Ontario book news, interviews and more

Writers' Trust Announces 2022 Dayne Ogilvie Nominees

Today the Writers' Trust of Canada announced the three finalists for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers, one of the only literary awards in the country dedicated to celebrating queer ...

Michelle Kadarusman Brings Together Threatened Orangutans, Palm Oil Controversy, and Passionate Young Activists in Her New Novel

Humans and orangutans share 97% of our DNA, yet we have pushed these highly intelligent animals to the point of being endangered through habitat loss and human encroachment.Governor General's Literary ...

Contest: Get in the Back to School Groove with Unforgettable Andrew Larsen Books from Kids Can

Children's author Andrew Larsen has been nominated for the Blue Spruce Award and Governor General’s Literary Award, amongst many other honours, for his funny, relatable, heartfelt picture books. His ...

Neil Besner on Memory, Márquez, and His Family Story That Was 50 Years in the Making

Family is not only constructed by how we experience it, but by how we remember it. For Neil Besner, over fifty years of remembering and thinking about his unusual upbringing led to a memoir that spans ...

Read an Excerpt from Grace Vanderzande's Story of Life and Love as an Ontario Farmer

Grace Vanderzande didn't set out to be a farmer or a writer, but falling in love led her to become both. When she met her husband and he shared his dream of owning and farming land in eastern Ontario, ...

6 Tips for Effective School Visits

With September fast approaching, it’s time for children’s authors to start thinking about school presentations. School visits can be a great way to connect with your audience, promote your work, and ...

"What it Means to Be a Palestinian in Diaspora" Saeed Teebi on His Vivid & Wise Short Fiction Debut

Writer and lawyer Saeed Teebi's short story, "Her First Palestinian", an evocative, uncomfortable, brilliant gem of a character study, was shortlisted for the prestigious CBC Short Story Prize in 2021. ...

"Never Patronize or Hide Things" Nancy Vo Shares Her Philosophy of Writing for Kids & Her New Picture Book, Boobies

Why are we still so uptight about boobs? Long after Canadian women won the right by precedent (if not technically by law) to be topless in public anywhere men can be, we've still got debates raging about ...

Jodi Carmichael on Crafting Lou, a Girl with ADHD & Dyslexia Who is the Irresistible Hero of a New Middle Grade Novel

The irresistible protagonist of Jodi Carmichael's The U-nique Lou Fox (Pajama Press), Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O’Shaughnessy, is going to be a playwright, and nothing can stop her. Not her overlong ...

Book Therapy: Help! I’m Alive

“Usually the isolation is a result of some life trauma. Does your brother have trauma?”“Fuck, I don’t know. Who doesn’t have trauma?”—Gurjinder Basran, Help! I’m Alive Lately I can’t ...