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December 08, 2017
Books of the Year
The end of the year is predictably a time for reviewing, taking stock, and of course, lots and lots of best of lists. In the world of books, there are some pretty obvious picks—award winners, best sellers, ...
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May 03, 2022
Both Art and Relationships are "Liminal, Ever Evolving, & Expose Our Vulnerabilities": Melanie Mitzner on Her 90s-Set Debut Novel
The 90s may (somehow) be thirty years ago now, but in Melanie Mitzner's Slow Reveal (Inanna Publications), where are whisked back to the final decade of the 20th century for an intense family portrait ...
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February 06, 2016
Both Silly and Serious: Part Two of Desert Pets Press in Conversation
Yesterday I posted the first part of an interview with Emma Dolan and Catriona Wright, founders of Desert Pets Press. Catriona talked about their evolution from walkie-talkie using friends to chapbook-making ...
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May 27, 2020
Brad Casey on Honouring Your Space, Writing From the Heart, and Handling Rejection
The linked short stories that comprise Toronto author Brad Casey's debut collection The Handsome Man (Book*hug) follow a young man as he travels through North America and Europe, falling in with a series ...
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June 20, 2015
Bravery Through Bestsellers
In a recent cultural comment in The New Yorker, South African-born social anthropologist and writer Ceridwen Dovey investigates whether reading can make us happier. She describes a session with a bibliotherapist ...
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May 14, 2020
Bring Back the Good ‘Ol Days of Getting Lost in Fiction
“The anonymous woman in bed beside me adamantly shakes my shoulder.”—Amber Dawn, Sodom Road Exit“Sometimes we would hide in the closet when the drunks came home from the bar.”—Tanya Tagaq, ...
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May 29, 2023
Bringing It All Back Home
As I write this, I am sitting outside in the backyard of a rowhouse in Toronto’s East End. The wind is stirring the leaves of a big maple tree spreading its branches high above me, and stirring the ...
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July 21, 2022
Camels with Botox, Lizard Overlords, & Salinger as Inspiration: Rod Carley on His Hilarious & Fresh Story Collection, Grin Reaping
CanLit doesn't have a reputation for hilarity, but the third book from North Bay based writer Rod Carley, Grin Reaping (Latitude 46 Publishing), is more evidence that our supposedly serious rep needs ...
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July 03, 2017
canada 150: the indian act and neechie hustle
First of all, I would like to say that I am honoured to be the writer in residence for Open Book this month. I love the idea of a digital residency and the flexibility that this affords to a writer like ...
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March 07, 2024
Canada Reads 2024 Wrap-Up - The Future by Catherine Leroux Wins the Competition
After four days of passionate debate and discussion, Canada Reads 2024 came to a dramatic conclusion, with The Future by Catherine Leroux (translated by Susan Ouriou) taking the glory. Championed ...