Russell Books April Newsletter
Indie Bookstore Day sale, poetry month, an Easter Hunt and lots of other upcoming events!
April showers bring May flowers, so we are nearing a time of blooming buds and SPRING, at long last. We hope you played a few April Fools' pranks on your friends and family, as that's another great part about this month. Mine was: I’m not planning on reading a single great work of Canadian literature this month! Not a great one, because who would possibly believe that? One shouldn’t even joke about not being an appreciator of Canada’s great literary tradition. I also told a friend that I was kind of over independent bookstores, and was going to start shopping for books on Amazon exclusively. She nearly passed out. Could you IMAGINE?? Anyway. Let’s keep such statements as things you only say on April 1st, shall we? On to an exciting newsletter — see you down there!
Canadian Independent Bookstore Day
Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD) on April 26th is an annual day where we all come together to celebrate indie bookstores across Canada. So many customers come into RB and comment on how glad they are we are still standing, and how rare used bookstores are nowadays. Here at RB, we make it a point to give back to the Victoria community, to support local authors, and to welcome customers into our ever-growing family. That’s why we kind of feel like celebrating … well, us. On April 25th, 26th and 27th, buy two and get one free at our store. Come show your support for independent booksellers — you don’t want to miss this!!
It's a particularly wild time to be an indie bookstore right now, with the threat of tariffs looming and economic chaos on the horizon. Thankfully, most of our books are sourced right here in Victoria, from our incredible bookish community! Whatever else may happen, the used books that flow in through our Book Trade Counter will always be tariff free and affordable. The sheer variety of what you all bring in to us never ceases to astound!
April is Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and as many of you know, RB has been a great support system for local poets around Victoria for some time now. Planet Earth Poetry (PEP) hosts weekly events at our store, featuring both established and emerging Canadian poets. Their season runs from September until June, and it’s actually the longest running all-poetry open mic in Victoria. On Friday, April 11th, they will be holding a National Poetry Month Event featuring several Canadian poets, and an open mic dedicated to poets published in The Malahat Review. The event starts at 7:30pm at our store — we’ll see you there.
Join Allison Douglas-Tourner from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., April 17th, 2025, at our store, to share the joys of poetry on International Haiku Day and pick a poem from the “poet-tree.” Allison Douglas-Tourner has spent most of her life in Victoria, and so its landscapes have inspired many of the poems in Sticks and Bones. See you on April 17th!
Join us for an Easter Egg Bookmark Hunt
In honour of Easter, RB will be hosting an Easter Egg Bookmark Hunt at our store this month! This is in collaboration with Vancouver company Craftedvan, a store that specializes in magnetic bookmarks, cards and magnets. There will be twelve bookmark “eggs” to find around the store, and a bonus golden egg for one lucky customer! Should you find the golden egg first, you will win $20 to Craftedvan's online store, linked here. Get over to RB and start hunting on April 21st!
Upcoming Events
Don Genova Book Launch
Join award-winning, Victoria-based food and travel journalist, Don Genova, and Russell Books as we celebrate the launch of his latest book, Pacific Palate: Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
Curious about which of your favourite local artisans might be included? Come by and flip through a copy, and while you're at it sample tasty treats from local artisans Deer and Dough Bakery Cafe, Triestina Pasta & Provisions, Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse, MAiiZ Nixtamal Eatery & Tortilleria and Victoria Olive Oil Company. See you on Tuesday, April 8th for some yummy eats and a cookbook a true Victoriate won’t want to miss.
Barbara Langston and John Weber signing event!
Like we mentioned above, RB loves to support our local writing community. Both Barbara J. Langston speak of the beauty of the ocean and tides in their works, and so Victoria natives will certainly find pieces of home in both books. Join us on April 12th between noon and 3 pm for a book signing event with these fantastic local authors.
Book signing: The Lost Synapse
Join Brenda St Louis at our store on April 18th for a unique book signing event!! Visit anytime between noon and 3:00 PM to grab a signed copy and chat with the author about the process of writing this book, the inspiration behind it, and the deeper ideas it explores. If you’re fascinated by the intersection of money, consciousness, and the future of human connection, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Can’t wait to see you there!
Artist talk with Joanne Thomson
A perfect event for Mother’s Day, visit our store on May 5th to hear from artist and author Joanne Thomson about her debut book, "300 Mason Jars: Preserving History." Joanne will tell stories related to the artworks on display, read passages from the book, and share the behind-the-scenes adventure of creating the series. See you there.
Thanks for Reading!
Like Mary Oliver said, “There is only one question: how to love this world.” To me, poets are the ones who come closest to loving it and seeing it how it deserves. Even if you feel like you’ve never really “gotten” poetry before, like me, this might be the month to give it a second chance. We hope to see you at the store soon — whether it be to try your hand at a haiku, find an Easter egg bookmark, or simply to take advantage of a smoking-hot buy 2, get 1 free deal!!
Happy April :)
Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.
