On the Blog
~ We took a Field Trip out west to the second-annual
Growing Room Festival , a women’s literary festival in British Columbia. After
Chelene Knight ‘s great piece on the festival, we too are feeling the “Roomie Love.”~ Our
Jules’ Tools this month was all about Catherine Hernandez’sÂ
Scarborough (Arsenal Pulp Press) and the city – and community – it’s named after.~ Friend Aruna Srivastava and publisher Kegedonce Press gave
a heartfelt tribute to late Métis poet Sharron Proulx-Turner .~ We were charmed to bits by poet Catherine Graham’s story of
a young fan inspiring the name of her poem “Winterhill” in her new collectionÂ
The Celery Forest  (Wolsak & Wynn). (On Twitter, Doyali Islam called the piece “definitely worth my time & attention.” Thanks, Doyali!)~ You might say we
come  for wickedly funny premises like our First Fiction Friday feature, Kim Clark’s debutÂ
A One-Handed Novel (Caitlin Press) – where the protagonist, 40ish and living with MS, is
diagnosed with six remaining orgasms for the rest of her life .
Around the Web
~ Sunday marks the start of Freedom to Read Week, and our friends at 49th Shelf have
rounded up a big list of challenged Canadian books .~ If you’ve ever sat down to watch all of the
Lord of the Rings movies in one sitting, British writer Nate Crowley has done God’s work in
designing a 15-course meal to accompany your next viewing . More like Lord of the Napkin Rings, amirite?~ A company called Advanced Tech Services
has costed out Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory . It’s over $224 million dollars, or the price of a three-bedroom house in Toronto and Vancouver.
What Else We’re Reading
We’re so stoked for Bridget Canning’s BMO Winterset Award nomination, we’re re-reading her nominated, debut novelÂ
The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes (Breakwater Books).
