Ontario book news, interviews and more

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 ...

The Joys of Rereading

Like any other avid reader, my TBR pile can feel out of control most of the time. For me, it’s partly because I’m a mood reader with an aversion to to-do lists of any kind, but it’s also because ...

Check out This Special Dirty Dozen Interview with Y.S. Lee, Author of the Spectacular New Picture Book, Mrs. Nobody

It's always impressive when writers are able to pivot deftly between forms and genres, and Y.S. Lee has proven to be one of those prolific, acclaimed artists who can do exactly that. Her previous work ...

Acclaimed Author Andrew Forbes Explores the Many Interesting Lives that are Made Around Baseball in Field Work

The work of Andrew Forbes has featured on Open Book a number of times in recents years, and the versatility of the author's work is plain to see. From novels to novellas to short fiction, he has won ...

A Thousand Tiny Awakenings is an Anthology That Carries the Hope and Resilence of a New Generation

Independent Ontario publishers continue to amplify the voices of young and marginalized writers, and one of our most interesting new publishing houses, out of mighty Sudbury, has played a significant ...

Danny Jacob's Debut Novel is a Genre-Bending Gothic Fairy Tale

Poet and essayist Danny Jacobs is featured on Open Book today, and this time for his exciting debut novel, The Ignis Psalter (Gordon Hill Press/The Porcupine's Quill). In a multigenerational tale about ...

A Working Actor Feels Destined to Be a Star At Any Cost in Meredith Hambrock's Darkly Comic Novel

Meredith Hambrock's debut novel received acclaim from some lofty heights in the literary world, including The New York Times, and the author is back again to go from strength to strength in yet another ...

Dorian McNamara Wins the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize!

Congratulations to Halifax writer Dorian McNamara, who has won the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize for his story You (Streetcar at Night). You (Streetcar at Night) tells the story of the before and after ...