Diversifying Canada's Literature
27-03-2018 | New Canadian Media
By: Tazeen Inam in Toronto, ON Canadian literature continues to diversify as more stories look to include a wider range of content set locally and abroad. Language barriers, migration trauma, cultural...
Justice for Jassi
Ever since Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu met and secretly married his one true love, his life has been one of pain, torture and false imprisonments in Punjab, India. This week as the…
Memoirs of a Muhindi: Fleeing East Africa for the West
By: George Abraham in Ottawa In 1972, President Idi Amin expelled residents of Indian descent from Uganda. The move's impact was felt throughout the region as Indian-Africans in surrounding countries found they…
Jim Wong-Chu: A Visionary for Asian Canadian Writing
By: Ted Alcuitas in Vancouver Jim Wong-Chu 1949-2017 The ‘paper son’ who became a community leader and literary pioneer “Knowledge does not set you free – it enslaves you.” Strong words from a strong man. Jim’s…
A Memoir from Tanzania to Calgary
By Florence Hwang In Mansoor Ladha’s new book, Memoirs of a Muhindi: Fleeing East Africa for the West, he contrasts life in Africa to Canada, and how a person’s skin colour…
Graphic Novel Highlights Sexual Abuse of Immigrant and Refugee Women
by Tazeen Inam in Mississauga A graphic novel that creates awareness about sexual abuse among immigrant and refugee women has upped its print order barely a month after its launch in…
Whose Voice is it Anyway?
Commentary by Mayank Bhatt in Toronto I published my debut novel, Belief, in Canada last year. It’s the story of an immigrant family’s struggle to integrate into the Canadian mainstream. Just when everything seems to…
Novel Explores Road to Radicalization
Book Review by Phil Gurski Belief is a novel by Mayank Bhatt, a Mumbai-born resident of Toronto. It tells the story of the son of Indian immigrants to Canada who cooperates…
Imagine the Stories Syrian Refugees will Tell in 25 Years
Book Review by Rosanna Haroutounian in Gatineau The histories of Canadians are plentiful, rich, and complex. We can never know all of them, but even sharing just a few can open…
Football Legend’s Story Teaches Timely Lessons
by Rosanna Haroutounian in Quebec City Racial profiling by police is not a new phenomenon. The ability to now document aggression by law enforcement against African Americans and other racialized people…
Sacrifices of ‘Nonnas’ Should Not Be Forgotten
by Rosanna Haroutounian in Quebec City The recent death of Abdirahman Abdi after his violent arrest in Ottawa and the 2015 police shooting of Andrew Loku in Toronto challenge the “meanwhile…
Story Book Gives Nod to Canada’s Multilingualism
by Elvira Truglia in Montreal The stories in the Best of All Worlds represent seven of the most commonly spoken immigrant languages in Canada’s largest cities. Reinforcing heritage languages alongside Canada’s two…
The Darker Side of the Indo-Canadian Journey
Review by Anita Singh in Toronto Almost 40 years ago, my grandparents changed our family’s history by deciding to move to Canada. I recently asked my grandma about her immigration story. …
Exhibit Takes Guests to Libraries Around the World
by Vincent Simboli in Montreal “The library is a mirror of the universe,” writes Argentinian-Canadian author Alberto Manguel in his 2006 book The Library at Night. As print loses traction in…
Queer Author Helps Other LGBT Iranians Seek Asylum
by Shan Qiao in Toronto Queer activist Arsham Parsi took a risk when he left Iran and began to help other Iranians escape persecution for being lesbian, gay, bisexual…
Story Revisits Vietnamese Revenge Plot of 1908
by Tazeen Inam in Mississauga Many leaders of the East who fought to decolonize their countries from Western authoritarian rule were also educated in the West. Upon returning home, they became…
Graphic Novels Help Minority Women Share Stories
by Shan Qiao in Toronto Without saying anything, Farrah Khan hands out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it to each person in the room. “Now…
Hopes, Challenges of Immigration Reflected on Stage
by Priya Ramanujam in Toronto Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni says the immigration experience helped make her the award-winning and best-selling Indian-American writer she is today. Her immigration story — which she calls "strong…
Muslim Women Speak Out at Annual Poetry Showcase
by Priya Ramanujam in Toronto In Canada, Muslim people are often spoken about, rather than the people who are doing the speaking. It is one of the reasons the Outburst! Young Muslim…
Activist Connects Loss of Culture to Climate Change
by Winnie Hwo in Vancouver The world is still catching up to Inuit activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier. A year before being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006, she presented…
Japanese Writers Fill a Void in Canadian History
by Lucy L. Oneka in Toronto Writers of Japanese descent say their work is helping to fill gaps in Canada’s literary landscape. “When I was at university, the only way I could…
