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The Soap Box Press Fall 2022 Season Launch
November 19, 2022 from 4:00PM - 6:00PM ET
Supermarket Bar and Variety
268 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L9

After three years, we're so excited to gather in person to celebrate the release of our 2022 season.

We will be launching three incredible titles: The Soap Box Vol. VII: Scream it at the Back Wall, Mo Nighean: The Universe Inside the Comma by Kaila Gallacher, and Grief Grows Elsewhere by Sana Mohsin.

Join us for an evening of readings, mingling, celebrating, and lots of books! We can't wait to see you there.

All three books are available for pre-order in our shop on our website. Select the "Pickup" option if you'd like to pick up your order at the launch.

If you have any questions or concerns, please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

Reserve your spot with a free ticket here.

The Hyphenated Generation Anthology Launch
December 2, 2021 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
on Zoom

Join us for the launch of The Soap Box: Vol. VI: The Hyphenated Generation. The Hyphenated Generation is an anthology of poems and short stories by writers who immigrated to Canada, or are the children of immigrants, that explores the feeling of living in between two cultures and identities.

The evening will include readings from contributors. 

Pre-order the anthology. 

The Zoom invitation will be sent one hour before the start of the event. Please send any questions to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council in funding this project through the Literary Projects and Organizations grant.

Reserve your spot with a free ticket here.

This event will take place over Zoom. You will be emailed the Zoom invitation one hour before the event begins. If you have any questions, please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

Growth In Small Gestures Launch
August 13, 2021 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
on Zoom

We're celebrating the launch of Growth In Small Gestures with a memorable evening filled with books, a taste of the short stories in the collection, poetry readings from Terrence Abrahams, Sanna Wani, and Francis Tomkins, and the opportunity to stick around and chat with Cleopatria Peterson and other attendees at the end of the launch. 

Pre-order Growth In Small Gestures here. Or treat yourself to a book and bracelet bundle, which includes a one of a kind bracelet inspired by the book! 

Growth In Small Gestures is a small but mighty duo of short stories about nature and nurture, love and transgender bodies. Sweetness of Red is a summer love story about a garden and A Name for Nobody challenges the importance of a name against a forest backdrop filled with the Fae.

Reserve your spot with a free ticket here.

Cleopatria Peterson is a transgender non-binary multi-disciplinary artist. Known for their illustrations, comic work and zines, they are the co-founder of Old Growth Press. This is their first published chapbook and they hope for a future where they continue to create and tell stories. Bears are their favourite animal and they yearn to hold a raccoon’s paw. You can find more of their work at www.cleopatria.ca

Terrence Abrahams is always a Libra and often a poet. His most recent chapbook, notes from the garden, was published by baseline press in 2019.

Sanna Wani lives between Mississauga and Srinagar. Her work is available in POETS.org, Poetry Daily, Brick and more. She loves daisies.

Francis Tomkins is an arts administrator and sometimes poet living in Toronto. Their work has been published in Acta Victoriana and /nest/ journal.

This event will take place over Zoom. You will be emailed the Zoom invitation one hour before the event begins. If you have any questions, please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

Visiting Gales Launch and Music Night
June 4, 2021 from 6:00PM - 7:30PM EDT
on Zoom

This launch, presented by The Soap Box Press, will include a reading and Q&A with the authors, musical sets, a live dance performance, guided meditation and stretching, and live illustration! 

A huge thanks to Anda Zeng, Rosa Wan, Jess Leung, Vicky Wang, Alena Loboda, Justine Wong, Jazmin Ramos, and Julia Nethersole for their performances on this special night. 

You won’t want to miss such an interactive, fun-filled event! Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the performers, with 10% donated to Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction (https://www.torontoindigenoushr.com).

Ticket options include a Pay What You Can donation to support the creatives putting on this event, or a preset $25 donation which includes a copy of Visiting Gales.

