In an appealing, ruminative collection of “smart stuff,” a poet looks to own remote past, as well as a city’s past, present, and (possible) future. In imagining and telling new stories, the poetry works to challenge presumptions embedded in colonial history. —Harold Rhenisch reviews Inventing What We Need to Know, by W.H. New (Oakville: Rock’s Mills Press, 2025) $20.00 / 9781772443240
“The title’s invocation of Van Gogh’s painting proves apt. Like the artist’s swirling night sky, Mootoo’s prose contains turbulence within careful composition. The result resembles pointillism: individual impressions that cohere into recognizable forms only when viewed from proper distance.” —Selena Mercuri reviews. Starry Starry Night, by Shani Mootoo (Toronto: Book*hug Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771669566
“While the detail in these poems can be distressing, the writer has shown in-depth feeling and in-depth writing that cannot be denied, but laid out, shared, even while the narrator is sometimes wildly enraged.” —Cathy Ford reviews allostatic load, by Junie Désil (Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2025) $18.95 / 9781772016062
Captivating historical novel set on the BC coast features diplomatic posturing, a restless crew, a Nuu-chah-nulth chief, and a dash of magic realism. —Ron Verzuh reviews The Wind from All Directions, by Ron Thompson (Toronto: Double Dagger Books, 2024) $22.99 / 9781990644900
This memoir, a “whimsical look at the fall of the British Empire,” features anecdotes about the author’s assorted encounters with celebrities over the decades. —Valerie Green reviews Celebrities Who Have Met Me: A Child of the Lost Empire, by John D’Eathe (Vancouver: Adagio Media, 2024) $21.99 9781999433925