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March 21, 2018On 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, 2018Curator 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, 2019Doctor 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, 2019The 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, 2020It'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, 2018An 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 ...
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May 21, 2018On racialized motherhood, writing, and sleep deprivation
The day before my son’s due date, I sent what I thought was the final draft of The Better Mother to my editor. The baby’s bedroom was finished: yellow walls, penguin stencil, gingham curtains. My ...
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October 03, 2018Understanding the Eternal Appeal of Anne Frank's Story With All About Anne Author Menno Metselaar
It's hard to name a cultural figure who has had the impact Anne Frank has. Her eponymous diary and the museum created in the house where she and her family lived in hiding are known around the world, ...
