Speakeasy Reading Series - November 20

Welcome to the Speakeasy Reading Series, happening at 7 PM on November 20 at the renowned Glad Day Bookshop! The Speakeasy Reading Series is a monthly event hosted by the Guelph Creative Writing MFA Program, featuring readings from students, alumni, and community readers. All are welcome at this cozy community event!

This month, our readers are:
Unice Leim
Jesse June-Jack
Lisa Shen
Aga Maksimowska
*see bios below

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Event details:

• Register only if you want to attend the event online via Zoom. (You do not need to register to attend the in-person event.)
  
• The reading will be online and in-person at Glad Day Bookshop at 7 pm. A suggested donation of $10-20 will be collected at the door (all proceeds go directly to unfunded readers). If you have difficulty donating, just let us know. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
  
• The reading will not be recorded. Automated closed captioning will be available at Glad Day and online via Zoom. Unfortunately, they are only about 60-80% accurate.
  

• In-person information:

Doors open at 6:30 pm. Masks are mandatory when not reading or drinking. We ask attendees to refrain from using fragrances.
Glad Day Bookshop is wheelchair accessible with a wheelchair accessible washroom. There will be beverages (including alcohol) available for purchase.

Glad Day Bookshop is located at 499 Church St., Toronto, ON M4Y 2C6, and is just a short walk from Wellesley Station. Street parking is also available.

• Online attendance information:
  Zoom link will be emailed to registered attendees 24 hours before the event. Please check your mailbox's junk mail folder if you don't receive it. The waiting room will open 10 minutes before the event starts.
  

To turn on live captions on Zoom:

In the meeting controls toolbar, click the Show Captions icon.

To adjust font size of live captions:

In the meeting controls toolbar, next to the Show Captions CC icon, click the up arrow icon.

Click Caption settings.

Next to Font Size, move the slider to adjust the caption size.

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Speaker Bios:
Unice Leim is a queer, trans, and non-binary writer from Frankfurt, Germany, who moved to Tkaranto for their MFA Creative Writing at the University of Guelph. In their writing, Unice explores identity, family, and current social issues through a queer lens. Unice’ adapted play based on the Arthur Conan Doyle short story “Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia” premiered with the Chaincourt Theatre Company in July 2024, and three of Unice's short fiction pieces have been published in the Goethe Literary Magazine.
Jesse June-Jack is a 22-year-old Afro-Canadian written and spoken word poet based in Toronto, Canada. He is currently in his final year of university and is pursuing a major in Political Science, with dual minors in Law and Creative Writing. He has volunteered with many non for profit and mentorship organizations such as JAYU, IMANI UTSC, UNITY Charity, and much more. He is also a 2024 Avenue Intern for Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Jesse has performed with organizations such as Unity Charity, Word Is Bond, RISE, Poetry Saved Our Lives, etc. He has also been published in Block Party Magazine, BAM Youth Slam, the Toronto Young Voices Magazine, and an animated television project called DREAMS IN VANTABLACK, which can be found on YouTube/CBC Gem.
Lisa Shen is a writer and spoken word artist, and the 2023-2025 Youth Poet Laureate of the City of Mississauga. She is the winner of the 2024 Lillian Allen Emerging Artist Prize and the 2022 Buddies Queer Emerging Artists Award, and was shortlisted for the 2023 League of Canadian Poets Spoken Word Award. Lisa has toured across North America, from California to New York. Her work has appeared on CBC Radio, TEDx, and Rattle. Her first chapbook A Story Ending in Redwoods was recently published with Anstruther Press.
Aga Maksimowska is the author of GIANT, the 2013 Toronto Book Award nominated coming-of-age novel about premature sexual development and the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. She came to Canada from Poland in 1988, and studied Journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and Creative Writing at the University of Guelph. Her stories and essays have been published in the anthology Polish[ed]: Poland Rooted in Canadian Fiction; BRICK: A Literary Journal; The Globe and Mail; the Humber Literary Review; and longlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize. Aga lives in Toronto with her partner and children, where she is currently working on her third novel.

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Speakeasy Reading Series acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada through The League of Canadian Poets.

Follow us on Instagram: @speakeasyradings

Email: [email protected]

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church Street, Toronto, Canada