Latest news with #WatchOutforHer
CBC
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
8 books to read if you loved Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey
Fans of the first thriller on Canada Reads will enjoy these other titles Image | Maggie Mac Neil Caption: Maggie Mac Neil holds up thriller novel Watch Out for Her on the set of Canada Reads 2025. (Joanna Roselli/CBC) Open Image in New Tab Olympic swimmer Maggie Mac Neil championed Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey on Canada Reads 2025. The thriller was the first of its genre in the show's history! Watch Out for Her is about a young mother named Sarah who thinks her problems are solved when she hires a young babysitter, Holly, for her six-year-old son. Her son adores Holly and Holly adores Sarah, who is like the mother she never had. But when Sarah sees something that she can't unsee, she uproots her family to start over. Her past follows her to this new life, raising paranoid questions of who is watching her now? And what do they want? Here are eight Canadian books to read if you loved Watch Out for Her. The Whispers by Audrey Audrain Image | The Whispers by Ashley Audrain composite Caption: The Whispers is a book by Ashley Audrain. (Viking, Alex Moskalyk) Open Image in New Tab In The Whispers, the truth behind a picture-perfect neighbourhood is revealed following an incident at a neighbourhood barbecue when the seemingly flawless hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. When her son falls from his bedside window one night and she stops talking to everyone, the women in the neighbourhood begin to contend with what led to this horrible incident. Ashley Audrain is the former publicity director of Penguin Canada. Her debut novel The Push was a New York Times bestseller and won the Best Crime First Novel at the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards. She currently lives in Toronto. Behind You by Catherine Hernandez Image | Behind You by Catherine Hernandez Caption: Behind You is a novel by Catherine Hernandez. (Noor Khan, HarperAvenue) Open Image in New Tab Behind You follows the story of Alma, a film editor for a corny true crime series. At a glance, her life with her wife and teenage son seems comfortable and safe. But when Infamous' latest episode features the Scarborough Stalker — who terrorized Alma's own neighborhood when she was a girl — Alma is consumed by her long-suppressed past. In present day, she must reckon with her understanding of consent to stop her young son from making terrible choices toward his own girlfriend. Unfolding in two timelines, Behind You challenges and dissects rape culture and champions one girl's resilience into adulthood. Hernandez is a Canadian writer, author and playwright. Her 2017 novel, Scarborough, was a shortlisted finalist for the 2017 Toronto Book Award, the 2018 Trillium Book Award, the 2018 Edmund White Award and was on Canada Reads 2022 defended by actress Malia Baker. Wild Hope by Joan Thomas Image | Wild Hope by Joan Thomas Caption: Wild Hope is a novel by Joan Thomas. (Ian McCausland, HarperCollins Canada) Open Image in New Tab Wild Hope follows Isla and Jake, a couple who are slowly drifting apart. Isla's farm-to-table restaurant is failing and visual artist Jake is haunted by his late father's legacy in the oil and gas industry. Jake's childhood friend-turned-enemy Reg Bevaqua is a local bottled-water baron and harbours a seething resentment toward Jake. Reg is a demanding regular at Isla's restaurant and Jake is keeping a close eye on him. When Jake disappears after a winter camping trip all signs point to Reg and his magnificent Georgian Bay property — and Isla is determined to get to the bottom of it. Joan Thomas is the author of four previous novels. Her first novel, Reading by Lightning, won the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book (Canada and the Caribbean) and the Amazon First Novel Award. Her novel Five Wives won the 2019 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. Her novel The Opening Sky was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in 2014. Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr Image | Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr Caption: Hold My Girl is a novel by Charlene Carr. (HarperCollins Publishers) Open Image in New Tab Hold My Girl is a dual narrative novel about a seemingly impossible situation: two women, Katherine and Tess, find out after pregnancy that their eggs were mistakenly switched during in vitro fertilization (IVF). For Katherine, who conceived her miracle baby, Rose, the news is her worst nightmare realized. For Tess, the news is a seed of hope: her IVF treatment ended in a stilborn birth. Charlene Carr is a Toronto-raised writer and author now based in Nova Scotia. Her books include Hold My Girl and We Rip the World Apart. I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay Image | I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay Caption: I Will Ruin You is a novel by Linwood Barclay. (HarperCollins, Ellis Parrinder) Open Image in New Tab Most people never have to answer the question of how they would react in a life-or-death situation. Unfortunately, English teacher Richard Boyle must figure it out quickly when a former student shows up at school with a bomb in I Will Ruin You. His response averts a tragedy and hails him as a hero, but Richard is pulled into a dark web of secrets with a blackmailer, drug-dealing gangsters and a truth about his town that could cost him everything. Thriller writer Linwood Barclay is inspired by these 5 books Linwood Barclay is a New York Times bestselling author who has written over 20 books, including thrillers Find You First, Broken Promise and Elevator Pitch and the middle-grade novels Escape and Chase. Many of Barclay's books have been optioned for film and television, and he wrote the screenplay for the movie Never Saw It Coming, adapted from his novel of the same name. Barclay championed the memoir Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston on Canada Reads 2025. The Lost Sister by Andrea Gunraj In The Lost Sister, Sisters Alisha and Diana are growing up at Jane and