Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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In Review: The Week of March 13th
It must be the luck of the Irish (but more accurately the quality of the books) because this week was full of award wins with books from Arsenal Pulp, Coach House Books, Creative Book Publishing, and Playwrights Canada Press among the winners. Below, we round up this week’s accolades and what you may have missed…
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On Immigration
I came into Canada from the U.S. for the first time on a student visa without complications, just the mild ugh of paperwork and a typical wait on bureaucracy. I had an easy immigration as a white, English-speaking, cis-gendered, able-bodied, straight woman with neither dependents nor health issues presenting a simple, linear narrative of moving…
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Jules’ Tools for Social Change: A Motherhood Booklist
Welcome to this month’s edition of Jules’ Tools for Social Change, a column that features a book, author or publisher whose work deals with issues of race, gender, sexuality, ability, colonialism, economic justice, or other social justice topics.
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Writer’s Block: Judith Silverthorne
It’s March Break, so we sent our Proust-style questionnaire to one of our fave children’s authors, Judith Silverthorne. Author of ~15 books, nine of which are written for younger readers and published by Coteau Books, Judith shares with us some of the writing story behind her most recent novel, Convictions, and a personal “truth is out…
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Beautiful Books: Deep Salt Water
Named one of the most anticipated books of spring 2017 by CBC Books, Quill and Quire, and Toronto Star, Marianne Apostolides’ Deep Salt Water (BookThug) has been on our radar for some time. This memoir brings to air the emotional experience of a love affair, an unwanted pregnancy, and the abortion itself, all beautifully told…
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This Week in Lit Events: March 13-19th
This week! Two great book events in Vancouver, and a writing workshop with Lisa Robertson in Toronto!Are you hosting an event featuring an author whose titles are available on All Lit Up? Send the event details, including author, book, date, time, and address to hello@alllitup.ca to be included in our listings.
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In Review: The Week of March 6th
Another frosty weekend? No problem. Just cozy up with one, or all, of three ReLit Award winners below, and we’ll see you back on Monday.
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Departure and Arrival
Uncle Yusuf was the part owner of the corner shop and halal butcher storefront located in the Peck in Walsall, England, along with his father who minded the cash till at the front of the store, where as children we purchased our small brown packets of sour candy. My dad Mani sometimes went over to…
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Writing and the Women’s March: Two Stories
With this being the day after International Women’s Day, we look back to what seemed like the first bright light after a bunch of bad news: the Women’s March on Washington. As Quill & Quire reported, women writers and publishing industry professionals were involved on March planning committees all across Canada. Today, two such women…
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Joyfully: Reading as Generative Resistance
I need family. I want community. I need to read. I want to be read.(from Shannon Webb-Campbell “Needs vs Wants” Still No Word)What do we need to survive? What do we want to aid us in thriving? These are the central questions in Shannon Webb-Campbell’s poem “Needs vs Wants.” The needs outlined in…
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Read This, Then That: Fearless Women (in Translation)
Usually in this column we talk about how two stories are alike, but in this case, it’s the authors who are comparably incomparable. The Montreal women who authored Breakneck (Anvil Press) and Testament (BookThug) worked in the sexier side of the city’s labour force (exotic dancing, escort), lived well outside of society’s expectations for young women, and passed…
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This Week in Lit Events: March 6-12th
There’s a coast-to-coast roster of events going down this week, from a 40th anniversary party on the west coast to a night of readings and music in resistance on the east.Are you hosting an event featuring an author whose titles are available on All Lit Up? Send the event details, including author, book, date, time,…
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In Review: The Week of February 27
This week we’ve got a punchy-fun book suggestion to hibernate with (it’s cooold out there!), and a crafty activity to warm up your feet and your books (because we’re always thinking about the books.)
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Do-Lit-Yourself: Cozy Up with Knit Slippers (+ a bonus book wrap)
It’s COLD out there, folks. Warm up your fingers by eventually warming up your feet with this simple knitting pattern for Italian guest slippers – the perfect thing to wear around the house on a chilly weekend of reading. Don’t leave your book out of the warming vibes: we found an adorable video for wrapping…
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Chappy Hour: A Blacklight Borealis for Observing the Moon
Sneha Madhavan-Reese’s Observing the Moon (Hagios Press) is a stellar collection of poems that shine a light on family and generational memory, and journey into the darkness of a paradoxical world. Our ALU resident mixologist Tan appropriately pairs an earthy drink with a poem titled “Cocktail” in this edition of Chappy Hour.
Got any book recommendations?