Readings ramp up at library, brewery and booksellers
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/02/2026 (226 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Winnipeg’s long-running monthly poetry event Speaking Crow returns to an in-person format on Tuesday, with writer and musician Cam Scott joining as the featured reader.
In addition to a book of essays, The Vanishing Signs, Scott has produced two poetry collections, 2019’s Romans/Snowmare and Manor’s Ransom, which was published in 2025 by ARP Books.
The event will see Scott and all registered readers share their work at the Saint Boniface Library (131 Provencher Blvd.) starting at 6:30 p.m. Those interested in signing up to read should arrive early.
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For those who prefer prose, Wednesday sees the Wild & Wonderful Words reading series return to Sookram’s Brewing Co. (479-B Warsaw Ave.).
Once again hosted by author Sheldon Birnie, the evening’s readings will include work from Gus Klaverkamp, Celiese Lypka, Riva Billows and Keith Cadieux.
Readings get underway at 7 p.m., and there’s no cost to attend the all-ages event.
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Victoria-based author Monique Gray Smith returns to Winnipeg tonight to launch her latest book, a collection of reflections, stories, vignettes and more.
In Sharing the Light: Stories and Reflections, Smith, who is of Cree and Scottish descent, offers musings through the lens of five transformative practices — joy, happiness, love, gratitude and hope.
The book launches tonight at 7 p.m. at McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park location, where she’ll be joined in conversation by Shelagh Rogers.
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Over at Raven’s End Books (1859 Portage Ave.), on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. American author Jeremy Wagner will be reading from his new horror thriller Wretch.
Set in Chicago, Wretch follows a detective and a Mob boss who are each hunting down a sociopathic killer whose body and mind have been brutally transformed by his participation in a clinical trial for an experimental drug.
On Saturday, March 7, Raven’s End will be in Brandon for a pop-up shop at at Black Wheat Brewing Co. (402 10th St.) from 1-7 p.m.
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A collection of poetry and prose by Métis author Emma LaRocque that was published in July 2025 is getting a Winnipeg launch on Thursday at 7 p.m. at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location.
The Emma Larocque Reader: On Being Human offers insight into the life of LaRoque, who was born in Lac la Biche, Alta., and encountered racism, sexism and the effects of colonialism, which shaped her writing.
LaRocque will be joined by Peter Kulychyski, Warren Cariou and Elaine Coburn, the book’s editor, for the launch.
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Quebec’s Les Librairies indépendantes du Québec (LIQ) has launched a new website designed to be a one-stop shop for those looking to buy books from independent booksellers.
On the booksellers.ca website, a user finds their book of choice and places it in the virtual cart for purchase. It can then be picked up at a nearby participating indie bookstore, pending availability (which is listed on the page) or shipped to the customer (shipping is free on purchases $49 and up).
More than 110 indie bookstores have signed up, including locals such as McNally Robinson, Whodunit? Mystery Bookstore (163 Lilac St.) and À la page (200 Provencher Blvd.).
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The Bram Stoker Awards have scared up another set of finalists for the horror/dark fantasy prizes, with a handful of Canadians among those in contention.
Among them: Linda Cheng, who is up for the young-adult novel award for Beautiful Brutal Bodies; Silvia Moreno-Garcia, in contention for the award for superior achievement in a novel, for The Bewitching; and Gemma Files, who is vying for the fiction collection prize with Little Horn: Stories.
The Bram Stoker Awards are presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) at the StokerCon convention, held this year in Pittsburgh, Penn., in June. Other nominees include Grady Hendrix, Ryan Coogler, Stephen Graham Jones and Zach Cregger. For the complete list of categories and finalists, see wfp.to/icK.
winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson
Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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