Words Worth is very happy to be partnering with The Porcupine’s Quill with the exclusive launch of Karl Kessler & Sunshine Chen’s new book, Overtime!
The book charts the changes in industry in the Waterloo region, as manufacturing has been giving way to technology, and speaks with some of the local people who are persisting in what some would argue are dying fields. Packed with 50 stunning black and white portraits, Overtime is a snapshot of a period of change in our region.
From the back cover: “Karl Kessler and Sunshine Chen document the lives of men and women who practice vanishing trades, professions and cultural traditions in the cities and townships of Waterloo Region, Ontario.
When was the last time you visited a shoemaker? A watchmaker? A tailor? Have you met a sign painter, a typewriter mechanic or a shirt factory worker? Do camera stores and independent department stores still exist in this day and age? What exactly are the principal responsibilities of a town clock keeper?
As automation and modernization bring to the brink of extinction many twentieth-century ways of making a living, we find ourselves in danger of losing the accumulated skill of generations of Canadians. Through the compelling photographs and moving interviews in Overtime, Karl Kessler and Sunshine Chen give voice to fifty proud workers and artisans based in the heart of Southwestern Ontario, preserving their stories for generations to come.
Researcher and writer Karl Kessler works in the heritage field and coordinates the annual Doors Open Waterloo Region event. Sunshine Chen trained in architecture and is interested in connecting people with their own stories, and understanding how those stories add to the richness of individual experiences.”
Please join us at the Button Factory on Thursday, November 8 from 7pm to 9pm as we launch this soon to be classic book.