Finch in Toronto, a neighbourhood where many immigrants have come to start their lives in Canada. A terrible sadness descends when Diana, Alisha's role model and light of the family, doesn't come home. Her body is found in the woods and Alisha thinks she knows what happened. This novel is partially inspired by the experiences of a former resident of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. Andrea Gunraj is also the author of The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha. Gunraj was longlisted for the 2020 CBC Short Story Prize for her story Back to Where You Came From. Are You Sara? by S.C. Lalli Are You Sara? revolves around a case of mistaken identity. When two women, each named Sara, get into separate rideshares one fateful night, one of them is murdered. But when the surviving Sara realizes that she might have actually been the target, it sets off a mystery involving race, class and ambition. S.C. Lalli is a Punjabi and Bengali writer based in Vancouver. Her other novels include Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat, A Holly Jolly Diwali, Grown-Up Pose and The Matchmaker's List. The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal
CBC
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Why thrillers brought Maggie Mac Neil back to reading — Watch Day One of Canada Reads here
The great Canadian book debate is back for its 24th season! The opening round of Canada Reads kicked off March 17, 2025 at 10:05 a.m ET. Watch Day One above or find other ways and times to tune in here. WATCH | Canada Reads 2025 Day One Highlight: Olympian Maggic Mac Neil on Day One of Canada Reads 2025 23 minutes ago Duration 1:10 Championed by Olympic swimmer Maggie Mac Neil, Watch Out for Her is the first thriller on Canada Reads. Watch Out for Her is a gripping story about privacy, surveillance and the anxieties of parenthood. In it, a mother named Sarah thinks her problems are solved when she hires a babysitter, Holly, for her six-year-old son. When Sarah sees something that she can't unsee, she uproots her family to start over. Her past follows her to this new life, raising paranoid questions of who is watching her now? And what do they want? On the first day of Canada Reads 2025, Mac Neil argued that because a tense atmosphere can be present in any genre, thrillers are actually "really applicable and accessible to the reader." Heartland actor Michelle Morgan, championing Emma Hooper's Etta and Otto and Russell and James, agreed that Watch Out for Her 's writing is accessible. However, she wished the novel had pushed more boundaries in the genre. "It was a little too accessible, a little too safe," said Morgan. To that, Mac Neil defended Watch Out for Her by explaining that it has great potential to bring people into reading. When Mac Neil retired from swimming last year, she hadn't read for pleasure in years. Thrillers like Watch Out for Her reinvigorated that passion. "Hopefully, by being an easier read than some of the other books, it draws in more viewers and people to read it, who aren't necessarily strong readers or haven't enjoyed doing it in the past," she said. "That's why it resonated with me, because that's the situation I was in when I came upon it." The genre-talk didn't end there on Day One — thriller writer Linwood Barclay and podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild discussed the differences between the two memoirs they decided to champion. WATCH | Canada Reads 2025 Day One Highlight: Linwood Barclay and Shayla Stonechild discuss memoirs 13 minutes ago Duration 3:01 Stonechild is defending A Two-Spirit Journey by Ojibwa-Cree elder Ma-Nee Chacaby, which tells Chacaby's story growing up in a remote northern Ontario community, overcoming experiences with abuse and alcohol addiction to becoming a counselor and leading Thunder Bay's first gay pride parade. A Two-Spirit Journey is written by Chacaby in collaboration with close friend and social scientist, Mary Louisa Plummer. She worked with Chacaby, who learned English later in life and is visually impaired, to tell Chacaby's story in the most authentic possible way, drawing on academic research about Indigenous storytelling and years of friendship and mutual trust. "It's a really good example of what reconciliation looks like and how we can collaborate with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people," said Stonechild. While Barclay's choice, Jennie's Boy, is also a memoir, Stonechild said that she found it hard to get into. "I just felt like after a few chapters, it felt really repetitive and I felt like I knew the story," she said. Still, she recognized that Jennie's Boy covers a six-month period of author Wayne Johnston's life, while A Two-Spirit Journey is a story that spans 64 years of life. For Barclay, however, the fact that Jennie's Boy only dives into a small slice of life was a major feat. "Wayne [Johnston] has taken time, over this period in his life, to narrow that focus and to really dig into it," Barclay said. "Sometimes the best memoirs try to do a narrow focus so that you can really get a sense of that time." The 2025 contenders are: Here's how to tune into Canada Reads 2025: ONLINE: CBC Books will livestream the debates at 10:05 a.m. ET on YouTube and CBC Gem. The debates will be available to replay online each day. The livestream on YouTube will be available to watch outside Canada. If you'd rather listen to the debates online, they will air live on CBC Listen. A replay will be available later each day. ON RADIO: Canada Reads will air on CBC Radio at 10:05 a.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 11:05 a.m. in Nunavut, the Maritimes, 1:05 p.m. in Labrador and at 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland. The debates will replay at 9 p.m. local time in all time zones, except in Newfoundland, where it will replay at 9:30 p.m. ON TV: CBC TV will broadcast Canada Reads at 1 p.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 2 p.m. in the Atlantic time zone and at 2:30 p.m in the Newfoundland time zone. PODCAST: The episode will be posted each day after the live airing. You can download the episodes on the podcast app of your choice.
