Sharp Words: Read all about it
Hamilton’s winter book fair returns for its third season to Bridgeworks on Feb. 15, featuring local publishers, writers, bookstores and creators.
Book publishing is a marketplace dominated by multinational corporations, most of them based in the United States. A quick visit to the nearest Chapters or Indigo (or even Shoppers Drug Mart) will confirm that fact.
Meanwhile, battling for retail shelf space, there are books published by incredible small presses. These books, ’zines, comic books, and other titles, are independent Canadian publications as good, if not better, than some of the titles published by the conglomerates.
“I always say that if I had the sales and marketing budget of Penguin Random House, all my books would be bestsellers,” says Noelle Allen, owner of Hamilton publishing house Wolsak and Wynn. She’s probably right. Indie presses regularly publish incredible work, unique books brimming with originality, and often, local stories that speak to regional audiences.
Allen is also the organizer of the Sharp Words Book Fair. Book fairs gather all these incredible publishers and creators together in one room, allowing you to see all those different fabulous books in one place. Events like this occur in Toronto with some frequency, but who wants to drive on the Gardiner these days? Hamilton’s arts scene includes incredible authors and exceptional bookstores, and Allen knew our city would be a wonderful host for a new book fair.
Sharp Words, now in its third year and presented by Supercrawl, features a wide spectrum of publishers, some individual authors, and other creators from around the region. Some of this year’s publishers include Between the Lines, with its cutting-edge nonfiction; Book*Hug, known for award-winning literary works, and Little Ghost Books, which specializes in all things spooky.
There’s more to Sharp Words than the retail element, however. It also draws on local and national professionals to delve into the wild and sometimes weird world of CanLit via several free panel discussions at the event.
The first of these will feature a conversation about publishing, likely a must-see for new authors, experienced authors, or simply the curious. “Publishing's weird,” says Allen, who would know. “It's a very old industry and has lots of interesting quirks about it.”
The second panel features a live recording of the Walrus podcast What Happens Next, hosted by Nathan Whitlock. His special guest will be award-winning Hamilton author Anuja Verghese.
The third panel features Toronto Star opinions editor Deborah Dundas, HAMILTON CITY Magazine editor Meredith MacLeod and Lisa Quinn from McGill-Queens University Press. The topic, timelier than ever, is about creating space for discussions in a very fractured world.
“How do we create spaces for people to talk about things without it devolving into shouting?” Allen asks. “How do we get ideas out to people now? And how do we get to celebrate or even just talk about what's important in our communities without it becoming highly partisan and antagonistic?”
A day dedicated to books should tackle these heavy, important topics – but there should be fun, too, and that’s where the “literary cabaret” comes in. Authors will step outside the realm of writing for the evening. There will be tarot reading with Liz Worth, crafting with Jessica Rose, and a performance by the Approximators. Known as Hamilton’s premier live karaoke band, they actually formed for the purpose of backing literary types at the literary cabaret back in 2023.
“Singing authors,” Allen says. “You never thought you'd hear it.”
NEED TO KNOW
Sharp Words Book Fair
Bridgeworks, 200 Caroline St. N.
Free, but you can RSVP here
Fair 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Free panels 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Approximators 7 p.m.
For more information visit supercrawl.ca
