This is my favourite shop in Winnipeg! - Heather Sealey, Winnipeg
PAST STORE EVENTS
Telling Tales Spoken Lit Concerts
Telling Tales is the new spoken word performance series from Winnipeg's Cultural City Hall. Aqua Books has been involved in Winnipeg's storytelling scene since 2005, when the city's oldest storytelling group, Stone Soup,
began meeting at our old Princess Street store. Since then, we have been host to the Magic of One storytelling series, events featuring the U of M Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture's storyteller-in-residence, and the
Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival. Telling Tales concerts feature the city's best (resident and visiting) storytellers, taking on folklore and literature's best stories. Some shows feature music by outstanding performers that complement the spoken word, and
most shows are geared towards adults (but non-squirmy kids can come).
Friday, January 28/11 7:30pm $10
Under the Old Chestnut Tree
Tales from the Highwayman to the Charge of the Light Brigade to Casey at the Bat
Spoken word recitalist David Stubel and fireside chat-ty Kelly Hughes
David Stubel is a long-distance truck driver who memorizes great literature at truck stops. An underground hero in Winnipeg's spoken word scene, David has performed at bars, bookstores, and as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. Erudite and self-effacing, David Stubel is a working-class artist in the old school tradition of Rimbaud and Kozak. David is the January 2011 Artist-in-Residence at Aqua Books.
Bookstore Owner Kelly Hughes has been called "staccato and laconic" by poet Méira Cook, "so funny I peed myself" by CBC Radio's Shelagh Rogers, and "off-putting, rude and tasteless" by an angry fellow named Chris. Kelly Hughes is the guy who hosts Kelly Hughes Live!, writes This Week at Aqua Books, was nearly sued by Campbells Soup, and was practically arrested by the Winnipeg Parking Authority. Armed with nothing more than a few jokes and half a theatre degree from the U of W, he runs Aqua Books. Not wanting being a pre-teen TV star (Let's Go!) to be his only claim to fame, he created Aqua Books out of white glue, tissue paper, macaroni and half an egg carton. He had an adult help him with the scissors.
Friday, October 22/10 7pm $10
Telling Tales Spoken Lit Concert
Stories from Zimbabwe
Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture Storyteller-in-Residence Ignatius Mabasa
Veteran storyteller and award-winning writer tells tales from his native Zimbabwe.
Ignatius Mabasa is an acclaimed writer and storyteller from Zimbabwe. He has published stories and poems for children and adults in both English and his native language, Shona. His most recent book, The Man, Shaggy Leopard and Jackal and other stories (Lion Press), was nominated for Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Award as the best book in the children’s literature category. Mabasa has performed his stories and poems in many countries, and will spend the fall term in Winnipeg as storyteller-in-residence at the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture.
Friday, March 26/10 7pm $10
Whale Tales to Balaam's Ass: Bringing Out the Animal in the Old Testament
Storytellers Anne Morton and Rebecca Hiebert, with the Mennonite Blues of Bush Wiebe
Telling Tales is the new spoken word performance series from Aqua Books, and features the city's best (resident and visiting) storytellers, taking on folklore and literature's best stories. Some shows feature music by outstanding performers that complement the spoken word, and
most shows are geared towards adults (but non-squirmy kids can come).
Anne Morton is a native Winnipegger, born on the banks of the Assiniboine. She worked in the Hudson's Bay Company Archives for 25 years. She started
telling stories before she retired, and one of the reasons she retired was
to have more time for storytelling. Anne is now a Theology student at the U
of W. This summer she is going to Jerusalem to study Torah.
Rebecca Hiebert is a member of Stone Soup Storytellers of Winnipeg. She has performed at the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival, the SUNDOG storytelling festival, the national storytelling conference, in schools, at the Manitoba Museum, and at other events throughout Winnipeg. Rebecca is a lively and energetic teller who knows how to connect with an audience.
Bush Wiebe plays a style of blues that slides, stomps and thumps. From playing slide on his resonator guitar and pounding on his homemade stompbox stage he creates a sound that is exciting and unique. Digging into his Mennonite roots, he references a culture that is often misunderstood and puts it on display in all its strange glory. It’s an electrifying mix of a conservative culture and sweaty blues. Bush Wiebe’s first ever live performance was at his father’s funeral. From that auspicious beginning he now plays at all kinds of festivals, coffeehouses and parties.
Friday, January 22/10 7pm $10
The Annie Dillard Reader
Spoken word recitalist David Stubel, with musician Ben Wytinck
David Stubel is a long-distance truck driver who memorizes great literature at truck stops. An underground hero in Winnipeg's spoken word scene, David has performed at bars, bookstores, and as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. Erudite and self-effacing, David Stubel is a working-class artist in the old school tradition of Rimbaud and Kozak.