CBC
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
The first time author Samantha M. Bailey walked into her backyard studio, she cried with relief
Social Sharing Leading up to Canada Reads, CBC Arts is bringing you daily essays about where this year's authors write for our series Where I Write. This edition features Watch Out For Her author Samantha M. Bailey. I'm easily satisfied by simple pleasures: escaping into a great book, singing in a private karaoke room where only my friends can hear me, playing board games I never win with my family. My dreams are about passion, not possession. But from the cramped apartments where I resided in my 20s and 30s to, finally, a small house in my 40s, I always envisioned a space where I could close the door, shut out the responsibilities of adulting and tap away at my computer to my heart's content. It felt totally out of reach, a luxury I could never give myself. So I carved out places within the walls of my homes, learning to work with constant noise. I adapted, though I still longed for a room of my own. But during the pandemic, things changed. I changed. As I wrote Watch Out for Her — that pressure-laden sophomore novel all authors fear — while virtually promoting my debut, Woman on the Edge, at a desk shoved up against my kitchen wall, I was stressed and burned out. My family, including my dog, already isolated enough, were confined upstairs during my many online events and interviews, while I hoped no one called out "Mom" or barked. I was lucky to have all of these opportunities to promote my work, but I was about to crack. Torn between my two loves — my children, who I wanted to be completely present for, and writing — just as I was finally seeing my decades-long goal of becoming a published author come to fruition, I knew something had to give. My kids are always my main priority, but I needed to find a way to put my oxygen mask on first. I'm uncomfortable spending large sums of money on myself, so it was two years into the pandemic before I took action. I researched she-sheds and tiny homes relentlessly. For a hot second, I even debated DIYing it, without any building experience or actual time to attempt it. Then I found the solution: a sustainable Toronto-based company that, in six weeks, could build a tailor-made office pod in my backyard for a somewhat affordable price (of course, it wasn't going to be cheap). Though I grappled with guilt over what felt like a selfish decision, I invested in myself. And as I watched with unbridled glee as the crew erected, frame by frame, the walls of my studio, then painted, laid the flooring and installed the windows and doors — all in styles and shades I'd selected — my stress levels immediately dropped. It was like magic. The first time I entered my finished, sun-dappled studio, I sat on the floor, deeply exhaled and cried with relieved happiness. When I decorated with a little pink couch and a white bookshelf, then carried in the desk that used to be pushed against my kitchen wall, I fully breathed in a way I hadn't in years. Now, I can blast my alternative '90s music, do yoga, take a nap, post sticky notes all over the walls and cover the floors with the puzzle pieces of my plots. I do virtual events without bracing for interruptions and create my fictional worlds without distractions. It's an enormous privilege to give myself this gift. The value is priceless. I'm a more patient mother and a more focused author. I've written two more books, A Friend in the Dark and Hello, Juliet, within the solitude I desperately needed. I never take for granted how lucky I am to have a space I can call my own.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Watch the Canada Reads 2025 book trailers
Social Sharing Canada Reads 2025 will take place March 17-20. This year, the great Canadian book debate is looking for one book to change the narrative. The 2025 contenders are: The debates will take place live at 10:05 a.m. ET. You can tune in live or catch a replay on the platform of your choice. You can see all the broadcast details here. If you'd like the Canada Reads books in an accessible format, both CELA and NNELS provide books in audio, braille, print braille and text formats. You can find out which formats are available for each of the books here for CELA and here for NNELS. The Canada Reads books are available in print, e-book and audiobook format at your local bookstore or library of choice. You can use this link to find an independent bookstore near you. Four of the five trailers are voiced by the same narrator as the audiobook version. New this year, audiobooks from Audible are now included on Amazon Music Unlimited — and all the Canada Reads titles are available here. The books chosen for Canada Reads deal with difficult topics, such as trauma and abuse. These stories may be shared during the broadcast and in the trailers. Click this link to find publicly available resources for support. Watch the book trailers and get to know the creators behind them: Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey | Canada Reads 2025 trailer 1 day ago Duration 1:04 Watch Out for Her is about a young mother named Sarah who thinks her problems are solved when she hires a young babysitter, Holly, for her six-year-old son. Her son adores Holly and Holly adores Sarah, who is like the mother she never had. But when Sarah sees something that she can't unsee, she uproots her family to start over. Her past follows her to this new life, raising paranoid questions of who is watching her now? And what do they want? Watch Out for Her will be championed by Olympic gold-medal swimmer Maggie Mac Neil. Olympic gold medallist Maggie Mac Neil makes a splash with the first thriller on