Literary Soirée
For people who have ever read a line and immediately needed to talk about it.
Hosted by Books & Brews Hamilton x Shift Collab
Steel Town Cider, Hamilton
Wednesday, May 20th, 7–9pm
Tickets are $22.60 (includes event access, one drink, snacks, a tote bag, and a book).
May is Mental Health Month. And honestly, some of the most meaningful conversations about mental health start in unexpected places.
Sometimes it starts with something you read. And the urge to talk about it with someone else.
A line you underlined.
A paragraph that felt a little too accurate.
A book that found you at the exact right time.
Because those moments aren’t just about reading. They’re about connection. And that kind of connection matters more than we give it credit for when it comes to our mental health.
This evening is an invitation to slow down, connect, and share the books that have carried us through, the ones that made us feel less alone, helped us make sense of something hard, or simply arrived at exactly the right time.
Together with Brittany from Books & Brews Hamilton, and Megan Rafuse (CEO and Co-Founder of Shift Collab, former therapist, Hamilton local, and an avid reader), we’re bringing people together to share the words that stayed with them and hear what they meant to someone else.
What to expect
Good drinks, tasty snacks, and a room full of people who actually want to be there. Come as you are!
A short, grounded opening conversation with Brittany and Megan on community, connection, and sharing stories
Megan sharing a book that’s impacted her personally and why it’s stayed with her
Break into small, intimate reading circles. Share a passage, a page, or a few words from a book that meant something to you, or just listen and take it all in. It’s totally up to you.
Book Swap table for you to swap an old favourite for something new to you (gently used fiction books only please).
After that, the space opens up for more conversation, connection, and time to talk more casually.
Who this is for
You’ve ever felt understood by something you read.
You’ve highlighted lines, dog-eared pages, or taken a photo of a paragraph you didn’t want to forget.
You like hearing how other people think, feel, and interpret the same words differently.
You want to be around people in a way that feels easy, not surface-level.
Or you’re craving a couple hours where you can put your phone down, be around people, and leave feeling a little more connected than when you walked in.
We’ll be taking photos and video throughout the night to capture the experience and share a bit of it on our social channels. By attending, you’re okay with being included.
Meet Your Co-Host: Megan Rafuse
Megan didn’t set out to build one of Canada’s largest mental health practices. She started as a therapist, sitting across from people every day and seeing what was working in the industry and what really wasn’t.
After years of watching tech platforms and middlemen shape therapy in ways that didn’t always serve clients or clinicians, she decided to do things differently. In 2016, she co-founded Shift Collab with a simple idea: mental health care should feel human, high quality, and actually built around the people in it.
Nearly a decade later, Shift has grown into a national, female and clinician-owned practice delivering over 50,000 therapy sessions a year. Outside of work, Megan is an avid reader (the kind who saves quotes, tracks everything on Goodreads, and always has a recommendation ready), a proud ADHD’er, and a mom of two. She speaks openly about what it really looks like to lead, build, and navigate mental health in real life.
Follow her on Instagram @meganrafuse, where she shares real life, real talk, and everything in between.
Meet Your Co-Host: Brittany Barton
After studying English Literature, she did what a lot of graduates do — she stopped reading. It wasn't until she gave herself permission to ditch the classics and read whatever she actually wanted that the love came back. And once it did, she couldn't stop talking about books. When she couldn't find her people, she decided to build the community herself.
In July 2023, she launched Books & Brews with 13 people and a simple idea: great books deserve great conversation. Nearly 3 years later, it has grown into a 500+ member community rooted in Hamilton, Ontario with monthly book clubs and IRL events for readers who love a good story and the connections that come with it.
Follow along at @booksandbrewshamont.