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November 07, 2022"I Had Never Heard His Voice, and Yet I Knew it Right Away" Read an Excerpt from Silence to Strength: Writings and Reflections on the Sixties Scoop
For any parent, the idea of having a child removed from you without your consent is the stuff of nightmares. But for many Indigenous families, that nightmare became a reality in communities across Canada. ...
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July 13, 2018
Writing What You "Know"
I’m one of countless writers who found his way thanks to this old standby, and having just published a book of stories set in small Southwestern Ontario towns a lot like the ones where I grew up, it’s ...
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July 10, 2018
Did You Really Go Through All That?
I stole the title of this post from a scene late in the film Sideways, but I could’ve taken a similar line from nearly anywhere—for instance, the second of Orhan Pamuk’s Norton Lectures (collected ...
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June 30, 2020Alex Pugsley Gets to the Heart of Halifax in His Debut Novel
In certain stories, the setting itself becomes a character, containing all the rich history and moody dynamics of the people who occupy it. Such is the case with Alex Pugsley's debut novel Aubrey McKee ...
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April 20, 2016Kid Lit Can, with Susan Hughes: the Magic, the Wonder - Chatting with Ya Fantasy Authors (Part 1)
In my capacity as freelance story coach and manuscript critiquer, I receive many inquiries and, interestingly, I’ve realized that a disproportionately high number of them are from writers working on ...
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February 07, 2017
Kid Lit Can: Spotlight on Middle Grade Fiction - Part 1
Happy 2017! This month and next, I’m spotlighting middle-grade (MG) novels -- stories written for readers who are generally within the 7 to 12-year-old age range. I’ve written one MG novel (Island ...
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September 13, 20172018 Kobzar Literary Award shortlist celebrates Ukrainian-Canadian Stories
The Shevchenko Foundation has announced the shortlist for the biennial $25,000 Kobzar Literary Award, which celebrates Ukrainian-Canadian writers and writing. The winner will be announced in March 2018 ...
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October 02, 2024Toronto artist Sam Chaiton Explores How Profound Trauma Shapes a Famiy in his new Memoir, We Used to Dream of Freedom
Our featured author today is no stranger to the trials and tribulations of oppressed peoples, and his actions throughout a long and varied artistic career bear that out clearly. Perhaps most known for ...
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October 29, 2019Governor General's Literary Award Winners Announced, including Honours for Book*hug, Playwrights Canada, & Groundwood Books
From a poetic exploration of Indigenous trans identity to the keenly imagined story of a brave young girl and her eagle friend, the 2019 winners of the Governor General's Literary Awards span numerous ...
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September 18, 2025A Snowstorm Sets Upon a Small Town and Reveals the Powerful Bonds of Community in THE UPENDING OF WENDALL FORBES
In his latest novel, David Giuliano delivers a warm, funny, and deeply human story about aging, resilience, and the surprising ways life can be renewed. Wendall and Ruby Forbes are grappling with sleepless ...
