Search
-
February 27, 2023Stuart Ross Creates a Place for a Weirder, Wilder, More Innovative CanLit with 1366 Books
The rules for what a novel or short story can—or must—be have been in flux since the forms first began. And yet, truly out-of-the-box fiction and successful formal experimentation is hard to find. ...
-
February 11, 2021"I Like Inhabiting One Character": Philipp Schott on Telling Family Stories, Building Character, & "Invisible Scaffolding"
Philipp Schott's The Willow Wren (ECW Press) follows the complex and harrowing story of Ludwig, a child growing up in Hilter's Germany. Sent against his will to a Hitler Youth Camp, shy and gentle Ludwig ...
-
August 18, 2023Picture Book Trends
Picture books, like all art forms, are subject to trends and shifts in theme, style and format. I don’t necessarily recommend writing to trend, but it’s always good to be familiar with what’s working ...
-
October 11, 2023Vulnerability is a Writing Tool
My most reflexive apology is, “I went to theatre school.” Usually delivered with a shrug or a knowing smirk as if to say I can’t help it, it gets a laugh from the creative set about 82 percent of ...
-
November 24, 2023Arts in Evolution: The Word on the Street's New Leadership Team on Their Innovative Lateral Model
The Word on the Street is one of Toronto's biggest, oldest, and most beloved literary festivals, and it has recently undergone big changes on the staff side. Festival Director David Alexander announced ...
-
April 03, 2024"Try to Enjoy the Small Moments of Magic" - Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti Talk About a Writing Life and Their New Mystery Novel, Bury the Lead
In Bury the Lead (House of Anansi Press), mystery abounds when big city journalist Cat Conway moves to a small town in cottage country, and begins to uncover secrets lurking below the surface in the ...
-
August 15, 2024Mark Blagrave Takes the Reader on a Journey, and Questions Truth and Memory in His New Novel, Felt
Veteran novelist Mark Blagrave is back with another new work, and one that uses elements of his lived experiences to anchor a personal, heartfelt story.In his latest novel, Felt (Cormorant), we follow ...
-
October 10, 2024Saad T. Farooqi Grasps a Sliver of Hope in the Unique Dystopian Landscape of White World
Inspired by lived experiences, and the geopolitical issues that have gripped the countries that he's lived in, Saad T. Farooqi has always had a desire to write dystopian stories that speak to the heart ...
-
March 07, 2025Michaela Jeffery's The Extractionist is a Razor-Sharp, Neon-Noir Thriller
Calgary-based playwright Michaela Jeffery has been winning accolades and awards for her work for some time now, and has been exciting audiences with her stunning works that lean into themes of feminist ...
-
September 06, 2017
Unsung Heroes of Literature: Interview with a Semicolon
On Semicolon’s suggestion, we agreed to meet at Future Bakery, a coffee house at the corner of Bloor and Brunswick in downtown Toronto. The location was surprisingly humble, a place where third-year ...
