Ontario book news, interviews and more

Sahar Golshan Encourages Readers to be SO LOUD! in Her Debut Picture Book

It's as important as ever for some voices to be heard, especially as there are those who are actively trying to dull or silence them. And, it takes a unique and gifted author to tell a story that will ...

Amazon First Novel Award 2024 Shortlist Announced

Yesterday, Amazon Canada and The Walrus announced the shortlist for the forty-sixth annual Amazon Canada First Novel Award, which rewards the debut novel judged to be the finest of the year based on ...

Jess Taylor Confronts and Then Says Goodbye to the Past in her Compelling Debut Novel

Memories of childhood, and the realities of what remains in the here and now, are twin prospects that everyone must face and contend with in their lives. Flights of imagination and acts of play often ...

In Crazy / Mad, AJ Dolman Challenges Poetic and Societal Norms, and Offers Hope

In this day and age, mental health, gender, sexuality, and other important social issues are acknowledged more than they were in the past. However, there is often little truly honest engagement with the ...

John Vaillant Wins the 2024 Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

The Writers’ Trust of Canada has awarded John Vaillant the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for his book Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast (Knopf Canada). The award was ...

Wendy Orr Takes Readers to The Valley of Horses and Beyond in Her Newest Book

During the fraught and uncertain years of the COVID-19 pandemic, author Wendy Orr and her family found themselves in Australia, locked-down and away from family back in Canada. Worried about the ways ...

The Trillium Books Awards Shortlists Have Been Announced

Earlier today, Ontario Creates announced the finalists for the 2024 Trillium Book Awards. Established in 1987, the prize annually recognizes the best book and best poetry collection from writers in ...

Blood-Feuds and Beastly Hallucinations Lurk in the Pages of The Hollow Beast by Christophe Bernard

Already an award-winning author in Quebec, Christophe Bernard has now found his way into English translation, and his work aims to leave a mark on the broader landscape of CanLit. The author travelled ...

Read an Excerpt from NORMA, the New Novel by Sarah Mintz

After decades of marriage and domestic responsibility, Norma has lost her husband and gained a freedom that she perhaps isn't quite prepared to handle. She goes all the way in, delving into some of the ...

Building a Writing Routine When You’re Bad at Routines

I’ve written before about my bad luck in developing a structured writing routine. I’m happy to report that in the time since I wrote that, I still haven’t developed a structured writing routine—but ...