Latest news with #2025CBCPoetryPrize
CBC
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
How writing helps Iryn Tushabe recover what she's left behind
It's been almost 20 years since Iryn Tushabe left Uganda to live in Regina, and she says that she writes to recover things she's left behind. Tushabe was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2021. In 2023, she won the Writers' Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. Tushabe was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2016. The 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is accepting submissions! If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is accepting submissions until June 1. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems of a maximum of 600 words (including titles). The traditional stories of spiteful gods and triumphant heroes were one of the ways she and her family connected with each other. "I grew up next to a forest. When I was born, my neighbours were baboons and monkeys and just all kinds of wild animals," she said on Bookends with Mattea Roach. "On any given day, I might see more chimpanzees and baboons than human beings. So after supper, all we ever had for company were each other. And I had a big family. So we told each other these stories." Her latest book, Everything is Fine Here is inspired by one of those Ugandan folk tales and tells the story of two sisters. Aine is the younger sister and her world is turned upside down when she begins to suspect that her beloved older sister is gay. This is Uganda, where homosexuality is illegal. And as happy as Aine is to see her sister Mbabazi find love, she's caught between disapproving parents, a hostile culture and a desire to see her sister blossom and incorporate some kind of new and fresh ideas into Aine's world. Tushabe joined Mattea Roach on Bookends to discuss why for her, writing is an act of reclamation and recovery. Mattea Roach: Why did you choose to tell a queer love story through the perspective of an observer? Iryn Tushabe: The first draft that I wrote was actually first person. It turned into this long rambling diatribe of a thing that was unreadable at the end of it. It was full of anger because a lot of it was my own experience of growing up bisexual in Uganda. What that draft did is it helped me purge all of that frustration and anger, and now I could tell it from the perspective of someone else and still include those experiences - Iryn Tushabe I think what that draft did is it helped me purge all of that frustration and anger; now I could tell it from the perspective of someone else and still include those experiences, but not make it so personal to myself. Once I stepped out of the way and let the younger sister be the one to tell the story, then it became more real. It became more of a story that includes everything — not just the idea of just being gay and queer in Uganda. What is it like for Aine to grow up with a sister who is kind of that gold star sibling, someone that you want to emulate in a lot of ways? I think that sibling dynamic where the older sister is really much older; they kind of take on the role of a mother too. So she has nurtured Aine since she was very small. So they are quite close Family can be a site for a lot of hurt, a lot of heartbreak and disappointments. It can be a site for healing too. Aine, I think, has a pedestal in her heart for her sister. Just really adores her. It just seemed to me that it would be a good story to tell from the family level because family can be a site for a lot of hurt, a lot of heartbreak and disappointments. It can be a site for healing too. Can you describe what the relationship between religion and queerness was like for you growing up in Uganda and how that has affected your journey as a queer person and as a writer? There's an influx of evangelists from the United States. They come and they hold these massive crusades, and they convert people from whatever religions they're in and they turn them into born again Christians. These are the sorts of people who actually have influenced the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda before it was ever tabled in parliament. I didn't want to inflict any further violences on the queer characters in the book. So religion plays a massive role. But it seems to me that, when you know what you know about Uganda through the news, you don't get the whole picture. You just think that perhaps Ugandan queers are just sitting there waiting to be saved by outsiders. But the way they live their lives is actually — they're resisting. They're moving forward in the world with turmoil for sure. It's hard, but they're happy. I think that's part of the reason why I made the book that way. I didn't want to have to repeat what everyone in the news-reading world already knows about the Anti-Homosexuality Act. I didn't want to inflict any further violence on the queer characters in the book. What is your relationship to spirituality these days? I think for a lot of people who grew up religious and who are queer, it's a complicated thing to navigate. I'm envious of people who are queer who still are able to hold onto their faiths. But for me, I cannot. I cannot reconcile the two because I just feel like growing up a Christian it's, to use a tired word, traumatizing. It's traumatizing on a psychological level to sort of be told that the only way to be in the world is to pray this thing away. But now I find it in meditation. I find it in sitting in silence. And it's very hard, so infinitely harder than prayer. Because in prayer you can just say all these things and unburden yourself in whatever way. But it's hard to sit in silence for 30 minutes because it feels like an eternity. There's some incorporation of Ugandan folk tales in a really beautiful way and the characters in your novel find great meaning in some of these stories that they were told as children. There's this one story in particular about two loyal sisters. Can you tell that story? I feel that this story truly encapsulates what the novel is about. It was the first thing that came to my mind. So basically the story is that these two siblings are tested, their family is tested by this goddess Nabinji, the goddess of plenty. And she comes to the home of the two sisters, and their mother is unkind to her, so she puts this curse on her, so that she's suspended between life and death. And the girls pursue the goddess to the forest so that she will give them their mother back. She subjects them to all these difficult phantasmagoric illusions to break their spirits. But every day they sing to each other and they persist and persevere through all these trials. At the end of it, she just grows bored because she can't break their spirits and she sends them back with this candle that they can burn next to their mother. And hopefully when the candle burns out, then their mother will arrive. Is there a name for a mother whose children have outgrown her? - Iryn Tushabe But when they get back, their mom is still young. That's just the most beautiful thing I like about that story is that she's still suspended at the age where the curse was put on her. And they've grown older than her and part of it is just, 'Ok so is she still our mom if we're older than her? And is there a name for a mother whose children have outgrown her?' I think that's kind of what Mbabazi and Aine are doing. Their mom is stuck in these old colonial Christian ways and they just want to get her unstuck. And they're burning this candle, but who knows how long this candle is going to burn and does it burn out? Does she wake up? I think that's the tragedy of it. They're not knowing if mama gets unstuck. I'm wondering what your hopes are for queer people in Uganda looking ahead? We have a phrase that I have in my acknowledgements and it's in my language, but translated I guess with context would be, "May love always prevail." I think that is my hope — that many people will walk this path towards embracing everybody.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
All the Canadian books we're excited about in the first half of 2025
Looking for your next read? Check out all our lists of Canadian fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics and children's books to read in the first half of 2025! If you're interested in poetry, the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is currently accepting submissions. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems from April 1-June 1. The 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is now open Canadian fiction Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2025 In The Book of Records, Lina grows up in "The Sea," a building that serves as a home for migrants from all over the world, while caring for her sick father. She forms friendships with her fascinating neighbours, including a Jewish scholar exiled for his radical views and a poet from the Tang Dynasty, whose stories captivate her. However, her seemingly perfect life takes a startling turn when her father reveals the true reason they came to live at "The Sea." When you can read it: May 6, 2025. Madeleine Thien is a short story writer and novelist. She is the author of the novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Award in 2016 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Canadian nonfiction Canadian nonfiction to watch for in spring 2024 One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This marks Egyptian Canadian journalist and writer Omar El Akkad's nonfiction debut. In the fall of 2023, shortly after the bombardment of Gaza, he posted on social media a statement: "One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This expands on his powerful social media message and chronicles his thoughts on the fragile nature of truth, justice, privilege and morality. