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December 17, 2018
"I Learned That Writing Could Be Hilarious" Naseem Hrab on the Books that Shaped Her Writing Life
Acclaimed picture book author (and beloved Open Book columnist!) Naseem Hrab knows a thing or two about friendship, and she captures that magic in her Ira Crumb series, the newest instalment of which ...
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June 07, 2022
Getting Started the Long Way Around
I didn't always want to be a writer, mind you, I didn't learn to read or write until I was about 12. I have this auditory learning disability that makes learning things a challenge, most things I can ...
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January 15, 2018
On Margaret Atwood and the new Canlit
It’s nine o’clock on a Sunday night and my son is asleep. This is a time reserved for me, a time when I usually don’t work or think about work, when I sometimes watch Stephen Colbert videos, or ...
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June 18, 2020
Sue Macartney on Loving Yourself, Funny Birds, and Her Favourite Writing Partner
Benjamin, the central character in author and illustrator Sue Macartney's new picture book Benjamin's Blue Feet (Pajama Press), is a blue-footed booby — a seabird native to the South Pacific. While ...
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July 31, 2023
Managing a Writing Career and Mental Illness
As someone who's dealt with chronic depression and anxiety for most of my life, I know how difficult it can be to balance mental illness and writing. Sometimes, the thought of working on my latest book ...
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May 01, 2018
The Nonnets Author Aaron Giovannone Reviews His Recent Writing Spaces
You've read a sonnet. Now try a... nonnet?What is a nonnet, you might ask? For that we turn to Aaron Giovannone, author of The Nonnets (Book*hug). Nonnets are Giovannone's own creation — nine-line ...
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May 30, 2018
Aaron Tucker on Writing the Complex Man Who Fathered the Atomic Bomb
J. Robert Oppenheimer is known for his reluctant but irreversible legacy as the father of the atomic bomb and director of the infamous Manhattan Project. But there was more to the man than the bomb, and ...
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April 15, 2021
"I Continued To Write It Anyway" Jen Sookfong Lee Shares Her Best Advice, Memories, & Tips from Her Iconic Writing and Publishing Journey
Jen Sookfong Lee has been leaving readers awed and moved for years with her powerful and award-nominated novels, nonfiction, and children's books. She also knows a thing or two about publishing, working ...
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December 20, 2022
Cary Fagan on Learning to Write Freely as His Atmospheric New Novel Unleashes Wild Animals in Unexpected Places
In Cary Fagan's The Animals (Book*hug Press), the facade of Dorn's village is peaceful and perfect, making it a popular, quaint tourist destination. But for Dorn, the cheerful exterior hides torment. ...
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April 09, 2017
Poetry Exercises
Sometimes if I’m feeling stalled in my writing, or when I have a limited block of time in which to write, like an hour at a coffee shop before my fulltime job, I can use some help to get the writing ...