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September 05, 2023Shari Green on Exploring Anxiety, Grief, & Canada's Favourite Sport in Her New Verse Novel for Young Readers
The verse novel is a tricky feat to pull off, and comparatively rare for that reason. But Shari Green's novels in verse make it look easy, as she tackles complex themes, like inclusion and mental health, ...
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September 05, 2023Something to delight in: Why I became a book publicist
From my bookish beginnings as an anxious kid who preferred the certainty of a good story to the probable humiliation of trying to make new friends, I always believed that making a career out of books ...
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September 05, 2023Writing on the Clock
A common question from the published writer is: will I ever earn out my advance? Recently I wondered: what about my stolen time? If I only ever wrote when I was “supposed to” (in periods of grant ...
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September 01, 2023"Things I Wouldn’t Otherwise Be Able to Say" September Writer in Residence Fawn Parker on Poetry & Process
Fawn Parker is not slowing down anytime soon, and that is very good news for readers. On the heels of her widely acclaimed, Giller-nominated novel What We Both Know, which came out in 2022, she has ...
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August 30, 2023Michael Melgaard Delves into the Dark Side of True Crime in His Debut Novel
In many true crime tales, the focus shifts to the intrepid reporter, detective, or armchair expert who is intent on solving a mystery. Or, even more problematically, the story centres—sometimes with ...
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August 29, 2023Read an Excerpt from South by Babak Lakghomi, a Disorienting, Dazzling Tale of Totalitarianism & Truth
Babak Lakghomi's new novel South (Rare Machines/Dundurn Press) is set against a bleak totalitarian landscape, following B, a journalist on a search for truth. A dazzling, disorienting addition to Dundurn's ...
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August 23, 2023Don Gillmor on Families, Secrets, & the Lockpicking Mom in His Brilliant New Novel
In Don Gillmor's new novel, Breaking and Entering (Biblioasis), Beatrice Billings is stuck in the middle-est of middles. At 49, she's dealing with a stagnant marriage, an ailing mother, and a son who ...
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August 23, 2023Trashpanda Futures in Quality Time and The Marigold
Suzannah Showler & Andrew F. Sullivan on the Raccoons of TorontoToronto has one true mascot, a creature with a deeper understanding of the city than any human. The raccoon makes a significant appearance ...
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August 22, 2023Marie-Louise Gay on Getting Personal about Tough Childhood Moments in Her Magical New Picture Book
For a kid, moving to a new house and finding friends in a new school can be extremely tough. In iconic KidLit creator Marie-Louise Gay's new picture book, Hopscotch (Groundwood Books), Ophelia uses ...
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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 ...