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November 04, 2019
Music, Writing, and the Practice of Art
Like many people in the arts, I have a number of jobs. For me, that includes writing, teaching writing, transcribing music notation, and teaching music.Teaching music came first. For the last fifteen ...
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March 13, 2017My final two columns: Part One
After nearly a decade, my time as a columnist for Open Book comes to a close. According to my email folder, it was May 2009 when Amy Logan Holmes first approached me with the idea of submitting pieces ...
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April 09, 2017My final two columns: Part Two
As rob has mentioned, this is the second part of his final column for Open Book. The staff at Open Book would like to share our appreciation for a decade of columns, and for rob's contributions to the ...
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September 03, 2020
My One Week on the Bestseller List
On Saturday, June 21, 2014 I opened the Globe and Mail to the books section (back in the time when newspapers had book sections) and after reading the reviews I began to idly scan the bestseller list. ...
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September 16, 2019
My Teenaged Reading Secret
When I was six my mom started to take me with her on her weekly visits to the public library. Mom was a fan of Dorothy L. Sayers; I was a fan of Raggedy Ann and Andy books. Around the age of thirteen ...
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May 14, 2021
My Top Ten Tips for Making a Living as a Writer
Writing is a lousy way to make a living, but a great way to make a life, I said when I started this residency. I’ve been doing both for thirty years. So here are 10 points that I’ve learned about ...
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August 15, 2017Naben Ruthnum on Titles, Curry, and What's Next
Coach House Books' unique Exploded Views series publishes short and sweet non-fiction books that offer fresh perspectives on complex issues. Their newest offering is Journey Prize winner Naben Ruthnum's ...
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April 04, 2018National Poetry Month Turns 20 & Canadian Poets Share Their Favourite Poems of the Last 20 Years
This year marks 20 years of Canada celebrating National Poetry Month in April. That's 20 years of readings, prizes, new collections, and a month long chance to fall in love with poetry all over again, ...
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March 20, 2018New Series! The Fruitful City Author Helena Moncrieff Talks about the Art & Science of Teaching Writing
Helena Moncrieff's The Fruitful City: The Enduring Power of the Urban Food Forest (ECW Press) delves into issues of urban food through the lens of an overlooked city food source: our fruit trees. Once ...
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January 24, 2024Nicholas Ruddock & Ashley Barron Show Tenderness to Tiny Fragile Snakes, and Other Creatures
It's always fun and insightful to have picture book authors featured on Open Book, but we're doubly lucky today to share this conversation between author Nicholas Ruddock and illustrator Ashley Barron. ...