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Hintonburg & Wellington West in Literature

Explore Hintonburg and Wellington West through fiction and poetry
Suzy Q Donuts storefront on Wellington St West in Hintonburg.
Suzy Q Donuts storefront on Wellington St West in Hintonburg.

Join Susan for an interactive walk through Hintonburg and Wellington West as we explore some familiar streets and landmarks through works of fiction and poetry. We'll do some readings and/or discuss the choice of setting for selected works, and muse on what the location may be telling us about its meaning. Three of the authors are confirmed to join us, and some others may join as well.

This walk is offered through the Ottawa International Writers' Festival.

The following are books we may touch on or read from, and there may be others:

  • Amy Tector — The Foulest Things
  • Andre Alexis — The Night Piece
  • Anita Lahey — Spinning Side Kick, While Supplies Last
  • Blaine Marchand — Becoming History: A Life Told Through Poetry
  • Brenda Chapman — Cold Mourning, The Success Story in: A Capital Murder
  • Craig Poile
  • Charles de Lint — Moonheart, Yarrow
  • Diana Brebner — The Golden Lotus
  • Jean Van Loon — Bridgehead and Grace’s Luck (in The New Quarterly)
  • Katie Tallo — Dark August, Poison Lilies
  • Nina Berkhout — The Gallery of Lost Species
  • Paul Tyler
  • Peggy Blair — Shadow Play
  • Rob Mclennan — The Ottawa City Project
  • Selim Ulug — The Woman in Red

Note: this is a non-exhaustive list of work referencing, or set in, Hintonburg and Wellington West. There are lots more.

Location
Route

We'll meet in front of Suzy Q Donuts, at 1015 Wellington Street West.


Stops for readings, including some optional stops:


  1. Suzy Q donuts, 1015 Wellington Street West – then walk West on Wellington
  2. OPTIONAL stop - 1065 Wellington Street West - Pharmacy – then turn right onto Pinhey
  3. Pinhey Ave. at Armstrong Ave. – turn left onto Armstrong
  4. Carleton Tavern and Parkdale Market - continue along Armstrong, turn right onto Hinton, left onto Spencer
  5. Anytime Breakfast - Tunney’s Pasture – continue along Spencer 
  6. Lane beside 87 Spencer – then continue west on Spencer to Caroline, walk south on Caroline
  7. Bridgehead at Wellington & Caroline – walk east on north side of Wellington to BMO parking lot
  8. BMO parking lot @ Wellington and Huron – either walk a few more metres east on Wellington or read the piece about the Wood from the parking lot
  9. The Wood on Wellington – continue east on Wellington
  10. OPTIONAL - Therrien Jiu Jitsu  – continue east to Hamilton (east side). Walk south on Hamilton, behind the building and beside the firehall.
  11. 420 Parkdale Ave. – turn north on Parkdale, then continue east along Wellington. 
  12. Grace Manor / Bethany House  (Blaine Marchand/Rob Mclennan) – then continue east on Wellington to between Spadina and Bayswater
  13. OPTIONAL - GT Express
  14. Hintonburg mural @ Urban Art Collective – then walk briefly west to Suzy Q (traffic lights are at Garland)
  15. OPTIONAL if extra time City Centre
  16. Return to Suzy Q.
  17. Extra bonbons – Bayview LRT


Closest LRT stop: Bayview Station (also featured in Peggy Blair’s Shadow Play)


Accessibility: The area of the walk is generally flat with standard sidewalks and curbs. If you have special accessibility concerns, please drop Susan a line in advance.

About the walk leader

Hello! I’m Susan. I’m passionate about using radio, storytelling, and walking to help people deepen their relationship with Ottawa. I’ve hosted a morning show on CKCU-FM since 1999, and I've had the privilege of interviewing hundreds of writers and poets (and artists) of all kinds. In 2014, I co-founded Ottawa (de)Tours, a social enterprise with a mandate to help people explore and discuss contemporary issues, which operated for six seasons, and I still love a great walk.

Guide:

Susan Johnston

When:
Date:Sat Oct 25, 2025
Time:9:30 AM
Duration: 1 hour 45 min
Language: English
Where:
Start:Suzy Q Donuts, 1015 Wellington Street West
End:same
Area:Hintonburg/Wellington West
Distance:2.5 kms
Accessibility:

The walk will follow city sidewalks and paved paths.

Walker Sign-up

Signing up is not required for this walk. If you plan to attend, by signing up you will help us estimate the group size. Please submit your email and the number of walkers that will be attending with you below.

23 walkers registered

Gallery
Suzy Q Donuts storefront on Wellington St West in Hintonburg. Route for the Hintonburg/Wellington West literary walk. Susan Johnston leading her walk on Literature connected with the ByWard Market for OAW2025. Susan Johnston with the group on Plotlines and Pathways walk, May 2025.