour in Three Movements”

1. The Honour and Duty of Isaac Brock, James FitzGibbon and a special visit from Laura Secord: How did they manage to do what they did?

2. Modern Bravery: Is all courage based on a believable growl?

3. Bravery Away From Home: Poles in the Battle of Fort Erie; why were they fighting in Canada?

An evening of 1812-era and contemporary poetry, revisionist history, song and open conversation presented by Stan, Mary Anne, Maja Bannerman, Hoest Frankie (Secord’s Warning and a Polish 1812 song) and Stew Brennand (Stan Rogers, MacDonnell On The Hieghts)

The GRAND SLAM

Every Thursday during June (6/13/20/27)
7:00pm sharp!
@ Fine Grind Café (37 James Street, St. Catharines)
$3 cover
$10 to SLAM
Feature: Salt Circle

About the Author: Salt Circle is an experiment in frenetic spoken word and haunted, broken sound. Channeling dreams and ethereal invocations, we create occult-like noise and approachable weirdo art that connects poetry, rituals, and hypnotic structures. Hear us at saltcircle.bandcamp.com