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is out now. El Akkad is a Canadian journalist and author who currently lives in Portland, Ore. His novel American War, which was defended on Canada Reads 2018 by actor Tahmoh Penikett., and his novel What Strange Paradise won the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize and was defended on Canada Reads 2022 by Tareq Hadhad. Canadian poetry Canadian poetry collections to watch for in spring 2025 In the poetry collection Unravel, Nigerian Canadian poet Tolu Oloruntoba reflects on themes of identity, belonging and agency by way of poems that fundamentally delve into what it means to be human in today's world. Unravel is out now. Oloruntoba is a writer from Nigeria who now lives in Alberta. He is the founder of the literary magazine Klorofyl. Oloruntoba won the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry for his debut collection The Junta of Happenstance. In 1870s Sacramento, photographer Eadweard Muybridge takes on a challenge from railroad tycoon Leland Stanford — to prove whether a horse's hooves ever leave the ground while galloping. In the process, Muybridge unknowingly pioneers time-lapse photography, laying the foundation for motion pictures as we know them. Despite his groundbreaking discoveries, his life is marked by betrayal, intrigue and tragedy. Acclaimed cartoonist Guy Delisle captures the highs and lows of Muybridge's career, bringing his story to life with sharp detail and emotional depth. Guy Delisle is an critically-acclaimed cartoonist originally from Québec City. His books include Burma Chronicles, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City Pyongyang, and Shenzhen. Canadian YA Canadian YA books to watch for in spring 2025 Inspired by real-life historical drama, The Queen's Spade is a novel about Queen Victoria's young African goddaughter, Sarah Bonetta Forbes, also known as Sally. In 1862, Sally is set one taking down the colonial system of Britain ruled by her godmother. As a former princess of the Egbado Clan, Sally resents the politics of court that have sought to take away her power and so she grows closer to the Queen's inner circle in a plot to dismantle it. The Queen's Spade is out now. Sarah Raughley is a fantasy novelist from Southern Ontario. Her YA Effigies series includes Fate of Flames, Siege of Shadows and Legacy of Light. Raughley was the 2022 judge for CBC's student writing challenge, The First Page. Canadian middle-grade Canadian middle-grade books to watch for in spring 2025 In the middle-grade novel Something's Up with Arlo, 12-year-old Nero's best friend is a ghost called Arlo. Nero has relied on Arlo to look out for her — especially when the kids at school aren't being kind to her and her parents don't seem to notice. But when Nero is moved to a prestigious private school and is given the chance to 'start over' something weird and unsettling happens with Arlo, and Nero worries that her best friend is transforming into something scary. Something's Up with Arlo is for ages 8 to 12 and is out now. Matteo L. Cerilli is a transmasc writer and activist from Toronto. He is the author of the YA horror novel, Lockjaw. Something's Up with Arlo is his first novel for middle-grade readers. Canadian picture books Canadian picture books to watch for in spring 2025 In The Bear Out There, the reader is invited into a cabin in the woods, by the book's young narrator, to escape from a bear. In this charming and fun picture book, we soon realize that our narrator might not be entirely reliable. And everything changes when a bear does in fact turn up. The Bear Out There is for ages 4 to 8. The Bear Out There is available now. Jess Hannigan is writer and illustrator from Hamilton, Ont. Her debut picture book was Spider in the Well. She has also illustrated for publications such as the
CBC
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
36 Canadian books you should be reading in May
A new month means new books! Here are some of the most anticipated Canadian titles for May 2025. If you're interested in poetry, the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is accepting submissions until June 1. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems of a maximum of 600 words (including titles). The 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is accepting submissions! Ley Lines by Tim Welsh Set in a mythical boom town during the Klondike Gold Rush, Ley Lines follows a ragtag group of characters who are grappling with the demise of their town when the unlucky prospector Steve Ladle triggers a chain of events that brings about its ruin. As they navigate their upended world, they reckon with the personal, historical and supernatural forces that have shaped their fate. Ley Lines is available May 1, 2025. Tim Welsh is a Toronto-based author who was born in New York and grew up in Ottawa. Ley Lines is his debut novel. He holds an MA in English language and literature from Carleton University. The Fun Times Brigad e by Lindsay Zier-Vogel In The Fun Times Brigade, Amy struggles to understand her sense of identity as she steps into the role of a mother, after spending years pursuing and enjoying a busy career as a successful children's musician. When Amy faces a devastating loss, it highlights the fragility of artistic success and the complexity that comes with defining our identity. The Fun Times Brigade is available May 1, 2025. Lindsay Zier-Vogel is a Toronto-based author and the creator of the Love Lettering Project. She holds a MA in creative writing from the University of Toronto. Her first picture book, Dear Street, was selected as a Junior Library Guild pick, named a Canadian Children's Book Centre Book of the Year and nominated for the 2024 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award. She is also the author of the novel Letters to Amelia. Chinatown Vancouver by Donna Seto Chinatown Vancouver is a vibrantly illustrated history of the neighbourhood's buildings and celebrates the Chinese community's contributions to Canada. It features iconic businesses like Cathay Importers and Ho Inn Restaurant, while highlighting the resilience of early Chinese settlers. It honours Chinatown as a living heritage site that connects Canadians to their past and future. Chinatown Vancouver is available May 1, 2025. Donna Seto is a writer, artist and academic based in Vancouver. She holds a PhD in politics and international relations from the Australian National University. Her story Generation Congee was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2019. On Sports by David Macfarlane In On Sports, David Macfarlane expresses his love for sports and his discomfort with their commercialization in the digital age. Through a mix of personal reflection and sharp critique, he examines how sports have transformed into a spectacle driven by profit, corporate interests and gambling — exploring the consequences of this shift. On Sports is available May 6, 2025. Macfarlane is a writer and editor based in Toronto. His previous works include the nonfiction book The Danger Tree and the novels Likeness and Summer Gone which was a finalist for the 1999 Giller Prize. The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs In the darkly funny novel The Retirement Plan, three middle-aged wives secretly plot to secure their dream retirement by cashing in on their husbands' life insurance policies. The catch? Their husbands are still alive. While the wives hire a hitman to make their plans come true, they're unaware that their husbands have also hatched their own scheme. The Retirement Plan is available May 6, 2025. Sue Hincenbergs is a former television producer who has worked on multiple award-winning programs. The Retirement Plan is her debut novel. She lives in Toronto. The Snag by Tessa McWatt In The Snag, when Tessa McWatt's mother's dementia progressed and she could no longer live independently, it forced McWatt to experience and confront grief. This led her to a forest, where she discovered that from the youngest seedling to the oldest snag in the forest, every stage of a tree's life holds meaning — finding solace in the natural world as a source of healing and understanding. The Snag is available May 6, 2025. McWatt is the author of several novels and two books for young readers. Her previous works include Dragons Cry, Vital Signs and Higher Ed. She wrote the memoir Shame on Me, which won the 2020 Bocas Prize for Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Prize and the Governor General's Award. Her fiction has been nominated for the Governor General's Award, the City of Toronto Book Awards, the OCM Bocas Prize and the Society of Authors' Volcano Prize. McWatt is a creative writing professor at the University of East Anglia. Originally from Guyana, she grew up in Canada and now lives in London, England. In The Book of Records, Lina grows up in "The Sea," a building that serves as a home for migrants from all over the world, while caring for her sick father. She forms friendships with her fascinating neighbours, including a Jewish scholar exiled for his radical views and a poet from the Tang Dynasty, whose stories captivate her. However, her seemingly perfect life takes a startling turn when her father reveals the true reason they came to live at "The Sea." The Book of Records is available May 6, 2025. Madeleine Thien is a short story writer and novelist. She is the author of the novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Award in 2016 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Thien's debut novel, Certainty, published in 2006, won the Amazon First Novel Award and was a Globe and Mail Best Book. Thien is also the author of Dogs at the Perimeter, which was a Globe and Mail Best Book, and the children's book The Chinese Violin. Her first work of fiction, Simple Recipes, won four awards in Canada and was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin In Detective Aunty, when recently widowed Kausar Khan hears that her daughter has been accused of murdering the landlord of her clothing boutique, nothing can hold her back to help figure out who is the true culprit. But even Kausar is unprepared for the secrets, lies and betrayals that she'll uncover along the way. Detective Aunty is available May 6, 2025. Uzma Jalaluddin is a teacher, parenting columnist and author based in Ontario. Her previous works include the novels Ayesha At Last, Hana Khan Carries On, Much Ado About Nada and Three Holidays and a Wedding. