Ontario book news, interviews and more

"Does the Language of the Title Tilt and Surprise?" Poet Vincent Pagé on Titles, Fires, & Bathing with Serge Gainsbourg

It's no surprise Vincent Pagé's debut collection has an eye-catching title - with work published in journals across the country and a National Magazine Award nomination under his belt, Pagé's witty ...

"We Wanted to See Just How Nuts People Could Get" Sandra Kasturi on ChiZine's Hilarious "War on Christmas" Story Anthology

Maybe you're the person who can hardly wait until Halloween has passed before pulling out the winter holiday decorations — the person who is first in line for the first tree that's been chopped down, ...

Daddy Writer To Be – The Gift of Surrogacy

Tarn and I always shared the same dream: we wanted to have a baby and start a family together. We come from two different religions and cultures. I am Iraqi Muslim while Tarn is Punjabi Sikh. While these ...

"Did You Know a Lion’s Heart Never Grows?" Read an Excerpt from Chris Eaton' Musical Novel, Symphony No. 3

19th-Century composer Camille Saint-Saëns was a prodigy who made his concert debut at just ten years old. He's credited with influencing French musicians for decades, including the iconic Maurice Ravel. ...

Daddy Writer To Be – Writing for Children

For many years, I had a dream to write a children’s book. My passion of becoming a father inspired me to write a children’s book.    As a child who questioned their own gender identity, I wanted ...

"There's a Moment When Everything's Heightened" Marlene Cookshaw on the Synchronicity and Bliss of Poetry

Marlene Cookshaw's new poetry collection Mowing (Brick Books), her first in over ten years, was worth the wait. Focused on themes of harvest, both literal and figurative, it's a meditative, beautiful ...

Cat Lovers Will Go Wild for John Spray & Mies van Hout's Playful & Gorgeous New Picture Book, What Cats Think

Have you ever looked at your cat as they push the remote off the coffee table for the hundredth time and wondered just how their minds work? John Spray's new picture book, What Cats Think (Pajama Press, ...

Contest! Win Poetry by Maureen Hynes and Marlene Cookshaw with Brick Books' Time and Talismans Giveaway

This fall, Brick Books has new collections from two of CanLit's most vibrant poetic voices, Marlene Cookshaw (Mowing) and Maureen Hynes (Sotto Voce).To celebrate, Brick is giving away a prize pack of ...

Daddy Writer To be – Love at First Tarn

The older I got, especially when I started going to Simon Fraser University, the less I was interested in writing horror stories. As I was contemplating my own sexuality and identity, my stories shifted ...

Read an Excerpt from Deborah Ellis' My Story Starts Here, where Young Offenders are Given Space to Speak

For many younger offenders, the first step off the accepted path represents a turning point; a crossroads where their futures hang in the balance. With intersectional pressures often including poverty, ...