Photo: "Reference Library" by Metrix X, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Thoughts of Luminato — Toronto's Festival of Arts and Creativity — don't always conjure up images of the Toronto Public Library, but as it did last year, the country's largest library system is sponsoring a whole slew of literary events as part of the upcoming festival.

The highlight of TPL's Luminato activities (especially for lovers of all things short like me) is the Festival of the Short Story, featuring readings and panels with eight of this country's best short story authors at four library locations across the city.

In this week's roundup of Toronto's literary events: celebrating 100 years of Anne of Green Gables, a gathering of mystery readers and writers, exploring the city's small presses, and the book trailer for Toronto Noir.

Tuesday, June 3rd:

Gregory Betts, Nathan Whitlock, Tanya Runyen, Joe Rosenblatt and Norman Snider will be reading at the Dora Keogh Irish Pub, while Esther Mazakian, Katia Grubisic and Rocco de Giacomo will take the mic at Clinton's for the weekly Art Bar Poetry Series.

Over at the MacMillan Theatre at the University of Toronto, seven finalists for the Griffin Poetry Prize will read their selected works.

Literary events in Toronto happen on weekdays only this time around, but check the end of this post for a special request I'm sending out to all of the Bookmark This readers!

Tuesday, May 13th:

House of Anansi Press invites you to celebrate the launch of My Life As a Dame: The Personal and the Political in the Writings of Christina McCall (edited by Stephen Clarkson). McCall was part of an illustrious group of writers including Pierre Berton, Robert Fulford, June Callwood, Peter Gzowski, and Peter C. Newman, that graced the pages of Maclean's Magazine in the mid-50s. She is considered not only one of the best political writers of her generation, but a pioneer for women in journalism and one of Canada's most brilliant minds. The evening is hosted by Michael Enright. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Katie Densmore at intern@anansi.ca.
Alumni Hall, Victoria College. 5:30pm. Free.

What if there were movies made the same way as suits, custom fitted, each one tailored for one person? Some of the brightest stars from Toronto's fringe film and video scene -- including Midi Onodera, Jubal Brown, Su Rynard and Richard Fung -- will show dazzling and mysterious short films, and then discuss the genesis of their projects with Mike Hoolboom, editor of the collection Practical Dreamers: Conversations with Movie Artists. A This Is Not A Reading Series event.
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. 7:30pm (doors 7pm). Free.

Ger ready for the Artbardy Har Har: an evening of comedic poetry hosted by Valentino Assenza and featuring Jeff Cottrill, Arianna Pozuoli, Mike Bryant, Myna Wallin, David Clink, and Luciano Iacobelli. Open mic readers are encouraged to bust out their most hilarious material!
Clinton's. 8pm. Free (donations accepted).

This week's literary events in Toronto feature a birthday celebration (the IV Lounge Reading Series marks it's tenth year) and the beginning of Asian Heritage Month.

Tuesday, May 6th:

Acclaimed Sci-Fi writer and editor Nalo Hopkinson will read from her latest book, The New Moon's Arms. Set on a fictional Caribbean island, this magical-realist novel combines politics, family, humour and the supernatural in the story of a woman named Calamity whose hot flashes give her the power to recover lost objects. Q&A to follow. Part of this year's Canada Council Heritage Series, presented by the Toronto Public Library.
Eatonville Branch. 7pm. Free.

Join author Jan Wong as she reads from her latest book Beijing Confidential: A Tale of Comrades Lost and Found. The work is an intriguing emotional journey into the past and a penetrating analysis of the "new" Beijing. Question and answer to follow. Call 416-395-5639 to register. Part of the TPL's Asian Heritage Month celebration.
North York Central Library Auditorium. 7pm. Free.

Come out and join the Warriors Clan! Meet "Erin Hunter", the authors of the popular "Warriors" series, as they reads from the latest book The Power of Three: Outcast. Enthusiasts should check out www.warriorcats.com to watch the amazing Warriors video, find out your Warriors name and clan, and download Warriors iron-ons to create your own t-shirts!
Indigo Yonge & Eglinton. 7pm. Free.

Does the term "sophomore slump" apply to music audio book authors like it does to bands? Maybe not, but either way the The Alan Cross Guide to Alternative Rock Volume Two: The 80's (out now on HarperCollinsCanada) definitely avoids that tag.

The music that was made in the 80's is perhaps the most scrutinized (at least for the clothes and hair that came along with it), but also the most studied by today's up-and-coming artists. Anyone over the age of 25 has seen their fair share of "retro 80's" dance nights around town - most recycling the same hits each and every week. But, as Alan's latest audio book points out, that decade produced some of the best and most influential pop music of all time.

Toronto Noir, which launched last night at the Gladstone, is exactly what I've been waiting for. It's a book of short stories set in Toronto, but the stories are plot-based and non-boring, and the Toronto is dark and dangerous -- but familiar too.

These are stories of murder, passion, betrayal, (and a little necrophilia, just for good measure. What up, George Elliott Clarke?) and they're grounded very firmly and specifically in Toronto -- Dundas Square, The Beach, Dufferin Mall, Yorkville, etc.

I remember once Bert Archer, a Toronto journalist writing in uTOpia: Towards A New Toronto, described Toronto as "a city which exists in no one's imagination". To which I would like to say: Bullshit.