Ontario book news, interviews and more

Kid Lit Can, with Susan Hughes: the Magic, the Wonder - Chatting with Ya Fantasy Authors (Part 1)

In my capacity as freelance story coach and manuscript critiquer, I receive many inquiries and, interestingly, I’ve realized that a disproportionately high number of them are from writers working on ...

“I am Not Not Romantic,” an Interview with Andy McGuire

In a 2011 interview with Guernica Magazine, poet Timothy Donnelly, in response to a question about the influences he had just named (Keats and Shelley) and whether he considered his work in the tradition ...

A Few Quick Requests from Your Publisher

from: yourpublisher@pubhouse.comto: an.author@gmail.comsent: 3/22/16 22:10subj: quick favourHi hi,I know your final draft is due in a few months, but wanted to check if it was at all possible to get a ...

“There Are Lots of Good Non-Poetry Things to Assign Your Time To,” an Interview with Jacob Mcarthur Mooney

Jacob McArthur Mooney is an author of three collections of poetry, an occasional critic, and the current host of the Pivot reading series. His latest, Don’t be Interesting, explores the cult of personality ...

In the House of Saucer: an Interview with Jesse Locke on His Upcoming Simply Saucer Biography, Heavy Metalloid Music

Jesse Locke is one of the great unsung heroes of Canadian music journalism. Through his years of work as a writer and editor for Weird Canada and AUX he has helped to expose countless bands and artists ...

Griffin Prize Shortlist Announced, Including Debut Poet Liz Howard

The 2016 Griffin Prize shortlists were announced today, with nominees announced for both the international and Canadian prizes. The Canadian shortlist is particularly interesting, featuring both a book ...

Why Don’t We Take Sports Writing Seriously?

In February of last year, Canadian Notes and Queries publisher Dan Wells kindly approached me with a question. “Brainstorming a games issue of CNQ,” he wrote in an email. “Wondered if you might ...

Food for Thought: Hungry for #Diversecanlit

There was a homeless man standing on the side of the road the other day with a sign that read “Lost my job. Spare a bit of change.” I didn’t have change – I rarely do – but I had a banana, so ...

On Fallout: an Interview with Michael Lista About "the Shock Absorber"

Please note the views and opinions expressed by writers in the Open Book writer-in-residence program are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect those of Open Book, its staff or contributors__________________________________________________________________________When ...

How to Give Good Read

In a month, I will be hitting the road to tour my new book of poetry, even this page is white. In addition to trying to manage the general anxieties that arise when putting art into the world, I have ...