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Upstart & Crow

@upstartandcrow

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Non-profit dedicated to amplifying exceptional stories for change. 10:30-5:30, Tues-Fri & 10-5:30 Sat & Sun, closed daily 1:30-2. @upstartottawa

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Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit creative studio and literary incubator that champions writers, readers and stories.

After building a community in Vancouver, BC, we’re launching a new studio in Ottawa in Fall 2026.

We’re looking to fill three unique positions at @upstartottawa:

• Creative & Operations Manager
• Creative Associate & Bookstore Assistant
• Casual Bookstore & Events Support

Read our full job postings linked in bio. To apply, email your cover letter and resume to jobs@upstartandcrow.com.

We look forward to meeting you!! 💛

#bookstorejobs #indiebookstores #bookselling #upstartandcrow #upstartottawa by @upstartandcrow

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a month ago

We. Have. Very. Big. News…

We’re opening an Upstart & Crow Literary Arts Studio in Ottawa!  As of Fall 2026, you’ll find us near the bustling Byward Market, sharing our non-profit programs, carefully curated selection and unique events with Ottawa community members, too.

This is a big step… and a natural evolution in our work to champion writers, readers and stories, and the vital role they play in our lives.

Ottawa, we can’t wait to meet you!! 💛

If you’d like to receive Ottawa updates, sign up for our newsletter linked in bio or follow our Ottawa page @upstartottawa

#ottawabookstore #upstartottawa #newbookstore #yowbooks #upstartandcrow by @upstartandcrow

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a month ago

Join Keiko Honda to celebrate the launch of her third memoir, ‘Words that Last.’ 🐈

Honda writes from a particular threshold: her daughter’s room stands empty, her father’s voice thins across long-distance calls, her mother speaks to her six times daily though she’s been dead for six years. Living alone in Vancouver with her cat Pumpkin, she finds herself between languages, between countries, between the body she had and the body she inhabits now.

Honda turns to the Japanese poets who shaped her before she knew what poetry was: Matsuo Bashō, who found karumi (lightness) on swollen feet; Sei Shōnagon, who practiced okashi (delighted noticing) a millennium ago. Through concepts like mono no aware (the exquisite ache of impermanence) and yohaku (the eloquence of empty space), Honda excavates a way of attending to the world that her Western training had obscured.

This event is free, but please RSVP through the link in our bio! Books will be available for sale and signing.

#memoirwriting #booklaunchparty #granvilleisland #upstartandcrow taken in Upstart & Crow by @upstartandcrow

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4 days ago

Writers who are also responsible for children! This is a workshop for you, about finding space and time for your work, and it’s a two-part experience with a local writing wiz! Whaaa!

Swipe to learn more about our upcoming “micro-residency” workshop with Suzannah Showler, and reserve your spot today in the bio link.

#vancouverwriters #vancouverwritingworkshop #writingworkshop by @upstartandcrow

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8 days ago

Up next in the “woman returns to nature” genre — a la The Wall — is this resurfaced 1978 novel by Canadian Joan Barfoot. It never found its footing on first publication but is finding a new readership today, and for good reason: it’s a passionate story of a wife and mother sloughing off the straitjacket of the nuclear family and finding ***freedom*** in the wilderness. Pretty saucy stuff for the seventies!

#readcanadian #booksbooksbooks #faberandfaber by @upstartandcrow

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9 days ago

Just a reminder, we give money to emerging poets! Because starting out is hard, and our mission is to encourage folks who are trying to put out more beauty in the world.

Our next round of $500 grants is open now. Applications are simple and due on Oct. 5. Spread the word and swipe for more details. 🪽

#poetrygrant #poetsandwriters #canadapoetry by @upstartandcrow

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12 days ago

If you aren’t yet maxed out on depraved male energy, then Mark Haber’s latest novella ‘Ada’ should satisfy.

Taking place over an afternoon, it tells the story of a raving and resentful tyrant, Gerard Desacroux IV, who rules over a village ready to violently depose him as he awaits the arrival of a long-ago fling, Ada, to his kingdom. Ada has since married a paisley tycoon, and Gerard has drawn up a silly scheme to challenge him to a duel and win back Ada’s hand. It’s a delightfully pathetic portrait of the fragility and desperation of the ruling class — again, assuming you can stomach more of that.

Whenever we need a laugh, which is often in these times, we pick up a Haber.

#markhaber #readreadread #readmorebooks by @upstartandcrow

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15 days ago

Happening soon! Spend an evening with Miriam Edelson and Will Horter, whose new book explores the deep roots and new threats of Canada’s regressive right wing. The authors will also share pathways of resistance and ways forward.

This event is free but filling fast, so please RSVP for your spot in the link in bio. Books will be on hand for sale and signing.

#vancouverbookevents #vancouverevents by @upstartandcrow

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17 days ago

New in! A range of ranging women come together to share their passion for walking in this charming new collection published by Canadian indie Coach House. Edited by two brilliant urbanists and packed with vignettes, interviews and poems, it’s perfect for a dreary day when you need that last push to get out the door and ambulate.

#coachhouse #booksbooksbooks #bookpick #readwomen by @upstartandcrow

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19 days ago

New workshop! 🍃 Women Talking Climate is a recurring event series for women and non-binary folks who work in climate — in any capacity — to connect and celebrate each others’ work.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m., we’re hosting a 90-minute workshop with the brilliant Chloe Fraser on sharpening your climate story. Swipe to learn more about what to expect from this fun and cozy evening.

The registration fee for this event is $5. All proceeds go towards our climate programming. RSVP through our link in bio.

#climatevent #climatevancouver #womeninclimate #granvilleisland #upstartandcrow by @upstartandcrow

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22 days ago

The fall book that has captured cofounder Ian’s heart.

“Colin McAdam has written a wee gem of a book, a deceptively tender layering of what feel like aphorisms but are more than that. ‘When you feel pure love … you attain the highest wisdom,’ says the narrator of Daphnis and Chloe, the narrator being Eros himself. ‘Life becomes very simple. Each day’s purpose is clear: love.’ That isn’t always clear to some of the tortured souls that inhabit this tale, pain and beauty walking hand in hand. But there are small triumphs nonetheless, this book being one of them.”

By a beloved Canadian writer, with a beloved Canadian press.

#fallbooks #biblioasis #colinmcadam by @upstartandcrow

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23 days ago

What a joy to be a venue for the brilliant @vancouverfringe, which starts tomorrow on Granville Island!

Check out “Dragonfly,” directed by @cocksure.performance, at the studio starting tomorrow until Sept. 20. Have fun, Fringers!

#vancouverfringe #granvilleisland by @upstartandcrow

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24 days ago