Following their Oct. 24 Halloween literature event, The City & The City spotlights some classic and contemporary horror novels
The City & The City, a new and used bookstore located on Ottawa St., hosted a Halloween-themed reading and costume party at the Casbah on Oct. 24. According to Janet Hoy, one of the owners of The City & The City, the event featured a costume contest, DJing by the 45 Selector and horror readings from three Ontario-based writers.
The writers featured at the event were Andrew F. Sullivan, Tony Burgess and Liz Worth.
Andrew F. Sullivan is a Hamilton-based author whose most recent novel, The Handyman Method, was published in August 2023 and co-written with fellow Canadian author Craig Davidson (pen name Nick Cutter). The Handyman Method is a domestic horror novel that depicts a young family moving into a new community and receiving mysterious, ominous suggestions for solving household problems.
The Handyman Method is the second novel that Sullivan has published in 2023, following The Marigold, which was released in April of this year. Another novel with a strong horror element, The Marigold depicts a near-future dystopian version of Toronto. Hoy praised the novel for its creepy tone and its ability to depict the decay of a city.
Hoy also said that Tuesday’s event at the Casbah was initially Sullivan’s idea.
“He was saying, let’s do something for Halloween, because [The Handyman Method] came out just about a month ago. So, we’ve worked with Liz Worth in the past, and he knows Tony Burgess, so he compiled the writers because they’ve written horror novels. And that’s how it came together,” explained Hoy.
Tony Burgess, another one of the writers featured on Tuesday, published his first novel, Pontypool Changes Everything, in 1998. Pontypool Changes Everything is an apocalyptic horror novel that puts a subversive twist on zombie fiction. Burgess also wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film Pontypool, which was adapted from his novel and directed by Bruce McDonald. Burgess has since written numerous other horror novels and screenplays.
Liz Worth, the final author featured at Tuesday’s event, is a novelist, poet and Tarot reader. She published her most recent novel The Mouth is a Coven in October 2022, just in time for last Halloween. Liz Worth is a Hamilton-based writer, and her novel features vampires and other gothic elements.
Beyond the novels featured at Tuesday’s event, Hoy offered even more spooky and autumn-appropriate book recommendations, both classic and contemporary.
Regarding classics, Hoy highlighted House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski, published in 2000, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, published in 1962. House of Leaves is an intricately crafted and formally subversive horror novel that centres around a terrifying house. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a gothic mystery focusing on a dark family secret.
“You can never go wrong with Shirley Jackson! We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of my favourite books ever,” said Hoy.
Regarding contemporary novels, Hoy explained that women writers and Indigenous writers have been exploring the genre of horror in interesting ways. Hoy specifically recommended Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves, Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory and Mariana Enriquez’s Dangers of Smoking in Bed.
Regarding contemporary novels, Hoy explained that women writers and Indigenous writers have been exploring the genre of horror in interesting ways. Hoy specifically recommended Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves, Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory and Mariana Enriquez’s Dangers of Smoking in Bed.
For students interested in discovering literary fiction and Ontario-based writers beyond the horror genre, The City & The City regularly hosts readings and other literary events. Coming up on Dec. 7, they plan to host four writers published by Book*hug Press for an in-store reading. For regular updates on literary events hosted by The City & The City, students can follow their Instagram.
C/O Violet Lampman
The variety of businesses on Ottawa Street offer an excellent insight into all Hamilton has to offer students
By: Violet Lampman, contributor
Ottawa Street has blossomed over the last decade, with the opening of a number of local businesses. Nicknamed “fabric lane,” its many craft and fabric stores located along the street, the street is also home to coffee shops, restaurants and markets.
One staple business of Ottawa Street is Empire Make Space. Ariane Clark opened Empire Make Space at the start of the pandemic, looking to share an inexpensive and upcycled way of crafting and skill learning.
“We want to open up crafting. Make it as accessible as we can financially. We want to foster creating and creativity, there should not be any barriers to that,” explained Ariane Clark, Owner of Empire Make Space
With their workshops, free time to use sewing machines and free outside cart, Empire Make Space has different features for any type of craft or skill level. Materials collected through upcycling allows for inexpensive cost, making this an affordable and sustainable stop for students.
