What's on at Queen's Park

Adult Programming

 

  • Scotiabank Bestsellers Stage

    The flagship venue at The Word On The Street, this venue features some of the biggest names in Canadian literature, all under one roof!

  • Canadian Magazines Tent

    Come and hear experts from some of our country's most-loved magazines as they dispense everything from fashion tips to advice on freelancing. 

  • CBC Stage

    Check out your favourite CBC personalities live at the CBC Stage!

  • City of Toronto Tent

    Nominees for the Toronto Book Award plus a selection of past years' finalists and winners will read from their nominated works.

  • Comics & Graphic Novels Tent

    Presented in partnership with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, this lively tent features a series of discussion panels and presentations from some of the best creators in Toronto's comics and graphic novels scene.

  • Cooks 'n' Books Stage

    The Word On The Street is excited to present its first cooking stage this year!  Programmed in partnership with The Cookbook Store, this venue will host tantalizing food demonstrations and sampling led by some of our country's top chefs.

  • Diaspora Dialogues Tent

    Diaspora Dialogues will offer an “urban mash-up” of readings, music, spoken word and other artistic demonstrations that reflect the complexity of our culturally-diverse metropolis.

  • EYE WEEKLY Music Stage

    Focusing on the art of song, this venue will feature interactive segments on hot new music-related books and musical performances by local bands.

  • Great Books Marquee

    The place to be for the most exciting and dynamic books of the year, this venue features a variety of hot spring and fall titles including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

  • Money Matters Tent

    Another first for our 20th festival, this venue is devoted to the world of money today. Some of Canada’s top financial experts will be on hand to dispense advice on everything from surviving the recession to RRSPs.

  • Proud Voices Tent

    Co-presented with Pride Toronto, Proud Voices will feature a variety of works in celebration of the queer community.

  • Toronto Star Tent

    Back by popular demand, the Toronto Star offers thought-provoking presentations from some of its most popular writers.

  • Wordshop Marquee

    This venue will offer a day of writing workshops covering craft and career strategy for aspiring writers featuring the esteemed faculty of The Humber School for Writers.

  • World Music Stage

    Programmed in partnership with Small World Music Festival and presented by Citytv, this venue will host a blend of music from around the globe!

 

 

KidStreet Programming

 

  • Children's Activity Tent

    This venue will feature creative crafts and interactive presentations inspired by new children's books, plus music and animals too!

  • Children's Reading Tent

    Come and see some of Canada's most renowned children's authors and illustrators present some of the best children's books of 2009.

  • Little Readers Tent

    Featuring segments by early-literacy experts, this venue will offer storytelling, rhyming activities and music for kids age 0-3 while tricks and tips are dispensed to parents on how to introduce early-literacy into their daily schedule.

  • TVO Kids Stage

    Favourite personalities from TVOKids take the stage for a day of fun-filled literacy-focused entertainment including music, stories, readings and interactive sessions.


 

 

  • Diaspora Dialogues Tent

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  • EYE Weekly Music Stage

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  • Great Books Marquee

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  • Money Matters Tent

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Click on a segment below to learn more.
  • 12:00 - 12:45 :: Sandro Perri

    Sandro Perri is a writer and singer of songs. Although he came to be known primarily as a producer of instrumental electronic music (as Polmo Polpo), more recently he has focused on the art of song and how far you can stretch one. Or not stretch one. He has been making records since 1999 and his most recent, Tiny Mirrors, was long-listed for the 2008 Polaris Prize.

  • 1:00 - 1:45 :: Stuart Berman

    In this biography of international altrock phenomenon Broken Social Scene, music columnist Stuart Berman tracks the group's inception by the charismatic Kevin Drew and indie-music veteran Brendan Canning. Berman has drawn from hours of interviews with members and affiliates of the band, and exclusive, never-before-seen photographs, gig posters and artwork to create a spectacular oral and visual history of the ever-evolving indie-rock collective/cottage industry/beautiful mess that is Broken Social Scene.

    Dave Morris from EYE WEEKLY will be leading an onstage interview with Stuart and members of Broken Social Scene.

    Learn more about Stuart Berman

  • 2:00 - 2:45 :: Bruce Peninsula

    Dreamt up in the summer of 2006, Bruce Peninsula has slowly mutated from the early folk experiments that inspired them to the multi-genre explorations of their current work. Having built their reputation on their live show, which ranges from a tight knit seven piece to a sprawling 11 piece depending on the event, BP have since moved into the studio to produce both a 7-inch record of folk spirituals and A Mountain Is A Mouth, their self-released debut LP.

  • 3:00 - 3:45 :: Dalton Higgins

    In Hip Hop World, Dalton Higgins takes vivid snapshots of the hip hop scenes in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and more. While American hip hop has been questioned for being too commercialized to articulate the hopes, concerns and dreams of marginal youth, outside the US, hip hop culture is often just the opposite — a political tool to mobilize disenfranchised communities around hard issues, with little support from mainstream corporations or sponsors.

    The page will be brought to the stage with musical performances by a range of progressive “next level” artists who represent the “elements” and the genuine globalization of hip hop culture today.

    Learn more about Dalton Higgins

  • 4:00 - 4:30 :: Joe Pernice

    It’s 1996, and our unlikely hero, a talented but floundering musician-turned-waiter has just bolted from his marriage in New York the day after the wedding. Without a word—save for a note left on the floor of the honeymoon suite that says only “I’m sorry”—he flees to Cape Cod, where his only commitments are a case of Miller High Life and a pack of Marlboro reds. He’s come to Cape Cod in search of something—but what, he’s not quite sure yet.

    Learn more about Joe Pernice

  • 4:30 - 4:45 :: Damian Rogers

    In her first book, Damian Rogers tracks the transformative moment, where emotion and deep memory seek form through sound and image. Her poems tune into a stream of cosmic chatter, channelling voices that tell their stories slant, from a chaste nineteenth century utopian mystic to a chorus of crones to the radical characters of Detroit’s sixties-era underground.
    Learn more about Damian Rogers

  • 5:00 - 5:45 :: Ghost Bees

    Ghost Bees’ are twin sisters Romy and Sari Lightman. Over antique mandolin and guitar accompaniment, they weave intricate vocal harmonies, dispensing dramatic tales and sorrowful lament like a two-headed, female balladeer. In 2008, Ghost Bees released their debut album, Tasseomancy.