Book Signing with Scott Godwin

Pop into the store and join Scott Godwin for a book signing from 1-3pm!

You and Me is a haunting, lyrical debut novel that captures love in its most intimate, raw, and unforgettable form. Scott Godwin explores the fragile beauty of connection, the weight of trauma, and the piercing ache of loss through the lives of two men whose bond is as tender as it is profound.

The story begins in a quiet rural town in Ontario, January 2024, as an early morning run turns into a nightmare. The narrator is left to confront grief, guilt, and the unimaginable void of life without the one who made him whole. Godwin’s narrative then unfolds in memory: a relationship that began years earlier in a bustling city gym, where guardedness met vulnerability, and affection blossomed amid curiosity, longing, and shared histories.

SCOTT GODWIN has been involved with the arts for nearly twenty years, but now focuses his attention exclusively on writing. He is the co-owner of an award-winning coffee bar in eastern Ontario, where he lives with his husband and two dogs.

Book Launch: Hide and Sikh with Sunny Dhillon

Ottawa, come out to celebrate Sunny Dhillon’s debut book Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin, hosted by local favorite Jamie Chai Yun Liew, author of Dandelion!

In 2018, Sunny Dhillon resigned as a journalist with The Globe and Mail. His blog post announcing his departure went unexpectedly viral. It was a decision that had been long brewing and Dhillon posted the piece with the hope that it would lead to “meaningful reflection on the lack of diversity in Canadian journalism and the problems therein.” But he was not optimistic.

In this sharply funny memoir, shaped as a series of letters to his daughter, Dhillon explains why he was not hopeful. From his earliest memories, his experience of being Canadian was shaped by race, and as a child he’d often found himself confused by what he should do when the fact he was “different” was raised. His first reaction was to hide – from his skin colour, from his native tongue and even from his name. Until he realized he didn’t feel the need to hide anymore, that he didn’t want to hide anymore. With warmth, honesty and lots of humour, Dhillon shares his journey so that his daughter will not have to struggle through the lessons he took too long to learn, so that she will know who she is and be proud.

SUNNY DHILLON is a former news reporter whose viral essay “Journalism While Brown and When to Walk Away” highlighted the significant challenges that journalists of colour can face. Sunny worked as a print reporter for ten years. He has also appeared on television and radio and has spoken at conferences. He is passionate about racial justice and continues to write on that theme. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia. He and his young family now live in Ontario, where Sunny attends law school. This is his first book.

Book Launch: Democracy's Second Act: Why Politics Needs the Public

Join Peter MacLeod, co-author of Democracy’s Second Act, in conversation with journalist Joanne Chianello for an engaging discussion about why frustration and polarization are rising and how reclaiming the power of the public can lead to a more hopeful political future. Drawing on examples from Canada, Ireland, France, and beyond, MacLeod explains why democracy isn’t broken but stuck, and how giving more people real responsibility—not just a periodic vote—can renew democratic life. The 30-minute conversation will be followed by audience questions, and a reception and book signing with the author.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Democracy’s Second Act explores why frustration and polarization are on the rise—and how reclaiming the power of the public can lead to a more hopeful political future.

Democracy isn’t broken. It’s stuck. Around the world, people are growing angry and polarized not because they’ve stopped caring, but because democracy has stopped evolving. The result isn’t apathy; it’s a rising sense of political futility.

In Democracy’s Second Act, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson argue that the first act of democracy—anchored in voting rights and representative government—achieved extraordinary gains. Free elections, near-universal suffrage, and the peaceful transfer of power reshaped societies and expanded human freedom. But these achievements represent the promise of democracy, not its completion.

The book offers a hopeful, clear-eyed vision for what comes next. Drawing on groundbreaking citizens’ assemblies in Ireland, Canada, and France—as well as democratic innovations from more than a dozen countries—MacLeod and Johnson show how democracy can build on its first act by creating new institutions that tap into the talents, judgment, and capabilities of ordinary people. They make the case that the public isn’t a risk to be managed, but a powerful resource ready to be harnessed—and that the future depends on giving citizens real responsibility, not just a periodic vote.

Peter MacLeod is the founder and principal of MASS LBP where for nearly two decades he has been at the forefront of democratic innovation championing a new approach to politics that gives more people a seat at the table. A trusted advisor to governments at all levels, he is one of Canada’s leading voices on democracy, active citizenship and working with the public.

With books for sale by Perfect Books.

