In our interview, Paola Ferrante discusses how horror, fairy tales, and science fiction give voice to women’s experiences in her short story collection Her Body Among Animals (Book*hug Press).

Writer Brandon Reid‘s essay “Tell Me, Story” looks at the cultural and religious stories told to make sense of tragedy and colonial oppression, ones that manifested while writing his book Beautiful Beautiful (Nightwood Editions).

Montreal’s Toula Drimonis points to the worrying rise of anti-immigrant sentiment in Quebec and how it led her to start writing her book, We, the Others (Linda Leith Publishing) in this essay.

Black History Month Pick

Bushra Junaid’s beautifully written and illustrated middle-grade book The Possible Lives of W.H., Sailor (Running the Goat) marries poetic narrative with real-life history. W.H. is an unknown sailor, the remains of whom were discovered in the late 1980s in Labrador. Archaeologists were able to determine that the remains were male, and of African heritage; Junaid’s book imagines in words and pictures what the rest of his life might have been with tenderness, while also shining a light on African experiences in North America during W.H.’s lifetime.

Sharon Butala has written over 20 books and received many award wins and nominations throughout her 40-year career: read her interview with us and check out her latest novel, Leaving Wisdom (Thistledown Press).

The multitalented Gary Barwin answers our Proust questionnaire and offers a little bit of advice. Don’t miss this one for a glimpse into the writing life and Gary’s new collection, Imagining Imagining (Wolsak & Wynn).

Poet, herbalist, and activist Jess Housty shared this beautiful view – and beautiful book, Crushed Wild Mint (Nightwood Editions) – from their boat in Bella Bella, from the shores of Campbell Island, BC, for our Homegrown series.