SCPL LitFest is an all-ages literary festival celebrating reading, writing, and illustration. It's about discovering literature at any age and unearthing new experiences. This year, we're excited to host a weeklong celebration of learning, literacy, and historical fiction! Join us from September 28th to October 3rd for a series of workshops and events to help you explore your literary creativity, discover new reads, and celebrate local literature.

Harvey joins us at the library to discuss his book, Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge. Harvey Brownstone was Canada’s first openly gay judge and the first sitting judge in the world to write a bestselling book and host a national television show. 

Harvey Brownstone’s story is a tumultuous, sometimes hilarious, and uplifting journey from bullied child to outcast after coming out to his parents, to trailblazing lawyer, to distinguished judge. 

Brownstone colorfully details his momentous and inventive judicial career marked by his numerous innovations of the justice system, particularly revolutionizing Ontario’s child support enforcement program. In retirement, he is no longer shackled by the restraints traditionally imposed on the judiciary, and thus Brownstone provides a frank, unfiltered, and refreshing glimpse into the inner workings of the justice system, boldly delineating the strengths and weaknesses of criminal and family courts, both of which he claims are sorely in need of comprehensive reform.

His remarkable story, reinventing himself from high-profile judge to highly acclaimed talk show host, is a testament to the resilience and triumph of the human spirit. He lives in the Niagara Region of Ontario.

Fan favourite Hugh Fraser returns to the Homestead to get into the nitty gritty of Niagara’s barns and answer all your barn history-related questions! Discover the types of barns historically prevalent to the region, how to date barn structures, how barn building practices have evolved, what was considered when designing a fruit barn compared to a dairy barn, and more! 

Hugh Fraser is the author of Swing Beam Barns of Niagara and is currently working on his second volume on the same subject.