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May 15, 2017
Monopoly on memory
Recently on Instagram, I saw a picture of Warszawa Centralna railway station and I was overcome by the smell and the sound the picture evoked. It smelled of damp concrete, earth, dirt and engine oil, ...
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April 25, 2018
Illustrator Ellen Weinstein Collaborates with the MoMA to Celebrate Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors in Book Form
Yayoi Kusama, known for her trademark polka dot-centric art and the wild, childlike joy contained in her immersive works, is widely considered one of the most popular living artists in the world. Her ...
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March 21, 2018
On writing politically, or how not to make your fiction sound like a lecture
When I started writing my most recent novel, The Conjoined, I began with the idea of subverting classic crime fiction, something that I thought would be a fun bookish game. What if I could write a literary ...
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October 31, 2018
We've always been here
My time here is drawing to a close and I’d like to express great thanks to the Open Book team for inviting me to this space for the past month. It’s been a real pleasure and an immense honour to have ...
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July 30, 2018
Curator Jocelyn Piirainen on the AGO's Tunirrusiangit, featuring Iconic Inuit Artists Kenojuak Ashevak & Tim Pitsiulak
This summer, the Art Gallery of Ontario is celebrating two extraordinary Inuit artists: Kenojuak Ashevak and her nephew Timootee (Tim) Pitsiulak. The exhibition, Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak ...
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February 01, 2019
Doctor Gretchen Roedde on Her Journey to Expand Healthcare in Remote Ontario Communities
Remote communities in Canada often suffer from a lack medical resources, making illness and injury even more complicated and difficult than it would otherwise be. It's an issue that became a driving force ...
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September 24, 2019
The Art of the Deadline
Every word I’m typing right now is late. Not a month late, or even a week late, but three days late. And with every tap, tap, tap on my keyboard, I feel a pang. Anxiety. Guilt. Racing thoughts. Why ...
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January 23, 2020
It's a Long Story: Ian Hamilton Goes Back In Time in His Newest Novel
At the start of the 1980s, China sits on the precipice of a new era of economic growth and prosperity, but not everyone is welcoming it.This exciting and tumultuous time is the setting for best-selling ...
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October 01, 2019
"Sometimes, the Story Isn't Finished Being Told" Drew Hayden Taylor on Spending 20 Years with the Story That Inspired His Newest Novel
In playwright, novelist, and screenwriter Drew Hayden Taylor's new book, Chasing Painted Horses (Cormorant Books), an innocent act of encouragement from a parent has far-reaching consequences. When ...
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August 27, 2018
An Open Letter to the Stranger Who Asked Me, “How Did You Write That Book for Children If You Don't Have Children?”
Dear Stranger,I realize that writing a book is kind of a self-important undertaking. When I write, I sometimes imagine that there are people out there who might actually enjoy reading my words and letting ...