Literary

Though Firefly went off the air in 2002, Joss Whedon has managed to keep the ’verse alive not only through a movie but also in several comic book spin-offs. The latest one, Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale is written by Whedon and his brother Zack and focuses on Shepherd Book: a man of god with a […]

Israel’s Birthright program has been running for 11 years, offering free trips to Israel to young Jewish people around the world. Sarah Glidden recounts her trip in this graphic novel memoir, using simple but pleasant artwork to capture situations that are often complex and ugly. Glidden is a relatable and friendly narrator, interjecting her own […]

Ziyan Yang, Irène Chassaing and Alexandra Tsedryk are bringing together students from Canada, France and North Africa to talk about words, and the spaces between them, in French. The three graduate students in Dalhousie’s French program have organized an international conference entitled Silence and Word (or, le silence et le verbe). This weekend welcomes presentations […]

Kate Bush is one of the great enigmas of modern pop music. The British singer released five records between ages 20 and 27 and only three from 27 to 52, becoming a virtual recluse in the meantime. Thomson’s academic approach is impeccably researched and annotated, a wealth of information unearthed by his interviews with hundreds […]

Zsuzsi Gartner’s Better Living Through Plastic Explosives is a collection of clever, tongue-in-cheek short stories, with some falling into the category of bizarrely realistic science fiction. How else would you define a story about a realtor trying to sell houses in an area where mountains randomly swallow up homes? Or another about angels inhabiting the […]

Diablo Cody succinctly summed up the experience with a Sunday-evening tweet: “I read Bossypants way too fast. It should be a series, like The Baby-Sitters Club. You could get a new Bossypants at each school book fair.” Tina Fey’s slim, sharp new volume is aptly being compared to Nora Ephron (who, despite her diminishing screenwriting […]

Miriam Toews, Governor General’s Award winner and Giller Prize Finalist, returns in her fifth novel to her award-winning Mennonite themes. As the novel opens, Irma Voth has just been left by her Mexican narco husband for being a bad wife, ostracized by her father for flouting her religion, and abandoned by her community in Mexico’s […]

In Michael Murphy’s debut novel, we’re introduced to Morgan Wells, drowning after his wife miscarries and leaves him. He covers his apartment in Post-It notes and creates an elaborate set of daily rules and regulations to cope. His obsessive compulsion reaches a high when, by mistake, he receives a mysterious postcard addressed to a stranger […]

Guantanamo—it’s a household name for most. We are well aware the US government uses this naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba to house “enemy combatants” from the War on Terror, including Canadian Omar Khadr. We know things happen in Guantanamo that might not normally happen on American soil, where the US constitution is, […]

In his new graphic novella, Tomine leads us through the asinine and bizarre ritual that many couples reluctantly (or willingly) participate in order to try to plan “the perfect wedding.” Thoughtfully considered and humorously paced, Scenes depicts the ever-contrarian Adrian and his more enthusiastic fiancee, Sarah, negotiating the ridiculous tasks of choosing a font for […]

Next time you’re scarfing a donair in Venus Pizza or riding the bus, look out for a discreet pamphlet, folded neatly and printed with the words Open Heart Forgery. Founded by Donal Power, a former journalist and editor at the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, this monthly journal brings the voices of local poets and songwriters […]

To summarize Joe Ollman’s latest graphic novel Mid-Life as the story of a 40-something man going through a mid-life crisis would be to over-simplify the complexities that can bring anyone to the point of asking “How did I get here?” It is never just one simple decision or left turn, but a series of events […]