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June 09, 2020Kids Club: Cary Fagan and Milan Pavlovic on The Creative Process Behind Their Gorgeous New Picture Book
The young protagonist of award-winning author Cary Fagan's new picture book Son of Happy (Groundwood) might be the only little boy who doesn't like birthday parties.Why, you ask? His father, a professional ...
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June 09, 2020
What Makes a Good Children’s Book?
You’re buying a book for a new baby, or for your own restless 12-year-old. You know what books delighted you when you were a kid. But are those books actually good? And are they likely to please and ...
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June 03, 2020Nina Newington on Canada, Uncertainty, and Her Newest Book
Meg, the central character of author Nina Newington's newest book Cardinal Divide (publishing in September from Guernica Editions), needs a lot of important questions answered.Adopted as a small child ...
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June 02, 2020June Writer-in-Residence Helaine Becker on Her Feminist Origin Story, Writing for Kids, and Her Inspiring New Book
If you're a fan of children's publishing, it's very likely you've heard of Helaine Becker. The Toronto-based creator has authored over eighty books for kids of varying ages, garnering accolades along ...
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May 31, 2020Signing off.
Horrific day to be posting this last entry. The violence and harm inflicted on Black people is enraging. Seeing the failure of some to recognize this terror—or worse be complacent and perpetuate it—can ...
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May 29, 2020Making Time: Why Now is the Perfect Time for Tarot
I don’t want to pretend that I know the history of the Tarot or how it should be used, but I’ve been using it for the last three years because it’s been immensely helpful. I’m not an “expert,” ...
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May 28, 2020At the Desk: Claire Caldwell
Toronto poet Claire Caldwell's new collection, Gold Rush (Invisible Publishing), is a study of the various ways women can be considered settlers in their own time, and what effect that presence has had ...
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May 28, 2020
Something on race.
I had planned to post something on race. I was going to look at how it has affected me, including the friendships I have (and don’t have) today in real life. I was going to explore race in story and ...
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May 27, 2020Brad Casey on Honouring Your Space, Writing From the Heart, and Handling Rejection
The linked short stories that comprise Toronto author Brad Casey's debut collection The Handsome Man (Book*hug) follow a young man as he travels through North America and Europe, falling in with a series ...
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May 26, 2020
Writing and the Body.
As I sit at my desk and stare at this screen, I’m reminded of the impact of writing on my body. I recognize being able-bodied carries a tremendous amount of privilege, and there are many others with ...