George Elliott Clarke returns to open 38th Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair

Mordy Bubis

The thirty-eighth edition of the Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair will take place on Sunday, October 28, 2018. The Fair, a popular annual event of the Ottawa cultural scene, features exhibits of rare and interesting books, prints, maps and ephemera from the inventories of Ontario and Quebec dealers. The Fair is a great opportunity to see and purchase an array of material in one location, Tudor Hall, 3750 North Bowesville Rd. (near Hunt Club and Riverside Drive). Book Fair hours are 10:30-5:00 and there is plenty of free parking.

This year’s Book Fair will build on a new departure in the show’s format. For the second year running, the Fair will be opened with a reading by past parliamentary poet laureate (2016-2017) George Elliott Clarke. Last year’s reading of the poem Jean Chretien was a resounding success with the crowd assembled for the Fair opening. There will also be a poet- in-residence display table within the fair, alongside bookseller exhibits. During the course of the day there will be short seminars, one on book restoration by Kyla Ubbink and another on contemporary poetry by Mr. Clarke. The show will also host a reading in the early afternoon by Hugh Stewart from his new book, Canoe Trails and Shop Tales. Hugh is well-known throughout the region, as a leader of canoe expeditions for the past fifty years and as the director of Headwater Canoes, a craft manufacturer of classic wooden canoes. He will join our poet in residence as canoeist in residence and will be available to sign copies of his book throughout the day at the authors’ table.

Mark your calendar for this special day: October 28, 10:30-5:00, Tudor Hall, 3750 North Bowesville Rd. (near Hunt Club and Riverside Drive).

Additional information available from Liam, McGahern Books, 613-230-2275, or Mordy, Benjamin Books, 613-232-7495. Benjamin Books has been a part of the Sandy Hill community for about 30 years and is located on Osgoode St.