From Cover to Cover: A Virtual Gala
June 4, 2021 from 6:00PM - 7:30PM EDT
on Zoom

Over the last five years The Soap Box Press published creative writing anthologies, chapbooks, and novels. We've hosted many memorable book launches, met for workshops, lunch and learns, and exciting panels. We even founded From Pen to Published, our very own publishing conference dedicated to bringing together aspiring writers and publishing professionals with those already established in the industry. 

What ties together every aspect of our journey is the incredible community that has been with us along the way. For our five year anniversary, we want to do something special and we can't imagine celebrating without you! 

We invite you to join us at From Cover to Cover, a virtual gala. It will be a formal affair - so dress to the nines and don your best “book look” inspired by your favourite book cover! 

We’ll have games, musical entertainment, prizes, plenty of time to mingle, and so much more! 

We’ll be sharing more about the gala’s festivities as we get closer to the event, but trust us, this is an evening you’ll want to be part of. 

The purchase of each ticket helps support The Soap Box and our future activities. As a small, self-funded press we’re so proud of all that we have accomplished over the last five years. We have big plans in store, and your purchase of a ticket brings us one step closer to making it happen. If you would like to attend and the ticket price is a barrier, please send an email to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com. You'll have a seat at the gala, no questions asked! 

We will be hosting the event over Zoom. The event link will be sent out one hour before the start of the event.

Get your ticket here!

Play Book: Exploring Time, Absence, and Desire
May 27, 2021 from 7:00PM - 8:30PM EDT
on Zoom

Join us for an intimate coversation with Maria Mutch and Patti M. Hall, hosted by Tali Voron, publisher at The Soap Box Press.

We'll be delving into all elements of Molly Falls to Earth, a brand new novel by Maria Mutch. Talking about theme, the craft of writing, and everything in between, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. 

Molly Falls to Earth is available here and at your local independent bookstore.

***

I feel in some strange place.

In late January 2010, choreographer Molly Volkova has a seizure on a crowded Manhattan sidewalk.

As Molly experiences the singularity of the seizure over the course of seven minutes, she is haunted by her past: memories of love and infidelity, thoughts of her family and her work, and of the city itself. She also reflects on the disappearance of a lover she last saw ten years earlier, his sister, and the secrets that connect all three of them.

Flickering through time and space and from character to character, Molly Falls to Earth forms a constellation around the spot where Molly lies on the edge of Washington Square Park. Interwoven throughout are documentary segments featuring the voices of others who search for the lost, obsessed with those who have gone missing.

With her extraordinary ability to capture the unimaginable, Maria Mutch takes us deep into a stormy world in which people disappear without going anywhere, and appear to be present while travelling vast distances.

***

Maria Mutch is the author of a memoir, Know the Night, and a short story collection, When We Were Birds. Her novel, Molly Falls to Earth, was released on April 27th by Simon & Schuster Canada. 

Patti M Hall is the author of the memoir Loving Large, a 2020 (during COVID) release, and as a book coach, collaborator and ghostwriter she is behind more than twenty non-fiction books. Patti’s rare disease advocacy work has landed her work in Huffington Post, TheMighty.com and Mamalode Magazine and dozens of popular podcasts. 

Tali Voron is the Founder and Publisher at The Soap Box, an independent press based in Toronto, that focuses on providing an accessible platform and community for emerging writers and creatives. Tali is also a freelance writer and editor, and is the Editorial Assistant at Coach House Books. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto where she majored in English, and completed her Master of Arts in Literatures of Modernity at Ryerson University.

The Zoom invitation will be sent one hour before the start of the event.

Tickets are free and can be found here.

Please send any questions to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

TSB First Fridays: February Edition
February 5, 2021 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EST
on Instagram Live!

It’s our first open mic of the year! Join us on Instagram Live (@thesoapboxpress) for an incredible lineup and a few surprises along the way! If you’d like to shine in the spotlight, there will be time for you to step up to the mic as well. We can’t wait to see you there!

TSB First Fridays Lineup:

Selene Frost

Ris V. Rose

Natalie Simonian

Christina Foisy

Kaila Writes

Kathia Huitron

and more!

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

Jagged Edge Launch with Cindy Aronson and Tamara Herman
December 18, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EST
on Zoom

Details coming soon.

