Torontoist » prose

Bad Covers, Big Attention

Earlier this month, beloved Canadian book blog Bookninja asked its readers if they felt top literary novelists faced unfortunate book rebranding “to meet the purchasing habits of an embiggened sector of stupid readers.” A cover contest was proposed by founding editor George Murray, where readers were asked to create and submit their own wildly inappropriate [...]

Very Dirty Laundry

Just when you really thought you’d seen it all, Keep Six Contemporary curator Rafi Ghanaghounian brings us Explicit Fantastic. The brand new author series (accompanied by a recently opened art show) brings some A-list writers out of the bars and Brigantine Room and into the—wait for it—laundromat. Tonight, Hollywood Coin Lounge (180 Ossington Avenue) will [...]

The Literati: Having An Affair

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. It’s no secret that fall is the season of the book fair and festival. First we were enjoying the last of the summer sunshine at Word On The Street, and [...]

The Literati: The Season of Hage

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. Big national awards news today as the finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards were announced at Ben McNally Books this morning. No real surprises (or excitement, really) as writers [...]

The Literati: Print Stoppage and Pages Moving?

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. Last Wednesday evening Gil Adamson beat out great writers such as David Chariandy and Andrew Wedderburn to be awarded the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award at the Drake Hotel. [...]

The Literati: Country Music, Vampires, and Haute Couture, Oh My!

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. On Thursday evening Derek McCormack will launch his latest, The Show that Smells (ECW Press), at Trash Palace (89B Niagara Street). Only a few pages into this sprint-paced novella, it’s [...]

The Best of Word On The Street

Photo by Jen Cooper. Once a year, on the last Sunday of September, Queen’s Park is transformed into a haven for lovers of the written word. Not only is Word On The Street a great chance to find both book and magazine publishers offering deep discounts and freebies, but readers also get a chance to [...]

The Literati: Two Book Wonder, Pondering Geography, and the Best Day for Book Lovers

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. It’s only the third week of September and we’re already well into the madness that is the fall book season—for book lovers it’s one cocktail-filled night after another until December. [...]

The Literati: Giller Surprises Some, Messy Desks, and Mourning a Great Loss

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. Obviously the big Canadian literary news this week is Monday morning’s announcement of the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. The jury, comprised of Margaret Atwood, Bob Rae, and Colm Toibin, selected [...]

The Literati: Unsurprising Shortlist Revealed, Going to Bed Early, and Getting Free Stuff

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. No real surprises or upsets at today’s Toronto Book Award shortlist announcement by Mayor David Miller at the Toronto Reference Library. As anyone could have predicted, the list included Barbara [...]

The Literati: Get Out Of Town, Join The Circus, And TINARS For Tots

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. The Eden Mills Writers’ Festival—the Toronto literary community’s annual out-of-town oasis—is celebrating its twentieth birthday this summer. This year’s festival, a mere forty-five minutes west of Toronto, starts this Friday [...]

The Literati: The End Of I.V., Raising A Glass To Glassman, And Tracking Urban Prey

Every Tuesday afternoon, Torontoist rounds up the city’s literary news, including book deals, events, local sales, author happenings, and insider information from the book industry. The big news this week is that the literary community’s beloved I.V. Lounge Reading Series is no more. Last Saturday series curator and host Alex Boyd announced on his blog [...]