Let’s start with the obvious: it’s not perfect. This whole question of a literary prizelist. A prizelist is going to reflect many different things, from the jurors’ preferences to the prize founders’ or administrators’ networks, from the cultural zeitgeist to the political climate. It is unlikely to reflect any
Thanks to everyone who participated in Margaret Atwood Reading Month and contributed their enthusiasm, interest and experience to making the event a success. And to Naomi: a stellar co-host and co-reader and co-everythinger. We’ve collaborated on this link collection, so we’re cross-posting. Please let us know if we’ve missed
This year, the Toronto International Festival of Authors ran from October 18th through the 28th. I’ve covered this event through the years in a variety of ways, some official (in 2013 I contributed reviews to the festival site professionally – like this one – and in 2016 I
The best part of this month’s event has been hearing about other readers’ reading and rereading. With every mention, I want to return to that poem, to that story, to that novel, to those characters, to those worlds. So, what’s next? An additional layer to that pleasure has been
Story-wise, this is the fourteenth volume in the Jalna series, and the house is about a hundred years old. There is time to reflect here, so that when a new character, like Humphrey Bell, is introduced, readers are reminded of all the other characters who have lived in his