Pre-Order Jagged Edge here!

TSB First Fridays: December Edition
December 4, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EST
on Instagram Live!

It’s our last open mic of the year and we’re changing things up! Join us on Instagram Live (@thesoapboxpress) for an incredible lineup and a few surprised along the way! If you’d like to shine in the spotlight, there will be time for you to step up to the mic as well. We can’t wait to see you there!

TSB First Fridays Lineup:

Ris V. Rose 

Vaishali Paliwal 

Confessions of a Lady

Cleopatria Peterson 

Linh Nguyen and Christie Wong

Kaila Gallacher

Marcus Medford

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

You’ve Gone Incognito Launch
November 27, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EST
on Zoom

We're launching The Soap Box Vol. V: You've Gone Incognito, an anthology of poems and short stories that blur the boundaries between social media and art. 

Join us for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate this poignant collection with readings from contributors. 

Pre-Order You've Gone Incognito here.

RSVP by registering for a free ticket here.

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

The event link will be emailed one hour before the event. If it doesn't appear in your inbox, please check your spam and junk folders.

Cocktales Session 3: After the Honeymoon
November 19, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
on Zoom

Join us for a juicy evening as we dive deep into finding a lifetime of happiness with your SO, get a sneak peek from Cindy and Tamara's new novel Jagged Edge, participate in a Q&A with the authors, and sip on our original signature drink for the evening - H.E.A. [Happily Ever After] (recipe to be emailed)!

Tamara Herman spent over twenty years teaching English literature and music in secondary schools in Toronto before fully turning her attention to writing. Aside from writing, she devotes much of her time advocating for her two sons, both of whom are on the autism spectrum. Due to her own struggles with mental health issues, Tamara uses her extensive knowledge, research skills, and enthusiasm for learning about the human psyche as the basis for much of her personal writing. Tamara has published several short stories, poems, and non-fiction works. Jagged Edge is her first full-length novel.

Cindy Aronson has been supply-teaching in Toronto for over two decades, allowing her the freedom to advocate for her two sons who struggle with ADHD and social anxiety. After an often-challenging childhood that saw her spending many years as the primary caregiver for her ailing mother, Cindy learned that creative writing was a powerful outlet to release her own stress. Cindy enjoys writing that reflects both the darker and comedic facets of her persona. Several of her poems have been published in various local anthologies. Jagged Edge is her first full-length novel.

RSVP by registering for a free ticket here!

The event link will be sent out one hour before the event begins. If an email does not appear in your inbox please check your spam and junk folders.

TSB Fall Series: What’s the Point of Poetry? How We Connect to Others During Isolation
November 18, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
on Zoom

Join The Soap Box for an illuminating panel on poetry and its importance, especially in turbulent times. Tune into an evening of discussion between poets Hana Shafi, Natasha Ramoutar, and Randell Adjei, moderated by Marcus Medford. The panel will be followed by a Q&A. Live closed captioning will be available. 

Tickets are PWYC (pay what you can), with a $1 minimum imposed by Eventbrite. Get your ticket here! 

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

The Zoom link will be sent out one hour before the event. If you don’t receive the link in your inbox, please check your spam and junk folders.

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Hana Shafi is a writer and artist who illustrates under the name Frizz Kid. Both her visual art and writing frequently explore themes such as feminism, body politics, racism, and pop culture. She’s published articles in publications such as The Walrus, Hazlitt and This Magazine, and has been featured on Buzzfeed, CBC, Flare Magazine, New York Times, and Shameless. Known on Instagram for her weekly affirmation series, she is also the recipient of the Women Who Inspire Award, from the Canadian Council for Muslim Women. Her first book, It Begins With The Body was selected by CBC books as one of the best poetry books of 2018. Her second book, Small, Broke, and Kind of Dirty is in stores now. 

Natasha Ramoutar is an Indo-Guyanese writer by way of Scarborough (Ganatsekwyagon) at the east side of Toronto. She has been published in The Unpublished City II, PRISM International, Room Magazine, Living Hyphen and more. She is the Social Media Assistant at the Festival of Literary Diversity and the Fiction Editor of FEEL WAYS, an anthology of Scarborough writing. Bittersweet is her first book of poetry, published this year by Mawenzi House.