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune In One Golden Summer, photographer Alice returns to a childhood summer cottage with her nan. What she expects to be a relaxing, peaceful summer takes an unexpected turn when Charlie Florek — a shameless flirt — shows up, making Alice feel like a 17-year-old again and wondering if there could be something more between them. One Golden Summer is available May 6, 2025. Carley Fortune is a Toronto-based writer and journalist who has worked as an editor for Refinery29, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Toronto Life. Her previous books are Every Summer After, This Summer Will Be Different and Meet Me at the Lake, which was a contender for Canada Reads 2024, championed by Mirian Njoh. Only Because It's You by Rebecca Fisseha In Only Because It's You, Miz panics when her best friend Kal faces the possibility of being forced to return to Ethiopia, as she can't imagine life without him. She comes up with a plan to marry him so he can stay, with the idea of quickly getting a divorce afterward — believing nothing will change between them, right? Only Because It's You is available May 6, 2025. Rebecca Fisseha is an Ethiopian Canadian writer based in Toronto. Her previous works include the novel Daughters of Silence and short stories and essays that have appeared in the anthologies Addis Ababa Noir and Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers, the Vancouver Film School and an alumnus of the TIFF Writers' Studio. Other Worlds by André Alexis Spanning from 19th-century Trinidad and Tobago to a small town in Ontario, from Amherst, Massachusetts to modern-day Toronto, Other Worlds is a short story collection that explores characters encountering moments of profound puzzlement in these diverse settings. Other Worlds is available May 6, 2025. André Alexis was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and raised in Ottawa. His debut novel, Childhood, won the Books in Canada First Novel Award (now known as the First Novel Award) and the Trillium Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His other books include Pastoral, Asylum, The Hidden Keys, Despair and Other Stories of Ottawa and Days by Moonlight, which won the 2019 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and was on the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. milktooth by Jaime Burnet At 31, Sorcha is eager to settle down and have a baby. In milktooth, she meets Chris, whose charm and grand romantic gestures soon make their relationship serious. But when she becomes pregnant, she must confront the harsh reality of Chris's increasingly abusive behavior, which threatens the family she has longed for. milktooth is available May 6, 2025. Jaime Burnet is a writer, musician and labour and human rights lawyer based in Mulipj'kejk/Herring Cove, Mi'kma'ki/Nova Scotia. Her debut novel, Crocuses Hatch from Snow, was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award. Blending Jamaican culture with the West African trickster Anansi, Way Off Track is a fun and fast-paced story that follows Nansi's determined — and sometimes misguided — journey. Nansi is used to winning every race — until a snobby girl named Tania beats her. Convinced it's all because of Tania's fancy shoes, Nansi has to get a pair before track tryouts. But where is she going to find $338? Way Off Track is for ages 8-12 and will be available May 6, 2025 Carl Brundtland is a Jamaican Canadian writer based in Toronto. Growing up, his favourite stories were those about Anansi the spider, which inspired the antics found in his debut graphic novel Way Off Track. Claudia Dávila is an illustrator from Toronto. She has illustrated the nonfiction books Child Soldier by Michel Chikwanine and Jessica Dee Humphreys, and Change It!, Move It! and Touch It!, all written by Adrienne Mason. She also wrote and illustrated the picture book Super Red Riding Hood. Corporate Control by Nora Loreto In Corporate Control, Nora Loreto explores why a handful of corporations in Canada wield such tremendous power, leaving Canadian politicians seemingly powerless to challenge corporate interests. She examines how, despite promises to address pressing issues, politicians remain unable to confront the root causes of the problems facing Canadians, constrained by corporate influence. Corporate Control is available May 6, 2025. Loreto is an activist, author and journalist based in Quebec City. She is the editor at the Canadian Association of Labour Media and co-hosts the political podcast Sandy and Nora Talk Politics. Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner In the novel Austen at Sea, the setting is 1865 Boston. Two daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice are chafing against the restrictions placed upon them as women. Inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother. They travel to Europe on a life-changing journey that teaches them how to love life by way of the power of literature. Austen at Sea is available May 6, 2025 Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie Jenner now lives in Oakville, Ont. as the owner of an independent bookstore. Her previous books include Bloomsbury Girls and The Jane Austen Society, which was a Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel. The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman is a memoir-in-essays that explores how a love of "dad rock" music helped Niko Stratis come to a better understanding of life, love and the world around them. Stratis was a closeted 20-something trans woman working in her dad's glass shop in the Yukon Territory during the time when "dad rock" bands like Wilco, Radiohead and The National were regular fixtures on the radio and in rock culture circles. The incisive essays in the book examine how Stratis discovered a sense of queer and trans identity and belonging by way of listening to "emotionally available" artists such as Neko Case and Sharon Van Etten within this subgenre. The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman is available May 6, 2025. Stratis is a Canadian writer, author and critic from Toronto by way of the Yukon. Her writing has appeared in publications like Catapult, Spin and Paste. The Road Between Us by Bindu Suresh The Road Between Us is a novel involving characters facing tough choices in life and love. Estela is a woman struggling to balance her personal and professional lives, due to the loss of a sibling at a young age. Estela is also dealing with the fallout from an estranged best friend who loves Estela unrequitedly. Other complex and flawed characters within her orbit force Estela to better understand her identity and her connections to family and friends. The Road Between Us is available May 13, 2025. Bindu Suresh is a fiction writer and paediatrician based in Montreal. Her debut book was 26 Knots. She studied literature at Columbia University and medicine at McGill University. CBC Books named Suresh a writer to watch in 2019. The Saltbox Olive by Angela Antle Through a series of connected stories spanning past and present, The Saltbox Olive tells the untold story of Newfoundland soldiers in Italy during World War II. The novel begins with Caroline Fisher's quest to figure out why her grandfather burned his brother's wartime letters. The Saltbox Olive is available May 13, 2025. Angela Antle is a writer, artist, journalist and documentary filmmaker from St. John's, N.L. Her work has appeared in Riddle Fence and Newfoundland Quarterly, among others. She wrote and directed Gander's Ripple Effect: How a Small Town's Kindness Opened on Broadway, and wrote the documentary Atlantic: What Lies Beneath, which won best documentary awards at the Dublin, Wexford, Nickel and Chagrin Film Festivals. She is currently an interdisciplinary PhD candidate at Memorial University and a member of Norway's Empowered Futures Energy School. The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja Lia Juma, a successful corporate lawyer in The Summers Between Us, has built a life to meet the expectations of her immigrant family, from her career to her choice of partner. But returning to her family's summer cottage resurfaces old memories and secrets that could change everything — especially when Wes, an old flame, comes back into her life. The Summers Between Us is available May 13, 2025. Noreen Nanja is a Toronto-based writer and second-generation immigrant. Her writing frequently explores themes of identity and belonging that's wrapped in stories of romantic and familial love. To Place a Rabbit by Madhur Anand In To Place a Rabbit, a scientist impulsively agrees to help a novelist translate her novella from French into English. Troubles ensue, as the story she is reading triggers memories of a long-ago affair that she had with a French lover. Already struggling with completing the translation, things are about to get even more complicated, as the lover makes a reappearance. To Place a Rabbit is available May 13, 2025. Madhur Anand is a poet and professor of ecology at the University of Guelph where she was appointed the inaugural Director of the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research. She is the author of the A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes which was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry and This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart, which won the 2020 Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction. Her book Parasitic Oscillations was named a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year. C ontemplation of a Crime by Susan Juby In Contemplation of a Crime, a butler at a wellness retreat organized by her employer's son, finds herself amongst a diverse group of attendees from different political backgrounds. They've come together for a five-day program aimed at overcoming their ideological and personal differences. But when something deadly happens, Helen must step into the role of investigator and figure out who is guilty. Contemplation of a Crime is available May 13, 2025. Susan Juby is an award-winning, bestselling author from Vancouver Island whose book Mindful of Murder was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour. Some of Juby's other titles include Getting the Girl, Another Kind of Cowboy, A Meditation on Murder, The Woefield Poultry Collective and the Alice MacLeod series. Her novel Republic of Dirt won the 2016 Leacock Medal in 2016. Encampment by Maggie Helwig Encampment is about priest Maggie Helwig's lifelong activism, highlighting her dedication to supporting the unhoused who found refuge near her Anglican church in Toronto. As she fights to keep her churchyard open to those in need of shelter, the book brings the stories of the unhoused to the forefront. Encampment is available May 13, 2025. Helwig is a white settler based in Tkaronto/Toronto. She is the author of 15 books and chapbooks, including Girls Fall Down, which was on the Toronto Book Award shortlist and selected as the One Book Toronto in 2012. She is a social justice activist and an Anglican priest, serving as the rector of the Church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields since 2013. Colette: The Solitary Bee by Jean-François Sénéchal, illustrated by Pascale Bonenfant Colette is a solitary bee who loves being on her own and adores her independence. One day Colette realizes that it's okay to sometimes want to be around others — to share fun stories or to help when things don't go to plan — and that it doesn't make her any less independent. Colette: The Solitary Bee is for ages 3 to 7 and will be available May 13, 2025 Jean-François Sénéchal is a writer from Saint-Lambert, Que. His book Les avenues was the French language winner of the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for Young people's literature — text and in 2017 Sénéchal won the Joseph S. Stauffer Prize for literature. Pascale Bonenfant is an illustrator and a professor of graphic design who has illustrated numerous books, including Oops by Julie Massy and Le parapluie jaune, by Lili Chartrand. She lives in Québec City. Harley Parker by Gary Genosko Harley Parker is about the legacy of Harley Parker, a Canadian museum designer whose innovative approach reshaped how we experience museums. Through a look at his influential designs and rediscovered manuscript, the book highlights Parker's pioneering contributions to sensory studies and museum theory, and his role as a key figure in communication and cultural studies. Harley Parker is available May 15, 2025. Gary Genosko is a professor of communication and digital media studies at Ontario Tech University. He has written extensively on topics such as continental thought, communication modelling, administrative surveillance, critical semiotics and the lives of scholarly journals. His previous works include McLuhan and Baudrillard: The Masters of Implosion and When Technocultures Collide. He also edited a critical edition of Harley Parker's book The Culture Box. Pitfall by Terry Kirk Pitfall follows the story of Frank Cork, a successful head trader, father and husband in 1929 at a top Chicago brokerage. However, on October 29, his life takes a drastic turn when all his fortune is wiped out in the stock market crash, and to the shock of his firm, Frank disappears without a trace. Pitfall is available May 15, 2025. Terry Kirk is a Toronto-based author and lawyer. She studied journalism, English literature, and holds a Juris Doctor degree in law, along with a master's degree in digital transformation. Horsefly is a chilling tale that explores the dangerous consequences of human attempts to manipulate nature. In 1942, Thomas, a young entomologist, was sent to a remote island to work on a secret wartime project involving horseflies as biological weapons. Eight decades later, in 2025, a man turns to his grandfather, whose dementia keeps him trapped in the past, for help in understanding the experiments, because when a swarm of horseflies is unleashed during a heat wave, people are driven into a violent frenzy. Horsefly is available May 20, 2025. Mireille Gagné is an author based in Quebec City. She has written books of poetry, short stories and the novel Le lièvre d'Amérique. Pablo Strauss has translated several works of fiction, graphic novels and one screenplay. He was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for The Country Will Bring Us No Peace, Synapses and The Longest Year. His translation of Le plongeur by Stephane Larue (The Dishwasher in English) won the 2020 Amazon First Novel Award. Most recently, he translated Eric Chacour's What I Know About You, which was on the shortlist for the 2024 Giller Prize and the 2024 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. He lives in Quebec City. Precarious by Marcello Di Cintio Precarious examines the harsh realities faced by migrant workers in Canada, revealing the exploitation, abuse and dangerous conditions they endure under the Temporary Foreign Worker program. Marcello Di Cintio investigates the system's deep flaws, and questions whether a system that relies on the vulnerability of its most marginalized can ever be made more just. Precarious is available May 20, 2025. Di Cintio is a writer based in Toronto. His previous works include Walls, Pay No Heed to the Rockets and Driven. Walls won the 2013 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, and Driven was named one of the best Canadian nonfiction books of 2021 by CBC Books, and was on the longlist for Canada Reads 2022. His work has also been featured in the International New York Times, Afar and Canadian Geographic, among others. A Daughter's Place by Martha Bátiz In A Daughter's Place, set in 1599 Madrid, 15-year-old Isabel goes to live with her father after her mother's sudden death. But her father is no ordinary man — he's the famous writer Miguel de Cervantes. As his illegitimate daughter, Isabel must pose as a maid, and despite coming of age during Spain's Golden Age, she faces a society that is unforgiving, and denies her the legitimacy she longs for. A Daughter's Place is available May 20, 2025. Martha Bátiz is a translator, writer and professor of creative writing and Spanish language and literature who moved from Mexico to Toronto in 2003. She has written five books, including the short story collection Plaza Requiem, which won the International Latino Book Award, and the novella Damiana's Reprieve, which received the Casa de Teatro Prize. Her debut novel is A Daughter's Place. In The World of Maxime, 10-year-old Maxime loves books and cats—especially her own cat, Turmeric. She feels different from other kids, preferring the quiet company of her book characters over noisy classmates. She wishes she were brave enough to talk to the new girl at school, who also loves Matilda, Maxime's favorite book. When she discovers mysterious bowls in an alley, Maxime becomes a detective and meets Catamou, an older woman who feeds stray cats. The two form a friendship, and with Catamou's encouragement, Maxime finds the courage to reach out to the new girl. The World of Maxime is for ages 7-10 and will be available May 20, 2025 Lucile de Pesloüan is a Montreal-based writer. Her first book was the graphic novel What Makes Girls Sick and Tired. Jacques Goldstyn is a writer, illustrator and political cartoonist from Montreal. In 2017 he won the Governor General's Award for his book Azadah and has won twice Le Grand Prix du Journalisme Indépendant for his illustrations. Helen Mixter is a Toronto-based writer and the translator of several children's books, including the 2009 Governor General's Award -winning Harvey. Big Girls Don't Cry by Susan Swan In Big Girls Don't Cry, Susan Swan challenges societal expectations as she recounts her defiance of what's traditionally expected as a woman, daughter, wife and mother, while forging her own path as an artist. Swan's memoir invites you to rethink how women are expected to fit into narrow boxes and explore the power of living authentically. Big Girls Don't Cry is available May 27, 2025. Swan is a Toronto-based author. Her previous works include The Wives of Bath, The Biggest Modern Woman of the World, What Casanova Told Me, The Western Light and Stupid Boys Are Good to Relax With. She co-founded the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and was awarded with the Order of Canada in 2023. Soft As Bones by Chyana Marie Sage In Soft As Bones, Chyana Marie Sage shares the pain of growing up with her father, a crack dealer who went to prison for molesting her older sister, and the self-destructive ways with which she coped. By revisiting her family's history, she describes the experience of overcoming generational trauma that began with her grandfather, who was forcibly separated from his family through residential schools and the Sixties Scoop. She reflects on how the traditions of her Cree culture played a crucial role in her healing. Soft As Bones is available May 27, 2025. Sage is a Cree, Métis and Salish writer based in Edmonton. Her journalism has appeared in the Toronto Star, Huff Post and the New Quarterly. Sage won first place in the Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest and silver in the National Magazine Awards for her essay Soar. