Ontario book news, interviews and more

Contest! Win Award-Nominated Books from Pedlar Press!

Small but powerful, publishing house Pedlar Press has snagged a huge number of literary prizes and nominations over the years, developing a reputation for innovative, intelligent, and moving books. The ...

UPDATE - EXTENDED DEADLINE! Call for Submissions: What's Your Story? Short Prose and Poetry Competition for Emerging Writers

UPDATE!**The deadline for the 2nd What's Your Story? Short Prose and Poetry Competition for Emerging Writers has been extended to Monday, May 8, 2017!**Do you live in Toronto? Are you an emerging writer ...

How to go on

It’s Monday. First of May. It’s foggy outside (in Toronto) but not in that lovely misty way that feels like a spa—no, this is a cold, cold fog that is more like a damp basement.  Everyone seems ...

Failed Dreams

In my new poetry book Beautiful Children with Pet Foxes, there’s a series of poems called “Dream Specimens,” based on actual dreams that I’ve had over the years. I had some fun with these poems, ...

Publishing Tips for the Existentially Endangered

A couple of years ago I had a serious health scare. Without going into too much detail, I was admitted into the hospital in late spring and for a brief time no one was able to tell me for sure whether ...

Test Driving the Poetry Exercises

Today’s post marks the conclusion of my series on poetry prompts and exercises. Huge thanks to all the poets who responded so generously to my questions and offered their unique approaches and experiences. ...

The In Character Interview, with our May writer-in-residence, Jowita Bydlowska!

Jowita Bydlowska first connected with readers through her raw and vulnerable memoir, Drunk Mom. She's now turned her attention to fiction, with the publication of Guy, maintaining her trademark unflinching ...

On Writing, with Erin Robinsong

Erin Robinsong's debut collection Rag Cosmology (BookThug) is an arrival - of a literary talent, a unique point of view, and an insightful connection between the ecological and the personal.Bringing ...

Special Feature: Kate Hilton on the Authors for Indies Road Show

If you love bookstores -- getting lost in the stacks and shelves and feeling the magic of a well-curated shop full of stories -- you won't want to miss Authors for Indies Day. The program, which takes ...

Lisa Richter on Poetry Exercises

Today I feature Lisa Richter in my series on poets and writing exercises. Lisa Richter's first full-length collection of poetry, Closer to Where We Began, was recently published by Tightrope Books. Her ...