Literary Fest at Gladstone Hotel May 25th

Selling books in style in the Melody Bar of the Gladstone

On Sunday May 25th the Small Press Literary Festival at the Gladstone Hotel will showcase over 50 vendors of diverse literature ranging from magazines, literary journals, chapbooks and comic books to hand-bound notebooks to write in. Several small presses will be selling anything from novels to cookbooks, providing you with a fine showcase of eclecticism and what's new out there.

Last winter I attended the Small Press Literary Festival at the posh-funk Gladstone Hotel on Queen Street West Toronto. A snow blizzard stormed through the city, wreaking havoc and sending cars and pedestrians skidding on the roads. The crowds still came.

This time, it's summer. And the crowds will still come. Why not? People can mingle with an eclectic and literary crowd who provide a microcosm of the literary scene in a venue that is both posh and funk with a great history.

The Gladstone Hotel is a Toronto Boutique Art hotel, built in 1889 by architect George Miller, who designed the University of Toronto. It's a stylish hostelry in the Romanesque Revival style and is Toronto's longest continuously operating hotel. The landmark building hosts art exhibits, live events, conferences, performances and cool festivals like this one.

For anyone interested in the literary arts, particularly for those thinking of a career in the literary arts, these locally-based venues in the heart of multiplex Toronto provide a wonderful opportunity to mingle with those engaging in original expression.

The small independent presses have always been the enabling grounds for emerging talent and originality. What is fringe today often becomes mainstream tomorrow.

The festival at the Gladstone happens from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday May 25. The Gladstone is located on 1214 Queen Street West.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.