Beaches Bookfest set to begin five Sundays of presentations by authors on March 1 at Queen Street East Starbucks

By NATASHA JACKSON

Following the success of the 1st Annual Beaches Musicfest at Starbucks this past fall, the Beaches Starbucks at 1960 Queen St. E. will be the site of a five-week-long authors’ festival starting this Sunday.

Dubbed The 1st Annual Beaches Bookfest at Starbucks, the free-to-attend authors series will run from Sunday, March 1 to Sunday, March 29 on five consecutive Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Each session will feature a different Toronto author reading from one of their published works, followed by a question-and-answer period afterwards. 

Damon de Szegheo, head of Oak Artist Management, who is organizing the Bookfest, explained how the success of the Beaches Musicfest inspired the creation of a sister-festival centred around books to bring people together during the dark winter months. 

“Cold winter months are perfect for curling up with a warm drink and a good book. We are overjoyed and humbled at the incredible literary talent the east end and Toronto has as a whole. Again, there are so many talented writers that live among us that people aren’t aware of,” said de Szegheo.

“We hope the 1st Annual Beaches Bookfest will be a welcome highlight for the literary culture that exists in our community and city.” 

Authors attending the Beaches Bookfest and the date they will be featured are:

Sunday, March 1 – Graphic novel writer Stephanie Cooke, writer for titles such as My Little Pony, Cat Ninja, and Archie Comics, talks about writing your own graphic novel.

Sunday, March 8 – Linda Schuyler (co-creator and producer of the Degrassi TV show franchise) will reading from her memoir The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir.

Schuyler will share her personal stories about the grit and determination necessary to make it as a woman and entrepreneur in the burgeoning independent Canadian television industry of the early 1980s.

Sunday, March 15 – Brett Popplewell, author and associate professor of journalism at Carleton University, will read from his award-winning national bestseller Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past.

In the book, Popplewell embarks on a six-year journey to uncover the life of Dag Aabye, an 81-year-old marathon-running hermit living in a school bus in the British Columbia wilderness. Critics have called the book Into the Wild meets Born to Run meets The Stranger in the Woods.

Sunday, March 22 – Royal historian and author Carolyn Harris will reading from Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting. The book examines how royal parents raised their children over the past 1,000 years.

Sunday, March 29 – Author Muriel Lennox, who has spent a lifetime working with and writing about horses, will read from her best seller Northern Dancer: The Legend and His Legacy.

The book tells the story of a legendary racehorse dismissed for his small size. Not only did Northern Dancer horse win the 1964 Kentucky Derby in record time, but his descendants today dominate horse racing all over the world. Do you want to know why there is a street named Northern Dancer Boulevard in the Beach? Find out about this famous racehorse’s connection to the community.

All ages are welcome to attend the Beaches Bookfest, and all presentations are free. However, seating is limited in the Starbucks at Queen Street East and Kenilworth Avenue.

Please visit and follow https://www.instagram.com/beachesbookfest for more information on the Beaches Bookfest.