AMHERSTBURG - PICTURE A RIVER TOWN
“Picture a river town. Walk its morning streets, trace the slant of dark shadows as they lengthen with the sun’s movement, and much later at twilight feel the tungsten glow as storefronts light up one by one like voices in a choir. Finally, settle back on a bench and only then understand why the river eases and lets go and sleeps in a dark blue dream under a fading summer sky.”
There is a pride in Amherstburg. But it’s not always loud. It shows up in our public places... our shops… our festivals, our heritage…and in this new book.
Poet, photographer, Windsor‘s first Poet Laureate, and publisher of Black Moss Press—Marty Gervais has a new book that tells the story of Amherstburg through beautiful photos and the stories of its people. You may have seen Marty walking around town these past many months. With his camera in hand, he took hundreds of photos, often of special places we may have never seen or with time have forgotten. It’s a beautiful book that has captured a poet’s eye and camera. It also highlights many of the things we are shining a light on in our What Makes Amherstburg Great campaign.
Amherstburg: Picture a River Town goes on sale, exclusively at River Bookshop, on April 9th. You can also meet Marty, hear his story and see the book’s many beautiful photos at one of these events:
River Bookshop: April 9th at 6:30PM
Hotel STRY: April 19th, at 2:30PM
Currently the River Bookshop event is booked up, but you can still buy signed copies downstairs during the event. Hotel STRY event has spots remaining, and we encourage you to check it out if you want to see Marty's presentation.
Like Heritage Buildings of Amherstburg we believe Amherstburg: Picture a River Town will spread the word about how special Amherstburg is to live in and visit. You can listen to an interview with Marty on CKBG 107.9 FM this Saturday or Sunday at 8AM and get the chance win free copies of his book.
Click here to watch a video preview!
Small neighbourhood diners offer distinct, welcoming, and personal dining experiences that emphasize community connection and offer authentic comfort food. For 55 years in Amherstburg, Speck's Restaurant has done just that. Next week meet owner Sarah and her team.
NEW SILENT BOOK CLUB
We're cooking up something new! Our first Silent Book Club at River Bookshop will be on Friday, April 17th, from 6 to 8PM. Never heard of Silent Book Club? It's basically introvert happy hour! Silent Book Club is a global community of readers with 2,000 chapters in 60+ countries. There's no assigned reading—it's bring your own book.
More than a million members gather in person, online, and in destinations around the world to read together and swap stories. All readers are welcome!
And now, you can participate in Amherstburg at River Bookshop.
6:00-6:30pm - Arrive, shop, share what you're reading
6:30-7:30pm - Quiet reading hour
7:30-8:00pm - Optional socializing, or just keep reading
Join us to do some of your own reading and connect with other readers in the area. We'll have refreshments and a book fair table with discounts for Silent Book Club participants. Hope to see you there!
Click here to reserve your seat!
RHYMING STORY TIME TO CELEBRATE POETRY MONTH
April is World Poetry Month! To celebrate we will be reading some funny and fabulous Children's Books featuring Rhyming Tales this week at River Bookshop.
Come join our guest, Derrick Biso, in the Children's Nook at 11AM for our Rhyme Time Stories at our weekly Sunday Story Time.
SAVE THE DATE: BOOKSTORE CRAWL APRIL 24-26th
Canadian Independent Bookstore Day is fast approaching!
This year, we're excited to celebrate by participating in a Bookstore Crawl with other local booksellers in Windsor Essex County. Make a purchase at all 5 participating locations over the course of April 24th-26th, and be entered to win an incredible Grand Prize 
Participating businesses:
- River Bookshop
- Biblioasis Bookshop
- Whiskeyjack Boutique
- Juniper Books
- The Book Nook
Keep an eye on our page. More details on this Bookstore Crawl and Canadian Independent Bookstore Day to come.
SAVE THE DATE: PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY SHOW APRIL 19
Join us at Hotel STRY on Sunday, April 19th at 2PM for a Gallery Show & dramatic performance by Peter Hrastovec, Barry Brodie, and Elise Gervais featuring photographs and essay from Marty Gervais's new book, Amherstburg: Picture A River Town.
Books will be available for sale, and Gervais will be able to sign books after the presentation. Refreshments and snacks will be served between 2PM-2:30PM.
Last Sunday our Easter Story Time was hoppin'. Pictured above is the Kaufmann family showing off their holiday crafts. Huge thank you to Actress Wendy German for joining us as our Story Time Guest.
So much to see and do in Amherstburg!
We hope to see you downtown this weekend.
The River Bookshop Team