Search
-
February 22, 2017
Poetry vs Prose part 1 of 2
”Why does Dane use words like poetry and prose yet refuse concepts like genre?”I've been accused of citing quotes unnecessarily, so I'll merely remind my readers of a very Canadian statement, “The ...
-
December 12, 2017
Publishers and Awards
Though fall isn’t quite as busy a time for children’s literature awards as it is for the adult side of CanLit, the two most prominent prizes, the Governor General’s Literary Awards for text and ...
-
June 26, 2019
"For Me, Everything That Isn’t Asphalt and Concrete is Part of the Urban Forest" Read an Excerpt from Treed by Ariel Gordon
A walk in the woods is a deceptively simple thing. From the complex ecosystems we pass to the psychological effects of spending time in a natural setting, our simple walks can be something fascinating ...
-
October 21, 2020
How to Engage Online
Online engagement is a reality of the modern writer’s life. It’s rare now for an author to create a story in solitude, and then remain there once their book is out in the world. Digital media now ...
-
November 28, 2017
Tanya Talaga on the Title and Tragedy of Seven Fallen Feathers
The tragic story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack is a rightfully well known one now in Canada - how the young boy froze to death after running away from a residential school. What is less known is that ...
-
August 12, 2016
Tokenism vs. Inclusion
Last month, I wrote a piece about my frustrations with the lack of diversity in Canada’s publishing industry. In the comments, it was mentioned that while some folks are trying to make improvements, ...
-
May 30, 2024
Allyson McOuat's Essays Conjure Haunts and Ward Them Off in The Call is Coming From Inside the House
Allyson McOuat turned heads back in 2020 when her fabulous essay, The Ghost Was the Least of Our Problems, was published in The New York Times. With a signature mix of intimacy, humour, and haunting ...
-
June 26, 2018
Mentors & Allies 4: Hazel Millar
I cannot tell you how many times I have emailed Hazel Millar at Book*hug. Whether it was a question about my contract, a reminder about an event, festival, or reading, or just me blathering on about something, ...
-
June 19, 2019
What Kdramas Taught Me About Storytelling
OK so first I feel like I should explain that literature and TV/film motivate me in different ways. I like to see it as craft vs. content. Books I love or respect teach me about word choice and pacing, ...
-
May 24, 2024
A Discussion of Blasphemy and Other Ancestors: 4 Novellas by Padgett Powell, Darius James, Lee Henderson, & Jean Marc Ah-Sen
"It's the fate that awaits us all," says Jean Marc Ah-Sen of the four novellas in Blasphemy and Other Ancestors (Gordon Hill Press), written by him, Padgett Powell, Darius James, and Lee Henderson, explaining ...