Silky-voiced Ben Wytinck got his start at age nine, playing drums in his father's band at a rural Manitoba bar. He moved to Winnipeg in 2001, to play what he calls Bluegrazz (Bluegrass and Jazz). His eponymous debut CD contains ten of his finest self-penned songs.
Friday, November 20/09 7pm $12
The Stone Book
U of M Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture Storyteller-in-Residence Jan Andrews
Writer and storyteller Jan Andrews was born in the U.K., and now makes her home outside of Ottawa. Currently the Storyteller-in-Residence at the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba, she’s been delighting readers and listeners for over thirty years. Recent books include Stories at the Door, The Twelve Days of Summer, and Winter of Peril: The Newfoundland Diary of Sophie Loveridge.
Why is there no order form on this site?
At Aqua Books, we put out 500-1000 new books on our shelves every week. If we spent all of our time putting books online and taking them off again, we wouldn't be able to process so many great new titles. If you're looking for something specific, email us. We'll let you know if we have it (or if someone else has it), or we'll keep your name on file until a copy turns up. Or come into the store. It's really quite pleasant.
David Stubel is a long-distance truck driver who memorizes great literature at truck stops. An underground hero in Winnipeg's spoken word scene, David has performed at bars, bookstores, and as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. Erudite and self-effacing, David Stubel is a working-class artist in the old school tradition of Rimbaud and Kozak. David is the January 2011 Artist-in-Residence at Aqua Books.
Bookstore Owner Kelly Hughes has been called "staccato and laconic" by poet Méira Cook, "so funny I peed myself" by CBC Radio's Shelagh Rogers, and "off-putting, rude and tasteless" by an angry fellow named Chris. Kelly Hughes is the guy who hosts 
Ignatius Mabasa is an acclaimed writer and storyteller from Zimbabwe. He has published stories and poems for children and adults in both English and his native language, Shona. His most recent book, The Man, Shaggy Leopard and Jackal and other stories (Lion Press), was nominated for Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Award as the best book in the children’s literature category. Mabasa has performed his stories and poems in many countries, and will spend the fall term in Winnipeg as storyteller-in-residence at the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture.
Telling Tales is the new spoken word performance series from Aqua Books, and features the city's best (resident and visiting) storytellers, taking on folklore and literature's best stories. Some shows feature music by outstanding performers that complement the spoken word, and
most shows are geared towards adults (but non-squirmy kids can come).
Anne Morton is a native Winnipegger, born on the banks of the Assiniboine. She worked in the Hudson's Bay Company Archives for 25 years. She started
telling stories before she retired, and one of the reasons she retired was
to have more time for storytelling. Anne is now a Theology student at the U
of W. This summer she is going to Jerusalem to study Torah.
Rebecca Hiebert is a member of Stone Soup Storytellers of Winnipeg. She has performed at the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival, the SUNDOG storytelling festival, the national storytelling conference, in schools, at the Manitoba Museum, and at other events throughout Winnipeg. Rebecca is a lively and energetic teller who knows how to connect with an audience.
Bush Wiebe plays a style of blues that slides, stomps and thumps. From playing slide on his resonator guitar and pounding on his homemade stompbox stage he creates a sound that is exciting and unique. Digging into his Mennonite roots, he references a culture that is often misunderstood and puts it on display in all its strange glory. It’s an electrifying mix of a conservative culture and sweaty blues. Bush Wiebe’s first ever live performance was at his father’s funeral. From that auspicious beginning he now plays at all kinds of festivals, coffeehouses and parties.
David Stubel is a long-distance truck driver who memorizes great literature at truck stops. An underground hero in Winnipeg's spoken word scene, David has performed at bars, bookstores, and as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. Erudite and self-effacing, David Stubel is a working-class artist in the old school tradition of Rimbaud and Kozak.
Silky-voiced Ben Wytinck got his start at age nine, playing drums in his father's band at a rural Manitoba bar. He moved to Winnipeg in 2001, to play what he calls Bluegrazz (Bluegrass and Jazz). His eponymous debut CD contains ten of his finest self-penned songs.
Writer and storyteller Jan Andrews was born in the U.K., and now makes her home outside of Ottawa. Currently the Storyteller-in-Residence at the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba, she’s been delighting readers and listeners for over thirty years. Recent books include Stories at the Door, The Twelve Days of Summer, and Winter of Peril: The Newfoundland Diary of Sophie Loveridge.