The Junction Literary Pub Crawl, April 18

We’ll be making literary history in the Junction on April 18.  The Toronto Public Library/Annette Street Branch and the Junction Historical Society present the Junction Literary Pub Crawl with Glen Downie.  Glen’s Loyalty Management won the 2008 City of Toronto Book Award and was just announced as TPL’s selection for Toronto’s second annual Keep Toronto Reading One Book program.

We begin at 2pm at the Annette Street Library — celebrating its Centennial this year! – where Glenn will read.  Mayor David Miler has said that Glen’s poetry “beautifully evokes Toronto and its neighbourhoods – from the Victorian houses of the Junction to the sculptures outside our skyscrapers, but also looks beyond our city.”

Then, through the miracle of Quantum Metaphysics, one of the flowers of the Junction returns to read some of her spellbinding verse.  Born at 38 Keele Street, the short lived and brilliant Gwendolyn McEwen (played by Kristen Buckley) grew up here.

Junction journalist A.B. Rice (Neil Ross) will lead a literary historical tour through the streets of the Junction  as we meet the mystery writers, novelists, comic book writers, pioneering authors and swashbuckling poets who make up a unique literary heritage. 

We’ll discover the powerful poetry of Raymond Souster, who’s “Last Sad Day for our West Toronto Station” is the iconic poem of the Junciton.  At the other end of the scale we’ll enjoy the impish humour of Greg Clark, the story of the remarkable Dr. Jackson whose books prefigured today’s health food movement, and the saga of E.W. Thomson the poet who marched away to war at fifteen.

Our destination, appropriately, is the Troubadour (3071 Dundas Street West) where Glen will read some of his favourite poems.  Then the day will be given over to Junction poets.  Poets who would like to participate are urged to sign up at the Annette Street Library (145 Annette St. 416-393-7692).

Submitted by Neil Ross