Below are some of our most recently released books.
Dive into a captivating realm of speculative wonders with this bold and imaginative collection of post-apocalyptic tales. Within these pages, you’ll encounter extraordinary individuals who dare to seek a life beyond the confines of their small world, defying conventions and pushing boundaries. Venture forth with them as they journey beyond the horizon in search of the elusive source of ice, scale an enigmatic mountain to uncover its secrets, master the art of horsemanship, or strive to escape the wrath of a relentless apocalypse of disease and fire. But these stories are not only about physical journeys. Each story pushes the boundaries of the characters’ world while also defying readers’ expectations in regard to gender, identity, and sexuality. As philosophical as they are inventive, Echoes of the Red Earth will challenge readers to reconsider their own world, pushing them to view the things they take for granted in an entirely new light.
“He was a man who had a purpose when he came among our people. He was very gentle with his purpose. He had a vision. He saw we had something that nobody else did. He gave us gifts which we remember to this day and still use. He changed us. He changed us for the better.” —Raymond Yakeleya, residential school survivor, filmmaker, Dene Elder Alone one winter night in a log cabin in the late 1940s, Jean-Marie Mouchet was waiting for his water to boil and started thinking about why he was there and how he could make a difference that mattered. He was a Catholic missionary in Canada’s North and could see the negative effect the Europeans were having on the Indigenous population. Wanting to do something about it, he resolved to help Indigenous youth reconnect with the land and their traditional values yet provide them with a means to adapt to the social and cultural change that was on the horizon. He started something simple – a skiing program. The individual and snow in harmony. Jean-Marie’s Territorial Experimental Ski Training (TEST) program yielded multiple Olympians, made cross-country skiing the fastest-growing winter sport in Canada, and placed both Northern and Canadian skiers on the cross-country skiing world stage. Over the next 60 years it also produced many leaders who helped guide Northern First Nations into the 21st Century and is credited with saving the lives of many residential school survivors. Firth paints a comprehensive and grounded portrait of the man behind the legacy, all upon a backdrop of a Northern landscape in the midst of transition that will appeal to anyone interested in Canadian and Indigenous history.
Why is so much of our existence so ordinary? Why this immense tract of stuff in our lives that seems to have no lofty purpose? In ninety short devotional chapters, Mike Mason meditates on this question, concluding that in fact everydayness, to the extent we embrace it, is a source of deep consolation. Far from being meaningless, the humdrum and the commonplace may actually hold the secret of life. Same Old, Same New—beautifully and provocatively written and full of arresting insights—will take your old tired world, stand it on end, and spin it like a top. “Mike Mason straddles two worlds, the quotidian and the eternal. Of course those two worlds aren’t separate worlds at all—and the reality of that intermingling, that co-existence of the mundane and the mystical, is perhaps the recurrent theme of Mason’s writing.” ~Ron Reed, Founding Artistic Director of Pacific Theatre
Fifteen-year-old Liv Morgan has moved with her mom from Buffalo to rural Kansas after her parents’ divorce in the late-1980s. Soon after she arrives, she meets Jack Lindt, who very quickly becomes her best friend and boyfriend. But the innocence and joy of young love is suddenly interrupted when a family tragedy pulls Jack’s life off course. Sunflower is a story about a romance that blossoms between two friends that is ultimately put to the test as Jack’s family deals with death, abuse, alcoholism, and deep family secrets. He loves Liv, but he often feels that she is better off without him. As his depression and angst consume him, he gains strength from reliving the memories of their early days together, and revelling in their surprise encounters with each other. Emily Morra has crafted a novel filled with suspense, friendship, teen romances, and family drama. Readers will cheer on the Lindt brothers as they attempt to run the farm, and will wait with intense anticipation along with Jack in his newly-planted sunflower field. Will Liv return to him? Will the mystery of Mr. White and the Lindt family be solved? There is much to be uncovered within the pages of Sunflower.
Thomas King said, “The truth about stories is . . . stories are all that we are.” Colonization has tried to erase and eradicate Indigenous narratives for centuries. Even mainstream literature features the same kinds of stories told by the same voices. It fails to recognize the diversity of voices across Turtle Island. Stories exist and persist in diverse and divergent forms. mihko kiskisiwin is a collection of Indigenous North American voices, from incarcerated and diversified Indigenous community members, elders, and youth to people with dis/abilities and 2SLGBTTQQIA+ people. This anthology by the Indigenous Poets Society (Saskatchewan–Ontario) showcases spoken and written poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from emerging and established artists, writers, and performers. Testimony is at the heart of this collection. With vulnerability and urgency, these writers illuminate the complexities of trauma, identity, and healing. By empowering diverse and divergent Indigenous voices, intersectional awareness and diversity flourish. We see how one story can’t possibly encapsulate the breadth of Indigenous North American cultures and experiences. In Cree, “mihko kiskisiwin” means “blood memory.” It’s the idea that our ancestral knowledge is in our blood’s memory, and calls for right relationship - cultural restoration and resilience, inter-related respectfulness, and interconnected reciprocity. This anthology is our stories in our own words - as a revolutionary act of remembering, reclamation & resurgence for future generations to come.
David Garlick, your favourite educational storyteller, is back with a new collection of short stories: The Principal Chronicles Two/Too/II/As Well. It’s a ‘mostly true’ memoir that follows Garlick from pre-school to post retirement. The majority of stories, such as “At the Intersection of Adolescence and Technology,” “Three A.M. Hypochondria,” and “Kid, Your Dad Knows Everybody,” display a gentle sense of humour that will have you laughing and turning the page to get to the next story. Others, like “They’ve Already Won,” will grab at your heartstrings. Some stories do a bit of both. Every aspect of Garlick’s career is dealt with, from student to teacher to vice-principal and principal to retiree. The stories show the rollercoaster ride that is education, whether you’re the student, teacher or principal. As one reviewer of the first book said, “If you are a teacher, were a teacher, or know a teacher, this is a must read!” Although the target audience of The Principal Chronicles was intended to be educators, people from all walks of life, and all ages have found the stories relatable and enjoyable. People who finished that book wanting more will love Two/Too/II/As Well. As long as you like to laugh, this book is for you!