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Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Writer’s Block: Ben Ladouceur
We chat with poet and author of the recently published collection Mad Long Emotion (Coach House Books) Ben Ladouceur — who the Dayne Ogilvie Prize jury called “someone with chops and fodder, someone fully formed and bent on risk” — about the magic of re-reading novels, fictional characters, and writing life.
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An Interview with Author Susie Taylor
For Pride Month debut novelist Susie Taylor chats with us about her coming-of-age “DIY punk-rock song of a novel” Even Weirder Than Before (Breakwater Books), the queer subtext of her teenage diaries, coming out in the 90s, writerly advice (which include eating cake—yes, please), and more.
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ALU Summer Book Club is Almost Here!
It’s clubbing season at ALU HQ: book clubbing, that is. Our fourth year of book club brings you a dark and magical collection of stories and an uproarious, wild ride of a novel we’re sure to have lots of discussion around. If we’re being too elusive, read on to find out what this year’s book…
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In Review: The Week of June 10th
From feline some cat-covered books to indulging our design-geek tendencies this week was a feast for our eyes. Scroll on for that and much more!
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Two Poems from The Dark Set: New Tenderman Poems
In The Dark Set: New Tenderman Poems, Tim Bowling wrestles with his own conflicted feelings about masculinity, fatherhood, history, citizenship and power, in this wry yet haunting collection of poems dedicated to the Tenderman – a character from another time, a worker in a lost resource culture. His poems question the current state of North…
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Beautiful Books: Meteorites
We’ve been known to swoon over Tree Abraham’s book cover designs (exhibit A) and her newest vision for Julie Paul’s short story collection Meteorites (Brindle & Glass) is no exception. Read on for our interview with Tree on her approaches to design and how atmosphere is top of mind when working on collections.
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Under the Cover: Free to a Good Home
Jules Torti sits down with us to chat about her memoir Free to a Good Home (Caitlin Press), discussing the uncanny sympatico that revealed itself in the books final cover design and her 88-house adventure, starting in rural southwestern Ontario, to find home in both its physical form and internal sense.
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Cover Collage: Cats!
Because we never need a reason to celebrate cats, we’re having a mewment with these clawsome cat-adorned book covers. Scroll on if you’re feline this edition of Cover Collage (which will include no further puns, we promise).
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In Review: The Week of June 3rd
This week we kicked off Pride Month with a booklist, observed World Environment Day, cheered for the Lambda Literary Awards winners, and much more!
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First Fiction Friday: Proof I Was Here
Becky Blake’s Proof I Was Here is a love letter to Barcelona. When artist Niki’s fiance cancel’s their wedding, she heads off to Barcelona where she finds herself befriending a pickpocket and navigating the city’s darkest corners – finding in them the city’s true beauty. Read on to find out why this is your must-read of…
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Five Books for Pride Month
For Pride Month we’re celebrating with some fabulous LGBTQ+ poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Here are five reads to round out your Pride reading!
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Where in Canada: Love of the Salish Sea Islands
For World Environment Day we asked publisher Mona Fertig of Mother Tongue Publishing about her new collection Love of the Salish Sea Islands, a collection of memoirs, essays, and poems from forty celebrated and award-winning island writers in celebration of the islands and waters of the Salish Sea. Below she tells us more about the collection and…
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Writer’s Block: Amy Spurway
Whether she’s in the ‘garbage zone’ or the ‘glamour zone,’ author Amy Spurway commits to her writing 100%. Amy shares her five essential steps to curing her writer’s block and how shaving her head helped her better understand the novels’ main character Stacey, a.k.a Crow (Goose Lane Editions), who after being diagnosed with inoperable brain…
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In Review: The Week of May 27th
This week we wrapped up our short story month celebrations, got nostalgic about the city of Toronto, picked up some tips for writing while managing a pizzeria full time and found out what butterflies and book covers have in common.
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Where in Canada: A history of Toronto’s cultural scene
The Student (Freehand Books) is a snapshot of the history of Toronto and the development of the city’s cultural scene from 1957 to 2000. This provides the backdrop for the novels main character Miriam, who readers follow from youth to old age as she navigates and contributes to the movements that would ultimately lead the…
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