Ontario book news, interviews and more

Griffin Prize Giveaway! Win Two Tickets to this Year's Readings, and a Poetry Prize Pack!

The Griffin Prize awards ceremony is right around the corner, and lucky poetry fans can hear all of the shortlisted authors at the upcoming Griffin Prize Poetry Readings right before the announcement ...

Scholar Cheryl Thompson Unpacks a Crucial Part of our National History in Canada and the Blackface Atlantic

While most Canadians tend to think that the legacy of racism and slavery that forms so much of United States history is separate from ours, there is a far deeper connection that is often ignored. From ...

Read an Excerpt From The Fun Times Brigade by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Lindsay Zier-Vogel has shown her valuable insights about writing life each month as an Open Book columnist, and she's been an integral part of the CanLit community for years now. So, it comes as no surprise ...

A Young Camp Counselor Fights to Protect the Integrity of a Beloved Summer Tradition in Lake Burntshore

With his poetry appearing on a number of prestigious shortlists, including the Governor General's Literary Award, the Vine Awards, and the ReLit Awards, Aaron Kreuter has built a steller reputation for ...

Read an Excerpt from Commonwealth, a New Poetry Collection by D.A. Lockhart

The poetry of D.A. Lockhart has filled over a half-dozen collections and has been published widely in some of the finest journals. Now the author returns with another series of poems that are sure to ...

Chidori Tells the Story of a Young Person's Resilience in the Face of a Devastating Tsunami

Trying to honestly explore serious topics with young readers can be a challenge, so it is no surprise the Jennifer Maruno leans on her experience as a teacher to broach certain subjects with the respect ...

The Pros and Cons of Beta Readers

I just finished an early draft of a new middle grade novel and realized as pressed “save” that even though it was nowhere near done, I’d taken it as far as I could.It was officially time for a beta ...

Locking In, Letting Go

I’ve thought of myself as a writer who loves revision. I rewrote large chunks of my two poetry collections between the ‘final’ version submitted to my publisher, and the version that ended up being ...

Ben Ladouceur's Eagerly Awaited Debut Novel Depicts the Optimism of Queer Life During Montreal's Expo 67

With so many communities wondering what there futures hold in this modern world, it's always interesting to look back at very specific moments in the history or a people or a country and remember what ...

A Budding Cicada Enthusiast Learns That Some Wondrous Natural Events Are Worth Waiting For in When the Air Sang

It's always special to see authors speak to young readers about the wonders of the natural world, and our featured book today does exactly that. Further, Laura Bontje's latest work digs down to a micro-level ...