In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. As a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers -- and today is the final draw. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! I first became aware of Terese Mason Pierre via twitter, watching as she and Jenny Heijun Wills [profiled on Feb 4] celebrate books written by BIP

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. As a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Bestselling author Eden Robinson, a member of the Haida and Heiltsuk nations, is a professor and multi-nominated writer of short stories, novels, and film. Her most recent novel

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Bestselling author Gigi Pandian's books are SO much fun -- something we can all use a little more of, these days. With anthropologists for parents, the fact that Gigi grew u

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! I first read award-winning Cherie Dimaline's work way back in 2017 when THE MARROW THIEVES came out. It is a stunning story [sweeping the Kirkus and Govorner General's award

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Desmond Cole is a journalist, writer and activist who lives and works in Toronto. He first came to my attention through his articles in the Toronto Star and The Tyee [and if

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! No list of Canadian writers could be complete without the incomparable Ms. Brand included. She is, of course, an award-winning Poet Laureate, editor, teacher, activist, film

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! It feels like I have followed the work of Jen Sookfong Lee for decades, but since her first book came out in 2007, I put it down to her exceptional writing in a wide range o

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Since today is Sunday, the winner of this week's draw can be found below! Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Renée Saklikar is an award-winning poet and writer, and an entirely lovely human. The inaugural Poe

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw is tomorrow! Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Sonali Dev is an award-winning writer who lives with her family in Chicago. In person, she is a lovely human being who delights

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Just about a year ago, right near the beginning of the pandemic, I picked up a new audiobook by author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice. Waub is a well-known

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced Sunday. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! CL Polk is a new writer to me, but the minute I read the description of their books, I was intrigued . CL's debut

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced Sunday. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Happy #IReadCanadian Day! Debbie Ridpath Ohi [known to many on twitter as @inkyelbows], is the marvellous, multi-

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced Sunday. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Regular readers of this blog know that not only am I a huge fan of Mahtab Narsimhan's work, but that she is a dea

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced Sunday. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Award-winning writer, editor, artist and teacher Nalo Hopkinson was born in Jamaica, and while Canada has proudly

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw is announced right down below! Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Alicia Elliott is a Haudenosaunee writer, speaker and activist, from Brandford, Ontario. I first became awar

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced right here on the blog. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! JJ Lee is a writer, a broadcaster, a bon vivant and an all-round awesome human. His most recent a

[Just a little pause here, to fly the #IReadCanadian flag for the day. My #BlackHistoryMonth celebration of BIPOC writers is still coming this afternoon, just a little later than usual!] Six of my nine published books are aimed at teens and young adults, and I'm a huge proponent of hooking kids early on reading. [Proof of my success? My daughter just spent her recent pregnancy reading aloud to her bump. She's clearly learned the value of grabbing 'em early!] In support of the

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced right here on the blog. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! Lindsay Wong is the best-selling author, most recently, of MY SUMMER OF LOVE AND MISFORTUNE, the

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. This week's draw will be announced right here on the blog. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! I first met Otoniya Juliane Okot Bitek when she presented a few years ago at the Surrey Internati

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, every week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from each of that week's seven featured writers. Winners will be announced right here on the blog every Sunday in February. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up! I met today's featured writer in 2018 at the Surrey International Writers' Confer