Randell Adjei is an entrepreneur, speaker and spoken word practitioner who uses his gifts to empower through Edutainment. He is the founder of one of Toronto's largest youth led initiatives; Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere (R.I.S.E Edutainment). In 2018, R.I.S.E received the Toronto Arts Foundation’s, Mayor’s Youth Arts Award. Randell is the author of I am Not my struggles a powerful Anthology released in 2018. He is a cohort 2 Studio Y MaRS DD Fellow and 1 of 4 coaches involved in the Toronto Public Library (Poetry Saved Our Lives) project. Randell was the Black Canadian Awards - Best Spoken Word award winner in 2015. Randell was also named CBC’s Metro Morning’s Torontonian of the Year in 2015 and NOW Magazines Local Hero in May 2017. Randell recently opened up for President Barack Obama at the Economic Club of Canada. He has also opened up for Terry Crews, Paul Mooney, Saul Williams and Mayor John Tory.

Cocktales Session 2: Let’s Talk Mental Health and Body Image
November 12, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
on Zoom

Join us for an insightful evening of discussion on Body Dysmorphia and mental health as it affects the characters in Jagged Edge and people at large, followed by a Q&A with the authors and Yana. Sip on our original signature drink for the evening - You Drive Me Crazy, Baby (recipe to be emailed)!

Cindy Aronson has been supply-teaching in Toronto for over two decades, allowing her the freedom to advocate for her two sons who struggle with ADHD and social anxiety. After an often-challenging childhood that saw her spending many years as the primary caregiver for her ailing mother, Cindy learned that creative writing was a powerful outlet to release her own stress. Cindy enjoys writing that reflects both the darker and comedic facets of her persona. Several of her poems have been published in various local anthologies. Jagged Edge is her first full-length novel.

Tamara Herman spent over twenty years teaching English literature and music in secondary schools in Toronto before fully turning her attention to writing. Aside from writing, she devotes much of her time advocating for her two sons, both of whom are on the autism spectrum. Due to her own struggles with mental health issues, Tamara uses her extensive knowledge, research skills, and enthusiasm for learning about the human psyche as the basis for much of her personal writing. Tamara has published several short stories, poems, and non-fiction works. Jagged Edge is her first full-length novel.

Yana Kreminska has an MA in Psychology from Kamyanets Podilsky National University, Ukraine. A graduate of the Ukrainian Institute of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, she practiced Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy and Schema Therapy approaches with adults and children for over six years. She worked at the Ukrainian Catholic University’s Mental Health Institute as well as in private practice, assisting individuals with various mental health issues. Having recently moved to Canada, Yana is currently working on applying to become registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

TSB First Fridays: November Edition
November 6, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EDT
on Zoom

We're opening the floor to eight talented creatives for the October edition of TSB First Fridays! 

Join us on the first Friday of every month as we welcome eight performers who have chosen to share their words and art with us! 

If you’d like to perform, sign up here.

Reserve your spot in our audience (tickets are FREE) here.

The open mic will be held on Zoom and the event link will be sent out one hour before the event. Closed captions will be available.

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

If you don’t receive an email in your inbox please check your spam and junk folders!

Cocktales Session 1: Writing Romance with Cindy Aronson and Tamara Herman
November 5, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
on Zoom

Writing a compelling romance is hard. Luckily, experts Cindy Aronson and Tamara Herman can share their tips and tricks to writing romance and writing it well! 

Join us for an exciting evening of tips and tricks on writing romance, get a sneak peek from Cindy and Tamara's new novel Jagged Edge, participate in a Q&A with the authors, and sip on our original signature drink for the evening - Love on the Rocks (recipe to be emailed)!

