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Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Hot Days, Cool Spots: Where (and What) Authors Read this Summer
While summer is still in full swing, 17 Canadian authors shared their go-to summertime reading spots—from sunlit patios to quiet library corners (and beyond!)—along with a peek at some of the books keeping them company.
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The All Lit Up 2025 Fall Preview
The All Lit Up team shares which books will be at the top of their reading piles this fall: see what new fiction, non-fiction, thriller, novella, and novel-in-verse they chose below.
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In House with Renegade Arts Entertainment
Renegade Arts Entertainment is a small but mighty publishing house that produces graphic novels and illustrated books from a range of storytellers in Canada and internationally. Today, assistant publisher Phoebe Finbow reflects on her unexpected journey into the world of small press publishing, sharing how joining their family’s company opened her eyes to the behind-the-scenes…
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ALU Summer Book Club: What to Read After Where the Jasmine Blooms
Did you love our August Book Club pick Where the Jasmine Blooms, and you’re looking what to read next? These four recommendations touch on the themes, characters, and settings found in Zeina Sleiman’s novel: find your next read below.
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Two Poems: Arabic, between Love and War
Arabic, between Love and War (trace press), edited by Yasmine Haj and Norah Alkharashi, juxtaposes modern and contemporary poems from Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria and Tunisia and their diasporas, alongside their translations into English (and some from English into Arabic). Many of these poems have been translated into English for the first time, and…
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Under the Cover: The Irish histories, mysteries, and myths that led to Caroline Pignat’s The Discovery of Finnegan Wilde
The Discovery of Finnegan Wilde (Thistledown Press), Caroline Pignat’s latest historical fiction novel set in Ireland in 1913, weaves the tales of three people: Eddie, an archaeology apprentice obsessed with the recent discovery of an ancient manuscript in a bog; Tomás, the 9th century monk who wrote it; and Finnegan, a thief whose only concern…
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Mixtape: The Threads of Time
Coltrane Seesequasis, author of the four-part YA fantasy series A Wolf in the Sun shares the tracks that fuelled his writing of both the series’ first book and its upcoming second instalment The Threads of Time (Kegedonce Press), out this fall. Check out the playlist that helped shape his book’s intricate worlds and emotional beats.
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ALU Summer Book Club: Team Discussion, Where the Jasmine Blooms
The ALU team met to discuss all things Where the Jasmine Blooms (Fernwood Publishing): together we found author Zeina Sleiman’s descriptions extremely evocative, the political intrigue exciting, and, of course, sad parallels to present-day world events. Read on for the highlights of our (mostly) spoiler-free team book club meeting, and get our questions for your…
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Excerpted: What to Feel, How to Feel
Shane Neilson’s What to Feel, How to Feel (Palimpsest Press) is an emotionally resonant and lyrical collection of essays about non-neurotypicality, self-discovery, and fatherhood. Below, we share an excerpt from the book.
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Beautiful Books: I picked up a Sketchbook, The Origins of Green, by Zachari Logan
Poet Zachari Logan tells us how, in the process of keeping a sketchbook-as-diary using only shades of green, the work began to relate to the poems he was working on. The result? The beautiful book, Zachari’s collection Green (Radiant Press). Read Zachari’s piece about how this marriage between two art forms became one gorgeous book…
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Mixtape: A Current Through the Flesh
In his collection A Current Through the Flesh (Ronsdale Press), poet and spoken word artist Richard-Yves Sitoski traces four generations of trauma to show how fragile male identities can be and the hidden strength of women held back by harmful beliefs. Today, he shares a post-read playlist and the personal history behind each track, weaving…
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ALU Summer Book Club: An interview with Zeina Sleiman, author of Where the Jasmine Blooms
In her debut novel, our August book club pick Where the Jasmine Blooms (Fernwood Publishing), Zeina Sleiman writes of two Palestinian cousins meeting for the first time in Lebanon: one living there, one visiting, and the family truths they uncover in the process. We talk with Zeina about breaking stereotypes about the Middle East, writing…
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Poetry in Motion: Tawahum Bige + Stages of Tanning Words and Remembering Spells Part 1: Scraping Lungs Like Hide
In Stages of Tanning Words and Remembering Spells Part 1: Scraping Lungs Like Hide (Nightwood Editions), poet and spoken word artist Tawahum Bige explores belonging and voice of a Two-Spirit Dene youth. Watch a clip of Tawahum reading from their book, below.
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Under the Cover: Validating the History of Women and Non-Binary Skateboarders in Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides
At the intersection of libraries, skateboarding, and feminism is Natalie Porter, whose upcoming book Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides (ECW Press) enshrines the contributions and successes women and non-binary people have always achieved in skateboarding. Natalie tells us how her librarian training led to the creation of a woman’s skateboarding archive and why it’s so…
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In House: Demystifying Publishing – How to Submit a Manuscript to a Publishing House
If you’re an unpublished writer looking for some advice on how to submit your manuscript to a traditional book publisher, check out this piece from our friends at Book*hug Press as they outline what to expect—from preparing your submission to what happens if your work is accepted for publication.
Got any book recommendations?