Local bookshop hosting pair of events as part of “Buy Canadian” initiative

Author Renée D. Bondy will co-host the "Buy Canadian" event at Riverbook Shop.

A local store is taking “Buy Canadian” to heart.

The River Bookshop is hosting an event May 4 as a way to embrace “Buy Canadian” and “Buy Local” trends. The afternoon event will feature a pair of local authors – Renée D. Bondy and Kim Conklin – with recent novels set in southwestern Ontario.

Meghan Desjardins, lead bookseller at the River Bookshop, said both have local ties despite Bondy currently living in Chatham-Kent and Conklin in Windsor. She noted Bondy grew up in Amherstburg and her novel “[non]disclosure” was inspired by a landmark court case. 

“While the criminal case which inspired my novel involved victims in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, this is a story that speaks to communities across the country – and the world,”said Bondy

It was published by Second Story Press out of Toronto in Oct. 2024.

Conklin, a former Harrow resident, set her novel “King of Hope” in a fictional small town on the north shore of Lake Erie. Desjardins pointed out in a press release she issued that it was published by Windsor’s Palimpsest Press in October 2022. 

Event co-host, author Kim Conklin.

“The environmental concern at the heart of the story is global,” says Conklin. “Setting the book on the north shore, a place I knew well, helped me focus on the human factors and storytelling.”

Desjardins said the May 4 event begins at 2 p.m. and will be in a format of a discussion. It will be held upstairs in the Hole in the Wall event space. It is free to attend, she noted, but they are asking people to register on the book store’s Facebook page. She said the two authors will discuss the considerations, challenges and opportunities of setting books in southwestern Ontario.

“Both authors hope the event will help shine a light on the rich storytelling and narrative opportunities of southwestern Ontario. The event is free and open to the public. 

Bondy taught in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Windsor. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. “[non]disclosure” is her first novel.

Conklin is a writer, filmmaker, and co-host of “All Write in Sin City,” a regional book podcast. In addition to “King of Hope,” other works she has undertaken include “This Will Only Take a Minute: 100 Canadian Flashes” and “Dialectical Love,” the latter selected for film festivals on three continents in 2020-2022.

Another event the bookshop is involved in is Canadian Independent Bookstore Day. That is coming up April 26 and the store will have expanded hours of 10 a.m.-7 p.m. that Saturday. 

“This year will be even bigger, between the things we have planned and the focus that people have on shopping Canadian,” said Desjardins. “We’re really excited about it. We keep making it bigger and bigger each year.”

There will be opportunities for free gifts for customers and incentives to buy books written by Canadian authors. There will also be contests and more.

“We really want to build a community review table,” she said.

The community review table will include opportunities for people to give one-line reviews of their favourite books. There will also be “a golden ticket” hidden in the store, and the winner will receive 12 audiobooks thanks to the store’s partnership with LibroFM. 

For more information, visit www.riverbookshop.com. 

Local bookshop hosting pair of events as part of “Buy Canadian” initiative

By RTT Staff