Canada Reads The trailer for Watch Out for Her was created by Sydnie Baynes. Baynes is a visual artist and animator known for her art that explores Black history and empowers Black femininity and self-love. Her most recent short film African American Express was screened at festivals including the Dumbo Film Festival, the Dublin Animation Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival. Watch Out for Her 's trailer was narrated by Hilary Huber, who also narrated the audiobook version. Huber is a voice actor who has recorded more than 800 audiobooks over her nearly 30-year career. She has won multiple SOVA, Earphone, Audiofile Best of and Audie finalist awards for her work. Huber splits her time between Santa Monica and New York. The sound design was done by Alex Redekop and the script was written by Ryan B. Patrick. A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer | Canada Reads 2025 trailer 4 days ago Duration 1:13 In A Two-Spirit Journey, Ma-Nee Chacaby, an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian who grew up in a remote northern Ontario community, tells the story of how she overcame experiences with abuse and alcohol addiction to become a counsellor and lead Thunder Bay's first gay pride parade. A Two-Spirit Journey will be championed by podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild. The trailer for A Two-Spirit Journey was created by Alina Pete. Pete is a nehiyaw (Cree) artist and writer from Little Pine First nation in western Saskatchewan. As a creator, they have worked in comics, animation, VFX and VR. They won the 2023 Imagining Indigenous Futurisms Award for their writing and have edited all-Indigenous comic anthologies including Indiginerds and The Woman In the Woods and Other North American Stories. Shayla Stonechild brings an Ojibwa-Cree elder's message of hope and healing to Canada Reads A Two-Spirit Journey 's trailer was narrated by Marsha Knight, who also narrated the audiobook. Knight is an actor and storyteller involved with theatre and film since the mid-90s. Her recent projects include playing the role of Maggie in the play Secret to Good Tea and creating the documentary film Winnipeg's North End – A Food Desert. Knight, who is of Metis Ojibwe ancestry, is from Winnipeg. The trailer's sound design was done by Alex Redekop and the script was written by Bridget Raymundo. Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper | Canada Reads 2025 trailer 3 days ago Duration 1:00 In the novel Etta and Otto and Russell and James, 82-year-old Etta decides to walk 3,232 kilometres to Halifax from her farm in Saskatchewan with little more than a rusty rifle and a talking coyote named James for company. Her early life with her husband Otto and their friend Russell are revealed in flashbacks to the Great Depression and the Second World War. Etta and Otto and Russell and James will be championed by Heartland actor Michelle Morgan. The trailer for Etta and Otto and Russell and James was created by Sima Naseem. Naseem is an animator, director and artist best know for her work in stop motion, 2D animation and illustration. Her film My Friend in the Jingle is on CBC Gem and won awards from CILECT North America, the Mosaic International Film Festival and the Muslim International Film Festival. Emma Hooper on the patchwork quilt of people that have inspired her writing The trailer for Etta and Otto and Russell and James was narrated by Heather Bambrick. Bambrick is a vocalist, broadcaster and voice actor. As a vocalist, she has been nominated for a Juno and an East Coast Music Association award and has won a Canadian Radio Award and a National Jazz Award for her work with in Toronto. She sits on the Advisory Council for Music Canada and the Board of Directors for SING! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival and Jazz in Toronto. The sound design was done by Alex Redekop and the script was written by Julia Okoth. Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston | Canada Reads 2025 trailer 3 days ago Duration 1:06 Jennie's Boy is a memoir that recounts a six-month period in Wayne Johnston's chaotic childhood, much of which was spent as a frail and sickly boy with a fiercely protective mother. While too sick to attend school, he spent his time with his funny and eccentric grandmother Lucy and picked up some important life lessons along the way. Jennie's Boy will be championed by thriller writer Linwood Barclay Linwood Barclay brings a thriller writer's perspective to Canada Reads 2025 The trailer for Jennie's Boy was created by Andy Gomez. Gomez is a Vancouver-based 2D, experimental and mixed media animator. Their films include The Closing Shift and Twinkle My Soul. They have a degree in 2D and Experimental Animation from Emily Carr University. Gomez loves playing with different mediums and techniques to explore themes of repetition and cycles. The trailer for Jennie's Boy was narrated by its author, Wayne Johnston. Johnston is a writer, born and raised in Goulds, N.L. His novels include The Divine Ryans, A World Elsewhere, The Custodian of Paradise, The Navigator of New York and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. His 1999 memoir, Baltimore's Mansion, won the RBC Taylor Prize. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and was a 2003 Canada Reads finalist, when it was championed by now prime minister Justin Trudeau. Ashly July wrote the script and did the sound design. Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew | Canada Reads 2025 trailer 3 days ago Duration 0:58 Dandelion is a novel about family secrets, migration, isolation, motherhood and mental illness. When Lily was a child, her mother, Swee Hua, walked away from the family and was never heard from again. After becoming a new mother herself, Lily is obsessed with discovering what happened to Swee Hua. She recalls growing up in a British Columbia mining town where there were only a handful of Asian families and how Swee Hua longed to return to Brunei. Eventually, a clue leads Lily to southeast Asia to find out the truth about her mother. Dandelion will be championed by pastry chef Saïd M'Dahoma. The trailer for Dandelion was created by Ridaa Khan. Khan is a South Asian-Canadian artist and animator. She works as a 2D animator at Titmouse and her independent films have been featured at several Canadian film festivals. Her goal is to bring diverse, meaningful stories to life and amplify BIPOC voices in the animation industry. Khan is based in Vancouver. Dandelion 's trailer was narrated by Jennifer Hui, who also narrated the book. Hui is a Canadian actress whose work spans television, film and video games. She is best known for her role in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as "Ensign Christina." Her other credits include appearances on the television series The Spencer Sisters and Heartland and voice acting for the video game For Honor. She began her career as an opera singer. The sound design was done by Alex Redekop and the script was written by Talia Kliot.
CBC
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
30 Canadian books to read in winter 2025
Cozy up with a great Canadian book during the cold and dark winter season. Check out this list of 30 buzzworthy Canadian titles, featuring books ranging from fiction to poetry to nonfiction to comics! Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew Dandelion is a novel about family secrets, migration, isolation, motherhood and mental illness. When Lily was a child, her mother, Swee Hua, walked away from the family and was never heard from again. After becoming a new mother herself, Lily is obsessed with discovering what happened to Swee Hua. She recalls growing up in a British Columbia mining town where there were only a handful of Asian families and how Swee Hua longed to return to Brunei. Eventually, a clue leads Lily to southeast Asia to find out the truth about her mother. Jamie Chai Yun Liew is a lawyer, law professor and podcaster based in Ottawa. Dandelion Ghost Citizens. Liew was named one of CBC Books writers to watch in 2022. Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey Watch Out for Her is about a young mother named Sarah who thinks her problems are solved when she hires a young babysitter, Holly, for her six-year-old son. Her son adores Holly and Holly adores Sarah, who is like the mother she never had. But when Sarah sees something that she can't unsee, she uproots her family to start over. Her past follows her to this new life, raising paranoid questions of who is watching her now? And what do they want? Samantha M. Bailey is a journalist and editor in Toronto. Her first thriller, Woman on the Edge, was released in 2019 and was an international bestseller. Her other novels include A Friend in the Dark and Hello, Juliet. Her journalistic work can be found in publications including NOW Magazine, The Village Post, The Thrill Begins and The Crime Hub. In A Two-Spirit Journey, Ma-Nee Chacaby, an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian who grew up in a remote northern Ontario community, tells the story of how she overcame experiences with abuse and alcohol addiction to become a counsellor and lead Thunder Bay's first gay pride parade. Ma-Nee Chacaby is a two-spirit Ojibwa-Cree writer, artist, storyteller and activist. She lives in Thunder Bay, Ont., and was raised by her grandmother near Lake Nipigon, Ont. Chacaby won the Ontario Historical Society's Alison Prentice Award and the Oral History Association's Book Award for A Two-Spirit Journey. In 2021, Chacaby won the Community Hero Award from the mayor of Thunder Bay. Mary Louisa Plummer is a social scientist whose work focuses on public health and children's rights. Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston Jennie's Boy is a memoir that recounts a six-month period in Wayne Johnston's chaotic childhood, much of which was spent as a frail and sickly boy with a fiercely protective mother. While too sick to attend school, he spent his time with his funny and eccentric grandmother Lucy and picked up some important life lessons along the way. Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper In Etta and Otto and Russell and James, 82-year-old Etta decides to walk 3,232 kilometres to Halifax from her farm in Saskatchewan to fulfil her dream of seeing the ocean. With little more than a rusty rifle and a talking coyote named James for company, she begins her adventure, and in the process, her early life with her husband Otto and their friend Russell is revealed in flashbacks. While Russell wants to bring her home safe, she's committed to making her way to the sea and before returning to her husband who will always wait patiently for her to come back. Emma Hooper is a Canadian musician and writer. Her other novels include Our Homesick Songs, which was on longlisted for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky. She also holds a PhD in music-literary studies and has published her research on many related topics. Raised in Alberta, she currently lives in England. Here After by Amy Lin Here After tells the powerful love story between Amy Lin and her husband Kurtis and how she copes with his sudden death. Lin shares how this loss upended her ideas of grief, strength and memory. Amy Lin is a Calgary-based writer whose work has been published in Ploughshares. She has received residencies from Yaddo and Casa Comala. Here After was on the 2024 shortlist for $75K Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Lin was recently announced as one of the readers for the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize. Home and Away tracks a path that began with Mats Sudin's parents and two brothers outside Stockholm and eventually led to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Sudin dives into the pressures and anxieties of being the first European selected No. 1 overall at the NHL draft, getting traded by the Quebec Nordiques to Toronto for franchise icon Wendel Clark and the turbulent end to his time with the Leafs. Mats Sundin is the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and also a Hall of Fame hockey player. The Lifecycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight In The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, 18-year-old Pen arrives at the University of Edinburgh with some baggage from back home in Canada. Her parent's messy divorce has left her with some unanswered questions about their break up and she's hoping her new life in Scotland will provide some answers. When she writes a letter to her dad's estranged best friend, thriller writer Lord Lennox, he invites her to spend a weekend at his family estate. She can't help but become enthralled with his entire family and begins to unravel family secrets and experiences her first debilitating crush. Emma Knight is an author, journalist and entrepreneur based in Toronto. Her work has appeared in Literary Hub, Vogue, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus and The New York Times. She co-hosted and created the podcast Fanfare and co-founded the organic beverage company Greenhouse. She is the author of cookbooks How to Eat with One Hand and The Greenhouse Cookbook. How To Share An Egg by Bonny Reichert When Toronto-based journalist Bonny Reichert turned 40, she quit her job and enrolled in culinary school — a life-changing decision that pushed her to explore her relationship with food in writing. This exploration, along with a critical bowl of borscht in Warsaw, led Reichert to writing her memoir, How to Share an Egg, which dives into how food shapes her history as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. 2020 CBC Short Story Prize. She teaches writing at the University of Toronto. For the Love of a Son: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss and Hope by Scott Oake For the Love of a Son is about a young man who never got to grow up and a family's mission to help others find hope and healing. After the heartbreaking loss of his son Bruce, who battled addiction and died from an overdose at 25, broadcaster Scott Oake and his family founded the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre to support those facing substance use disorder. Scott Oake is a Gemini award-winning sportscaster for CBC Sports, Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada. He is on the Roll of Honour of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association and appointed a Member of the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada. Originally from Sydney, Nova Scotia, Oake started his broadcasting career at Memorial University's campus radio station before spending five decades with CBC. Scott Oake carries his grief every day 29 days ago Duration 8:42 The Art of Doing by Jesse Lipscombe In The Art of Doing, Jesse Lipscombe shares how a life-changing mini-stroke that disrupted his Olympic dreams transformed his focus from single-minded goal pursuit to embracing the process of "doing," unlocking a world of opportunity, wonder and happiness. Drawing from his diverse experiences as an actor, speaker, writer, entrepreneur, athlete and singer, he offers practical strategies to help you stay motivated, productive and achieve your dreams. Lipscombe is an Alberta-born actor, speaker, former athlete, entrepreneur and activist. He invests in multiple businesses and runs a consultancy focused on fighting racism, misogyny, homophobia and hatred. In 2017, he won the Obsidian Award for Top Business Leader in Western Canada and named Community Man of the Year by Diversity magazine. He is the first Black man to receive the AMPIA Award for Best Male Acting Performance at the Rosie Awards. Almost Brown by Charlotte Gill In Almost Brown: A Mixed-Race Family Memoir, a young Charlotte recalls her experiences living in the diaspora in Toronto and New York. As the daughter of a Punjabi Sikh father and English mother, following their divorce, she looks into the frayed familial relationships that brought them to the present. Later in life, after spending time in India, Gill reconnects with her father and attempts to answer questions about what it means to be mixed-race and have two parents with very contrasting views on parenthood. Charlotte Gill is a B.C.-based writer of Indian and English descent. She is also the author of the memoir Eating Dirt and currently teaches writing at the University of King's College. No Credit River by Zoe Whittall In No Credit River, Whittall brings readers along through six years of her life which include the loss of a pregnancy, a global pandemic and abandoned love. Honest, emotional and painful, the collection of prose poems examines anxiety and creativity in the modern world as well as the intersection of motherhood and queerness. Wild Failure and the novels The Fake, The Best Kind of People and Bottle Rocket Hearts. Her previous poetry collections include The Emily Valentine Poems and The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life. She has received the Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Award, a Lambda Literary Award and been shortlisted for the Giller Prize. Whittall is also a juror for