Three debut short story collections challenge genre and form as they explore themes of queerness, womanhood, sexuality and the body. In Paola Ferrante’s Her Body Among Animals, toxic masculinity, motherhood and the ongoing repression of outdated sociopolitical systems are examined in a collection influenced by everything from pop culture to sci-fi to the climate crisis. […]
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A good number of Bengali poets living throughout Canada have also achieved recognition back home. Canadian Bengali poets, including Shekhor Gomes, Anjuman Rosy, Sheuli Jahan and Kazi Helal, will participate in this Reading Bengali Poems session. They will recite their own creations along with the Bengali transcreations. Noted writer and curator Subrata Kumar Das will […]
Eva Crocker and Clara Dupuis-Morency discuss the intersections of desire and disease and the innate human need to connect even when the world is unraveling. Set against the tumultuous times of the early days of Covid-19, protagonist Marcy is swept into an equally tumultuous romance while the world struggles to keep up with a ‘new normal’ […]
From one of the leading figures in cultural sensitivity and Indigenous relations, Bob Joseph, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act puts the spotlight on the ongoing impact of the 1876 legislation. Expanding upon the 2016 article of the same name, which went viral, the book is an essential guide to understanding […]
Mythology’s rivers, ravines and subterranean spaces suggest unconscious states and unexpressed desires. From Zalika Reid-Benta, the Giller-nominated author of Frying Plantain, comes an exhilarating magical realist novel about a millennial Black woman who navigates her quarter-life-crisis while embarking on a quest through the streets of Toronto. River Mumma is a powerful portrayal of diasporic identities […]
Two authors exploring the fallout of war and the impact on those caught in the crosshairs come together to discuss the legacy of violence, loyalty to home and the necessity of self-reliance. In unmissable conversation, Leila Aboulela and V. V. Ganeshananthan delve into the tension between coloniser and colonised and the struggle to find individual […]
Lust and lies run wild through the pages of Farah Heron’s Jana Goes Wild and Zoe Whittall’s The Fake, two romantic comedies full of sparkling banter and honest, complex characters. Jana Goes Wild has learned her lesson – do not step out of the comfort zone. But when she finds herself a bridesmaid on a […]
Fans of all things grim and Gothic won’t want to miss this discussion with masters of sinister storytelling Adriana Chartrand and Marie Hélène Poitras. In their latest works, family ghosts haunt the pages while the lines between worlds become blurred in two dark explorations of power, trauma and violence. Chartrand’s contemporary supernatural horror story An […]
Award-winning writers Elizabeth Hay and Joan Thomas come together to discuss the power of memory, learning to let go and what happens when friends turn into enemies. In Elizabeth Hay’s Snow Road Station, two women confront the repercussions of past decisions and the realities of aging as the world spins madly on around them. Meanwhile, […]
Sacrifice, family and resilience are at the centre of new novels from Kevin Chen and Catherine Hernandez. Exploring themes of cultural identity, belonging and desire for acceptance, Chen and Hernandez discuss their writing and the very real contemporary issues that influenced their latest works. In Kevin Chen’s Ghost Town, a man just released from prison […]
Whether due to pandemics or major ice storms, Torontonians know what it’s like to be locked down, locked in, and left staring out at a wider world they’re barred from joining. Rebecca Rosenblum’s The Days Are Numbered is a love letter to community as well as the joy and compassion that can be found even […]
From picture books to pop songs, fables and folklore to literary masterpieces, stories have made up the fabric of our world from the earliest days of history. In his latest book, Storylines: How Words Shape Our World, scholar and Indigenous rights activist J. Edward Chamberlin explores the myriad ways that story brings us together and […]
Fans of twists and turns, thrills and chills won’t want to miss this heart-pounding conversation with internationally best-selling author Robyn Harding. Readers of her previous works (The Swap, The Party, Her Pretty Face) know that this queen of the page-turner knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. In her latest book, […]
Myth and lore underpin two powerful new novels confronting corruption, greed and the complex forces that shape the world. In Moez Surani’s The Legend of Baraffo, a young boy grapples with the age-old question – is it better to break the system entirely, or work to change it from within? In Babak Lakghomi’s South, similar […]
Christine Estima and Camille Hernández-Ramdwar take the stage to discuss their new story collections, both tackling themes of legacy, family and the small tragedies and devastations that permeate our everyday lives. In Hernández-Ramdwar’s Suite as Sugar, a myriad of perspectives, settings and unexpected narrators come together in an exploration of everything from colonialism to loss […]
Acclaimed author of Little Fish and A Dream of a Woman, Casey Plett presents a new edition of the acclaimed debut story collection Safe Girl to Love. Back in print after a long absence these stories, shiny with whiskey and prairie sunsets, rattling subways and neglected cats, feature young trans women stumbling through loss, sex, […]
Join exciting young Tamil authors Priya Guns and Akil Kumarasamy for an evening of readings and conversation with Nedra Rodrigo (aka “Evil Aunty”) at the Tam Fam Lit Jam. The conversation will be followed by a showcase of poetry, prose, dance and film featuring a range of vibrant emerging talent both local and global.
Breaking from the traditional memoir form, Kwame Alexander’s Why Fathers Cry at Night is a compelling collage of poetry, letters and artifacts that delves into the complex highs and lows of marriage, parenthood and loss in a tender and vulnerable exploration of masculine love. In an intimate discussion with Elamin Adbelmahmoud, bestselling author Kwame Alexander gives […]
Discrimination, difference and belonging are at the heart of the new historical fiction novel by debut author Kai Thomas. Inspired by real and painful moments in North America’s history, this new narratives grapple with the legacy of slavery and integration and the lasting struggle for survival. Set against the backdrop of the Underground Railroad, secrets […]
Bengalis are one of the most vibrant community groups in Canada, known for their many notable writers and poets, and countless literary activities throughout the year. Among the hundred-plus published Bengali writers, a good number live in Toronto and its adjacent cities. Three senior writers from the community, including Dilip Chakraborty, Sudhir Saha and Roksana […]
From the best-selling author of Room and The Wonder comes a love story for the ages – and at the centre of it all, a woman who truly knew her own heart. Drawing on the real life correspondences and five-million-word secret diary of troublesome 19th century tomboy Anne Lister, Emma Donoghue’s latest novel, Learned By […]
Online publishing. What is it? How do you get started? How do you get noticed? From story summaries to tagging and interacting with the online community, join Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group authors Matthew Dawkins, Loridee De Villa and Nicole Nwosu (who have 150 million+ reads on the Wattpad platform between them!) for this Ask The […]
So you think you know the Brontë sisters? Think again. Half-Life of a Stolen Sister is a kaleidoscopic look at the lives of the literary siblings responsible for some of the greatest novels of all time. With a playful approach to form, Rachel Cantor blends historical fact and imaginative fiction in a joyful celebration and […]
Co-authors Will and Ian Ferguson, and award-winning writer Don Gillmor introduce their latest novels – two stories about midlife mundanity and unexpected escapes. In the Ferguson brothers’ I Only Read Murder, a forgotten actress gets caught up in a real life murder mystery and must draw on her days as television’s beloved pastor-slash-crime-fighter to find the […]
