Meet Our New Sales and Events Coordinator: Reid

Hello everyone! My name is Reid, and I am thrilled to be the new Sales and Events Coordinator at Book*hug Press! I have been working with the press since January, collaborating with our authors to organize book launches and events and corresponding with bookstores around the country to raise awareness of our new season of titles!

I have a background in arts event planning that dates back to my teen years of being involved in Toronto’s local music scene. Inspired by the DIY ethos of punk bands I admired, I started organizing shows with my friends, which evolved into me founding the yearly Trapdoor Fest, an all-ages music festival which operated from 2018-2020. Trapdoor went on to collaborate with other festivals, such as Long Winter and Insomniac Film Festival, during its run. I attended York University, where I got my BFA in Acting for Theatre. Since graduating in 2020 have been busy working with the theatre collective Rookies With Friends to produce new plays by emerging artists. We have had the pleasure of mounting shows at the Toronto Fringe and executing many independent workshops. In 2022 we also worked with Canadian Stage on their Festival of Ideas and Creation. A long-time songwriter with my band, I am also a playwright. In 2020 I had the privilege of working with Book*hug author Jess Taylor to adapt her short story “Just Pervs” into a play, and I am currently writing my first full-length show with the support of a Canada Council grant called Alone, Together.

Since it is National Poetry Month, I wanted to share some book recommendations. Some of my favourite recent poetry reads include Poetry is Queer by Kirby, Ross Sings Cheree & The Animated Dark by Ross Farrar, and Saturn Peach by Lily Wang. Some books I’ve recently enjoyed are Close to the Knives by David Wojnarowicz, The Beastie Boys Book, and Cruising Utopia by José Esteban Muñoz.