Search
-
August 16, 2017Considering the Incomplete
I love to buy something then cut it in half. I did this recently with a product called the World’s Best Dishcloth and felt like a genius. Now I had two dishcloths and they were both the best dishcloth ...
-
February 10, 2022Excerpt Month: Witty, Tough, Flirty, and Wise - Don't Miss a Glimpse of Leon Rooke's Rank Songbirds
As we continue with our February spotlight on excerpts, we would be remiss if we forgot our poetry lovers. Today's excerpt, from CanLit icon Leon Rooke's Rank Songbirds (Porcupine's Quill), will give ...
-
May 28, 2014Acknowledgements: Elton D'Costa, Librarian
Book publishing, as an industry, is not unlike a Jenga tower held together by sheer force of will. If the industry works at all, it's only because many dedicated and diligent people work or little reward ...
-
January 18, 2017Get Thee to a Library
You might be forgiven for thinking that Chester Brown immigrated to Toronto from J. R. R. Tolkien's Lothlórien. There is an enigmatic, ethereal quality to his presence. A deep and patient thinker, Chester ...
-
July 14, 2017Daniel Coleman on the Complexities, Labour, and Reward of a Connection to the Land
Yardwork: A Biography of an Urban Place (Wolsak & Wynn) by Daniel Coleman examines a theme that is both timely and timeless - the question of place and belonging. How do newcomers relate to an existing ...
-
January 31, 2011On Illustrating, with Jon Klassen
Jon Klassen, winner of the 2010 Governor General's Literary Award for Illustration, talks to Open Book about his prize-winning (and heart-warming) illustrations for Cats' Night Out (Simon & Schuster) ...
-
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. ...
-
October 20, 2025Writing Protagonists Who Don’t Care If You Like Them
As writers, we want our readers to connect with our protagonists, to root for them and relate to them. It makes sense – human connection is at the heart of storytelling. If a reader just utterly hates ...
-
March 14, 2018
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. ...
-
October 01, 2018Why Does It Take So Long to Make a Picture Book?: Or, How To Get Really Good at Waiting
I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t prepared for all the waiting I’d have to do in life. And when it comes to writing, you do a lot of waiting. Waiting for inspiration to strike. Realizing that ...
