Frying Plantain Zalika Reid-BentaHoue of Anansi Press, 2019 The StudentCary FaganFreehand Books, 2019 Review by Marcie McCauley Right now, the construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto is relentless: traffic is crawling. On the page, however, Eglinton Avenue...
Crow GulchDouglas Walbourne-Goughicehouse poetry, 2019. Review by Kim Trainor In a CBC interview about his debut collection Crow Gulch, Douglas Walbourne-Gough observes, “I would really hope one of the things that the book speaks, back to me and everyone...
Little BoyLawrence FerlinghettiDoubleday, 2019 Review by B.H. Lake In his latest book, Little Boy, Lawrence Ferlinghetti tells a story that took place in his teenage years. An older boy once held him down and refused to let him up...
MeteoritesJulie PaulTouchWood Editions, 2019 Review by Elina Taillon In her third short story collection, Meteorites, Julie Paul offers us quiet glimpses into a Canadian quotidian that simmers underneath those thornier, tangled parts of life: a family rift, impotence to...
Naming the Shadows Sharon BergThe Porcupine’s Quill (2019) Review by Irina Moga Sharon Berg’s collection of short stories Naming the Shadows (The Porcupine’s Quill, 2019) is the author’s first book of fiction and another milestone in her writing career. Based...
Too Too Too Too Tammy Ho Lai-Ming Math Paper Press, 2019 Review by Kate Rogers Hong Kong poet, academic and translator Tammy Ho Lai-Ming’s latest poetry collection Too Too Too Too is political. In light of the kidnappings of...
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes From the End of the WorldKai Cheng ThomArsenal Pulp Press, 2019 Review by Jaz Papadopoulos When I first heard the phrase “A Trans Girl’s Notes From the End of the...
Put Your Hand in Mine Elaine WooSignature Editions, 2019 Review by Kim Trainor Vancouver poet Elaine Woo’s first collection, Cycling with the Dragon (Nightwood Editions, 2014), had an often whimsical tone, but despite the poems that focussed on joy and...
Reviews by Tasha Hefford Fool Muun Komming! When I fall in love with a thing, I fall hard. I fall completely. I am locked into the love with a magic oblivion. I can’t see what others perceive as weird,...