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June 07, 2023When Readers Write
Whenever I do a book event, people tell me things. Sometimes they tell me a bit about themselves or their families. At other times, they disclose traumatic experiences. I respond by holding the moment, ...
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October 25, 2023Governor General's Literary Award Finalists Revealed, with Nods for Suzette Mayr, Iain Reid, and More
Today the Canada Council for the Arts revealed the nominees for the Governor General's Literary Awards in both English and French. The seven categories for English nominees include 35 books, five in each ...
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December 08, 2023Interdisciplinary collaboration: The highlight of my writing year
Writing can be lonely—we hear that all the time. And though I generally love working alone, this year, I’ve been working with a dancer friend on a collaborative process and it’s been one of the ...
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December 20, 2023The Transition to Short Stories (as a poet)
I’ve spent years now honing my craft as a poet. I know how to edit individual poems, as well as to approach and rewrite entire manuscripts. Why did the need to do the same in fiction seem so daunting ...
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January 31, 2024Dawn Sii-yaa-ilth-supt Smith Shares Her Experiences and the Truth About Residential Schools in a New Children's Book
When Nuu-chah-nulth author Dawn Sii-yaa-ilth-supt Smith was approached by publishers to write a children's book about truth and reconciliation, she jumped at the opportunity to inform growing minds ...
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June 24, 2024In Praise of Chapbooks
The first time I heard the word “chapbook” as a new poet, I was pretty sure I misheard things. It was a word that everyone working within poetry seemed to know—and because of that, I felt shy asking ...
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March 24, 2025Finding a Press for Your Poetry Manuscript
In one of my first columns as an Open Book columnist, I shared my process of realizing I had a full-length poetry manuscript. Since then, I’ve written a number of columns about how to go about preparing ...
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May 05, 2025The Pros and Cons of Beta Readers
I just finished an early draft of a new middle grade novel and realized as pressed “save” that even though it was nowhere near done, I’d taken it as far as I could.It was officially time for a beta ...
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April 26, 2024Colleen Coco Collins Explores the Unique Pathway That Led to Their Debut Collection, Sorry About the Fire
The origin of a person's poetic nature can be elusive, but there are often moments that a poet might look back to that clearly signify this draw toward the spinning of words and ideas in carefully laid ...
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November 20, 2025Sadiqa de Meijer Searches for True Meaning and Connection in the Essays of IN THE FIELD
Governor General’s Award winner Sadiqa de Meijer returns with a thoughtful and beautifully composed collection of essays that invites readers to look closely at the world around them. Building on the ...
