We had a blast last night at the Earth Day Eve launch of Through the Portal and The Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens. Lynn Hutchinson Lee even brought spring peepers with her to set the swampy vibe.
Orchid is now available everywhere books are sold! Congrats Lynn!
Purchase links in the thread!
#bookbirthday #publicationday #canadianbooks #canadianliterature #canlit #canadianauthor #romanyauthor #fantasy #horror #speculativefiction #folklore #literaryfiction #books #bookstodon
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We're delighted to share that two stories from Geoffrey W. Cole's ZEBRA MERIDIAN AND OTHER STORIES have been nominated for an Aurora Award on a slate packed with Canadian SFFH goodness.
Check out the full ballot here: https://www.csffa.ca/awards-information/current-ballot/
Congratulations to all the nominees! 
This holiday Monday, come to our double book launch & celebrate Earth Day Eve with dinner, drinks, & some stunning eco-fiction!
We're launching Through the Portal and Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens at 6:30pm at Free Times Cafe, 320 College St., Toronto.
Enjoy readings from Nina Munteanu, E. Martin Nolan, Lynne Sargeant, Ursula Pflug, Bruce Meyer, & Lynn Hutchinson Lee.
Now that it's up on their page, I can officially announce it now. My poem "Angakkuq" is a finalist for the Aurora Awards. This is my first time as a finalist there. https://www.csffa.ca/awards-information/current-ballot/
#Poetry #AuroraAward #SpeculativePoetry #PoetryCommunity #CanLit
Mahaila Smith's SEED BEETLE, a science fiction narrative poetry collection, is featured on the Netgalley homepage today! It's always exciting when a small press gets such prominent placement. if you haven't downloaded your review copy, SEED BEETLE is on Netgalley till the end of the month!
We try to get the jump on Canada Reads by discussing Bird Suit by Sydney Hegele (2024), the first pick for our 2025 book club. This southern Ontario gothic novel tells a story of generational trauma in a tourist town that also happens to have some bird-people living nearby. Opinions are decidedly mixed. We talk through our impressions of the book, and answer the important question: “How Canada?”
https://onelastsketch.wordpress.com/2025/04/13/episode-60-avian-attire/
COMING UP! on Earth Day Eve, April 21:
Enjoy stories and poems for a hopeful dystopia for the launch of the THROUGH THE PORTAL anthology, then stick around for Lynn Hutchinson Lee's haunted fens and vengeful water spirits. A bit of a mixed vibe but Earth needs everything we can give her right now.
For the last few months at SFWA, @ourmankoto.bsky.social and I have been Canucking up the joint, getting the Showcase anthologies up to date.
Today, I wanted to celebrate the work Stephen does elsewhere, and reflect on what it means to produce an anthology of "Canadian" SFF. So, I did!
#BetterWorldsTheory #SFF #Books #Reviews #Literature #Canada #CanLit
https://youtu.be/qqqXTBdQpxA
Thank you Myna Chang for this lovely little interview with Mahaila Smith about their upcoming poetry collection SEED BEETLE! "The sweep of the story feels epic, almost mythical. Each poem brings another grain of understanding, building a complex world."
https://mynachang.com/2025/04/04/author-interview-mahaila-smith/
If whimsy, queer communities, justice & delightful language is what you're looking for in a poetry collection, Mahaila Smith's SEED BEETLE is now up on Netgalley. Netgalley users can download it here: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/605077
Small presses can't exist without reviewers. We sincerely thank you all.
Readers are loving Lynn Hutchinson Lee's ORIGINS OF DESIRE IN ORCHID FENS, a lyrical feminist revenge eco-horror novella. Check out this amazing review from Nerdhorror.com and if you'd like to review the book, it's still available on Netgalley for a few more days, and for a bit longer on Book Sirens.
ICYMI this lovely interview came out last week. Lynn Hutchinson Lee talks about the inspiration for her debut novella ORIGINS OF DESIRE IN ORCHID FENS, the book's relationship to Hutchinson Lee's work as a visual artist, her love of wetlands and more!
If you like your literary fiction with gorgeous prose and more than a touch of horror, grab Lynn Hutchinson Lee's ORIGINS OF DESIRE IN ORCHID FENS. There are just 6 review copies left on Book Sirens!
The book is also currently on Netgalley, till the end of the month.
https://booksirens.com/bundle/literary-fiction-arcs-you-ll-love-march-2025-batch/90TGEF6
"Sibyl Has a Heart of Gold" is a wicked little story I wrote a while back which might be about a monster and might be about medical bullshittery and misogyny. What do YOU think it's about? https://www.thetemzreview.com/powell.html #ShortStory #FlashFiction #SpeculativeFiction #CanLit #IndigenousCreatives
In case you missed Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series at Glad Day Bookshop, here's a couple pics from the evening. Thank you to all who came out to hear some fabulous writers!
I've been feeling odd about my debut novel coming out this fall. It's the story of a young woman growing up in a Muslim matriarchy, and defending it from people who don't want it to be a matriarchy titled "Under The Full And Crescent Moon" And I wanted to try and express why I think that is.
Stelliform's 1st poetry collection is now available to pre-order directly from us. Mahaila Smith's SEED BEETLE is tender, whimsical, and quietly revolutionary. Filled with beautiful illustrations by Toronto artist Julia Louise Pereira.
Find out more about the book and order your copy here: https://www.stelliform.press/index.php/product/seed-beetle-by-mahaila-smith/
This coming Monday March 10, 7-9pm at Glad Day Bookshop:
Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series. Come for readings by Mahaila Smith, Mechelle Wu, Alex Samuel-Bethel, Nishka Srivastava, Rayn Lakhani, Alyssa Johnson, and Elliot Black.
Mahaila Smith will be reading from their forthcoming Stelliform Press poetry collection, SEED BEETLE!
“Poems Won’t Buy Beer”
Al Purdy is the patron saint of County Fence Bi-Annual and it could be said it was his poetry that inspired County Fence in the first place. Of course Al’s not alone, I also talk about Jules’ longest standing crush: Margaret Atwood. Ms. Atwood, if you’re listening, Jules would love it if you returned his calls.
#MargaretAtwood #AlPurdy #CanadianPoetry #CanLit #Canada #Ontario #Books #Poetry #Writers #Reading #FridayReads #YGK