Tamara Herman spent over twenty years teaching English literature and music in secondary schools in Toronto before fully turning her attention to writing. Aside from writing, she devotes much of her time advocating for her two sons, both of whom are on the autism spectrum. Due to her own struggles with mental health issues, Tamara uses her extensive knowledge, research skills, and enthusiasm for learning about the human psyche as the basis for much of her personal writing. Tamara has published several short stories, poems, and non-fiction works. Jagged Edge is her first full-length novel.

Cindy Aronson has been supply-teaching in Toronto for over two decades, allowing her the freedom to advocate for her two sons who struggle with ADHD and social anxiety. After an often-challenging childhood that saw her spending many years as the primary caregiver for her ailing mother, Cindy learned that creative writing was a powerful outlet to release her own stress. Cindy enjoys writing that reflects both the darker and comedic facets of her persona. Several of her poems have been published in various local anthologies. Jagged Edge is her first full-length novel.

Once Upon an Hour Launch with Ann Y.K. Choi
October 29, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Online

Join author Ann Y.K. for an evening celebrating the launch of her new children's book, Once Upon an Hour!  

Yu-Rhee, a young Korean girl, wants to know how to tell time using a clock. Her mother tells her a tale from her childhood based on the traditional Korean practice of timekeeping, where the 12 animals of the zodiac are assigned to 2-hour sections of the 24-hour clock. Told from the point of view of a mountain, the story follows a child as they climb the mountainside in search of a plant to heal their ailing mother. The climb is steep, the path wild and the way difficult. The mountain watches the child struggle and calls on the animals that live on the mountainside to help the child, but as sunlight turns to moonlight, each animal claims to be too busy. Ultimately, Once Upon an Hour is a story about determination and teamwork that shows young readers the importance of helping others.

Join Ann Y.K. Choi for a reading of Once Upon an Hour, a conversation on what inspired the book, followed by an audience Q&A. 

Order Once Upon an Hour  from our co-host Another Story Bookshop! 

Originally from South Korea, Ann Y.K. Choi immigrated to Canada in 1975. Her novel, Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety, was a finalist for the Toronto Book Award. The story, set in the 1980s, was inspired by her experiences working in her family-run variety store. Once Upon an Hour, Ann's debut children's picture book, was released in October 2020. She is the co-founder of The Authors Book Club, an online initiative that connects readers with authors in Canada. She lives in Toronto.

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

The event link will be emailed one hour before the event. If it doesn't appear in your inbox, please check your spam and junk folders.

In Conversation with Patti M. Hall and Maria Mutch

October 5, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT on Zoom

Join authors Patti M. Hall and Maria Mutch for an hour long event, as they discuss Patti's new memoir, Loving Large, how they've approached the writing process, and the ways they've brought their most personal stories to the page. 

The conversation will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A.

Reserve your free ticket here.

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Patti M. Hall is an author, collaborator, writing coach, and project manager working with exceptional writers and thought leaders. Patti has shepherded over twenty books to publication on both traditional and self-publishing paths. As the co-host of the Reframe Your Life podcast, Patti explores the themes, structure and meaning of their books with memoirists and authors who are telling their stories while transforming their lives. Patti is the author of Loving Large: a mother’s rare disease memoir (2020) and she lives in Bradford, Ontario. 

Maria Mutch was born and raised in Canada, she has a degree in visual art from York University in Toronto. Know the Night, her debut book, was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Awards 2014 and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, as well as being chosen for Oprah.com’s “Memoirs Too Powerful to Put Down,” The Globe & Mail's Top 100, MacLean's Magazine's Best Reads, and Late Night Library's Literary Voices Program 2014-2015. She is a GrubStreet writing instructor and consultant, and a Vipassana meditation teacher-in-training. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sons. 

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This event will be held over Zoom. The event link will be sent out one hour before the event. 

Closed captions will be available.

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

TSB Fall Series: What’s Your Story? Exploring the Art of Memoir Writing
September 30, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT on Zoom

Join The Soap Box for an illuminating panel on memoir writing as we start our Fall Series! Tune into an evening of discussion between authors Adam Pottle, Patti M. Hall, Jenny Heijun Wills, and Dorothy Ellen Palmer on their journeys of writing their memoirs, moderated by Marcus Medford. The panel will be followed by a Q&A. Live closed captioning will be available. 