the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize alongside Danny Ramadan and Helen Knott. At a Loss for Words by Carol Off At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage, traces what former CBC Host Carol Off calls the manipulation and weaponization of language through the lens of six words: freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice and taxes. Off co-hosted the acclaimed CBC radio program As It Happens for nearly sixteen years. Prior to that, she reported on news and current affairs both in Canada and internationally. Her previous books include The Lion, The Fox and the Eagle: A Story of Generals and Justice in Yugoslavia and Rwanda and All We Leave Behind: A Reporter's Journey into the Lives of Others which won the British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. When the Pine Needles Fall by Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, with Sean Carleton When the Pine Needles Fall tells the story of Canada's violent siege of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in 1990 from the perspective of Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel who was the Kanien'kehá:ka spokesperson during that time. The book covers her experiences leading up to the siege and her work as an activist for her community since. Gabriel is a Kanien'kehá:ka, Wakeniáhton, artist, documentarian and Indigenous human rights and environmental rights activist. She lives in Kanehsatà:ke Kanien'kehá:ka Homelands. readers for the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize. However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal However Far Away follows Devinder Gill who must navigate the emotional minefield of both his wife and his ex-girlfriend, with whom he's been having an affair, attending his nephew's wedding. He is certain nothing will come between him and his wife Kuldip but as the day goes on he realizes he does not have the control he thought. A series of threats including a curious daughter and an unwelcome guest only throw Dev's life into further disarray. pappaji wrote poetry in a language i cannot read and pulse. Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari In Songs for the Brokenhearted, Zohara hasn't looked back since moving to the U.S. for her PhD. Her life feels much simpler than her childhood growing up in Israel, where she felt othered as a Yemeni Jew by the predominant Ashkenazi (eastern European) culture. When her sister calls to let her know of their mother's death, she gets on a plane with no return ticket. But as she goes through her mother's belongings and discovers tapes of her mother singing hauntingly beautiful songs in Arabic, she begins to unravel family secrets, including a forbidden romance that challenges her perception of the conservative Yemeni community of her parents. Ayelet Tsabari is the author of The Art of Leaving, which won the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Memoir and was a finalist for the Writer's Trust Hilary Weston Prize, and The Best Place on Earth, which won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. She spent years living in Canada and is now based in Tel Aviv. Tsabari's short story Green was shortlisted for the 2018 CBC Short Story Prize. It Must be Beautiful to be Finished by Kate Gies In It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished, Kate Gies recounts her experiences as a young girl born without an ear and the 14 surgeries she underwent before the age of 13 to craft the appearance of an outer ear. Her debut memoir details the path to accepting her body through poignant vignettes. We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin In We Could Be Rats, Margit has always found it difficult to understand her sister Sigrid, who rejected the conventional path of life, never graduating high school, and preferring instead, to roam the streets with her best friend Greta. When Margit, for the first time, tries to connect with her sister, she uncovers the heartwrenching reasons behind her sister's choices. Emily Austin is a writer based in Ottawa who studied English literature and library science at Western University. She is also the author of the novels Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space, and the poetry collection Gay Girl Prayers. Searching for Serafim is about the life of Vancouver's first lifeguard, Serafim "Joe" Fortes. The book explores the complexities of his legacy as a hero who saved numerous lives in a racially divided society. Through a blend of historical research, personal reflections and poetry, Ruby Smith Diaz sheds light on the untold struggles of an Afro Latino man in an openly white supremacist world. Ruby Smith Diaz is an Afro Latina multidisciplinary artist, educator and award-winning body-positive personal trainer. Raised in a migrant, low-income, single-parent household in amiskwaciy (Edmonton), her upbringing has fuelled her dedication to addressing equity and social justice issues. She now lives on the unceded territories of the Stz'uminus peoples (Ladysmith, B.C.). I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aleman In I Might Be in Trouble, David hooks up with a great guy, only to find him dead in his bed the next morning. He teams up with his literary agent, Stacey, on a mission to find out just what happened the night before and maybe turn the disaster into inspiration for David's next book. We, the Kindling by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek In We, the Kindling, three women who, as children, survived the horrors of war in Uganda, continue to experience the trauma of their past, even when they've started families of their own. Otoniya J. Okot Bitek, a poet, fiction writer and scholar born in Kenya to Ugandan