Spread the Word (On The Street)

Guillermo del Toro famously had to buy a second house to store his collection of art, comics and massive libraries of books – and frankly, we get it. When the temperatures begin to cool in late September, there’s an undeniable urge to put on a sweater, grab a warm drink, and surround yourself with the printed word (or just an e-reader, if that’s your thing).

That’s why we recommend hitting up Word on the Street, the annual mega-sized book fair, taking place this Sunday, September 24 at the Harbourfront Centre. Over 200 Canadian authors will be doing readings throughout the day (some even taking place on a tall ship). There’s a slam poetry performance and a line-up of panel discussions, and families have their own literary and storytelling-themed activities. But the big draw is Canada’s biggest literary marketplace, with over 250 book, comics and magazine vendors, including independent authors and bigger Canadian publishers.

To prep for Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters, swing by the booth of Drawn & Quarterly, a comics and graphic novel publisher based in Montreal. And keep your eyes peeled for any copies of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft books, or any of Grimm’s fairy tales—all of which have a major presence inside the exhibition, which opens on September 30.

Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters is all about celebrating the many artistic influences of Guillermo del Toro—including many iconic literary figures—and the power of an imaginative, compelling story. Several sections of the exhibition will literally be covered in books and—here’s a hint at what’s to come—there will even be a place dedicated to visitors who want to take a seat and pour themselves into a comic book (or 10!).

If you’re not able to get to Word on the Street, then shopAGO can help fill your fall-time literary desires—it’ll soon be stocked with a new, annotated version of Frankenstein, beautiful prints of Alice in Wonderland, an illustrated collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories and poems, definitive anthologies of H.P. Lovecraft’s work, the At Home with Monsters catalogue, as well as many more books dedicated to the films of Guillermo del Toro, horror and sci-fi. And don’t forget: the master of monsters himself will be here signing books on September 27 – don’t miss him!

Buy your tickets to Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters - they’re on sale to members of the public now.

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