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia University where she taught as an adjunct professor. She also teaches Indigenous youth about cultivating self-love and healing through the Connected North program. Margaret's New Look by Katherine Ashenburg In Margaret's New Look, Margaret's life appears flawless. She's a respected fashion curator at a prominent city museum, a mother to teenage twin daughters and the wife of a successful mystery novelist. However, her world begins to unravel when she faces pushback over her Dior haute couture exhibition and the death of her father forces her to confront her family's hidden Jewish roots. This journey leads Margaret to cross paths with an elderly couture collector who shares a personal connection to Dior. Margaret's New Look is available May 27, 2025. Katherine Ashenburg is a writer and journalist who has worked for the Globe and Mail and the CBC. Some of Ashenburg's other titles include the nonfiction books Going to Town, The Mourner's Dance, The Dirt on Clean and the novels Sofie & Cecilia and Her Turn. Food for the Journey by Elizabeth J. Haynes Food for the Journey is a travel memoir that takes readers on a global adventure, capturing rich encounters and vibrant flavours. From volunteering with disabled children in the Philippines to meeting a young girl in Cambodia and learning about the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge regime, Elizabeth J. Haynes expands her first-world perspective through the people she meets and the foods she experiences along the way. Food for the Journey is available May 27, 2025. Haynes is a Calgary-based writer whose work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including You Look Good for Your Age. Her previous books include The Errant Husband and Speak Mandarin, Not Dialect, which was a finalist for the Alberta Book Award. Haynes has received the Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award, a Western Magazine Award and the American Heart Association Award for fiction. In 2023, she was the Calgary Public Library's writer-in-residence. She worked in speech-language pathology prior to her retirement. Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay Written on the Dark is a gripping historical drama set in medieval France, blending love and conflict against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of collapse. The novel follows Thierry Villar, a famous tavern poet, who finds himself thrust into an important role as his country teeters on the edge of destruction amidst a fierce power struggle and a decades-long war. Along the way, Thierry encounters a diverse array of characters, including potential love interests. Written on the Dark is available May 27, 2025. Guy Gavriel Kay: 6 books I love Guy Gavriel Kay is the author of 15 novels. His Fionavar Tapestry fantasy series has sold over a million copies worldwide since being published in the 1980s and has been optioned by the Canadian production company behind Orphan Black. Some of Kay's other titles include Children of Earth and Sky, Tigana, River of Stars and A Brightness Long Ago. In 2014, he was appointed to the Order of Canada. Bones of a Giant by Brian Thomas Isaac Bones of a Giant, which is set on the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the 1960s, tells the story of 16-year-old Lewis Toma as he navigates grief, responsibility and family secrets. Bones of a Giant is available May 27, 2025. This 71-year-old writer's coming-of-age novel is a debut like no other Brian Thomas Isaac is a writer from the Okanagan Indian Reserve in British Columbia. His debut novel All the Quiet Places won an Indigenous Voice Award in 2022. Longlisted for Canada Reads 2022, the story follows six-year-old Eddie as he grows up on the Okanagan Indian Reserve in B.C. in the 1950s and faces tragedy as he navigates his culture and the landscape. All the Quiet Places was also on shortlist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist and was a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. Astronautical! by Brooklin Stormie A century after planet Zephyr mysteriously exploded, its people now live on floating chunks of the world. Brothers Max and Lari travel the galaxy with their dad, Captain Cherryhair, delivering goods — until their father is kidnapped by the villainous Cynosure, the Planet Breaker. With the help of some starry ferryboat captains, the brothers set off on a daring rescue mission in Astronautical!. But when Max is injured by a black hole, Lari must step up and take charge for the first time. Can he uncover the secret of Zephyr's destruction, defeat Cynosure and save both his brother, father and their people? Astronautical! is for ages 8-12 and will be available May 27, 2025 Brooklin Stormie is an artist and illustrator from Peterborough, Ont.
CBC
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Halifax writer Dorian McNamara wins 2025 CBC Short Story Prize for story about trans man on Toronto streetcar
Social Sharing Halifax writer Dorian McNamara has won the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize for his story You (Streetcar at Night). He will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. McNamara's story was published on CBC Books. McNamara will also be interviewed by Mattea Roach on an upcoming episode of Bookends. You can read You (Streetcar at Night) here. If you're interested in other writing competitions, the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is currently accepting submissions. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems from April 1-June 1. Dorian McNamara is a queer transgender writer currently living in Halifax. Originally from Toronto, he graduated with a BA in psychology from Dalhousie University. He is currently working on his first novel as well as publishing the creative newsletter Dear You. This year's winner and finalists were selected by a jury composed of Conor Kerr, Kudakwashe Rutendo and Michael Christie. "From its opening lines, we were captivated by the deft and corporeal imagery of You (Streetcar at Night), with its lush descriptions of travelling via streetcar, and all the rhythm and music that one becomes enmeshed in along the way. But beyond its flowing narrative and lyrical writing, lay the story, and that is what called to us. You (Streetcar at Night) follows a trans man's recollection of his first relationship, the narrative establishing itself as an address to his former partner, taking a novel route through aspects of transition," the jury said in a statement. "Highlighting the nuanced duality of a Before and After, connected through a frank and vulnerable interiority. It is a requiem of sorts, a call to the past, that simultaneously grounds itself in a present of acceptance and true belonging. Where one can look at a stranger on a streetcar and see a whole history in their eyes. This story resoundingly illustrates — at a time when it could not be more needed — that within everyone, outside of all our external features and presentations, is a prevailing interiority and humanity, and that trans people are not a threat. "This story resoundingly illustrates — at a time when it could not be more needed — that within everyone, outside of all our external features and presentations, is a prevailing interiority and humanity, and that trans people are not a threat." You (Streetcar at Night) tells the story of the before and after of a trans person. The protagonist reflects on his first relationship as he and his fellow riders roll through the Toronto streets at night. "Growing up in Toronto, I've always loved the streetcars. When I come home to visit my family, I find I am often on the streetcar. There's always a lot of memories tied to them, but after coming out, I got anxious that people who knew me before would recognize me then. Part of me wanted them to remember me and see me now, but another part of me was afraid of how people I used to know would react," McNamara said. McNamara joins a long list of writers who have won CBC Literary Prizes, such as David Bergen, Michael Ondaatje, Carol Shields and Michael Winter. The CBC Literary Prizes have been recognizing Canadian writers since 1979. To be given the opportunity to share my writing with others and to be understood and to even perhaps have my writing understand others is an incredible gift. "Winning the CBC Short Story Prize is a monumental honour, one that still feels beyond me. Getting the news, I felt all the joy in my body well up in my throat and I did not know whether I was laughing or crying. Writing for me is a practice of trying to understand and often making peace with my inability to do so, be it regarding myself or others," said McNamara. "To be given the opportunity to share my writing with others and to be understood and to even perhaps have my writing understand others is an incredible gift. I am so grateful for being given the chance to further my process and dedicate myself to my practice." The other four finalists are Vincent Anioke of Waterloo, Ont. for Love is the Enemy; Trent Lewin of Waterloo, Ont. for Ghostworlds; Emi Sasagawa of Vancouver for Lessons from a peach and Zeina Sleiman of Edmonton for My Father's Soil. They will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts. The longlist was compiled by a group of qualified editors and writers from across Canada from more than 2,300 submissions. The readers come up with a preliminary list of approximately 100 submissions that are then forwarded to a second reading committee. It is this committee who will decide upon the 30ish entries that comprise the longlist that is forwarded to the jury. The jury selects the shortlist and the eventual winner from the readers' longlisted selections.
