A note to US-based customers: All Lit Up is pausing print orders to the USA until further notice. Read more

Author: ALU Editor

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Rebel Mountain Press

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Rebel Mountain Press

    The publishers of Nanoose Bay, BC’s Rebel Mountain Press serve up three hilarious, fun-to-read books for kids for our Press Picks feature; ones that also speak truth to experiences of disability, queerness, and gender.

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Annick Press

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Annick Press

    Picture book lovers, rejoice! The kids book pros at Toronto-based Annick Press have selected three heartwarming, gorgeous picture books for the littles (and art lovers) in your life.

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: At Bay Press

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: At Bay Press

    Winnipeg’s At Bay Press is known for discovering new authors and bringing beautiful books to light. Today, they deck our blog with three gift-worthy books for the holiday season, including a stunning debut novel by an Indigenous author, a New-Yorker best book, and a visually impressive poetry collection.

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Book*hug Press

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Book*hug Press

    Today’s Press Picks come from staffers of radically optimistic, award-winning indie publisher Book*hug Press. Their four fantastic book picks for gift-giving this holiday season include something for everyone: a nostalgic coming-of-age, a winter-perfect novel to curl up with on the couch, and two giftable poetry collections.

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: NeWest Press

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: NeWest Press

    Edmonton, Alberta-based NeWest Press and its staffers Christine, Matt, and Meredith recommend three knockout books for giving this holiday season for All Lit Up Press Picks: a reflective, gorgeously-written novel, a poetry collection that tackles climate change, and a high-octane debut thriller.

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Guernica Editions

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Guernica Editions

    Based out of Hamilton, Ontario, Guernica Editions is known for a robust local and international publishing program. Their publicist Crystal serves up three gift-worthy books for the holiday season in this Press Picks feature.

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Breakwater Books

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays: Breakwater Books

    Newfoundland-based Breakwater Books is first up on Press Picks with three book recommendations for mystery fans, art aficionados, and historical fiction buffs (or for anyone who loves a good plot-driven novel).

  • All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays

    All Lit Up Press Picks for the Holidays

    We went straight to the source this year and asked some of your favourite independent Canadian literary presses for their holiday book recommendations. Whether you’re in it for yourself, or for the giftees on your wish list, follow along as 19 indies share over 55 book recommendations for all kinds of readers.

  • An Interview with Michael V. Smith, author of Queers Like Me

    An Interview with Michael V. Smith, author of Queers Like Me

    Poet, writer, and professor, Michael V. Smith talks to us about why he’s not a private person, what brings him hope these days, and his newest poetry collection Queers Like Me (Book*hug Press). Photo credit: Jessica Zais Photography

  • Under the Cover: A Plea for Pluralism in We, the Others

    Under the Cover: A Plea for Pluralism in We, the Others

    Toula Drimonis, author of We, the Others (Linda Leith Publishing), discusses how the rise of reactionary, anti-immigration sentiment in Quebec led her to start writing her book.

  • Writer’s Block: James Chaarani

    Writer’s Block: James Chaarani

    In his new novel Between the Head and the Hands (ECW Press), James Chaarani depicts both joyful and challenging coming-of-age story, where protagonist Michael reconciles his religion with his sexuality. Today, James answers our Proust questionnaire on his zeal and advice for writing, as well as what book he returns to again and again.

  • Tell Me, Story by Brandon Reid

    Tell Me, Story by Brandon Reid

    Turtle Island, Canada, our land—they all represent the same thing. Here, all peoples of Earth unified unlike ever before in our combined history; we finally found each other. There is still much to be reconciled, so we may all live in peace, which will take generations. I have hope, though. We will all live together,…

  • Excerpt: Read from Kimia Eslah’s latest novel, Enough

    Excerpt: Read from Kimia Eslah’s latest novel, Enough

    In her third novel Enough (Fernwood Publishing), Kimia Eslah takes on the empty promises of corporate DEI initiatives through the experiences of three women of colour navigating the structural racism and microaggressions of their workplaces. This excerpt features one of the protagonists, Sameera Jahani, as she grapples with a racist encounter at work.

  • Poetry in Motion: Barbara Pelman + A Brief and Endless Sea

    Poetry in Motion: Barbara Pelman + A Brief and Endless Sea

    What does it mean to wait? Barbara Pelman draws on Jewish traditions to explore the idea of waiting – and what it can yield – through the poems in her fourth collection, A Brief and Endless Sea (Caitlin Press). She reads a work that kicks off the collection in today’s feature.

  • An Interview with Kathryn Mockler, author of Anecdotes

    An Interview with Kathryn Mockler, author of Anecdotes

    Poet, writer, and teacher Kathryn Mockler talks with us about the differences – or lack thereof – between writing poetry and fiction, what she’s reading right now, and about her new collection of stories, Anecdotes (Book*hug Press).