Ontario book news, interviews and more

Hydra/Hyphae and Vampirism

“Simplicity is a mode of being in the world available to those enmeshed in white structures of feeling. Simplicity is an affect that motors the cultural imaginary of whiteness, an interpretive strategy."                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ...

"It’s All About Having a Laugh and Experimenting" Poet MLA Chernoff on Affect Apocalypses, the Meaning of Squelch, and More

MLA Chernoff's debut full length poetry collection, the delightfully titled [SQUELCH PROCEDURES] (Gordon Hill Press) explores childhood and identity, touching on gender norms, trauma, poverty, and more ...

"I Learned How to be Human from Writing This Novel" Nic Brewer on Her Unforgettable and Fantastical Debut Novel, Suture

Nic Brewer's hotly anticipated debut novel, Suture (Book*hug Press), asks pointed questions about the cost of art—on artists, on their loved ones, and more—through fantastical storytelling that pushes ...

Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing Goes to Ronald J. Deibert's Reset, Which Calls for a Better, Safer Version of the Internet

Political science professor Ronald J. Deibert has won the Writers' Trust's $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. He is the author of the 2020 Massey Lecture, a series published by House ...

CBC Nonfiction Prize Shortlist Features a Wide-Ranging Mix of Pieces Exploring Grief, Loss, Humour, and Identity

This year's CBC Nonfiction Prize shortlist is a treasure trove for nonfiction lovers. As creative nonfiction continues to evolve as a genre, with personal storytelling becoming more and more popular with ...

Contest: Enter to Win a Massive, Multi-Genre Prize Pack of Books from The Word on the Street

"Ten" is the word on the street today because today's contest is our biggest ever with a whopping ten titles for one lucky winner. Courtesy of The Word on the Street, we're giving away a truly massive ...

On Painted Mountain Corn and Writing in Relation to Gardening

Winter is the time for gardeners to rest, and to begin thinking of the next season. Usually, by the time November arrives, I am so very grateful that the garden has lessened its hold on me, resting under ...

Helen Walsh, Author of Film Festival-Set Mystery Pull Focus, Shares Essential Writing & Publishing Tips & Advice

With TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival) just having started up for last week, it seems like perfect timing for Helen Walsh's Pull Focus (ECW Press), a brainy and dark mystery novel set against ...

On making art and writing and the cover of Glorious Frazzled Beings

I like to draw, and collage, and paint with watercolours, and glue bits of lichen and bark I find in the forest onto the things I draw, collage and paint. Sometimes I make a painting and then I cut it ...

Waiting for the bumper year

What cicadas can teach us about embracing the murk This year, millions of cicadas emerged from the ground and took to the trees in deafening chorus across North America. During the hottest days of summer, ...