Ontario book news, interviews and more

CBC Short Story Prize 5-Writer Shortlist Announced, Including a Second Shortlist Appearance for Brooks McMullin

This morning, CBC Books announced the narrowing of their 33-writer longlist to the final five writers contending for the coveted CBC Short Story Prize. Three nominees from Ontario, one from Saskatchewan, ...

Read an Excerpt from Meghan Bell's Short Stories, Erase and Rewind, An Insightful, Darkly Funny Debut Collection

The young women of Erase and Rewind (Book*hug Press), the debut story collection by Meghan Bell, are funny, flawed, gutsy, and wonderfully compelling to listen to and witness.From the story of a superhero's ...

"Children are Born as Little Scientists" Erin Alladin's Outside, You Notice Captures the Wonder of Exploring the Natural World

Erin Alladin's Outside, You Notice (Pajama Press, illustrated by Andrea Blinick) is just the sort of book we could all use right now. Thoughtful, joyful, and gentle, its celebration of the outdoors, ...

Poetry Month Contest! Win Anansi's Powerhouse Spring List: Mary Germaine, Bardia Sinaee, & Steven Heighton

April is National Poetry Month and thanks to the good folks at House of Anansi Press, we get to offer one lucky reader a prize pack of some of the most exciting new poetry in Canada! Though the pandemic ...

Play to your strengths: a short guide to arts admin for emerging artists

And we're back! As promised, these last two weeks of Careful Inventory are a bit lighter, more directly applicable in the pandemic—thanks for sticking with me so far! We’ve covered online safety, ...

No one is coming & it's not your fault: on money

As promised, folks, today we're moving on from my previous three posts on boundaries and talking about money. I'm going to share a few horror stories with you, strongly advise you to not quit your day ...

League of Canadian Poets Announces 2021 Prize Shortlists

Yesterday, the League of Canadian Poets announced their shortlists for three literary awards. Timed to coincide with the celebration of National Poetry Month, the LCP's prizes reward talented poets in ...

"I Continued To Write It Anyway" Jen Sookfong Lee Shares Her Best Advice, Memories, & Tips from Her Iconic Writing and Publishing Journey

Jen Sookfong Lee has been leaving readers awed and moved for years with her powerful and award-nominated novels, nonfiction, and children's books. She also knows a thing or two about publishing, working ...

Griffin Prize 2021 Shortlists Announced, With Canadian Nominations for Dandurand, Lubrin, & Saadi

The head honcho of poetry prizes, the Griffin Prizes, announced their international and Canadian shortlists today, and poetry fans are thrilled. On the Canadian side, Joseph Dandurand was nominated ...

Book Therapy: Satellite Love

“I think my favourite thing about humans was how they couldn’t fathom the thought of being alone.”—Genki Ferguson, Satellite Love My birthday is in April and I’ll admit I’ve never been very ...