Tickets are PWYC (pay what you can), with a $1 minimum imposed by Eventbrite. Get your ticket here!

Email contact@thesoapboxwrites.com regarding help with ticket prices and/or for other accommodations! 

Closed captions will be available.

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Adam Pottle's books include the 2019 memoir Voice and the award-winning 2013 novel Mantis Dreams. His 2016 novella The Bus received the Ken Klonsky Award and was nominated for two Saskatchewan Book Awards. His play The Black Drum premiered in Toronto in 2019 and is the world's first all-Deaf musical. His children's book The Most Awesome Character in the World is forthcoming from Reycraft Books. He lives in Saskatoon. 

Jenny Heijun Wills is the author of Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related (McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Random House Canada, 2019). It won the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Award for Non-Fiction and the 2020 Eileen McTavish Sykes First Book Award and was a Globe & Mail Best book in 2019. She teaches in the Department of English at the University of Winnipeg. 

Dorothy Ellen Palmer is a disabled senior writer, retired English/Drama teacher, improv coach and union activist. Her new adoption-disability memoir, Falling for Myself, (Wolsak and Wynn, 2019), is acclaimed by The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Quill & Quire and Readers Digest. Longlisted for the ReLit Award, her novel, When Fenelon Falls, (Coach House, 2010), features a disabled teen in the Woodstock-Moonwalk summer of 1969. Her fiction and nonfiction appear in literary and disability journals. She serves on FOLD’s Accessibility Advisory Committee and has appeared at FOLD, GritLit, WOTS, The Next Chapter, Walrus Talks, The Eh List, and CBC Radio.

Patti M. Hall is an author, collaborator, writing coach, and project manager working with exceptional writers and thought leaders. Patti has shepherded over twenty books to publication on both traditional and self-publishing paths. As the co-host of the Reframe Your Life podcast, Patti explores the themes, structure and meaning of their books with memoirists and authors who are telling their stories while transforming their lives. Patti is the author of Loving Large: a mother’s rare disease memoir (2020) and she lives in Bradford, Ontario. 

Inspired by the writing of Dr. Seuss and Robert Munsch, Marcus "Roi" Medford has known he's wanted to be an author since he was five-years-old. In 2016 he accomplished that goal by publishing his debut collection of poetry "Book of Mars." Marcus currently works as a freelance writer and editor as well as a sports instructor. Marcus is a list-maker, picture-taker podcaster and over-thinker.

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This event will be held on Zoom and the event link will be sent out one hour before the event. 

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

TSB First Fridays: October EditionOctober 2, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EDT on Zoom

We're opening the floor to eight talented creatives for the October edition of TSB First Fridays! 

Join us on the first Friday of every month as we welcome eight performers who have chosen to share their words and art with us! 

If you’d like to perform, sign up here.

Reserve your spot (tickets are FREE) here.

The open mic will be held on Zoom and the event link will be sent out one hour before the event. Closed captions will be available.

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

TSB First Fridays: Open Mic and Fundraiser
September 4, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:30PM EDT on Zoom

It's been a secret dream of ours to set the stage and pass the mic to the brilliant writers and creatives in our community. With TSB First Fridays, we now have that chance. Join us on the first Friday of every month as we welcome the performers who have chosen to share their words and art with us. Nichole Acosta, accompanied by Marcus Jade, will be our headliner for the evening. 

Our inaugral event is a fundraiser. There's no donation too small, and we are incredibly grateful for your support. All funds raised through our PWYC tickets will go towards: 

• Making Throat on Fire by Nichole Acosta available in print

• Waiving submission fees for our next chapbook open call for BIPOC writers

• Covering production costs of our next chapbook

Spots are limited so reserve your seat here!

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The open mic will be held on Zoom and the event link will be sent out one hour before the event. 

