The Toronto Public Library is one of the the city's greatest treasures, and has been on the receiving-end of some much-deserved love . Until recently I was guilty of ignoring this fine library system, opting instead to bury my head in U of T's stuffy stacks, but have since happily found my way back. Now I spend a few hours a week flipping through current magazines, doing research for columns, and generally basking in the magic that is the library. To help raise awareness about our libraries, Mayor Miller recently announced that February is Keep Toronto Reading Month, and the TPL is hosting a month-long series of readings and events to make sure it goes down in fine fashion. You wouldn't want to disappoint the mayor, would you?

The month is filled with great programming, including an Anime Ball for comic book and manga fans, a panel of writers talking about tracking war and conflict, events that explore the language of love and wine, and even book sales on the TTC. If you're interested in more local literature, each Friday there will be a night of readings hosted by Toronto-collective Diaspora Dialogues, who always put on a good event. (I will be reading a few poems on Friday the 16th, to shamelessly self-promote).

You can download the complete program (warning: PDF) to have a better look at the lineup, or have a look at the calendar on their website.

Image by Alicia Nauta as part of the Altered Books Exhibit, which is also available virtually.