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The Joy of Building a List

Early on, when I still thought I’d be a writer rather than work in publishing, I remember coming across a lovely quote from Toni Morrison saying something along the lines of “If you can’t find the ...

How to hold a launch.

There comes a time in a writer’s life when, if you are very lucky, you will be published (frequently but not always a book) and you may feel the need to draw attention to it with some kind of hoohah. ...

Why Canada Reads Needs Unhappy Narratives

Each year on Canada Reads, five books of fiction and nonfiction are chosen by Canadian celebrities who advocate for their book of choice as one that “all of Canada should read.” One book is voted ...

Publishers and Awards

Though fall isn’t quite as busy a time for children’s literature awards as it is for the adult side of CanLit, the two most prominent prizes, the Governor General’s Literary Awards for text and ...

Book Launch: Skin by Catherine Bush

Picture 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 ...

Joyce Grant on Helping Young People Spot Fake News & Dubious Claims in an Ever-Changing Online Landscape

There are plenty of things that never change when it comes to being a parent. Parents throughout history have probably been charmed by a baby giggle, excited to see their kids master skills, and worried ...

Excerpt: Merilyn Simonds Explores the Spectacular Life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence, a Woman Ahead of Her Time, in a Meditative New Biography

There are some lives that are so fantastical, so packed with passion and strange turns and reinventions, that they are hard to summarize. Such is the life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence, a Swedish aristocrat ...

Writing for the Public, Writing for the Self

“Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be grasped at once, and they require separate techniques.”I’m still on about the long-gone British critic ...

A Defence of Plagiarism That I Totally Stole from Kenneth Goldsmith

Avant-garde poet and literary provocateur Kenneth Goldsmith has dedicated himself to what he calls “uncreative writing” – that is, creating art out of found texts he copies out whole. His book Day, ...