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Join artists and authors Jon Claytor and Ian Roy to celebrate the release of both of their new books, Nowhere (Claytor, Goose Lane Editions) and Astrid, Aghast (Roy, Gaspereau Press). It's happening on the evening of Thursday, June 18!About Nowhere:
A hilarious and sinister reflection on growing up in a world where monsters are real, Nowhere is a dreamlike meditation on adolescence and the absurdity of small-town life. Illustrated with Claytor’s expressive, richly textured visuals, wildly echoing the offbeat world of Beauséjour, Nowhere signals the arrival of a profound and vital voice.
About Jon Claytor:
Jon Claytor is a graphic novelist, painter, and writer. Born in San Francisco, he lived and worked in several Canadian cities, including Halifax, Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto, before settling in Sackville, New Brunswick.
Claytor’s work ranges from oil painting and watercolour to comics. He has had solo exhibitions at galleries in Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, and throughout the Maritimes. He has also written and illustrated stories for CBC Radio, the Frye Festival, and the website ruralharmreduction.com.
Claytor co-founded SappyFest independent music and arts festival in 2006 and opened Thunder & Lightning Ideas Ltd. in 2013. He holds an MFA from York University and a BFA from Mount Allison University. He was nominated for a Juno Award for the cover of Gord Downie’s Battle of the Nudes in 2004. His graphic memoir, Take the Long Way Home, was published by Conundrum in 2022. Nowhere, a fictional graphic novel about growing up among monsters in a small maritime town is his first graphic novel.
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About Astrid, Aghast:
The stories in Astrid, Aghast are by turns funny, poignant, magical, and humane. Two public-library workers fall in love with each other’s foibles while stuck in an elevator. A young boy stumbles upon a bucket of eels that stirs up family memories he’d rather forget. A solitary entomologist tries to make sense of a life filled with pianos and beetles. Ian Roy takes us on journeys through a world that is like our own, but not quite: a taxi driver falls in love with his car-jacker; an old man claims he can fly—and can, or almost. This remarkable collection is understated, often slyly humorous, and peopled by characters so finely-drawn each one seems as familiar as they do strange.
About Ian Roy:
Ian Roy is the author of six books, including his most recent collection of stories, Astrid, Aghast. His essays, stories, and poems have been published in numerous journals, magazines, and newspapers, including Arc, The Dalhousie Review, Geist, The Globe and Mail, Maisonneuve, The New Quarterly, and The Windsor Review. His essay, “Have A Good Life”, originally published in The New Quarterly, was recently included in The Best Canadian Essays 2026 anthology. Ian’s first novel for children, The Girl Who Could Fly was published in 2021. He lives in Canada.
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Event Venue
Take Cover Books, 360 George St N, Peterborough, ON K9H 7E7, Canada
Tickets
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