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March 15, 2021
Book Therapy: In Praise of Retreat
“Chosen solitude is about agency, self-reliance and gaining clarity.When the churning mind-waters settle, I can begin to dip into the wellspring of my life.If I stay quiet long enough, I begin to forget ...
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June 28, 2023
Book Therapy: Big Shadow
“It suddenly felt pointless—no, more damning than that: it was embarrassing—to have devoted the day to him, travelling to the countrystead just to find his books, then imagining myself as the next ...
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November 15, 2018
The Importance of YA
Now that I’ve talked a lot about how I got to this point in my writing career, it seems important that I focus on why I choose to write young adult fiction. It seems, to me anyway, that despite the ...
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May 31, 2022
June Writer in Residence NShannacappo on Rhythm, Flow, and Writing More than 1500 Poems
Ottawa-based Nakawe graphic novelist and poet NShannacappo knows how to tell a story in myriad different forms, using art, verse, and dialogue to weave compelling tales that take in everything from ...
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July 07, 2023
"Reality is Messier...It’s Vital that Books Reflect That" Kate Blair on Crafting Honest Young Adult Literature
It's often been said that every good story opens in the same way: when something changes. And one of the most enduring and universal story structures is that of "a stranger arrived".Kate Blair puts her ...
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June 17, 2016
Revenge of the Indie Bookstore
In 2014, when I began booking my Crushes and Mountains US book tour with fellow Toronto-based writer Elisha Lim, I Googled “gay bookstore” or “independent bookstore” in cities we were planning ...
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September 18, 2016
Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature Shortlist Announced!
Canada's literary heritage is full of talented Jewish authors, including granddaddy (or, perhaps most aptly, zaide) Mordecai Richler, as well as acclaimed writers like Matt Cohen, Irving Layton, and many ...
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October 11, 2019
Daddy Writer To Be – Writing for Children
For many years, I had a dream to write a children’s book. My passion of becoming a father inspired me to write a children’s book. As a child who questioned their own gender identity, I wanted ...
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June 13, 2019
Dream Casting Frying Plantain
I know, it's super brave of me to make a post right after the Raptors won the championship (!!!!) but I'm going to do it anyway. The other day I did a talk at the Toronto Public Library (the Annette branch) ...