Founded by poet Mona Fertig and inspired by Shakespeare and Company in Paris, The Literary Storefront was Canada's first non-profit literary centre and flourished in Vancouver's colourful Gastown district from 1978-84. A pivotal time in west coast history when feminist, nationalist, and multicultural passions surged to redefine what a socially-committed literary community could be, the Storefront housed the regional offices of The Writers' Union of Canada, The League of Canadian Poets, an editing & printing company, and was the birthplace of the Federation of B.C. Writers. Carolan's history recounts the inspiration, origins, achievements and tribulations of this seminal and legendary B.C. literary institution. Includes interviews with many important authors and survivors from among the Storefront Society's 500 members. Dorothy Livesay, Margaret Atwood, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Hodgins, Earle Birney, Brian Moore, Carol Shields, P.K. Page, Edward Albee, Joy Kogawa, Stephen Spender, David Watmough, Daphne Marlatt are some of the many writers who passed through its doors.