National Poetry Month continues, with a multitude of readings going on across the nation (across the continent really, it's the Academy of American Poets month to celebrate, too).

Tuesday, April 15th:

Rick Blechta will give a lecture entitled "It's Not Whodunnit, it's Howhedunnit!", where he dishes the dirt behind the creation of his new crime novel, A Case of You. This is Rick's new library program for fans as opposed to aspiring writers.
Runnymede Branch. 7-9pm. Free.

Johanna Skibsrud, author of Late Nights With Wild Cowboys, and Karen Houle, author of During, are reading tonight at the Draft Reading Series. Also appearing are Kate Marshall Flaherty and Catherine Graham.
Soma Restaurant & Lounge. 8pm. $5 (includes a copy of DRAFT).

The Art Bar Poetry Reading Series presents Paul Wilson, Elizabeth Rhett Woods and The PoetiKs.
Clinton's. 8pm. Free (donations accepted).

Come out for the Coffeehouse Cabaret Open Stage featuring music, spoken word, and comedy. Hosted by Shawn Sage.
Renaissance Cafe. Sign up is at 8:30pm, show starts at 9pm. Free.

Wednesday, April 16th:

"Kama" is the Sanskrit word for pleasure, and the 16th annual Kama Reading Serieswill celebrate the pleasure of reading, writing and living with books, featuring both up-and-coming and well-loved authors writing fiction and non-fiction. Tonight, enjoy readings by Janice Kulyk Keefer, David Davidar, Frances Itani and Richard B. Wright.
Royal Ontario Museum. Doors at 6:30pm, readings begin at 7pm. $60.

To celebrate the release of his widely anticipated first novel, A Week Of This: A Novel in Seven Days, Quill & Quire review editor Nathan Whitlock will deliver a comic mock lecture titled "Seven Steps To A Seven Day Novel". Also, musician Alex Lukashevsky will perform songs inspired by Whitlock's tale about the lives of an extended family over seven increasingly desperate days. A This Is Not A Reading Series event.
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. 7:30pm (doors 7pm). Free.

International Readings at Harbourfront presents Don Domanski, author of All Our Wonder Unavenged (winner of 2007 Governor General Award's for Poetry), Randall Maggs, author of Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems and Alison Pick, author of The Dream World. Hosted by Jay MillAr.
Harbourfront Centre Brigantine Room. 7:30pm. $8.

Patricia Pearson returns to non-fiction with a witty, insightful and highly personal look at recognizing and coping with fears and anxieties in our contemporary world. Come out for an evening of conversation with the award-winning author and CBC's The Current producer Jeff Warren.
Hart House Library. 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday, April 17th:

Celebrate the launch of Kathleen Arnason's new book Remember Me, which uses storytelling and remembrance guided by an illustrated poem that supports and encourages the writing of memories and gathering of pictures to aid in the grieving process.
Ben McNally Books. 5:30-7:30pm. Free.

Head to the Anansi Poetry Bash to celebrate the launch of Revolver by Kevin Connolly, The Sentinel by A.F. Moritz and Chameleon Hours by Elise Partridge. All three collections are available as part of Anansi's new Spring 2008 Poetry Package.
LeVack Block. 6pm. Free.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, Gianna Patriarca, Joseph Maviglia, and Bruna Di Giuseppe-Bertoni. All four of these Italian Canadian poets have earned praise for their published works. As creative artists, they each describe their own experience of immigration, and their poems give voice to the thousands of other new arrivals in Canada. Hosted by Centro Scuola/Columbus Centre and the Dante Society of Toronto.
Columbus Centre. 7:30 - 9pm. Free.

Join author Barbara Heron, as she launches her latest work Desire for Development: Whiteness, Gender, and the Helping Imperative, with guest speaker Sherene Razack.
Toronto Women's Bookstore. 7pm. Free.

Sunday, April 20th:

Enjoy an appreciation dinner and book launch, celebrating Dr. David Liepert and Sheikh Hamid Slimi. Dr. Liepert is author of Me and You: Beyond Belief, Together: A Path to Peace All Our Faiths Can Share.
International Muslims Organization. 2-6pm. $10.

Monday, April 21st:

Join poets Souvankham Thammavongsa, Boonaa Mohammed, Patria Rivera and James Deahl for Poetry Without Borders. This eclectic event will feature these three poets from diverse cultural backgrounds whose work addresses issues of identity, alienation and displacement. It will also stretch formal poetic boundaries, by including both spare poetry and hip-hop inspired spoken word art.
Parliament Library. 6pm. Free.

You are invited for an evening with David A. Wilson to celebrate the launch of his biography of Thomas D'Arcy McGee in aid of the O'Connor Irish Heritage House. A first edition copy of A Popular History of Ireland from the Earliest Period to the Emancipation of the Catholics, by Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1863) will be raffled off, for $10 a ticket.
Ben McNally Books. 6pm. Free.

The Canada Council Heritage Series returns with "Foresight: Speculative Fiction in Canada". Artificial intelligence, climate change, nanotechnology: if the future is now, what comes next? Moderator Michael Skeet hosts a panel discussion with Karl Schroeder, James Alan Gardner and Peter Watts on the pursuit of foresight in Canadian science fiction. Followed by Q&A and book-signing; books for sale by Bakka-Phoenix Science Fiction Bookstore.
Lillian H. Smith Branch. 7pm. Free.

Edward Nixon presents livewords @ the Concord CafĂŠ with Di Brandt, Robert Priest, and Jacob Scheier featuring poetry & spoken word - the words are live and living. Open mic session to follow readings.
Concord Cafe. 8pm. PWYC .

Please join David Mirvish, Robert Brockhouse and Edward Burtynsky for the launch of a new book and portfolio of photographs celebrating the centenary of the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
David Mirvish Books. 5-7pm. Free.