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August 25, 2023Book Launch Season, Part One: Being an Author
In the book world, the arrival of fall usually means the arrival of a whole host of new books to look forward to. And with new books comes book launches, tours, and celebrations—and sometimes it can ...
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November 30, 20237 Ways to Develop Secondary Characters
Many authors do a good job at developing their protagonist or POV characters. After all, readers will be in these characters’ heads throughout an entire book. But as many readers can attest to, sometimes ...
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August 31, 2018On the future of Canlit
You guys, this is my last Open Book column.I have been writing this column for a year now and I’ll admit I didn’t know what I was going to write about when Holly Kent and Kevin Hardcastle asked me ...
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June 01, 2018On Middles
Recently I sat at the booksellers’ table during a poetry reading. This is best-case scenario seating. You might feel a little nervous that you’ll spill your drink on hundreds of dollars of merch, ...
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August 16, 2017Considering the Incomplete
I love to buy something then cut it in half. I did this recently with a product called the World’s Best Dishcloth and felt like a genius. Now I had two dishcloths and they were both the best dishcloth ...
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August 22, 2019"It is So Special to Carry a Name in My Traditional Language" Getting to Know Fireweed Author Tunchai Redvers
Tunchai Redvers' Fireweed (Kegedonce Press) is an unmissable powerhouse of a debut. A poetry book that is literally dedicated to the Indigenous youth who Redvers works with through her non-profit organization, ...
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October 11, 2024A Young Sleuth Arrives on the Scene in a Heartfelt Paranormal Mystery by Mikaela Lucido
Like many authors who write about young sleuths and detectives as they investigate various mysteries, Mikaela Lucido loved the atmosphere and intrigue in those stories, but had her own ideas about how ...
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June 13, 2019Dream Casting Frying Plantain
I know, it's super brave of me to make a post right after the Raptors won the championship (!!!!) but I'm going to do it anyway. The other day I did a talk at the Toronto Public Library (the Annette branch) ...
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February 01, 2017
Introduction, Academic Language & my dislike of genre
Greetings,My name is Dane Swan and I'll be your Writer in Residence for February. I'm sure that it's just coincidence that I'm the Writer in Residence for February, but since it is Black History month ...
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September 21, 2023I’ve been invited to present at a literary festival, now what?
From the Brigadoon-esque setting of The Eden Mills Writer Festival to the hustle and bustle of TIFA Kids, it’s literary festival season. Everyone loves an invite to a party, but make sure you have all ...
