Saturday April 30 is International Independent Bookstore Day. Established in 1978, The Ginger Press in downtown Owen Sound is one of the oldest independent bookstores in Canada. Although pandemic-related protocols have severely limited their hours, programming, and revenue for the last couple of years, The Ginger Press has continued to promote and publish many significant local books.Independent Bookstore Day will be celebrated with a Serial Signing event, in which ten authors of books published during the pandemic will be instore to meet their readers and sign books for the first time:

11:00 Richard-Yves Sitoski: No Sleep 'til Eden
11:30 Rob Rolfe: Sturgeon Bay
12:00 Joan Beecroft, Dana Benson, Donna Jansen: A Place to Belong
12:30 Joan Beecroft: 20/20 Hindsight, Being Gay in Bruce & Grey
1:00 John Butler: House of Refuge
1:30 Lili Anne Holding: Mythos, The Greek Community in Owen Sound
2:00 John Fearnall: Celebrations! In Owen Sound (with stories by A Armitage)
2:30 Richard Thomas: Owen Sound In 1920

Munchies at the event will be based on recipes from The Ginger Press Community Cookbook, another book published during the pandemic with recipes from over 100 contributors.

The ten new books at the Ginger Press Independent Bookstore Serial Signing event demonstrate the wide diversity of creativity which continues to be very active in this region. From poetry, to photography, to history, and essay collections from newcomers and LGBTQ+ writers, these books include contributions from over 200 locals, many of whom are published here for the first time.

Featuring the largest selection of new and experienced books about Grey-Bruce, The Ginger Press is the centre for literary activities in the region, hosting author events, workshops, and other book-related activities for over four decades. In the historic tradition of the original independent bookstores, The Ginger Press combines an active bookstore with a publishing program to ensure that the best local writers and stories are brought to the page.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Serial Signing at The Ginger Press to meet writers, talk about books and publishing with local experts, and reconnect with the literary community on Saturday April 30 from 11:00 to 3:00. There is no charge. Autographed copies can be reserved at 519 376-4233; books can be ordered online at www.gingerpress.com for those unable to attend.

source: media release