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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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May 05, 2021"Female Fighters Have Always Embodied the Struggle for Equality" Alison Dean on Combat Sports, Violence, & Memoir
Picture a boxer: Sweating, bruised, determined. Maybe eying an opponent with gritty concentration.Any chance you're picturing a woman? When "you hit like a girl" is still a common criticism, and when ...
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April 18, 2017The In Character Interview, with Leslie Shimotakahara
Leslie Shimotakahara's After the Bloom (Dundurn Press) has been praised as "personal and entrancing, unflinchingly shining a light on [a] difficult part of history" and "a sweeping page turner". The ...
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December 11, 2025Susan Currie Connects the Profoundly Personal with Crucial Indigenous History in CAYUGA NATION
What happens when a deeply personal discovery becomes the inspiration for a children's book that reaches beyond individual memory and touches on collective history? In Cayuga Nation (Beech Street Books/Saunders ...
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July 31, 2025How to Give Useful Writing Feedback
Many writers have friends who are also writers, and sometimes those friends ask us to give feedback on their work. Yay! We get to help our friends succeed! However, there can also be anxiety behind it. ...
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August 20, 2024Promoting Your Book Online: Literary Citizenship
In my last column, I shared tips for promoting your book online without burnout. I covered making a marketing plan ahead of your book launch, defining boundaries around what you share online, and cultivating ...
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October 10, 2018A Tribute to Literary Friendships
“Are you a writer?” I asked the girl standing on the other side of the table.I was manning a booth for a writing program at an outdoor literary festival. It was cold and attendance was down. Most ...
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March 19, 2019How Twitter Transformed My Writing Life
“Ugh, I’m on Twitter and I hate it,” I remember telling a friend and fellow writer at her birthday party last year.The room was full of writers and the conversation had somehow shifted to talk about ...
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February 17, 2017A few minutes with ... Whitney French
Throughout the month, I am posting my interviews with members of the literary community. Today, I am pleased to share my conversation with Whitney French. Whitney is a talented writer, performer, and ...
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October 18, 2019Act Now to Keep Seasonal Creativity Disorder at Bay!
It’s not winter yet, but as we head into fall it’s starting to get darker earlier. It’s also getting colder. Maybe some days you’ve even wished you’d worn a light scarf or gloves as you walked ...