Register and find more details here.

The Right Hand with Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks

Join us for a special evening with Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks, author of The Right Hand: Conversations with the chiefs of staff to the world’s most powerful people, featuring a fireside conversation with Katie Telford, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a leading figure in Canadian politics.

Presented by Library and Archives Canada in collaboration with the University of Ottawa and the Australian High Commission, this event will feature an in-depth discussion between Saintilan-Stocks and Telford on power behind the scenes, leadership at the highest level, and what it truly means to operate within the inner circle of government.

Following the conversation, guests are invited to a reception and book signing with the author, with book sales by Perfect Books. Space is limited and invitations are non-transferable. Please confirm your attendance in advance.

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/an-evening-with-phoebe-saintilan-stocks-and-katie-telford-tickets-1981366785392?trk=public_post_comment-text

Book Signing with Julian McKenzie

Don’t miss the chance to talk to podcast host and author Julian McKenzie about his book Black Aces!

The game of hockey has long been considered a predominantly white sport in nearly every facet of its being. But if you look through the annals of the game, you will find Black players who have created longstanding hockey moments. We know — or think we know — these people as hockey players. But do we know how they got here as people? And what about the multitude of factors that have helped shape who they are?

Black Aces tells these stories, going deeper than what has previously been covered in traditional media. The Athletic's Julian McKenzie talks to Hall of Famers, Olympic Gold medalists, World Champions, Stanley Cup playoff heroes, and auteurs of hockey history. Completing this modern portrait are the voices of up-and-coming players who look toward the future and defining moments of their own.

Julian McKenzie is an NHL staff writer for The Athletic and the co-host of the Chris Johnston Show with hockey insider Chris Johnston. McKenzie also has bylines in the New York Times, FiveThirtyEight, the Montreal Gazette and the Canadian Press among other publications. McKenzie has also appeared on TSN, Sportsnet, CBC, CTV, ESPN Radio, NHL Network and other platforms. 

Book Launch for Lives Altered by War by Nataliia Stepaniuk, PhD

We hope you’ll join us for the launch of scholar Nataliia Stepaniuk’s Lives Altered By War: Civilian Volunteering amidst the Donbas War in Ukraine.

With Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of the Donbas war in 2014, Ukraine faced a new and shocking reality. Amid the turmoil, anxiety, and a critical shortage of resources caused by the violence, civilians swiftly mobilized to respond to urgent humanitarian and military needs. As fighting engulfed Donbas, ordinary Ukrainians came to the rescue, providing critical aid to the Ukrainian military and caring for the internally displaced. Civilian volunteer networks quickly became some of the most trusted and essential social institutions in the country. Lives Altered by War offers an in-depth analysis of these networks, explores their functioning and discusses the demographic profiles of the volunteers in three cities of Eastern and Southern Ukraine – Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. Nataliia Stepaniuk reveals how war engagement profoundly reshaped volunteers’ sense of belonging, sparking significant shifts in national attachment, community cohesion, and relations to the state. Civilian action strengthened volunteers’ allegiance to Ukraine and inspired them to radically distance themselves from Russia. It also affected their language use, gender norms, and understandings of citizenship. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with wartime volunteers, the book brings an ethnographic lens to the study of violence and its intersections with grassroots mobilization, nation-building, and state-building from the ground up. Examining the impact of war on shared belonging, Lives Altered by War offers much-needed insight into the power of collective action and its transformative effects on individuals and communities.

Ottawology Book Launch with Tonya Davidson

We are so excited to have Tonya Davidson in the store to launch her popular book Ottawology!  Join us for a discussion between her and Dr. John Walsh about our very own city.

Ottawa is often understood only as the seat of the federal government, marked by the neo-Gothic parliament buildings on the hill, and the many government office buildings. Lively, erudite and exciting, Ottawology offers a unique and radical approach to studying the city, injecting it with intrigue and verve, and expanding collective, narrow understandings of Canada’s capital city. Tonya Davidson takes readers on a wide-ranging journey through a city populated not only by power brokers, but also workers, students, seniors, trees, eels, turtles, skaters and rabble rousers. Davidson applies her prodigious sociological imagination to critically explore an essential, but little understood, city.

