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Fall 2026 Events
Join us on Tuesday September 22nd to celebrate Fall’s highly-anticipated new releases, including one of the biggest books this month: An Unexpected Life by Gloria Steinem. To honour this extraordinary woman’s life and contributions as a journalist, writer, political and social activist, and trailblazing icon and leader of the second-wave feminist movement we’re hosting this one on the day of its release at Betty’s Wine Bar.
Browse books by such greats as Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Rebecca Solnit, Audre Lorde, Margaret Atwood, Simone de Beauvoir, Zadie Smith, Virginia Woolf, Dolly Parton, Octavia E. Butler, and more. An amazing reading list inspired by Gloria Steinem.
We’ll also have my best picks for Fall, and some of the most talked about September releases (books by John Green, Rachel Cusk, Gillian Anderson, Ariel Lawhon, R.F. Kuang, Marlon James, Amanda Peters, Chloe Benjamin and more!)
So grab your book besties, book club, reading buddies and we’ll meet you at Betty’s for a night of community, conversation, and connection.
Free event. Cash bar. Prizes to be won.
Betty’s Wine Bar
27 George Street East
Stratford, ON
First 20 people to register receive a free gift.
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Monday October 26th
10pm to 12:30am
Sarah J. Maas, the #1 bestselling author of the Court of Thorns and Roses series, returns to the courts of Prythian . . .
Romance, danger, and intrigue await you in the stunning new installment.
Join us for a special night of romance and intrigue as we celebrate the release of ACOTAR Book #6 in the bestselling A COURT OF THORNS and ROSES series. Be among the first to get this highly-anticipated instalment of ACOTAR at our Midnight Release Party. A creative collaboration between Stratford Arts & Lectures and Matilda Gallery & Art Bar -- this will be a night to remember.
We will be celebrating with ACOTAR-themed trivia, contests, and drinks. Come dressed in costume to win prizes. More details will be announced soon.
Your ticket includes access to this event, a hardcover copy of ACOTAR Book #6, which you will receive at midnight, and a special cocktail made just for this night.
Sarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold more than seventy-five million copies and are published in forty languages.
The full Court of Thorns and Roses series includes:
1) A Court of Thorns and Roses
2) A Court of Mist and Fury
3) A Court of Wings and Ruin
4) A Court of Frost and Starlight
5) A Court of Silver Flames
Stratford Arts & Lectures BOOK BAR
{Carefully crafted} bookstore
Introducing S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR,
a micro bookstore located inside
the fun and fabulous Matilda Gallery & Art Bar.
S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR is where you can shop a curated
selection of great books, purchase tickets
to our events, and sip a cocktail,
all while enjoying the incredible art.
S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR. For dreamers and thinkers.
*Please note: We are a separate business that operates within
Matilda Gallery & Art Bar. Any enquiries should be
addressed to us directly via email:
stratfordartsandlectures@gmail.com
(No phone calls please. Thank you.)
Art, books, and cocktails.
S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR @ Matilda Gallery & Art Bar
85 Downie Street, Stratford, ON.
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A Literary Substack
On writing, and writers - from a reader and writer, and sometime bookseller.
Interviews, literary links, book recommendations, and stories. Lots of stories.
Written by Rina Barone, director, Stratford Arts & Lectures.
Our Past Events
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Book Signing with Kendra Coulter
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Our Story
Stratford Arts & Lectures offers engaging programming with some of today's leading figures in the literary arts.
Year round, Stratford Arts & Lectures hosts onstage conversations and carefully crafted events with incredible authors, critics, and cultural figures as we explore the creative process, ideas, and our relationship to the world around us.
We're also a micro bookstore - S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR - located inside Matilda Gallery & Art Bar where you'll find a curated selection of new books to discover, to inspire and to spark conversation.
S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR. For thinkers and dreamers.
Stratford Arts & Lectures brings readers and writers together. This is where stories come to life.
Get in Touch
Stratford Arts & Lectures
Bookstore: S.A.L.'s BOOK BAR
(located inside the Matilda Gallery & Art Bar)
85 Downie Street
Stratford, ON N5A 1W8
*Please note: We are a separate business that operates within Matilda Gallery & Art Bar. Any enquiries should be addressed to us directly via email: stratfordartsandlectures@gmail.com
(No phone calls please. Thank you.)
Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 11 - 5
Thursday to Saturday: 11 - 8
Sunday: 11 - 5
Our Socials:
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