If you have any questions please send them to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

The Soap Box Summer Series: Who Can Tell Our Stories? How to Avoid Appropriation in Your Writing

August 6, 2020 from 7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT on Zoom

Join The Soap Box Press and the 11th Floor Writers for a lively panel discussion on the challenges of telling one's story and the controversy over who has the right to tell it. The discussion will be followed by a Q & A. Our panelists are Ann Y.K. Choi, Saad Omar Khan, Maureen Lynch, and Dianah Smith. The discussion will be moderated by Marcus Medford. 

Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can with a suggestion of $10. Tickets can be purchased here.

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Ann Y.K. Choi’s novel, Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety, was a Toronto Book Awards finalist and One of CBC Books 12 Best Canadian Debut Novels of 2016. She is the co-founder of The Authors’ Book Club, an initiative that connects readers with authors. Her children’s book, Once Upon An Hour, will be released in fall 2020. She lives in Toronto.

Saad Omar Khan was born in the United Arab Emirates and lived in several countries in East and Southeast Asia before coming to Canada. He has a certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto where he was twice finalist for the Random House Creative Writing Award and a finalist for the Marina Nemat Award. Saad has published works in several publications and was longlisted for the Guernica Prize for Literary Fiction in 2019. 

Maureen Lynch holds an English degree from York University and is a graduate of the Creative Writing Program, University of Toronto. Her instructors include Dennis Bock, Catherine Graham, Kelli Deeth, and Margaret Christakos. A founding member of the 11th Floor Writers, she has been writing short stories and poetry since she was young. An an avid reader, her literary choices encompass many genres of writing. She is currently working on a contemporary non-fiction novel while completing edits on her first book. In her spare time she can be found at dog parks in east-end Toronto socializing, with her dogs, Miko and Lupa.

Dianah Smith is a writer, teacher and arts educator based in Toronto. Her writing has been published in anthologies, high school textbooks, online and print. She has been the recipient of numerous writing and professional development grants and has been a jury member for local and provincial arts funding organizations.

Inspired by the writing of Dr. Seuss and Robert Munsch, Marcus "Roi" Medford has known he's wanted to be an author since he was five-years-old. In 2016 he accomplished that goal by publishing his debut collection of poetry "Book of Mars." Marcus currently works as a freelance writer and editor as well as a sports instructor. Marcus is a list-maker, picture-taker podcaster and over-thinker.

Throat on Fire: A Virtual Book Launch with Nichole Acosta

June 14, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EDT on Zoom

Join The Soap Box Press and Nichole Acosta as we celebrate the launch of Throat on Fire!

Nichole Acosta will do a live reading, followed by a conversation with Tali Voron, Publisher at The Soap Box Press, and will conclude with a moderated Q&A.

Throat on Fire will be available for pre-order on May 26, 2020 at www.thesoapboxpress.com.

Get your ticket here and stay up to date on our Facebook event page.

Loving Large: A Virtual Book Launch with Patti M. Hall

May 26, 2020 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM EDT on Zoom

Join Patti as she launches her debut memoir, Loving Large: A Mother's Rare Disease Memoir.

The event will include a live reading, a moderated discussion with the author, followed by a Q & A.

As this is a virtual event, the Zoom link will be emailed to you one hour before the event begins.

Loving Large can be purchased online at Indigo, Amazon, and at your local independent bookstore.

This event will be close-captioned. If you require any accommodations, please send an email to contact@thesoapboxwrites.com.

This event is co-hosted by The Soap Box Press and the Authors' Book Club.

Get your ticket here and stay up to date on our Facebook event page.

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About Loving Large:

If not me, then who will save my child?
A mother must confront the unthinkable when her son is diagnosed with a rare medical condition.

Patti’s attention shifts fully away from her relationships and friendships as well as her own career and health. Her new normal sees her step into a dozen roles in addition to mom, including nurse, researcher, advocate, risk assessor, and promise maker, while she struggles and fails to rebuild her life as a freshly divorced woman. Adrift on the journey together, mother and son forge a connection like that of marooned shipmates.

In Loving Large, Patti’s voice exudes wit, wisdom, and humour as she discovers that resilience is learned and that the changes experienced in the aftermath of crisis can often create the greatest opportunities.