Author: ALU Editor
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Field Trip: Upstart & Crow
Today’s Field Trip takes us to Vancouver, British Columbia’s Upstart & Crow Bookstore, a literary gem on Granville Island. Read our interview with Upstarters Zoe, Ian, and Robyn. Photo by Olivia Leigh Nowak.
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5 Books for International Women’s Day
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Inspire Inclusion,” which our five choice picks do in spades. From a groundbreaking memoir about trans identity, to a propulsive novel about the treatment of lesbian women over decades; to a novel about famed poet Emily Dickinson; to poetic reimaginings of historical women; to a personal story…
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Canada (Next) Reads: Follow-ups for your faves
Our preferred kind of March Madness is CBC’s annual battle of the books, Canada Reads. Did you catch this week’s debates? Whether your favourite book came out on top or you’re devastated by an early upset, we chose your next read based on this year’s finalists.
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Writer’s Block: Christina Wong & Daniel Innes
In their Canada Reads shortlisted book, Denison Avenue (ECW Press), Daniel Innes and Christina Wong depict the immigrant experience, community, gentrification, and urban life through a combination of ink artwork and fiction. In their moving and beautifully crafted novel, an elderly Chinese Canadian woman begins collecting bottles and cans after the sudden death of her…
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Excerpted: How You Were Born by Kate Cayley
We’re thrilled to join in on the celebration of the upcoming 10th publication anniversary of Kate Cayley’s How You Were Born (Book*hug Press). Read part of the story “Bloody Mary” below.
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Witnessing: A conversation across time and space by Tanya Turton
When my debut novel was released, I was not ready. While I knew the date of official release, I did not know the magnitude of advance copies and that an assortment of reviews would begin prior to release date. I added a call to action in advance copies for the reader, stating “I truly believe…
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2024 ALU Spring Preview
We pick out some of the books we can’t wait to read in our spring sneak preview. Peek our selections (and preorder here on ALU!), below.
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In House with Palimpsest Press
Palimpsest Press publicist Vanessa Shields joins us to share the storied history behind the award-winning Windsor-based publisher of new and established voices in Canadian literature.
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The Recurrence of Doubts: The Edges of Privacy When Writing About a Parent by Jennifer Bowering Delisle
Before my mother died, I sent her an essay that I had written about the beginning of her rare degenerative disease. She had been, at various times in her life, a singer, a painter, an actor, a playwright, so I thought she would appreciate it, greet it not only as the subject but as an…
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Field Trip: Slow Burn Books
If you’re still in the Valentine’s Day spirit this late in February – or, maybe you need something to help you feel the love – venture out with us to Calgary, Alberta’s Slow Burn Books. We chat with co-owners Nicola and Shannon about how the romance genre is more exciting (titillating?) than ever. Photo (c)…
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Black History Month Series: Kids & YA
The final instalment of our Black History Month series is for the kids: YA fiction and nonfiction, and picture books for all kinds of families and the musically-inclined.
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Five Fantasy Reads
I’m N’kysha, working with the LPG on their accessible digital books project. In my spare time, I love nothing more than an exciting fantasy read! With the last few weeks of winter upon us, who doesn’t want to disappear into a good book and hibernate until spring? Bundle up with these incredible books, each with…
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Excerpted: The Storm of Progress by Wade Rowland
If the existential threat of AI is making you uneasy, it should be: we need to ask profound questions about what’s going on. In his new book, The Storm of Progress, (Linda Leith Publishing) Wade Rowland takes a positive approach about the essence of humanity, arguing that by better understanding human nature in light of…
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Under the Cover: Characters for Company + Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue
Writing is an isolated activity, but, as Christine Higdon writes, it doesn’t necessarily mean writers are lonely. Higdon details the rich lives of characters – and real-life people – Alice and Jessie in her new novel Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue (ECW Press) in this piece.
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Black History Month Series: Poetry
Our Black History Month series continues with five poetry picks—you will find poems about motherhood and intergenerational trauma; American histories of antebellum Black life and emancipation; the complexities of the immigrant experience; and an epic poem by one of Canada’s acclaimed poets.