The rain cleared up for one day and the sun shone down on Toronto's Queen's Park on Sunday for the annual Work on the Street book and magazine festival. The last Sunday of September saw thousands of students, families, aspiring writers, comic hounds, and all-round avid readers browsing hundreds of stalls and reading tents throughout the day.
The focus of the festival is Canadian writers, of course, and they were given the spotlight. While many tents were for major publishing corporations from across North America, the tables were mostly covered in Canadian novels and new writers. The staff members were exceedingly helpful, having read nearly every book they were selling.
Virtually anybody could find something in the park to pique their interest. The remarkable kid's forum handed out balloons while providing parents with cheap, colourful books that could keep their young ones entertained and off the computer. The likewise remarkable array of reading tents boasted aspiring Canadian authors from all lots of life. The Pride tent had a full schedule of short story writers and novelists sampling their recent publications, while well-known writers for the Toronto Star held a panel discussion on sports and international affairs.
A stroll through the for-sale booths proved fruitful for many, as men and women toted shopping bags heavily laden with purchases. Everything from five-dollar novellas to fifty-dollar hard covers practically flew from the tables.
Magazines were a big feature, taking over an entire block of the park. Major publishers like Rogers sold subscriptions for practically nothing. Magazines like Elle, Seventeen, Canadian Living, and Home and Gardening were a big hit.
More intimately, many organizations were making their presence heard, with the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression taking donations and informing patrons of the journalists killed annually. Various religious organizations boasted their wares alongside poetry clubs and female literacy organizations, as well.
Not only were the books and magazines in abundance, there was a fantastic array of food available that bore a striking resemblance to a county fair or theme park. While there were mouth-watering smells wafting from corn-on-the-cob stands and funnel cake machines, the hit happened to be the Malaysian Murtabak stand.
Murtabak is an ethnic food resembling a crepe, but filled with curried meats and veggies. It tasted like a samosa and a crepe stuck together, and went deliciously with a hot chilli or coconut dipping sauce. Eight dollars bought one plateful, which was filling and perfectly spicy.
Entertainment abounded, as well, with a full stage erected in the middle of the park. Musicians and children's entertainment was scheduled throughout the day.
Word on the Street is always a grand success, but with the sun cooperating with the atmosphere, one couldn't help but have a perpetual smile plastered on their face.
