Oh, the seemingly endless toil and frustration of being an underpublished and underappreciated writer. There's the mailbox full of polite, predictable rejections and the depressing rite of passage otherwise known as "open mic night." When you finally emerge from it all, it's certainly time to rejoice. Thankfully Pages Books & Magazines’ This Is Not A Reading Series has stepped up to celebrate some of the lesser-known but soon-to-be-well-known players in Toronto’s vibrant literary scene.......

Torontoist is ending the year by naming our Heroes and Villains of 2007––the people, places, and things that we've either fallen head over heels in love with or developed uncontrollable rage towards over the past twelve months. Get your dose, starting Boxing Day and running into the new year, three times a day––sunrise, noon, and sunset. Michael Redhill’s had a big year. His novel Consolation, in addition to being nominated for the Man Booker Prize......

Monday morning, amidst a first-rate buffet of coffee, chocolate chip cookies, and fresh orange juice at the Four Seasons Hotel, a disheveled group of journalists and bankers gathered to hear the shortlist announced for the 14th annual Scotiabank Giller Prize. Only the second year that the final contenders were culled from an initial longlist of 15 books, this annum the task fell to the jury of staunch decipherers David Bergen, Camilla Gibb and Lorna......

As back-to-school fast approaches, excitement builds for one thing: the announcing of prestigious book awards. Congratulations go out to Toronto writer Michael Redhill for having his second book Consolation nominated for the Man Booker Prize. Redhill’s book is being hailed as regaining the oomph Canadian historical fiction has been lacking lately. The work, which was chosen as one of Torontoist's favourite books of the last year, is alternately gorgeous and revealing. It weaves together two......

Valentine's Day is less than a week away - are you still stuck for date ideas? Well, Torontoist, along with Theatre Passe Muraille and Random House, are here to help you out. We have five pairs of tickets to give away for the The Sheep and the Whale, the new play at Passe Muraille, for the night of February 14th at 8:00pm. The play tells the story of a stowaway on a freighter passing......

Fancy yourself an expert on Canadian fiction? Even if you don't, here's a chance to do some sleuthing and win a couple of books, courtesy of Random House. What do you need to do? Just name two of the three short stories written by Neil Smith that have been nominated for the Journey Prize and send your answers in to Torontoist. The winners will receive a copy of Neil Smith's debut collection of short stories,......

Sure, the National Bridal Show might not be starting for another couple of weeks (and Canada's Bridal Show has already ended), but that’s not stopping Random House from holding their own wedding-themed event on Monday evening. Join some of the editors and contributors of the brand-new anthology, My Wedding Dress: True Life Tales of Lace, Laughter, Tears and Tulle at Nicholas Hoare – 45 Front St. E. – for the Toronto launch party of the......

-Paul Martin pulls out the old "But Mo-om, he DOES have a stupid face - you can't get mad at me for telling the truth!" excuse to defend the Liberal attack ads. -At FishbowlNY, Rachel debunks the debunking of James Frey and the Random House refund rumours (try saying that ten times fast). We're glad that's all cleared up, but if we never hear James Frey's name again it will be far too soon. -The......

Persuant to Friday's discussions of the merits of Eckler and McLaren, and who would win in a blindfolded mud wrestle, TOist would like to enter yesterday's NYTimes style piece by Rebecca Eckler as exhibit A in the case for Eckler. Yes, Leah has both a farm and a perky nose, but Eckler has two men, a little lady, and the skills necessary to expose her shambling affairs to anyone who has the patience to stomach......

Three newish authors take to the Chapters stage this evening, as part of Random House's New Faces program, an initiative that champions first-time novelists, and allows publishing houses the opportunity to write glowing letters about said initiatives. This one discusses the first lines of all three speakers' novels, and TOist is more than impressed by the spectacle of words that comprise the opening line of Emma Richler's Feed My Dear Dogs: "Jude always said a......