I wanted a word in my language that reflected what was inside the book—it’s a collection of stories and events that had taken place in my memory, since childhood, as well as memories spoken by my elders throughout my life.
Interview
Interview with Room’s 2022 Fiction Contest Judge, Shashi Bhat
The judge for Room’s 2022 Fiction Contest is Shashi Bhat! Shashi Bhat is the author of The Most Precious Substance on Earth (McClelland & Stewart, Canada, Fall 2021; Grand Central Publishing, US, Spring 2022) and a short story collection forthcoming from...
Interview with Molly Cross-Blanchard, Editor of Issue 45.3 “Audacity”
I wanted to choose something within my own creative wheelhouse, so at first I was thinking something around “shame.” But then I realized shame isn’t actually what I’m interested in; the really good stuff has to do with anti-shame. So I went down a thesaurus hole and threw some options out to the team, like “brazen,” “scandalous,” and “exposed,” but audacity seemed to be the word everyone connected with the most. I also like that when you say “The Audacity Issue” it sounds like an exclamation as well as a title.
Interview with Room’s 2021 Cover Art Contest Judge, Chief Lady Bird
The 2021 Cover Art Contest Judge is renowned artist and illustrator Chief Lady Bird. Chief Lady Bird is an Anishinaabe artist from Rama First Nation. She graduated from OCADU in 2015 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting with a minor in Indigenous Visual Culture. Chief...
What Storm, What Thunder: An interview with Commissioned Author Myriam J. A. Chancy
One of the epigraphs at the beginning of the novel is an invocation to the Loas. Ma Lou’s section also begins with an incantation to one of the manifestations of Erzulie. I wanted the reader to feel right away that they were being brought into a place where spirituality animates the culture in the best of ways—to accompany the characters in their lives.
Vancouver Writers Fest: Meet Artistic Director Leslie Hurtig
I have been in this role of Artistic Director for the past four years, and before that I sat on the Board of Directors for about 15 years. I love the team that we have built together, and it’s always a real team effort to put this festival on. This role of Artistic Director is one that allows me to be a little bit creative and bring in other people to share their ideas, creating and shaping an interesting festival, I hope.
On Mad Poetics, Chapbooks, and Describing the Ineffable: An Interview with Anna Quon
Sounds, imagery, a beautiful idea. That is not to say I don’t appreciate ugliness in poetry, or the unbeautiful, especially as a startling contrast to what is beautiful.
On Speculative Fiction: An Interview with Augur Mag
Augur Mag is a homegrown, volunteer-run speculative fiction magazine that focuses on giving a platform and voice to authors, characters and themes generally underrepresented in the speculative fiction scene, and encourage underrepresented authors to submit their...
With Both Hands: Poet Elizabeth Mudenyo
It’s a recurring phrase in my work, and has come to mean a lot of things. Holding something half-heartedly you’d do with one hand. But if you really want something, to claim it, you’d take it with both hands. When this line appears at the end of the book, it’s about expansion and pushing. A lot of this chapbook is about permissions and entering oneself. Part of that is pushing away the smallness, letting myself be big.
The Indigenous Brilliance Podcast – Episode 5 (May 31st, 2021): Archives LIVE from Massy Books
Stories hold the incredible power to heal wounds, connect people, and bridge generations. This is an incredibly important time to be centering the brilliance of our communities through Indigenous storytelling across diverse mediums. The Indigenous Brilliance Podcast...
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ROOM 48.1 WITS END
In times of crisis, we laugh to offer tenderness, to ward off despair— so we can be brave. Gather round ROOM 48.1 WITS END and let humour be a mirror held up to the state of the world as we continue to resist.
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ROOM 47.4 FULL CIRCLE
Step back with Room into the past, to parents, to childhood homes, and to people once known and loved; dig into themes of grief and healing; and ultimately explore what it means to come full circle in literature.
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