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November 30, 2020When old ways, thoughts, beliefs, and people no longer serve you
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. EliotLately I have been thinking about the act of releasing the things in my life that no longer serve me. When I revise a piece of writing, the first ...
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February 24, 2020
Blogpost 6: DOES WRITING KID’S BOOKS MAKE SENSE? Part 1 Getting Wise about the Why?
This blogpost is part of a two-part series— DOES WRITING KID’S BOOKS MAKE SENSE/CENTS? In 2018, The Writers’ Union of Canada published the results of a study showing that not only do Canadian ...
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April 16, 2018
"A Book is a Window to the World": Biblio Bash Guest Authors on What Libraries Mean to Them
In a city with a lot of charity galas, Biblio Bash stands out, especially for book lovers - it's the only party in town that takes place in the stacks of the Toronto Reference Library.Through the course ...
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July 08, 2017
humour as a form of Indigenous revitalization
Humour is a powerful force which animates our lives and gives us energy. Humour binds us with each other, helps us relax, and helps us to think beyond our ordinary perceptions. It allows us to imagine ...
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March 05, 2018"Loss and Absence Challenge Us to Become Who We Are": Kathleen Venema on Her Unique Mother-Daughter Memoir
The impact of mother-daughter relationships is hard to overstate. In Kathleen Venema's Bird-Bent Grass: A Memoir, in Pieces (Wilfrid Laurier University) the extraordinary influence of the mother-daughter ...
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January 07, 2022A Writer’s Guide to Reading in 2022
I read a lot of books in 2021. More than I ever have, except for maybe the summers when I was eight and would clear out the chapter book section at Humber Bay library. I have always been an escapist, ...
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November 29, 2017So You Want to Write About Race
Somehow I have become on expert on writing race.This was not something I planned for. When I started publishing, I was writing fiction about Chinese Canadian characters, about families who had been invisible ...
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July 31, 2019The Ultimate Writing Tips Post: We Asked Talented Canadian Writers for Their Best Piece of Literary Advice
There is no shortage of advice for writers out there. You can find endless lists about the importance (or irrelevance) of outlines, writing everyday, having a writing group, and myriad other strategies ...
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July 12, 2016Service Industry Hell (Part 2): Sinatra's Wake and a Cup of Vomit
A lot of the inspiration for my new book, Congratulations On Everything, came from the things I saw while working in bars, restaurants, and hotels, and from the experiences of friends who did the same. ...
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October 07, 2025Jumoke Verissimo's New Poetry Collection CIRCUMTRAUMA is a Haunting Poetic Reckoning
In the fascinating new collection Circumtrauma (Coach House Books), one of Africa’s most celebrated literary voices turns to poetry to reckon with one of the continent’s most haunting histories. ...
