St. Lawrence Writers' Festival swag. All the participants got a commemorative mug with their name highlighted! Great touch... here's to getting involved for 2026. 📚

Counting down to the inaugural St. Lawrence Writers' Festival in picturesque Brockville, Ontario. September 5 – 7 . . . just go, eh? It's going to be a blast. Tickets here: visit.brockvilletourism.com/checkout/104...

Less than two weeks from the literary event of the summer: join Giles Blunt and company on August 6 at Noonan's Pub, 141 Danforth Ave, for the launch of Giles's new novel, Bad Juliet, published by Dundurn Press. @gilesbluntbooks.bsky.social @dundurnpress.bsky.social

I worked on two of these lovely books ("The Upending of Wendall Forbes" and "Product of Italy, Made in Canada") and will definitely grab the Brit Griffin title. If you're looking for great small press books to read this fall, this little stack from @latitude46pub.bsky.social won't steer you wrong.

I'll be at Jobsite Brewing in Stratford, ON, this coming Saturday with some @latitude46pub.bsky.social books on the table. Come down and mingle; buy a book (or two) (or more). Jobsite Brewing 45 Cambria Street Stratford ON N5A 1G8

Apply that construction rate to the Ontario Line and we'd be looking at an opening date of September 1, 2290 (or thereabouts) for that one.

I wrote a piece for The Guardian about the spike in political violence. The question: When do we start calling this what it is? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Read the Excerpt from Birch and Jay by Allister Thompson @latitude46pub.bsky.social quillandquire.com/omni/excerpt...

Got an acceptance on an essay submission yesterday — sure, it was solicited for a collection, but a solicit doesn't mean automatic acceptance, so that's a win.

Here’s a public service announcement from me about ‘Birch and Jay’ and why you (and your teens) should read it. #booksky #postapocalyptic #youngadult #climatechange

Symbols aren’t hollow tokens - they have meaning. I can’t imagine living in a world where I don’t have to think about my safety every time I leave the house. This video shows the power of symbols dismissed as ‘DEI’.

The hidden path taken.

It's a sunny, bright day (for a change) so the light was perfect for such things.

Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch! I was there when it was written.

Remove a letter, ruin a movie. Star Was

Would you like some mustard?

I think the Crocs are the chef's kiss on this brilliance.

As always, Marche nails it down. Essential reading for these times.

I think many of us are asking, "Why didn't Bukele wear a suit to the White House?" and "Why isn't Vance berating him for not being thankful enough?" (Also, is there enough distracting gold schlock in the room or do we need more?)

When you're editing/revising your own work and run out of space on the page, it's perfectly acceptable to flip over the manuscript and continue on the available blank surface until that, too, is filled with your barely readable scratching.

From my "tools of the trade" collection. It's a tad outdated (well, maybe more than a tad, given it's from 1982) but still a solid read.

Manufactured issues have caused Canadians to forget climate stuff (i.e. human survival) as a crucial priority during the election. After whatever do-nothing party takes power on April 28, you can read my novel to get inspired for real change. store.latitude46publishing.com/collections/...

🧵 The stakes are high this federal election. Canadian creators and publishers are vital contributors to Canada’s cultural sovereignty. They tell our stories, are essential to a healthy democracy, and build shared experience among Canadians.

New indie bookstore opening in Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood www.torontotoday.ca/local/busine...

With this very nice hardcover of "Nemesis," my Rosamond Smith shelf is complete. @joycecaroloates.bsky.social

It's another rainy, gloomy, sunless day in southern Ontario, so I got to digging through some photo archives and found this nice shot of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, taken during the summer of 2023 on a trip to the east coast. I've always loved the area—its photography potential is endless.

Two books from Northern Ontario’s amazing publisher, Latitude 46, are now available on NetGalley. 📚 📕: A Thousand Tiny Awakenings (April 5, 2025) edited by Connor Lafortune & writer Lindsay Mayhew 📕: Birch and Jay (May 24 2025) by Allister Thompson. @latitude46pub.bsky.social

Well, if not now, then when is a better time to read Canadian? I think now. Pre-order "Birch and Jay," first volume in the new Knowledge Seekers series by North Bay author @allistert.bsky.social, out this spring from @latitude46pub.bsky.social. A great story well told!

So, with the threat of tariffs hitting Canada again, this time on March 4, will US alcohol be pulled from the LCBO shelves, like DoFo promised he'd do back in February when the threat was first made? Not a peep from Hizhighness this time around.

Outdoor fruit and vegetable stand just outside Jordan Station, Ontario on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake — October 5, 2024. (Nikon Z5, 40mm, ISO 100 @ f/5.6)

Perhaps we should play a drinking game during the Ontario leaders' convention. Take a drink every time Dog Ford says "guess what" or "billions'a dallers" or "hoooooome" ... see how long it takes for us to die from alcohol poisoning.

Birch and Jay, out May 24 from @latitude46pub.bsky.social.

Left thumb, topside, just to the left of the knuckle. The broken-off piece is still in there 45-odd years later.

This Saturday. Hamilton, I'm coming!

A little interview in the local media. www.baytoday.ca/local-news/f...

Read Ruff by Rod — it rocks!

Book pre-orders are an indication of reader interest in a title. They demonstrate to publishers and booksellers that working with the author and stocking their books is a wise choice. So, if you love an author's work, consider pre-ordering and/or asking your local library to shelve the book.

The Romancing the Gothic Conference 2025 is now open and waiting for your submissions! A Warning to the Curious: Ghostly, Supernatural and Weird Tales Marking the 100th anniversary of MR James collection of the same name! romancingthegothic.com/2025/01/06/c...

If there was ever a time to believe nothing you read on Facebook, it's past that time...

We’re now accepting review copy requests for Allister Thompson’s highly-anticipated new YA novel, Birch and Jay (May 2025, Latitude 46). And YES—we have hard copies available. 💅🏼 Request a copy: www.riverstreetwriting.com/join-river-s... #YABOOKS

Stephen Marche, whose books include the brilliant "The Next Civil War," has written the best (I think) response to the "we're coming for you Canada" schtick drooling out of the mouth of the Moist Orange Slack-Ass south of the border. Read closely and pay attention.

@willbeckett.bsky.social Welcome to the butterfly, Will.

Writers #CraigDavidson and #AndrewPyper were good friends. Here, Craig writes the loveliest tribute to Andrew, and to male friendship. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Andrew, man, you were a mensch with no equal . . . one of the best ones, and fuck, we are going to miss you. This is a sad day for Canadian literature.

I'm finding going grocery shopping or any kind of shopping in a big store a trying experience. It's not so much the zombie crowds checked out on their phones but the rock concert-loud singing/rapping computer that seems to dominate the charts of late. Why is everything so frigging loud these days?

Catherine McKinnon's dreamy "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has been a staple of my Christmas eve for as far back as I can remember. (Arc Records, 1966, mono version in stereo sleeve, yellow label.)

Didn't feel like cooking this evening so . . .

Tree is up, with appropriate music on.

Well, perhaps my calendar quest is sorted ...

Currently . . .