Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Writer’s Block: Gary Barwin
Author of the collection For It Is a Pleasure and A Surprise to Breathe (Wolsak and Wynn), award-winning poet Gary Barwin joins us to talk more about his own fluid definition of ritual, the wonders of language and the “hurly-burly” of life as it’s happening over any kind of perfection (if there is such a…
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ALU Summer Reads 2020: Staff Picks
From award-winners to page-turning stories about friendship to books about burlesque, All Lit Up staffers share book picks for our socially distanced summer reading.
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ALU Book Club: Intro to Polar Vortex
To kick off our annual summer book club, we virtually chatted with Book*hug Press, the team that brought us Shani Mootoo’s newest novel Polar Vortex.
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Writing on the road: An interview with travel writer Trevor Carolan
After a music reviewing gig at the age of seventeen led him to travel writing, author Trevor Carolan has been regaling readers about his extensive travels around the world. He’s since visited more than fifty countries and written several books of non-fiction, including three poetry collections. We had the pleasure of electronically chatting with Trevor…
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In Review: The Week of June 22nd
This week we played casting director, took on BookRiot’s Read Harder Challenge, chatted with Paul Butler about his new Dracula-inspired novel, offered up long reads for long summer days, and more!
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Long Reads to Fill Even Longer Summer Days
We can’t lie…we like BIG BOOKS! After all, what’s better than a hefty page-turner on a hot summer day turned long summer night spent reading until the wee hours of the morning? Check out some of these recommended reads that clock in around 400+ pages — all stories you’ll be happy to spend some extra time…
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Read Harder Challenge 7 & 8
Throughout 2020, All Lit Up-er Tan Light is participating in BookRiot’s Read Harder Challenge—a reading task designed to expand readerly boundaries—and doing so with an indie twist. Each entry in this series will highlight one or two completed challenges along with a list of books from All Lit Up to have you reading harder, too! This challenge…
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Off/Kilter: Interview with Paul Butler
Author Paul Butler enters the dark recesses of the Off/Kilter realm to discuss his newest book Mina’s Child (Inanna Publications), a dark, refreshing extension of the beloved classic Dracula that pulls some of it’s main characters and their offspring into the 20th century. In our chat below, Paul shares more about the novel in parallel to…
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Character Study: Brontë
Jordi Mand’s new play Brontë: The World Without (Playwrights Canada Press) is the character study we’ve been waiting for: the fascinating story of Brontë sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne unfolds in the isolated world in which they lived and wrote. And it’s full of rivalry and jealousy—this one’s a drama ripe for the silver screen. Below we…
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In Review: The Week of June 15th
This week we revealed our picks for our upcoming Summer Book Club, recommended books for Father’s Day, reflected on wise words about grief, and more.
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First Fiction Friday: Keepers of the Faith
Shaukat Ajmeri’s first work of fiction Keepers of the Faith (Mawenzi House) brings us the story of star-crossed lovers Akbar and Rukhsana, who are driven out and apart by a strict priesthood within their community in Udaipur, India. Excommunicated, the two drift apart and spend years building their own separate existences, only to fatefully meet…
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5 Reads for the #1 Dad on Father’s Day
Father’s Day is just around the corner! Here are our top 5 picks for that number one Dad in your life who deserves the best.
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ALU Summer Book Club: 2020 Edition
It’s our fifth annual All Lit Up Summer Book Club! Despite not being patio-side this year, we’ll be spending the next two months gabbing virtually with publishers and authors and each other about books — follow along with us! This year’s instalment of book club brings you a seductive, tension-filled novel and a magical, wondrous short…
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Reflections on grief, place, and mourning from the contributors of Locations of Grief
Exploring death and mourning, Locations of Grief (Wolsak and Wynn) collects essays from twenty-four Canadian writers that span different ages, ethnicities, and gender identities about their struggles and journeys relating to death. Below editor Catherine Owen asks some of the contributors of the collection to share their thoughts on grief, place, and mourning.
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In Review: The Week of June 8th
THIS WEEK: Author interviews, grizzly transformations, Pride Month celebrations, 15th century art and obsession, porta-potties turned little libraries and more!
Got any book recommendations?