Author: ALU Editor
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There’s a Poem for That: Joshua Chris Bouchard + Burn Diary
Even with the days growing longer, there’s still a lot of time for dark, pensive nights and with them, the unapologetic and gritty poems of Joshua Chris Bouchard’s debut collection Burn Diary (Wolsak & Wynn).
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There’s a Poem for That: Shani Mootoo + Oh Witness Dey!
A collection of vibrant poems, Shani Mootoo’s newest book Oh Witness Dey! (Book*hug Press) considers the ancestry and rootlessness of those affected by colonial labour systems. Read the poem “Matayla, Matayla” and our interview with Shani, below.
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There’s a Poem for That: AJ Dolman + Crazy/Mad
Our first poem for National Poetry Month – AJ Dolman’s “Slippery slope thinking” from their debut collection, Crazy/Mad (Gordon Hill Press) – is for resisting redemption arcs inherent to “sameness” and instead, embracing the multitude identities contained within each of us.
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National Poetry Month 2024: There’s a Poem for That
In a month-long series dedicated to all kinds of poetry capturing the very real and messy experiences of being human, There’s a Poem for That puts into verse our collective and singular feelings and musings. This National Poetry Month, All Lit Up shares interviews with 22 poets and poems for times of crisis and celebration.
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If You Liked x, Read y: Coming-of-Age Memoirs
If Tara Westover’s memoir Educated gripped you with its story of growing up in a survivalist family and forging a path of reinvention, be sure to check out Carly Butler’s new memoir Apocalypse Child: Doomsday and the Search for Identity at the End of the World (Caitlin Press).
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Writer’s Block: Jaymie Heilman
In her YA novel Badass(ish) (Ronsdale Press), Jaymie Heilman encourages its young readers to stand up for what they believe in, even if it’s hard. We talk to Jaymie about her writing-for-kids philosophy, her tips for circumventing writer’s block, and why you should never, ever give up.
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Where in Canada: The Curative Powers of the Sulphur Springs Trail
Inspired by a walk near the Sulphur Springs Trail near Ancaster, Ontario, Jeffrey Round set his newest murder mystery The Sulphur Springs Cure (Cormorant Books) in the fashionable Sulphur Springs Hotel, a health spa that burned down in 1910. Jeffrey tells us about how the Sulphur Springs estate was the perfectly haunting setting for his…
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Off/Kilter: 2024 Spring Preview
Whether your spring is coming in more like a lion or a lamb, we’re loving these decidedly leonine Off/Kilter picks for the upcoming spring season: fierce, frightening, occasionally funny, and fantastically weird.
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In House with Baraka Books
Quebec-based publisher, Baraka Books has been publishing creative and political non-fiction, historical books, and literary fiction for an impressive 15 years. Today, we share a little bit of the press’s history, important books over the years, and what’s upcoming.
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Six Reads: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This day calls for all of us to actively work to stop racial discrimination in all its forms: hatred, injustice, and systemic discrimination against Indigenous peoples and racialized and religious communities. We’ve pulled together six reads to help envision a racism-free future.
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A Playlist for Freedom: A Mixtape
Freedom: A Mixtape (Playwrights Canada Press) collects original songs, poems, and spoken-word pieces that respond to recent and historical violence on Black bodies. Today, the book’s editor Marcel Stewart shares a playlist with companion tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and Goodie Mob, and more that complement the compilation album that is Freedom.
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Top 10: Books in Bloom
It’s the vernal equinox, and we’re celebrating (appropriately) with 10 books about gardening and growing things. Let these memoirs, essays, novels, and poetry collections take root in your mind.
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Beautiful Books: Laser Quit Smoking Massage
Cole Nowicki’s collection of witty and insightful essays in Laser Quit Smoking Massage (NeWest Press) explore the peculiarities of the urban and rural centres of the Canadian West. We talk with book designer Hiller Goodspeed on how he brought to life the essence of Nowiciki’s work with his playful cover design.
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Poetry in Motion: Jody Chan + impact statement
Examples of carceral capitalism disproportionately traumatizing and re-traumatizing people of colour, people with disabilities, and queer people are not hard to find. In their new collection impact statement (Brick Books), Jody Chan asks the reader to imagine a much sunnier alternative: community-led care in a queer, disabled, and abolitionist context. Listen to Jody read their…
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Interview with Johanna Skibsrud
In her new poetry collection Medium (Book*hug Press), Giller Prize-winner Johanna Skibsrud interprets in a series of performative poems the voices of historical women: Helen of Troy, Anne Boleyn, Shakuntala Devi, to name just a few. Johanna talks to us about the captivating cover art from Nikki Berger Martinez’s Ghost Walk series, which sets a…