CBC
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
39 Canadian poetry collections coming out in spring 2025
Check out these Canadian poetry collections we're excited about in spring 2025! If you're interested in poetry, the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is currently accepting submissions. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems from April 1-June 1. The 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is now open Unravel by Tolu Oloruntoba In the poetry collection Unravel, B.C.-based poet Tolu Oloruntoba reflects on themes of identity, belonging and agency by way of poems that fundamentally delve into what it means to be human in today's world. Unravel is out now. Oloruntoba is a writer from Nigeria who now lives in Vancouver. He is the founder of the literary magazine Klorofyl. Oloruntoba won the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry for his debut collection The Junta of Happenstance. Paul Moorehead's Green explores its titular namesake colour and reflects on how it represents change, growth and transformation. Riffing off of topics such as science, pop culture and parenting, the collection examines how change is a constant and how the world is filled with wonders. Green is out now. Moorehead is a pediatrician, writer and poet based in St. John's. His poems have appeared in Riddle Fence, Pinhole Poetry, and Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts. total by Aisha Sasha John In total, Aisha Sasha John's fourth poetry collection looks at the intersection between language and meaning — and the many systems and beliefs that confine and constrain us. The work explores ways to resist conditioning and find true beauty in places and spaces often left unexamined. total is out now. John is a Canadian dancer, poet and author. Her book I have to live. was shortlisted for the 2018 Griffin Poetry Prize. John's sophomore collection, Thou, landed her on shortlists for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry and ReLit Poetry Award. Forecast by Chris Bailey Forecast is the latest poetry collection by P.E.I-based poet and writer Chris Bailey. The work uses the setting of rural P.E.I. to reflect on themes including climate change, work, family, love and the notion that hope is the platform for better tomorrows. Forecast is out now. Bailey is a graphic designer and commercial fisherman based in P.E.I. His writing has appeared in Grain, Brick, The Fiddlehead, Best Canadian Stories 2021, Best Canadian Stories 2025. antibody by Rebecca Salazar antibody is a poetry collection that uses the concept of body horror as a platform for resistance. Looking at themes of sexual violence and trauma, the work is a raw and unflinching look at the stark reality of survival and challenging myths of "perfect" victimhood. antibody is out now. Rebecca Salazar is a writer, editor and community organizer from New Brunswick. They edit the publications The Fiddlehead and Plenitude. Her poetry collection sulphurtongue was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry, the New Brunswick Book Awards, the Atlantic Book Awards and the League of Canadian Poets' Pat Lowther Memorial Award. In Autopsy (of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob), Avan Jogia, who played Beck in Victorious, shares what it was like to grow up as a teen idol through a collection of poems. Using vivid imagery, he's strikingly honest as he reveals the nature of fame, ego and cravings for love. Autopsy (of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob) is out now. Jogia is a Canadian actor, writer and musician. He is also the author of Mixed Feelings, where he takes a look at what it means to be a mixed race person through a series of poems, drawings, short stories and interviews. Revolutions by Hajer Mirwali Revolutions is a poetry collection that examines Muslim daughterhood — and how themes of shame and pleasure are inextricably linked throughout. Drawing from poetics both Palestinian and Iraqi, feminist and Canadian, Revolutions looks at how young Arab women shift their identities. Revolutions is out now. Hajer Mirwali is a Toronto-based Palestinian and Iraqi writer. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Ex-Puritan, Brick Magazine, Room Magazine and Joyland. The Seated Woman by Clémence Dumas-Côté, translated by E.S. Taillon The Seated Woman is a collection of poems written from the perspective of a woman, silent, nailed to her chair. As she writes, the poems protest, but she commands them to share her voice. The Seated Woman is out now. Clémence Dumas-Côté is the author of the novel Glu and poetry books L'alphabet du don and La femme assise. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and holds a master's degree in creative writing. She was born in Montreal. E.S. Taillon is a queer and neurodivergent writer whose writing has appeared in publications such as déraciné, Filling Station and Agur Magazine. Their first literary translation, Scenes from the Underground, was shortlisted for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. They are the former managing editor of Prism International magazine. More Songs the Radio Won't Play reimagines and transforms once-popular songs to create a playlist for the modern audience. While resisting a message or a moral, More Songs the Radio Won't Play explores the contemporary world and the role that music and art plays in it. More Songs the Radio Won't Play is out now. Stan Rogal is the author of 27 books and a playwright. His work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. He is based in Vancouver. UNMET is a poetry collection that brings together the real and the imagined from a Black-Latinx, Canadian and immigrant perspective. Musically-driven, UNMET interrogates timely issues such as a police brutality and ecological crisis with a sense of hope for the future. UNMET is out now. stephanie roberts was born in Panama, raised in Brooklyn and has lived most of her adult life in Quebec. Her poetry collection, rushes from the river disappointment, was a finalist for the 2020 Quebec Writers' Federation's literary award's A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry. She received the Sage Hill Writing award for Black Excellence and is a grantee of the Canada Council of the Arts. Myth by Terese Mason Pierre The poetry collection Myth shows how myths appear in daily life, from friends with benefits exploring Grenada to aliens visiting the Caribbean. In three moments and two interludes, Myth mixes speculative poetry with enraptured lyricism. Myth is out now. Terese Mason Pierre is a Toronto-based writer and editor. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Walrus, ROOM, Quill & Quire, Uncanny and Fantasy Magazine. She is a winner of the Writers' Trust Journey Prize and was named a 2023 Writers' Trust Rising Star. She is the author of the chapbooks Surface Area and Manifest, and her work has been a finalist for the bpNichol Chapbook Award, Best of the Net and the Ignyte Award. Shadow Price by Farah Ghafoor Shadow Price borrows its title from the finance term — "the estimated price of a good or service for which no market price exists." It's a poetry collection that explores what holds value in a capitalistic world. Shadow Price is out now. Farah Ghafoor is a poet whose work has appeared in The Walrus, Prism International, Room, Ninth Letter and Hobart. Her poems have been taught at Iowa State University and have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best New Poets and Best of the Net. She won the E.J. Pratt Medal and Prize in Poetry and was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize in 2022. Born in New York and raised in New Brunswick and Ontario, she currently works as a financial analyst in Toronto. Wellwater by Karen Solie Wellwater is a poetry collection that argues that the economic and climate crises are powerfully entwined. Celebrating persistence in the natural world, Wellwater offers a message that hope is the only way to address these issues. Wellwater is out now. Karen Solie is the author of several poetry collections, including Short Haul Engine, Modern and Normal, Pigeon, The Road In Is Not the Same Road Out and The Caiplie Caves. She has received many awards, such as the Trillium Poetry Prize and the Griffin Prize, and has been shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Prize and the T.S. Eliot Prize. She teaches half-time in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews and spends the remainder of the year in Canada. Crowd Source by Cecily Nicholson Crowd Source is a