parents, who currently lives in Kingston, Ont. Her first collection of poetry, 100 Days, won the 2017 IndieFab Book of the Year Award for poetry and the 2017 Glenna Lushei Prize for African Poetry. Her second poetry collection, A is for Acholi, won the 2023 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. She was also longlisted for the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize. We, the Kindling is her debut novel. May It Have a Happy Ending by Minelle Mahtani May It Have a Happy Ending is a memoir about the anticipatory grief of caring for a dying loved one and the gravity of their loss when they do pass. As Minelle Mahtani was finding her stride in the newsroom, hosting her radio show Sense of Place in Vancouver, her Iranian mother had been diagnosed with tongue cancer. Through vignettes and lyrical prose, Mahtani shares the intimate experience of talking with strangers while struggling to have tough conversations with close friends and family. The Riveter by Jack Wang The Riveter follows a Chinese Canadian man named Josiah Chang who pursues a cross-cultural romance with a singer named Poppy. When he is given the chance to fight abroad in Europe during World War II, their passionate relationship is what keeps Josiah determined to survive the battlefields and make it back home. Jack Wang is a N.Y.-based writer and professor originally from Vancouver. He teaches in the department of writing at Ithaca College and his writing has appeared in Joyland Magazine, The New Quarterly and Fiddlehead, among others. Wang's debut short story collection, We Two Alone, was longlisted for Canada Reads 2022, shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. In All Our Ordinary Stories, Teresa Wong unpacks how intergenerational trauma and resilience can shape our identities. Starting with her mother's stroke a decade ago, Wong takes a journey through time and place to find the origin of her feelings of disconnection from her parents. The graphic memoir examines the cultural, language, historical and personality issues that have been barriers to intimacy in her family. Chrystia by Catherine Tsalikis Chrystia is a biography that chronicles Chrystia Freeland's incredible journey from her roots in Peace River, Alta., to her role as a journalist and ultimately to her position as deputy prime minister and finance minister in prime minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government. The book gives an inside look at the trailblazing woman, sharing key moments and achievements in her impressive political career. Catherine Tsalikis is a Toronto-based writer and journalist. She reports on foreign policy, politics and gender equality. Tsalikis respectively received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics. She worked as an editorial assistant for The World Today magazine, a politics producer for Sky News, and most recently, as the senior editor for an international affairs site. All You Can Kill, is an absurdist story set at a wellness resort that specializes in solving couples' martial issues with erotic therapy. But the main characters of the novel are not a couple — which incites humorous, yet uncomfortable moments. As horror and surrealism seeps into the narrative, Pasha Malla creates a world and a story that reminds us how strange people can be. Pasha Malla is the author of several books of poetry and fiction including The Withdrawal Method, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize and longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, People Park, which was shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award, and Kill the Mall. Originally from Newfoundland, he now lives in Ontario and has taught at York University, University of Toronto, the University of Guelph, Brock University and McMaster University. Just Say Yes: A Memoir by Bob McDonald Starting in a small town with a boy from a low-income family, Just Say Yes explores how Bob McDonald ended up travelling the world, hosting CBC's Quirks and Quarks, becoming an officer of the Order of Canada and even having an asteroid named in his honour. Living Disability brings together diverse disabled perspectives to explore how urban systems can be accessible to all populations. Including both essays and interviews, the book brings research together with lived experience to share stories and strategies for an inclusive future. Emily Macrae is a disabled writer and organizer. Her work has been published in Canadian Architect, Spacing and NOW magazine. She is based in Toronto. Safekeeping by Chelene Knight In Safekeeping, award-winning author Chelene Knight provides practical advice for writers at all stages of their literary endeavours. The book combines writing prompts, tips, reflective exercises and mindset-building activities to equip authors with the tools for successful publishing, while maintaining a healthy outlook and helping them avoid imposter syndrome, burnout and the pitfalls of comparing themselves to others. Chelene Knight reimagines Vancouver's historic Black neighbourhood Hogan's Alley in debut novel Chelene Knight is a writer and poet from Vancouver. She is the author of the Braided Skin and the memoir Dear Current Occupant, which won the 2018 Vancouver Book Award. Her 2022 novel Junie won the 2023 Vancouver Book Award, was longlisted for Canada Reads 2024 and the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and was a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ fiction. Her work has appeared in literary magazines in Canada and the U.S. and she has been a judge for literary awards, including the B.C. Book Prizes. LISTEN | Chelene Knight on what inspired her to write Junie: The Next Chapter3:33Chelene Knight on Junie
