With an interviewer at the Quill & Quire, Alix Ohlin talks about how most of her stories and writing come about organically - without a lot of outlining. However, when beginning this book she knew she wanted to write a love story between two sisters. And she knew she wanted to address “questions of identity connected … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin
Anyone who has read this book will understand when I say that I don't know where to start with this, and I don't know where it's going to go. Let's start with structure. Reproduction is a literary structural feat. I didn't even realize the extent of it until I did some homework. Part 1 of … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Reproduction by Ian Williams
Margaret Atwood Reading Month is hosted by Marcie at BuriedInPrint and myself, and inspired by decades of reading Margaret Atwood’s words: journalism and fiction, poetry and comics. From November 1, 2019 through November 30, 2019 we’ll be reading Margaret Atwood, and we invite you to join. (On the 18th, Margaret Atwood celebrates her 80th birthday … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: November 2019 #MARM
Literary Wives is an on-line book group that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Every other month, we post and discuss a book with this question in mind: What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife? Don’t forget to check out the other members of … Continue reading #LiteraryWives: Happenstance by Carol Shields
The Giller Prize shortlist is out! The Shadow Jury will be reading and reviewing these books over the next 6 weeks, and will be choosing a shadow winner a few days before the official Giller Prize announcement on November 18th. Immigrant City by David Bezmozgis, published by HarperCollins Jury's Thoughts: "Bezmozgis has reimagined immigrant lives not simply … Continue reading Scotiabank Giller Prize Shortlist 2019
Elapultiek (We Are Looking Towards) by shalan joudry (Pottersfield Press, 2019) Elapultiek is a play written by shalan joudry that was first produced by Two Planks and a Passion Theatre in Canning, Nova Scotia, Mi'kma'ki. Using her theatre background as well as her story-telling and ecology experience, joudry's play is about two cultures learning how … Continue reading What I’ve Been Reading: Shalan Joudry, Brian Francis, and Heidi L.M. Jacobs
Sometimes I forget that MyMum is dead. But that is probably better than remembering. Frankie's Mum has died and nobody will listen. His Dad is away for work, he doesn't want to tell his Gran (for fear he will have to stay at her house), and his teacher doesn't believe him. So he comes up … Continue reading Here I Am! by Pauline Holdstock
After coming out with two remarkable novels - Heave and The Memento - Watermark is Christy Ann Conlin's first book of short stories. Watermark has already garnished a lot of praise from some well-known Atlantic Canadian authors. Lynn Coady remarks that Conlin's stories "achieve a dizzying balance of light and dark"; Lisa Moore calls the stories … Continue reading Watermark by Christy Ann Conlin
The Scotiabank Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by the late Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his wife, the late literary journalist Doris Giller. The prize awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English, and $10,000 to each of the finalists. The 2019 Giller Prize … Continue reading Scotiabank Giller Prize 2019: Longlist
As I was reading With My Back to the World by Sally Cooper, I wrote down "Value the child and maybe everything else falls into place." In The Little Fox of Mayerville we read about a child who is not valued - a child who is neglected, abused and abandoned. My whole childhood was nothing but … Continue reading The Little Fox of Mayerville by Éric Mathieu, translated by Peter McCambridge
Consumed by Ink 