Clark also spoke to the valuable community feel of the street and how this sense of community is supporting by the variety of shops, including her own.
“There's so much just within a 50-metre strip. It really serves a number of communities. We have two vegan restaurants just on the same block. You get a good variety of shops, there's something for everyone,” said Clark.
"There's so much just within a 50-metre strip. It really serves a number of communities. We have two vegan restaurants just on the same block. You get a good variety of shops, there's something for everyone."
Ariane Clark, Owner of Empire Make Space
A cup of coffee is the perfect addition to a shopping trip to Ottawa Street. The Cannon is a locally owned and operated coffee shop on Ottawa Street. Located at Cannon and Ottawa, it is also a community staple, having been open for the past ten years.
Owner Chris Poirier, who bought the business five years ago, has grown it into to the cozy shop it stands today. The shop offers students a small taste of the grit of Hamilton along with an inclusive space to study and a range of student-perfect features, including an assorted range of coffee imported from all over the world.
“We want people to come and feel included. I hope students can walk away with a new coffee favourite and if not . . . to just come down and visit, we are a smiley bunch,” explained Poirier.
"We want people to come and feel included. I hope students can walk away with a new coffee favourite and if not . . . to just come down and visit, we are a smiley bunch."
Chris Poirier, Owner of the Cannon
Poirier also encouraged others to explore Ottawa street and the various businesses located in the fabric lane.
“It's nice to get out here to Ottawa Street to experience the diversity and grit of Hamilton and get out of the McMaster bubble. There are some nice bars and shops that have opened up. The street is really starting to bloom,” added Poirier.
Beyond Empire Maker Space and the Cannon, Ottawa Street is full of unique and welcoming businesses that capture the grit and beauty of Hamilton while still embracing the inclusivity and diversity this city has to offer.
Floating in the window of an Ottawa Street storefront is a crocheted pool float in the shape of a pink flamingo. The sign at the top of the store reads “The City & The City Books”(181 Ottawa St. North). Owned by Janet Hoy and Tim Hanna, this independent bookstore opened last spring.
The store is located right next to Cannon Coffee Co., so if you like to study in coffee shops, then just a quick trip from Cannon will let you pick up a book and support this local business.
The City & The City Books gets its name from the 2009 book by author China Miéville.
“[Miéville] writes what’s called the new weird. He defies genre. If you go into a bookshop all of his books could be in a different section. They could be in literature, they could be in science fiction, they could even be in mystery,” said Hanna, “Something we’re interested in is books that defy genre, or not having genre. I always say to people: in an ideal bookshop there wouldn’t be a literature or science fiction section, there would just be stories.
This is clearly evident in the store. The book sections intermingle together. Philosophy and literature rub elbows with science fiction and mystery. New books are located on white shelves at the front and used books on black shelves at the back, making it easy to navigate between the two. Hoy points out that one of the benefits of offering used books is the affordability.
“It’s great seeing someone get excited because they just found War and Peace for $5,” said Hoy.
Hoy jokes that she does have one regret about the name of the store.
“Writing an ampersand is hard,” she said.
Hoy and Hanna are hoping that the store can help make buying school books easier for students.
“When you get your syllabus for the beginning of the year and the list of books that you need, if we know what people are looking for we’ll be out looking for it,” said Hoy.
Come the winter semester, if you’re struggling to afford textbooks, it’s definitely worth a look to see if The City & The City Books has what you’re looking for. Hanna emphasized that, for students, they were going to try and have everything possible from spirituality to philosophy and political science.
The store isn’t limited to just books. There are eclectic socks, cards and most importantly, cat tarot decks. That alone is worth the trip down to Ottawa Street. Not to mention, Ottawa Street has art galleries, a board game cafe, thrift stores and restaurants. If you’re planning a day trip out with your friends, it’s a must-try hotspot. While you’re there, stop by The City & The City Books to have a look around to see where the words can take you.
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