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May 30, 2023Feed Your Brain, Read Widely
Writers are often advised to read within their genre to better understand it. And when it comes to readers, it can be tempting to stick to their favourite genre too⎯it’s a favourite for a reason!I'm ...
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August 22, 2021"The Pull of Words Had Become Urgent" Read an Excerpt from Music, Late and Soon, Robyn Sarah's Memoir of Her Two Artistic Passions
An out-of-the-blue phone call changed the artistic landscape of Robyn Sarah's life. A decorated poet with 11 collections released over more than four decades, Sarah is an integral part of the poetry ...
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August 23, 2019Go Back to School with CanLit: 10 "School Books" to Take You into September
There's nothing like back to school season - warm days, cool nights, crisp new school supplies ready to get dog-eared with use. Even long after we're past school age, the start of September can still ...
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March 23, 2017At the Desk, with Marie-Louise Gay
Marie-Louise Gay is based in Montreal but beloved around the world for her warm, funny, fabulously creative children's books, especially the Stella and Sam series. She has racked up a bevy of awards ...
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September 03, 2025Three Finalists Announced for the Writers’ Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize
The Writers’ Trust of Canada has revealed the finalists for the 2025 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers, a $12,000 award that shines a spotlight on powerful debut voices from across the ...
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August 31, 2017
Characters. Emotions. Relationships. Action.
In junior high, my grade seven English teacher taught us about conflict in narrative: man against man; man against nature; man against self; and man against society. To be honest, I never really found ...
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April 13, 2018
Dream Space: on the Reddit Relationships Forum
When I describe the reddit relationships forum to people at parties (which I do a lot), I usually say it’s like mainlining pure, uncut advice column. The basic premise of the site is simple: someone ...
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June 19, 2019What Kdramas Taught Me About Storytelling
OK so first I feel like I should explain that literature and TV/film motivate me in different ways. I like to see it as craft vs. content. Books I love or respect teach me about word choice and pacing, ...
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March 06, 2014
Novels vs. Serial Television
Novels are big. It’s something you recognize when you’ve got a draft and you need feedback – what a big favour it is to ask someone, a friend or acquaintance or agent, to spend a dozen or more hours ...
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April 12, 2014
Oh, Suspense!
In some literary circles, "suspense" is a bad word. Some feel that rich language and interesting characters should be enough to engage a reader's attention, and those who need a little pep in their fiction ...
