Since 2007, Calgary-based Freehand Books has been publishing a carefully curated list of award-winning Canadian fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The press was originally established as the literary imprint of Broadview Press, an academic publisher, but in 2016 they made the move to become independent. 

“We have always seen ourselves as belonging to the literary publishing world rather than the academic,” says Kelsey Attard, Freehand’s managing editor. 

“The thing that has been consistent for Freehand since Day 1 is its simple goal: to publish excellent contemporary writing by Canadian writers.”

The world of Canadian publishing was alerted to Freehand’s simple yet ambitious mandate in striking fashion when its very first title, Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott, was shortlisted for both the Giller Prize and Canada Reads. 

That early recognition established a pattern of award nods and accolades for Freehand titles that continue to the present day. 

For example, Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me became the first work of graphic literature to be shortlisted for the Writers’ Trust award for non-fiction in 2010. 

“It’s currently in development to be an animated feature film,” Attard notes, “starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and Seth Rogen!”

And in 2019, the memoir Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung became a finalist for Canada Reads – not to mention a Canadian bestseller.  

“It’s particularly fun when you have a book that really starts to gain momentum,” says Attard. “Homes had already enjoyed a warm reception, and then really catapulted into the spotlight when it was selected for Canada Reads.”

More recently, Freehand Books achieved a milestone of a different kind. When Calgary writer Mikka Jacobsen’s story collection Good Victory launched in February 2025, it marked the 100th book published by Freehand. 

“It’s always extra fun to work with a hometown writer,” Attard says. 

“As a publisher in Calgary, we have a particular interest in publishing voices from Alberta and Western Canada, which tend to be underrepresented nationally, and sharing them with the rest of the country. Half of the books we published last year were from Alberta authors.” 

That said, Freehand’s desire to highlight regional authors must function in tandem with their goal of presenting their authors to a national audience – a “real balancing act,” according to Attard. 

“Our approach has been to not define ourselves as a regional publisher,” she explains, instead adopting the attitude that “Canadian literature is a national conversation that we’re participating in.” As such, Freehand authors can be found across the country, from Victoria to Toronto to Whitehorse.

Never a publisher to shy away from ambitious goals, in 2023 Freehand announced that it had earned the Global Certified Accessible (GCA) certification from Benetech, which is a first-of-its-kind digital accessibility certification program. 

“We want everyone who wants to read our books to be able to read our books,” says Attard. 

All of Freehand’s new ebooks – and most of their backlist – are tooled to meet international accessibility standards “so that they are adaptable and flexible, and meet the needs of people with print disabilities,” she explains. 

While doing so has required some changes to Freehand’s production process, Attard notes that “the job of a book publisher is constantly growing to include entirely new fields of expertise.” 

And though she says this can be challenging for a small publisher with limited staff and resources, it’s also an excellent way to keep learning – and lots of fun besides.

In addition to accessibility, Attard points out that design plays a large role in the Freehand story. “One of my favourite parts of the process is when our designer sends us cover mock-ups,” she says. 

With the help of Natalie Olsen of Kisscut Design, a frequent collaborator, Attard says that the press has intentionally placed an emphasis on exceptional design to match their focus on exceptional writing. 

“We publish beautiful words,” says Attard, “but want to make sure that we have beautiful covers to match.”

Attard is eager to highlight the beautiful words in Freehand’s most recent crop of books, which runs the gamut from Juiceboxers, a novel centred on Canada’s military involvement in Afghanistan that she calls “truly exceptional,” to Blue Hours, an “immersive novel about fatherhood and family,” to Every Night I Dream I’m a Monk, Every Night I Dream I’m a Monster, a short story collection that Attard says “wins the award for the most intriguing title of the year – an ambitious short story collection like no other.”

Another standout is Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand by Alberta author Tim Bowling. Though Bowling is an award-winning author of some 24 books, his Freehand debut is also his debut short story collection. 

“It’s such a privilege to work with an author of his calibre,” says Attard, “and exciting to work with him to delve into new territory!”

Having pursued innovations in prose, design, and accessibility, what does the future hold for Freehand Books? 

“In 2025 and going forward, we want to publish books that surprise us, challenge us, and delight us,” Attard says. 

“Our readers can expect more high-quality novels, short story collections, and works of creative non-fiction. We have more great books coming out over the next couple of years!”