ArticlesIssue 84, Spring/Summer 2024
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PoetryPoet took her time to grow 2nd book from themes of monsters, fairy tales, and her own body
Courtney Bates-Hardy’s first collection of poetry, House of Mystery, came out in 2016. “My first book was written as my master’s thesis, and I was cramming the writing into lunch breaks while working full-time,” Bates-Hardy notes. “I still work full-time, and the nerve pain I experience makes it difficult to be at a desk or bent over a notebook for long periods of time.” -
FictionSurreal tale of professor and disembodied head a call to embrace the mess
“I have always liked surreal stories and ones that are just beyond my own understanding,” says Edmonton author Robyn Braun. In fact, her penchant for these types of stories served as the inspiration for her new novella, The Head. Suspenseful, urgent, and thought-provoking, the tale centres on Trish, a 30-year-old math professor who finds a live disembodied head crying in her apartment. -
FictionStory collection is proof of passion kept alive as author moved from literature to law
Nigerian Canadian Irehobhude O. Iyioha started writing early, when she was about six years old. She always knew she wanted to write, and she says “leaving the English and Literature Department (at the University of Benin in Nigeria) to study law did not change the passion.” -
FictionMerry Bell returns to investigate missing quarterback in 2nd book of series
Anthony Bidulka’s new novel, From Sweetgrass Bridge, is the second in his Merry Bell mystery series about a trans private investigator who returns to her hometown in Saskatchewan and sets up shop. -
FictionAnyone can be a hero, even if he’s ‘kind of an idiot,’ in new graphic novel
Everyone wants to be the hero. That could mean swinging between buildings on webs of your own design to save the day. That could mean being a firefighter and pulling people out of a burning building. That could mean being the person in the office who brings in doughnuts for no other reason than making everyone’s day. -
Poetry‘Bonded relationship’ to 120-year-old house at centre of new poetry collection
What makes a home? What is the importance of rootedness? Catherine Owen explores these questions in a new collection of poetry, Moving to Delilah. The poems recount the experience of Owen’s move from an apartment in Vancouver to a house in Edmonton, and the new and surprising aspects of owning a home, growing a garden, and participating more deeply in community. -
PoetryWinnipeg Poet Laureate plays with form in a debut grounded by place
For Chimwemwe Undi, author of the debut poetry collection Scientific Marvel, creating poetry has everything to do with love. “I write poetry because I love words. I love language,” she says. She relishes the opportunity for play and the chance for words to mean more together than they might mean alone. -
DramaMusical for Deaf performers highlights how music is seen, felt, experienced
Currently, American Sign Language is blossoming in the theatre community, including in musicals. People are recognizing its importance in building cultural understanding between hearing and Deaf communities by removing communication barriers. The musical The Black Drum, written by Saskatoon-based Deaf writer Adam Pottle, was performed in Toronto in 2019, demonstrating that powerful plays can be performed by Deaf actors. -
FeaturesMultidimensional collection shows Metis women’s work is everywhere
Seeking to uplift Métis women’s contributions, and expand on the dominant narratives of Métis heroes, identity, and culture, Métis assistant professors Dr. Laura Forsythe and Jennifer Markides present Around the Kitchen Table: Métis Aunties’ Scholarship, a foundational text for Métis women and gender-diverse academics, scholars, thinkers, and creators. -
FeaturesPlay offers story of hope in the face of monumental enemies
You’d be forgiven for believing that Bentboy is an art offering that is bent out of shape, but you would be mistaken. In fact, it’s in fine storytelling form. Written by Herbie Barnes, who currently serves as the artistic director at Young People’s Theatre in Toronto, Bentboy is a story set in pre-contact times, yet is offered to us in a way that is timeless.
