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November 29, 2019
Fiction, Memory, and Family
I reread books, often because a story or scene moved me and I want to know how the writer engineered it. It’s exciting to flip back to the first page and say, “of course! Of course the story ends ...
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February 27, 2020
The Entitled Interview: March 2020 Writer-in-Residence Leslie Shimotakahara Finds Inspiration Through Family
Reading Toronto-based author Leslie Shimotakahara, you get the sense that family, and history, have always been important to her work.Her first book, the Canada-Japan Literary Prize-winning The Reading ...
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November 29, 2019
What Does Work/Life Balance Look Like for Writers?
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”This is a question children are often asked with a bemused smile by teachers, family, or friends. They expect that you’ll reply with some fantastical thing: ...
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March 02, 2020
Acknowledging Fear in Writing
“Don’t tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief’s wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear’s caul.” – Toni Morrison Fear.Fear of the first draft, fear of spiders, fear of ...
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December 02, 2019
A Literary Love Story: Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson Explore Toronto's Lit. Scene of the 60s and 70s in New Podcast
For those interested in discovering (or re-living) Toronto's vibrant literary community of the 1960s and 70s, the newest installment of House of Anansi's 128 Sterling podcast ought to be required listening.In ...
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December 03, 2019
Becoming Bigger Than Ourselves
In mid-November, a few days after I’d returned to Vancouver from the Singapore Writers Festival a week prior, I saw an owl.I was in a jet-lagged haze at dusk, on my way to the convenience store to get ...
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December 03, 2019
"I’ve Been Determined to Open up the Adventure Narrative into Something Deeper" Ailsa Ross Shines a Light on History's Bravest Women in Her New Book
In her newest book, The Girl Who Rode a Shark: And Other Stories of Daring Women (Pajama Press), author Ailsa Ross shows kids and grown-ups alike that the great heroes of history are not always the men ...
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March 04, 2020
The Dirty Dozen: 'Violet Shrink' Author Christine Baldacchino Talks Anime, Blanket Forts, and Bad Movies
Violet, the title character in author Christine Baldacchino's delightful new picture book Violet Shrink (Groundwood), feels uncomfortable and anxious in large groups. While the rest of her outgoing family ...
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March 05, 2020
On Illness
When I was eleven, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. It was my ballet teacher who first noticed that something was amiss; I could see it in the curiosity and concern that splashed ...
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December 04, 2019
Read an Excerpt from Fred Groves' 'Elect Her: Still Struggling to Be Recognized as Equals'
In his new book, Elect Her: Still Struggling to Be Recognized as Equals (Crossfield Publishing), author and journalist Fred Groves tackles gender disparity in Canadian politics. Highlighting women who ...