Columnists

Tips from a Festival Director

One of the surprising things to happen when I moved to Yukon was that I became director of an annual writers’ conference. As part of my role, I secure authors, negotiating their fees, even signing their ...

Publishing Tips for the Existentially Endangered

A couple of years ago I had a serious health scare. Without going into too much detail, I was admitted into the hospital in late spring and for a brief time no one was able to tell me for sure whether ...

In Praise of Those Who Publish Nothing

Like many of my time zone, I spent the night of November 9th with my smartphone on the same pillow as my head, awakening every now and again to check, and get my mind around, the news. I also had very ...

Poetry in Yukon

“The next unit is Poetry.”Was there any phrase that could make me less popular as a teacher?I was teaching Grade 8 English in Dawson City, an historic Gold Rush town of 1,500, just 5 hours from the ...

My 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 ...

Kid Lit Can: Personal "Firsts" In Kid Lit, Part One

My Time To series of three board books– Nap Time, Play Time, and Bath Time – are being published this September. This signifies two “firsts” for me – first board books ever, and first time ever ...

I’m an Immigrant and I’m Going to Take Your Job

A few months ago somebody I know—a Polish immigrant—tried to convince me—an Iranian immigrant—that immigrants are taking all the jobs. Putting aside that this assertion has been proven wrong, ...

How to Feel, What to Eat

I just got a latte at Starbucks. My drink took a long time. While I waited I eavesdropped on a good chunk of a date, between a man and a woman, taking place at a table near the pick-up station. I believe ...

My 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 ...

An Interview with Adèle Barclay

“I'm not too interested in the reader needing to understand the private language...” - Adèle BarclayAdèle Barclay’s BC Book Prize nominated If I Were in a Cage I’d Reach out for You (Nightwood) ...