by Steven W. Beattie

The Writers’ Union of Canada works to address systemic inequalities in the writing and publishing communities

Since publishing his first book, the novel Some Great Thing, in 1992, novelist and non-fiction writer Lawrence Hill has met two editors of colour: one at HarperCollins who subsequently decamped for the U.S., and Janie ... Read More »

December 10, 2020

Revisiting the legacy of Austin Clarke

By Steven W. Beattie

When Austin Clarke died in 2016, the bulk of his backlist was out of print. His 2002 Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning novel, The Polished Hoe, was still available, alongside his final novel, 2008’s More and his ... Read More »

December 3, 2020

The inaugural AugurCon aims to provide an inclusive virtual space to showcase North American speculative fiction creators

By Steven W. Beattie

AugurCon, the online gathering of speculative-fiction writers and readers being run by the Canadian spec-fic literary journal Augur, faced a number of hurdles to get up and running, from the ordinary challenges of programming a ... Read More »

November 26, 2020

Distributors began early in the quest to get inventory home for the holidays

By Steven W. Beattie

The holiday bookselling season is always a logistical challenge for distributors – a time during which a large amount of inventory moves through the supply chain at lightning speed. This year, with COVID-19 continuing to ... Read More »

November 19, 2020

University Press Week highlights academic publishing and Indigenous voices

By Steven W. Beattie

The second week in November is going to be a celebration of university and academic presses across Canada and the U.S., with a series of online events and a special webinar dedicated to Indigenous voices ... Read More »

November 9, 2020

Kitty Lewis retires from Brick Books, as the press looks to the future

By Steven W. Beattie

A major force in the world of Canadian poetry is stepping down from publishing. On Oct. 22, an online retirement party was held to honour Kitty Lewis, who is leaving her role as general manager ... Read More »

October 26, 2020

The Future of Publishing: Bringing publishing’s backlist into its future

By Steven W. Beattie

For Janie Yoon, the year 2013 was paramount in informing her outlook regarding forgotten or neglected books from the past. That was the year that the NYRB Classics reissue of John Williams’s 1965 novel Stoner ... Read More »

October 26, 2020

Lauded Newfoundland independent Pedlar Press to cease production at the end of 2020

By Steven W. Beattie

Canada is about to lose one of its most consistently impressive small literary presses. Pedlar Press, located in St. John’s, will officially cease publishing at the end of 2020, says founder and co-publisher Beth Follett. ... Read More »

October 20, 2020

A new English translation of Réjean Ducharme’s first novel addresses a significant cultural omission

By Steven W. Beattie

Madeleine Stratford is in a weird place with her relationship to her latest project, a translation of legendary Quebec writer Réjean Ducharme’s first novel. “You reach a point when you translate – or write a ... Read More »

September 17, 2020