Study of Racism Should Look Within Brown Community
by George Abraham in Ottawa I must confess that I came to Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (To Everyone) and Kamal Al-Solaylee’s thesis as a skeptic. Growing…
Author Revisits Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan
by Alireza Ahmadian in Vancouver More than 160 Canadians lost their lives, more than 1,000 were wounded, and the government spent over $20 billion during Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. Stephen M. Saideman…
Poet’s Raw, Direct Verses Confront Ideas of Race
by Florence Hwang in Regina Vivek Shraya does not mince words. In even this page is white, her language is visceral, and even the form of her poetry helps to draw…
Diaspora Dialogues Gives Emerging Writers a Voice
by Shan Qiao in Toronto New writers are using mentorship opportunities to create and share more diverse and inclusive stories about Toronto’s history and culture. “What we want to do is to…
Family’s Courage Shines on in Story of Corner Shop
by Beatrice Paez in Toronto As a child, it wasn’t unusual for Ann Y.K. Choi to be at work behind the counter of her family’s convenience store in Toronto. She and…
Fiction Connects Faith to Contemporary World
by Tazeen Inam in Mississauga Canadian authors of faith-based fiction say seeking answers in religion to the injustices of their pasts enhances their creativity and inspires their literary work. A group of…
Visa Officers Largely Bias-Free: Author
by Howard Ramos in Halifax, Nova Scotia In a country where over one in five people are immigrants and far more are children and relatives of immigrants, questions of who gets…
WWII Japanese Displacement Parallels Migrant Crisis
by Shenaz Kermalli in Toronto Lynne Kutsukake’s The Translation of Love is as haunting as it is beautiful. Set in post-WWII Japan, the novel touches upon migration and identity issues as…
Story of Filipino Family Hits Home for Immigrants
by Melissa Shaw in Vancouver A new novel reflects on the experiences of Filipino Canadians through the story of one family, and aims to inspire newcomers to achieve their dreams. Eleanor Guerrero-Campbell’s…
Novel Provides Realistic Portrayal of Mental Illness
by Danica Samuel in Toronto Café Babanussa is a story about mental illness that has never been told before. Through the journey of a young, mixed-race woman exploring Germany in the…
Diverse Stories Boost the Industry: Book Publishers
by Tazeen Inam in Mississauga Canadian book publishers and literature supporters say diverse stories written by emerging writers can increase readership and are vital for enhancing Canada’s publishing industry. Five industry experts…
Political Upheaval Brings Women Together in Healing
by Maria Assaf in Oxford, England Imagine being a child bride in pre-revolutionary Iran – suffering abuse on a daily basis, being forced into a joyless marriage and having children at…
Former Senator: More Aid, Military Capacity Needed
by Susan Korah in Ottawa Canada’s foreign policy is caught in a precarious balancing act between the “sunny ways” of election promises and the realpolitik of weapons sales to countries with…
Muslim-Canadian Women Concerned About Discrimination
by Danica Samuel in Toronto When Sheema Khan told audience members at the Aga Khan Museum that the men sitting at one of her last lectures refused to face her, the…
Hungarian Canadian Tackles Image of Racist Quebec
by Matt D’Amours in Montreal Is there any topic touchier in Canada than Quebec’s identity politics? It might be easier to answer this question from the outside looking in, but for us…
Kids’ Lit Needs More Immigrant and Refugee Stories
by Shan Qiao in Toronto Canadian writers and educators are expressing a need for more children’s books about refugee and diaspora stories that reflect Canada’s diversity. “It was very difficult several years…
After Agony of Rape, Playwright Finds Compassion
by Tazeen Inam in Mississauga Canada is not the land of fairy tales. It is a land of opportunities, welcoming those who are daring and rebound from their suffering – people…
Journey Back to Vietnam Becomes Universal Story
by Elvira Truglia in Montreal Kim Thuy’s fourth novel continues the author’s style of recalling her own journey to Canada and crossing linguistic and cultural boundaries. “I don’t mind at all being…
Author ‘Pays It Forward’ for Writers of Colour
by Beatrice Paez in Toronto Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz owes his early literary education to the two local librarians who nurtured his love for reading. The all-too-familiar story of unsupportive…
A Look Into Apartheid Reveals Journey to Freedom
by Vicky Tobianah in Toronto Making distant readers empathize with historical events they have not experienced is a challenging feat. Mohamed M. Keshavjee grapples with getting individuals to feel the pain of…
Haitian Canadians in Quebec: A Rich Political History