poetry collection that parallels the daily migration of crows around metro Vancouver. It examines their flight, interactions with humans and all forms of communication to ruminate on the contemporary climate crisis and social movements. Crowd Source is out now. Cecily Nicholson is an author and professor who has published five books, including From the Poplars, which won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, and Wayside Sang, which received the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. Nicholson is an assistant professor in the School of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia and is the 2024/2025 Holloway Lecturer in Poetry and Poetics at the University of California, Berkeley. All Wrong Horses on Fire that Go Away in the Rain is a collection of poems that searches through family history and sheds light on intergenerational trauma and how it impacts Indigenous voices. Bringing together fragmented memories, All Wrong Horses on Fire that Go Away in the Rain invites strength, beauty and intensity. All Wrong Horses on Fire that Go Away in the Rain is out now. Sarain Frank Soonias is a Cree/Ojibwe writer and artist. His work has appeared in ARC Poetry Magazine, Canadian Literature Review, Carousel, Carte Blanche and Filling Station, among others. All Wrong Horses on Fire that Go Away in the Rain is Soonias's debut poetry book. He currently lives in Red Deer, Alta. Bringing together photography and poetry, The Beauty of Vultures takes readers into the vocal world of birds. At once funny and serious, the collection features conversations between all kinds of birds in a vast variety of situations. The Beauty of Vultures is out now. Wendy McGrath is a Métis writer and artist living in amiskwacîwâska-hikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 Territory. She won the inaugural Prairie Grindston Prize. She is the author of the Santa Rosa trilogy. Danny Miles is a drummer from Ontario, best known for playing in the Canadian alternative rock band July Talk. He's also passionate about bird photography, which helps him enjoy some quiet time during tours. The ONEIRONAUT Ø2 by Sheri-D Wilson The ONEIRONAUT Ø2 is the follow-up to The Oneironaut ∅1 where outcast scientist Rain must use her wits and might to battle against The Bureau, a totalitarian regime that's wiping out everyone with the ability to dream. The ONEIRONAUT Ø2 is out now. Sheri-D Wilson is a Calgary-based writer and artist of 13 books, four short films and three words and music albums. She was appointed to The Order of Canada in 2019 and was the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Calgary from 2018 to 2020. is an anthology of poems written by an array of Canadian poets who explore the impact of the changing climate on our mental health — highlighting the fragility of both the environment and our minds. is out now. Rasiqra Revulva is a disabled queer femme writer, editor, multimedia artist, musician and performer. Her previous works include the poetry chapbooks If You Forget the Whipped Cream, You're No Good As A Woman and Sailor, C'est l'heure. Her debut full-length poetry collection Cephalopography 2.0 was longlisted for the 2021 Laurel Prize. Amanda Shankland is a Ottawa-based poetry and short story writer. She is a PhD candidate in the political science department at Carleton University and holds a master's degree in public policy and administration as well as an honours bachelor's degree in arts and contemporary studies from Toronto Metropolitan University. Hollay Ghadery is a writer and radio host from rural Ontario on Anishinaabe land. Her work has been featured in The Malahat Review, The Fiddlehead, The Antigonish Review and CBC Parents, among others. Ghadery's memoir Fuse won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award, and the title poem of her poetry collection Rebellion Box won The New Quarterly's Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Prize. I Used to Live Here by Amy LeBlanc What does a body feel like when it doesn't feel like a home? What does it look like when a body self-destructs? In the collection of poems in I Used to Live Here, these questions are explored through a poetic lens to represent living with chronic illness, disability and autoimmunity. I Used to Live Here is out now. Bertrand Bickersteth and Will Ferguson among writers shortlisted for 2021 Alberta Literary Awards Amy LeBlanc is a Calgary-based writer. Her previous works include the poetry collection I know something you don't know, which was longlisted for the ReLit Award and a finalist for the Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry, the novella Unlocking, which was a finalist for Trade Fiction Book of the Year and the short story collection Homebodies. Her writing has been featured in Room, Arc and Canadian Literature. In a Cage of Sunlight by Joseph Maviglia In a Cage of Sunlight features an engaging and energetic mix of poetry, prose and song from the three-decades long career of poet, singer-songwriter and essayist Joseph Maviglia. The blend of poetic and musical style features lyrics from his original compositions and the details of his music production. In a Cage of Sunlight is out now. Maviglia is a Toronto-based poet, singer-songwriter, essayist and arts teacher. His musical works include the albums Memory to Steel and Angel in the Rain, and he has performed and been published across Canada, the United States and Europe. A Bouquet of Glass by Carol Krause A Bouquet of Glass is a piercing collection of poetry, exploring altered realities through the eyes of a poet with a psychoactive mind and life-altering disability. It blends vivid and extraordinary experiences of love and loss. A Bouquet of Glass is out now. Carol Krause is a Toronto-based poet. Her work has been featured in The Fiddlehead, Arc Poetry and PRISM international, among others. Her debut poetry collection is A Bouquet of Glass. From rookie to retirement, the collection of poems in Goalie vividly captures the highs, lows and everything in-between of a hockey career — exploring the glorious moments of ambitious pursuit and the vulnerable times of facing set-backs. Goalie is out now. Ben von Jagow is a Ottawa-based poet and writer. His work has been featured in Canadian Literature, Prairie Fire and The Antigonish Review, among others. His debut poetry collection is Goalie and includes the poems that longlisted to the CBC Poetry Prize in 2020. Blood Root by Jessica Hiemstra In Blood Root, the author reflects on her dual upbringing in Bobcaygeon (Canada/Turtle Island) and Badela (Sierra Leone). Through a blend of poetry, diary entries and drawings, she touches on themes of land, belonging and identity — meditating on the impact of colonialism in these places. Blood Root is out now. Jessica Hiemstra is a poet, artist and designer from Gunning Cove, Nova Scotia. Her previous works of poetry include the collections The Holy Nothing, Self Portrait without a Bicycle and Apologetic for Joy. Born Sacred by Smokii Sumac Through 100 poems, Born Sacred reflects on colonial violence past and present through honouring the shared histories of Indigenous peoples of North America and of the people in Palestine. Born Sacred is out now. Smokii Sumac is a Ktunaxa two-spirit poet and emerging playwright. Their debut poetry collection you are enough: love poems for the end of the world won the Indigenous Voices Award, and they hosted The ʔasqanaki Podcast, interviewing Indigenous musicians and writers. They reside in their home territories of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, near the Kootenay River in B.C. i cut my tongue on a broken country by Kyo Lee Through the poet's reflections on growing up queer and Korean Canadian, i cut my tongue on a broken country poignantly details her coming-of-age that's marked with beauty, pain and a quest for love. i cut my tongue on a broken country is out now. Kyo Lee writes about being a queer Korean Canadian — now she's the youngest ever CBC Poetry Prize winner Kyo Lee is a queer high school student from Waterloo, Ont. Her work is featured in PRISM International, Nimrod, The Forge Literary Magazine and This Magazine, among others. She is the youngest winner of the CBC Poetry Prize, for her poem lotus flower blooming into breasts, and the youngest finalist for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award. Buzzkill Clamshell by Amber Dawn Packed with sharp, candid and sensual verses, Buzzkill Clamshell is a collection of poems that explore themes of sick and disabled queerness, aging and desire. Buzzkill Clamshell is out