Ontario book news, interviews and more

Danny Jacob's Debut Novel is a Genre-Bending Gothic Fairy Tale

Poet and essayist Danny Jacobs is featured on Open Book today, and this time for his exciting debut novel, The Ignis Psalter (Gordon Hill Press/The Porcupine's Quill). In a multigenerational tale about ...

A Working Actor Feels Destined to Be a Star At Any Cost in Meredith Hambrock's Darkly Comic Novel

Meredith Hambrock's debut novel received acclaim from some lofty heights in the literary world, including The New York Times, and the author is back again to go from strength to strength in yet another ...

Dorian McNamara Wins the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize!

Congratulations to Halifax writer Dorian McNamara, who has won the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize for his story You (Streetcar at Night). You (Streetcar at Night) tells the story of the before and after ...

The 2025 CBC Short Story Prize Names This Year's Finalists

With an impressive track-record of kickstarting or boosting the careers of dozens of exciting authors, the CBC Short Story Prize is back at it again in 2025 with some riveting selections. Canada's might ...

Every Ingredient in Our Ancestors' Kitchen by Willie Poll Thrums With Meaning and Tradition

Métis activist and storyteller Willie Poll has deep connections to her community and traditions, all of which is on full display in a beautiful new picture book from the author. Poll's poetic voice ...

Amy LeBlanc Explores What Happens When a Body No Longer Feels Like a Home in Her New Poetry Collection

There are many works of art about illness and disability, but the language and metaphors used to explore such conditions can often be infused with negative, even violent terms that do not truly represent ...

How to Avoid Blank Page Syndrome: The Jar Method

When I’m editing, there are specific problems to tackle, and I find I have a clear to-do list. Even if there’s a lot to do, I have a road map, but at the beginning of a project, I get so easily daunted ...

Green to Grey: An Environmental Anthology is an Eclectic Collection of Fiction and a Call to Action

There have been some excellent anthologies featured on Open Book, and many of those have had wide-ranging themes and focuses, from terrifying campfire tales by acclaimed Indigenous authors to erotic yarns ...

Big Books for Little Naturalists Giveaway from Groundwood Books!

Groundwood Books, one of the most respected children's publishers in Canada, is jumping into spring with the release of My Book of Frogs and Toads. They are celebrating the publication of this fantastic ...

10 Self-Care Tips for Writers

Self-care is more than a long candlelit bath and chocolate—it’s prioritizing your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. As someone with anxiety and chronic depression, I’ve learned the hard ...