ArticlesIssue 78, Spring/Summer 2021
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FictionFiction draws from facts of slaves’ lives for sake of accuracy
Canadian Confederation was scarcely a concept in the late 18th century when the effects of the American Revolution triggered a migration of Loyalists to Nova Scotia. With them, they brought their families, their values, and their chattel – which included Black slaves. -
FictionShort-story collection challenges everyday reality, comfort levels
Winnipeg author Patricia Robertson’s third collection of short stories, Hour of the Crab, challenges readers to re-evaluate their ideas of everyday reality. -
FictionWhat is a life well lived? Anthology seeks the answer
From the moment you are born, you never stop aging. But what does it mean to grow older? That conversation is at the core of the new anthology Seasons Between Us: Tales of Identities and Memories. Edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law, the collection attempts to answer the only question that really matters: What is a life well lived? -
FictionMaster’s thesis spins into 70 stories of Jewishness
“I love flash fiction!” says author Sarah Mintz about the genre of her debut short fiction collection, handwringers. “In my mind, flash fiction operates like comic books or graffiti, sitcoms or pop songs – little indulgent pieces of pop culture, memes maybe.” -
PoetryPlayfulness and wit woven with self-deprecation, and a call to action
“We are made of language and we live in time, and time is nothing but flow,” says Colin Smith, the Winnipeg-based author of the new poetry collection Permanent Carnival Time. -
PoetryCollection marks moment poet moved hobby to centre stage
Life changed for Edmonton spoken word poet Nisha Patel when she quit her day job. “When I worked as a political advisor, I worked exactly 35 hours a week and did poetry on the side as a hobby,” says Patel. -
PoetryJourneys are acts of expectation in Caroline Wong’s new collection
Journeys of all sorts fill the pages of Burnaby-based Caroline Wong’s new collection of poems, Primal Sketches. Wong takes readers stumbling through hiking paths in British Columbia, trudging along the Camino de Santiago, and fleeing down the Yangtze River. She takes readers on journeys through loss, death, diaspora, and finally, hope. -
DramaOne-man drama brings ‘the singing miner’ through disaster to life
“You ask me what kept me alive down there? Well, it was my faith. My music. My family.” So says the protagonist of Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story by Beau Dixon, a playwright, actor, and musician who divides his time between Peterborough and Toronto. -
FictionCollection springs from reflections on offhand remark
The anthology includes the contributions of 29 women ranging in age from their forties to nineties. The short stories, essays, and poems run the gamut of experiences from the subtle to the blatant in framing perspectives around aging. -
FeaturesStorytelling insights pair with tales from Elders in prolific writer’s first non-fiction book
Storytelling has the power to bring people together – even during a time of isolation. In Gather: Richard Van Camp on Storytelling, author Richard Van Camp shares his vast knowledge – components of a compelling story, storytelling techniques, and the impact storytelling can have in building community.
