WORDS WORTH BOOKS, WATERLOO’S INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE, CELEBRATES 30 YEARS!
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 9:00 to 6:00 at 96 King St. S., Waterloo
WATERLOO, ON-- On Saturday, May 10, 2014, independent bookstore, Words Worth Books will be celebrating 30 years in business. At a time when the news seems to be full of stories of “the death of the printed word”, they continue to champion books and thrive as the literary and cultural heart of downtown Waterloo.
Back in 1984, when Chuck Erion and Tricia Siemens sealed the deal to rent a store-front on King Street, they stuck a sign in the window which read, "The bookstore Waterloo deserves."
At that time Kitchener-Waterloo wasn’t seen by the Toronto-centric publishing circles as a viable city in which to hold author events, but the enthusiasm and drive of owners and staff have established here a rich regional literary scene. Their very first author was W.O. Mitchell, and over the years they have been honoured to welcome luminaries such as Robertson Davies, Margaret Atwood, John Irving, Rohinton Mistry, Jean Chretien, Jane Jacobs, Peter Gzowski, David Suzuki, Jane Urquhart, Timothy Findley, Thomas King, Diana Gabaldon, Christopher Moore, Simon Winchester, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Margaret MacMillan, Ann-Marie Macdonald, Eddie Shack, David Adams Richards, Farley Mowat, Sebastian Faulks, Yann Martel, and Lemony Snicket.
Between their Spring and Fall Reading Series Words Worth Books offers at least 30 nationally recognized authors a year and in their “storied” history they have organized at least 1000 author events. As they look forward to autumn 2014 theyare excited to host what might be their biggest author event ever—stay tuned for more information!
Words Worth Books strives to be an integral part of Waterloo-Region. The One Book, One Community program, now in its 13th year, got its start at a staff party years ago, when Chuck and Trish mused aloud about what it might look like to have a citywide program in which everyone read the same book at the same time. The excitement for this program grew quickly, and OBOC is now supported by libraries and bookstores in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Wilmot, Woolwich and beyond.
In 2011, Chuck and Trish passed the torch to longtime employees David Worsley and Mandy Brouse. David has over 25 years bookselling experience and in 2006 he won the prestigious Harper Collins Hand-Selling Award. Mandy has won the 2010 Young Bookseller of the Year Libris Award from the Canadian Bookseller’s Association. Collectively with the current staff, Words Worth Books has over 80 years bookselling experience.
They currently maintain three in-store bookclubs, and a monthly CBC-KW Radio One bookclub. Owners Mandy and David are active volunteers with Let’s Read Literacy Committee, The New Quarterly Wild Writer’s Festival, KW Arts Award, the Ontario Arts Council, Waterloo Uptown Vision Committee, and the Waterloo Advisory Committee on Culture. This year Words Worth Books has the distinct honour of being nominated for the Canadian Bookseller’s Association “Bookstore of the Year”, and they have been named one of “CBC’s Top 10 Bookstores in Canada”.
On Saturday, May 10, 2014, Words Worth Books will celebrate 30 years in business as a vital cultural and social fixture at the heart of Waterloo Region. Doors open at 9am and throughout the day celebrated authors Terry Fallis, Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert Rotenberg, Elizabeth Ruth, Nan Forler, and Heather Smith will be your “booksellers in residence”. At noon they’ll break out the cupcakes and punch while being entertained by former staff-member and fiddle-player Laura Dyck. At 2pm Daiene Vernile, host of CTV’s Province Wide will be on hand to interview Mandy Brouse and David Worsley, and tickets will be drawn for our terrific prizes. 20% off storewide, and our very favourite books of the past 30 years will be sold at 30% off.
Check out which books made the Top 30 at 30% Off list by clicking here.