now. Amber Dawn is a Vancouver-based author, editor and creative facilitator. Her previous works include the novels Sub Rosa, which won the Lambda Literary Award, and Sodom Road Exit, as well as poetry collections Where the Words End and My Body Begins and My Art Is Killing Me and Other Poems. a body more tolerable by jaye simpson Ferocious and vulnerable, a body more tolerable examines Indigenous grief, trans identity and frustrated desires through visceral poems that pulsate with yearning and possibility. a body more tolerable is out now. jaye simpson is an Oji-Cree Saulteaux Indigiqueer writer and activist from the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. Their debut poetry collection it was never going to be okay was shortlisted for the 2021 ReLit Award and the Writers' Trust of Canada Dayne Ogilvie Prize and won the 2021 Indigenous Voices Award for Published Poetry in English. Familial Hungers by Christine Wu Packed with vivid and mouthwatering imagery of food, Familial Hungers is a lyrical feast that reckons with both the grief and joy of growing up as the daughter of Chinese Canadian immigrants. Christine Wu is a Chinese-Canadian poet based in Halifax. She won the 2023 RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award and was shortlisted for the RBC Writers' Trust Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers in 2022. Wu holds a BFA in creative writing from the University of Victoria, a master of library and information studies from Dalhousie University and an MA in English from the University of New Brunswick. Devotional Forensics by Joseph Kidney Devotional Forensics is a poetry collection that spans a wide range of topics and a huge length of time. Seamlessly intertwining everything from Renaissance literature to family dynamics, modern art to biological science, Joseph Kidney's poems are both timeless and urgent, exploring the small apocalypses that shape the progression of history. Devotional Forensics is out now. Kidney is a writer originally from B.C., now working as a lecturer at Stanford University. His previous works include the chapbook Terra Firma, Pharma Sea. Kidney's poems have been featured in Best Canadian Poetry 2024, Arc, Vallum, The Malahat Review, Oberon, The Fiddlehead and Periodicities, among others. Walking Upstream by Lloyd Ratzlaff The collection of poems Walking Upstream depicts one man's struggle to break free from the trauma inflicted by his harsh religious upbringing and how he turned to the natural world to seek comfort and solace. Walking Upstream is out now. Lloyd Ratzlaff is a former minister, counsellor and university lecturer from Saskatoon. He is the author of three nonfiction books and has edited both an anthology of seniors' writings and a children's book. He has won two Saskatchewan Writers Guild literary nonfiction awards and was a finalist for three Saskatchewan Book Awards. His debut poetry collection is Walking Upstream. The poems in No One Knows Us There shows two portraits of early womanhood. The first, a devoted granddaughter responding to needs in hospital hallways, the second, the same woman ten years older, looking at her younger self with compassion and hopes for healing. No One Knows Us There is out now. Jessica Bebenek is a queer interdisciplinary poet, bookmaker and educator living between Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) and an off-grid shack on unceded Anishinaabeg territory. Bebenek's writing has been nominated for the Journey Prize, twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and in 2021 she was a finalist for the Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers in Poetry. Through candid reflections on the issues and events that shape today's society — from climate anxiety to the cultural impact of Taylor Swift, Elegy for Opportunity explores the tension and beauty of a world marked both by grief and pockets of joy. Elegy for Opportunity is out now. Natalie Lim is a Chinese-Canadian poet based in Vancouver. Her work has been featured in Arc Poetry Magazine and Best Canadian Poetry 2020, among others. She is the author of the chapbook arrhythmia and has won the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize and Room magazine's 2020 Emerging Writer Award. Ring of Dust by Louise Marois In Ring of Dust, Louise Marois weaves an ambitious collection of poems that's a dialogue between many pluralities — then and now, family and entourage, lover and nature, mother and death, work-person and artist, fables and confidences, limits and new reaches, home and escape, city and field, queer life and a blood red world. When you can read it: April 15, 2025. Marois is a Montreal-based writer and artist. Her debut poetry collection La peau des yeux won the Jacqueline-Déry-Mochon prize and she has been a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award twice. Bonememory is a collection of poems that navigates the remaining pain from immigration, the Holocaust, Canadian settler-colonialism and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Throughout, Anna Veprinska also navigates her chronic illness and disability. When you can read it: April 15, 2025 Veprinska, author of Empathy in Contemporary Poetry after Crisis, was a finalist in the Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest, shortlisted for the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence and received an Honourable Mention from the Memory Studies Association First Book Award. Re: Wild Her is a poetry collection that examines the concept of rewilding as a form of Indigenous resurgence and power. Exploring themes of ecology, traditional knowledge and sexuality, the poems tell of a journey to reclamation and offer a roadmap back to joy. When you can read it: April 15, 2025 Shannon Webb-Campbell, of Mi'kmaq and settler heritage, is a writer based in Halifax, and a member of Flat Bay First Nation in Newfoundland and Labrador. She is also the author of Lunar Tides, I Am a Body of Land and Still No Word, which won Egale Canada's Out in Print Award. Future Works is an angry-funny book about how to live in the present while also being attuned to what could happen in the future. It recognizes the challenges of life in the past decade and celebrates the little things we do to make it better. When you can read it: April 15, 2025 Jeff Derksen is a poet, critic and professor at Simon Fraser University who divides his time between Vancouver and Vienna. He is the author of poetry books The Vestiges, Transnational Muscle Cars and Down Time, which won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, and the critical books After Euphoria, Annihilated Time: Poetry and Other Politics. Allostatic Load by Junie Désil The poems in Allostatic Load grapple with racial tensions, the pandemic and systemic injustice through both the intimate closeness of personal stories and the lens of news clippings. Allostatic Load invites readers to do the hard work of vulnerability to find healing in a world that doesnt always allow it. When you can read it: April 15, 2025 Junie Désil is a writer of Haitian descent. Her work has appeared in publications such as Room, PRISM International, The Capilano Review and CV2. Her debut book is eat salt | gaze at the ocean. She lives on Lasqueti Island in B.C. and works in Vancouver. Taslīm by Carolyn Ramzy Taslīm: We are the Prophets dives into the effects of the Taslīm (Commandments) on Coptic girls as they grow up into womanhood. It reckons with the task of transmitting ancestral knowledge and traditions and the costs of this responsibility, even in diaspora communities. When you can read it: April 22, 2025 Carolyn Ramzy is an Ottawa-based associate professor of ethnomusicology at Carleton University. She looks at Egyptian Coptic Christian music-making and themes of gender, sexuality and diaspora belonging. Encrypted by Arleen Paré Encrypted is a tender tribute to Arleen Paré's grandson. When he struggled with severe anxiety and depression, forcing him to drop out of college, Paré grappled with what it means to come of age in the "age of anxiety." Her grandson was able to return to his studies, and those vulnerable moments from that time are reflected upon in this emotional poetry collection. When you can read it: May 9, 2025. Paré is a poet based in Victoria and the author of nine poetry collections. She has received various awards, including the American Golden Crown Award for Poetry, the Victoria Butler Book Prize, a CBC Bookie Award and a Governor General's Award for Poetry. Paré was also shortlisted for the BC Dorothy Livesay BC Award for Poetry.
