Ontario book news, interviews and more

Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley's Wonderful Woodland Art Leaps Off the Page in Boozhoo!/Hello!

Teaching young people about wildlife and nature is a crucial part of storytelling, and a great picture book can achieve this with art and language. There are many examples of these titles, but the new ...

Suzan Palumbo's Novella Countess is a Queer, Caribbean, Anti-Colonial Sci-fi Epic

Suzan Palumbo has already turned heads in her previous work, with short fiction that has been nominated for the Nebula, Aurora, and World Fantasy Awards. Avid sci-fi readers will delight in immersing ...

Debut Novelist Anne Hawk Tells a Story of Childhood and Community in The Pages of the Sea

The history of a place is not just the details that can be written down or chronicled in some pragmatic way. Rather, it can be best explored through the people that have lived there, and the patterns ...

Read an Excerpt from the New Anthology, Zegaajimo: Indigenous Horror Fiction

The new and frighteningly good anthology, Zegaajimo: Indigenous Horror Fiction (Kegedonce Press), derives its name from the Ojibwe term meaning "to tell a scary story." And, the author that have been ...

Alejandra Diaz Roman Explores the Unique and Powerful Cultural Celebration of Día de los Muertos

Alejandra Diaz Roman was raised with the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos, dressing up as a Catrina (fancy skeleton), and participating in the traditions of this important cultural event. It was ...

Andrew Forbes' Debut Novel, The Diapause, is a Literary-Speculative Gem

Readers of Open Book may find our featured author of the day familiar, as the prolific Andrew Forbes has had an excerpt of his recent novella published on the site just this summer. Known for his stirring ...

Kris Vanessa Teo Xin-En's New Cross-Cultural Drama Warms Hearts and Challenges Stereotypes

Prolific artist Kris Vanessa Teo Xin-En has shown vast range in her career as a playwright, performer, director, producer, and co-artistic director, and her latest work is a cross-cultural drama about ...

Celebrated Novelist Robert McGill Turns to Short Fiction to Examine Our Complicated World

Long celebrated as a novelist and non-fiction author, Robert McGill has turned his keen literary eye to complex personal stories that explore loss, displacement, identity and events that affect characters ...

Liz Worth Explores a Poetic Life and the Mysteries and Truths That Abound in Her New Collection, Inside Every Dream, a Raging Sea

Acclaimed poet Liz Worth has long been involved in the independent lit and poetry scene in Toronto (and now in Hamilton), finding her way into the community after a fortuitous encounter on the street. ...

Music and Friendship are at the Heart of an Uplifting Middle Grade Novel from Jean Mills

Along with being a prize-winning author, Jean Mills is also a musician and music lover who has found a wonderful way to tie that passion into her latest middle-grade novel. This new book, After the ...