Davidson’s Ottawa offers a fascinating template for how to scrutinize the interactions between the weight of history and the effervescent motion of everyday life in a city. She draws surprising connections, from the role of the civil service to the acceleration of suburban sprawl, and the one-time incredible success of the city’s bus-rapid transit system, to stories of nightlife, policing, play, libraries, rivers, and malls. Davidson traverses the city’s streets and hidden histories to show how social structures, sustainability, and social life intersect, creating an elegant chronicle of the city’s rich and fraught social life.

TONYA DAVIDSON has spent many years living in, teaching in, and studying Ottawa. She is an associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University, where she has taught introduction to sociology, a sociology of Ottawa course for first-year students, urban sociology, and a variety of sociology of Ottawa courses in Carleton University’s Lifelong Learning program. These experiences shaped her broad-ranging interest in the sociology of Ottawa, including its parks, schools, workplaces, bars, and so on.

Book Signing with Theresa Redmond

Join PEI author Theresa Redmond for a book signing from her novel The Governer's Granddaughter!

The Governor's Granddaughter tells a fascinating story of resilience, perseverance, female empowerment, and conflicting moral values. This sweeping story is lifted from the pages of Canadian history, detailing the social and political unrest that existed for generations following the colonization of Prince Edward Island, with a focus not only on the people who pushed for much-needed fairness and change but also revealing those who worked even harder to hold them back.

THERESA REDMOND is a descendant of Acadian and Scottish ancestors. Theresa worked for many years on Indigenous land rights issues. She has published articles in a range of publications including the Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Charlottetown Guardian, Eastern Graphic, and RED Magazine. She has a master’s degree in history and a bachelor’s degree in education. She lives on her family farm in eastern PEI with her husband, Barry, and two rescued cats. 

Crowd Pleaser with Yotam Ottolenghi

**TWO SHOW TIMES: 2:00PM and 7:30PM. See NAC website for details and to purchase!

In Crowd Pleaser, Yotam Ottolenghi blends live cooking, storytelling, and audience interaction in a warm, insightful stage event that explores the pleasures and pressures of feeding others. Seated between an armchair and a cooking station, Ottolenghi unpacks a "Mary Poppins" bag of ingredients while delving into the emotional and practical challenges home cooks face—from impressing in-laws to accommodating picky eaters. The evening moves between cooking demonstrations, humorous audience polls, and confessional slides drawn from real followers' dilemmas. Ottolenghi shares personal anecdotes about his children, kitchen failures, and shifting culinary ideals, offering reassurance and tactical advice in equal measure. He champions a modular, stress-free approach to meals built on a few dependable dishes like roasted chicken, potatoes, and vinaigrettes, all elevated by vibrant condiments. With warmth and wit, he encourages experimentation, celebrates imperfection, and emphasizes that cooking—at its best—is an act of love. The show ends with a finished meal, simple and celebratory, proving that pleasing everyone doesn’t mean losing yourself.

With book sales by Perfect Books.

Ottawa Writers Festival presents The Distance of a Shout with Michael Ondaatje

Join Ottawa Writers Festival for a conversation between Michael Ondaatje and Elizabeth Hay in celebration of The Distance of a Shout, a one-of-a-kind collection gathering fifty years of poetry by one of our most cherished authors.

Through poems that grow out of his profound understanding of how we lose and find ourselves, Michael Ondaatje navigates his own past, beginning with memories of his childhood in Sri Lanka and his eccentric family, to his life in rural southern Ontario with its beloved rivers, celebrations of treasured friends, the close ties of children. We follow him through the exhilarations of youth and into that “storm of music,” the passionate swerves of longing and desire, until we reach the calm of that moment when, with “only a cloud’s reflection holding you up, You swim into late afternoon.”

With book sales by Perfect Books.

Tickets available here: https://writersfestival.org/events/spring-2026/the-distance-of-a-shout

The Inaugural Father Jim Bleackley OMI Lecture on Indigenous Justice with Guest Speaker Niigaan Sinclair

Join us at the free event on the subject of Indigenous Justice with guest speaker Niigaan Sinclair, co-sponsored by St.Joseph's Parish and Kateri Native Ministry of Ottawa. 

Niigaan Sinclair is an Anishinaabe writer, editor, professor, and activist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He frequently speaks on Indigenous issues on CTV, CBC and APTN. His book Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre won the Governor General’s Award for English-language non-fiction at the 2024 Governor General’s Awards.

Perfect Books will be selling copies of Niigaan Sinclair's book as well as books by other Indigenous authors.

For more information, contact St.Joe's: 613-233-4095 x 251, or info@st-josephs.ca