Stories
Inside
Stories are the fabric of all communities, everywhere. They shape what we know, what we believe in, who we are, how we live. Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit literary arts studio and collection of bookstores that champions writers, readers and stories, and the role they play in shaping our lives.
A Literary
Arts Studio
Located on Granville Island, one of Vancouver’s cultural hubs, we are a vibrant intersection for curious readers and creative storytellers alike. We are international in our outlook, and local in our sensibilities. We create opportunities to surface new talent and champion bold ideas through events, workshops, literary launches, unique partnerships — and yes, we also sell books! And gifts, and art. We have a second shop above the terrific Persephone Brewing Beer Farm in Gibsons, B.C. We are also offering a Writers Residency in spring 2024.
Curation
Our team — composed of writers, journalists, publicists and poets — curates our bookshelves and conversations with utmost care, aiming to privilege under-represented or lesser-known writers; quiet geniuses that you can’t always find in commercial stores; and ideas that shape who we are and how we live.
Culture
Vancouver is an international city, and we aim to make it feel even more so by partnering with international story creators and their publishers, and creating a destination and a venue for some of the leading thinkers and writers of our time. Check out our events page or get in touch for more.
Community
We are privileged to work in the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Community is an essential part of our work. We aim to be a warm, welcoming gathering place for writers and readers to commune and converse.
We partner with Thistalalh Library in Bella Bella, helping them build their community library by regularly donating books. Our selections, events and creative endeavours aim to create a positive impact for our neighbours in Vancouver and beyond. We strive to be a literary living room for the city we know and love.
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada through the Support for Booksellers fund.
