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December 10, 2024
Two Cultures Collide in an Essential Memoir About Japanese-Canadian Cultural Resilience by Suzanne Elki Yoko Hartmann
Though too-often overlooked in discussions about Canada during and after World War II, the experiences of Japanese-Canadians during that time are a window into the fearmongering and xenophobia that must ...
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November 15, 2024
Two Sisters Must Reckon with Deeply-Held Family Secrets in Louise Ells' New Novel, Lies I Told My Sister
After being named a Hawthornden Fellow, author Louise Ells was given the go-ahead to take the opportunity by her family, a crucial decision due to her caretaking duties for a husband living with dementia. ...
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February 19, 2025
Two Women Risk Everything to Escape Communist Poland in Kasia's Jaronczyk's Riveting Debut Novel
Prolific author Kasia Jaronczyk has had works of fiction and nonfiction published widely in journals and anthologies, and her keen voice has long been on display for readers. As an author with Polish ...
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September 11, 2024
Two Young Athletes Find Themselves Torn Between the Sport They Love and State Rule in Eyes on the Ice
Already the author of two critically acclaimed hockey biographies for young readers, Anna Rosner has stayed with the sport, but shifted approaches and forms in her latest work. The result is the powerful ...
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October 22, 2018
Uncomfortable Questions
One of the most common questions any writer from a marginalized background gets is “who did you write this for?” A variation of that is “what audience did you have in mind when you wrote this?” ...
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October 04, 2024
Undaunted Ursula Franklin Honours and Celebrates a Truly Remarkable Scholar, Scientist, and Activist
“Peace is not the absence of war, peace is the absence of fear.” The above quote comes from Ursula Franklin, the titular character in a new book for young people that explores the life of this fascinating, ...
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January 14, 2017
Valentine's Shadow
The terrible weight of Valentine's Day is exactly one month away. What better way to celebrate its inexorable gravity than to discuss one of those topics rarely discussed in relation to the writing ...
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April 18, 2023
Vancouver's Will Richter Wins CBC Short Story Prize for His Gripping Tale of Literary Festival Violence
This morning, CBC Books and the Canada Council for the Arts announced that Vancouver's Will Richter has won the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize. His story "Just a Howl" captured the prestigious $6,000 prize, ...
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March 25, 2023
Was It Worth It?
Was it worth it? I get asked this a lot.I think they are asking if putting in all the time, effort and emotional labour to write a vulnerable and raw memoir about trauma, is worth it. Like, if I say yes, ...
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October 31, 2018
We've always been here
My time here is drawing to a close and I’d like to express great thanks to the Open Book team for inviting me to this space for the past month. It’s been a real pleasure and an immense honour to have ...