kerry clare arrives on april 26

“A provocative, compelling novel that should be - and will be - discussed between friends and debated at book clubs. Wise, perceptive and rebelliously funny Kerry Clare has given a voice to what we think but don’t say, feel but can’t accept, about parenthood, relationships and the struggle to reconcile our public selves with the truths that lurk within.”
— marissa stapley, bestselling author of 'mating for life'
“In Mitzi Bytes, Kerry Clare melds a stew of motherhood, modernity, and mounting, with a sly combo of humour, humanity and lively congenial truths. This is a delightful novel where a woman finds self-acceptance amid the unfortunate ramifications of her snappy social observations.”
— anakana schofield, scotiabank giller-prize shortlisted author of 'martin john'

kerry clare is a national magazine award-nominated writer and editor of the anthology, 'the m word: conversations about motherhood' and 'mitzi bytes' is her first novel.

Back at the beginning of the new millennium, when the Internet was still unknown territory, Sarah Lundy started an anonymous blog documenting her return to the dating scene after a devastating divorce. The blog was funny, brutally honest and sometimes outrageous. Readers loved it. Through her blog persona, “Mitzi Bytes,” Sarah not only found her feet again, but she found her voice.

Fifteen years later, Sarah is happily remarried with children and she’s still blogging, but nobody IRL—not even her husband or best friends—knows about Mitzi. They don't know that Sarah’s been documenting all her own exploits, as well as mining the experiences of those around her and sharing these stories with the world. Which means that Sarah is in serious trouble when threatening emails arrive from the mysterious Jane Q. Time’s up, the first one says. You’re officially found out.

As she tries to find out Jane Q’s identity before her secret online self is revealed to everyone, Sarah starts to discover that her loved ones have secrets of their own, and that stronger forces than she imagined are conspiring to turn her world upside down.

heather oneill coming monday april 24

“O’Neill is an extraordinary writer, and her new novel is exquisite. . . .O’Neill has taken on sadness itself as a subject, but it would be terribly reductive to say that this book is sad; it’s also joyful, funny, and vividly alive.”
— emily st.john mandel, author of station eleven
“A fairy tale laced with gunpowder and romance and icing sugar, all wrapped round with a lit fuse. Each of Heather O’Neill’s sentences pricks or delights. If you haven’t read her other books, start with this one and then read all of the rest.”
— kelly link, author of pulitzer prize finalist 'get in trouble'

heather oneill's debut novel, "lullabies for little criminals" was the 2007 canada reads selection. her second novel, "the girl who was saturday night", was shortlisted for the scotiabank giller prize in 2014. 

on april 24 heather joins us to talk about her latest novel, 'the lonely hearts hotel'.  set in Montreal and New York between the wars, 'the lonely hearts hotel' is a spellbinding story about two orphans whose unusual magnetism and talent allow them to imagine a sensational future.

two babies are abandoned in a Montreal orphanage in the winter of 1914. Before long, their true talents emerge: Pierrot is a piano prodigy; Rose lights up even the dreariest room with her dancing and comedy. As they travel around the city performing for the rich, the children fall in love with each other and dream up a plan for the most extraordinary and seductive circus show the world has ever seen.

Separated as teenagers, both escape into the city's underworld, where they must use their uncommon gifts to survive without each other. Ruthless and unforgiving, Montreal in the 1930's is no place for song and dance. But when Rose and Pierrot finally reunite beneath the snowflakes, the possibilities of their childhood dreams are renewed, and they'll go to extreme lengths to make those dream come true. After Rose, Pierrot and their troupe of clowns and chorus girls hit the stage and the alleys, the underworld will never look the same.

christine pountney will join us on january 30

christine pountney, author of 'sweet jesus' and currently writer in residence at the hamilton public library, will join us for dinner on january 30 to discuss her novels and field your (always animated) questions. 

christine, a self-described "mother, writer, teacher/editor and therapist", tells the story of three siblings, each of whom is forced to relinquish a cherished dream and are struggling for new meaning for their lives. while the characters travel south to the united states together, the novel remains "quietly but fiercely canadian" with vivid descriptions of victoria, toronto, and st. johns. 

 

“The route taken by Hannah, Connie and Zeus in Sweet Jesus is no mere travelogue, but an atlas of family relationships lost and found again. As each character brings the depths of past experience to bear on the present, lessons wrought by maturity bring the emergence of new intimacies between them — a journey from estrangement to deeper understanding. You’ll be glad you went along for the ride.”
— shawn syms, national post

craig davidson is coming to town on january 23

craig davidson, celebrated author of "rust and bone" and "cataract city" will join us to discuss his recent memoir, "precious cargo: my year driving the kids on school bus 3077", a chronicle of the year Davidson operated a school bus for a group of handicapped children in suburban Calgary.

craig is well known to his followers as an enthusiastic researcher and keen observer of his subjects. join us on january 23 to hear more about this and any other question you want to toss his way!

“... Craig Davidson’s Precious Cargo [is] an almost singular accomplishment – a work of non-fiction that’s a pleasure to read, despite being about an able-bodied man who decides to hang out with disabled people.

The book’s skillfulness shouldn’t be a surprise. Toronto-born Davidson is an accomplished novelist: his most recent, Cataract City, was short-listed for the Giller prize while his first book of stories, Rust and Bone, became a harrowing Golden Globes-nominated film. He also writes thrillers and horror stories under a pair of pseudonyms. He knows how to kick a story along.”
— ian brown, globe and mail

november is literary month in waterloo (part 2)

november 4-6: the fifth annual wild writers festival, hosted by the new quarterly, kicks off on friday night. we've included a few highlights below and the full program is available here. 

friday night at 7pm: guy gavriel kay and rosemary sullivan in conversation with craig norris in the CIGI auditorium. 

saturday all day: a variety of workshops hosted by authors on everything from poetry, fantasy, detective, art of literary research and so much more. read details here 

sunday: literary brunch at rhapsody barrel bar with authors madeleine thien, alissa york and michael helm

tickets: many of the saturday workshops at the balsillie school are free. find tickets to the entire weekend or to individual events here