by Beatrice Paez in Toronto When Elizabeth Philibert arrived in Montreal as an émigré in 1979, she immediately felt the city would be her closest connection to Haiti. The city’s circle of…
Pundits Weigh in on Islamic Identity in Canada
by Alireza Ahmadian in Vancouver, British Columbia Identity determines how we value ourselves and how others perceive us. Its significance has increased with globalization, migration and technological advancements. Many people today…
Accents Celebrated at Shakespeare Reading
by Diana Manole in Ottawa Four hundred years ago, on April, 23, 1616, William Shakespeare passed away. His plays are so special that today we can critically reflect on any topic…
Immigrant Youth Struggle with Parental Expectations
by Florence Hwang in Regina Cultural differences between young new Canadians and their parents can compound the struggles youth normally experience within their families during childhood and adolescence. A Guide to Overcoming…
Arab World Needs a Cultural Revolution: Author
by Susan Korah in Ottawa It was a book launch and discussion that should have taken place in Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, Tripoli or any other capital of the Arab world. Instead, it…
Women Noticeably Absent from Democracy Discussion
by Danica Samuel in Toronto A discussion on democratic transitions highlighted the need to include the role of women when examining how world leaders have created democratic societies around the world. The…
Freedom School: Educating Youth on Black Liberation
by Shan Qiao in Toronto A campaign to collect books and other resources to enhance educational opportunities for black children in Toronto is gaining support, while the Black Lives Matter Toronto continues to challenge…
More Public Debate on Immigration Needed: Author
by Susan Korah in Ottawa “We’ve never had a wide-ranging public debate on what kind of immigrants we need in this country,” says Valerie Knowles, author of Strangers at our Gates:…
New Book Reveals More Modern, Global Shia Islam
by Melissa Shaw in Vancouver The latest instalment of the Institute of Ismaili Studies’ Muslim Heritage Series aims to provide a deeper understanding of Shia Islam, the Muslim religion’s second-largest community. About…
by Samaah Jaffer in Vancouver “Near the old Jewish quarter of Baghdad, at Al Rasheed Street, there is a meandering alley named after the Iraqi poet Al Mutanabbi,” read Shawk Alani…
Panel on Muslim Identity Dodges Critical Issues
by Samaah Jaffer in Vancouver A panel discussion on the newly published collection of essays The Relevance of Islamic Identity in Canada: Culture, Politics, and Self, shows that there are multiple ways…
Novels from Two Immigrant Authors Part of CBC Canada Reads 2016
Novels from two immigrant authors are going to be part of the on-air debates of this year’s CBC Canada Reads 2016 program, March 21-24. The theme of the five books…
The Poetry of Generational Difference
by Rosanna Haroutounian in Quebec City Flesh, Tongue, Yaya Yao’s first collection of poetry, brings you to a crossroads where you have a desire for belonging in the place you feel…
Indo-Canadian A-Listers Excel in Many Ways
by Anita Singh in Toronto Ajit Jain is a three-decade chronicler of the Indo-Canadian community. His role as a journalist and editor for India Abroad’s Toronto edition and more recently, a…
No Avoiding Bias When Covering Gaza: Blumenthal
by Beatrice Paez in Toronto Journalists can pay a high price with their reputations for reporting on the polarizing, decades-old Israel-Gaza conflict. That was the message journalist and author Max Blumenthal delivered…
Fifty Indo-Canadians Honoured as 'Bridge Builders'
by Eddie Ameh in Ottawa Fifty prominent Indo-Canadians were recognized in Ottawa recently for promoting and fostering India-Canada relations. Carleton University hosted a celebration of their achievements on Feb. 4, alongside a…
Immigrant Women Speak Loudly in Resilience and Triumph
By Susan Korah in Ottawa The room was abuzz with the energy and excitement of a university alumni reunion, as approximately 100 people packed Octopus bookstore in downtown Ottawa for the…
Book Captures Tamil Diaspora's Pain, Pride, Politics
by Ranjit Bhaskar in Toronto May 2009, the civil war in Sri Lanka was grinding its way to an excruciating end. Government forces were in a decisive push against the separatist…
Refugees – Buzzword of the Year and Deservedly So
by Shenaz Kermalli in Toronto Every day, we see pictures and videos of families desperately crossing the sea to escape war and poverty back home. Hundreds of refugees are interviewed and…
Integration Not Sole Responsibility of Newcomers
by Andrew Griffith in Ottawa Robin Higham’s What Would You Say? ... as guest speaker at the next Canadian citizenship ceremony is an anecdote-based approach to understanding the rights and responsibilities…
Documenting Muslim History in Saskatchewan
by Florence Hwang in Regina, Saskatchewan Ever since Muslims began settling in the Canadian prairies, they’ve built bridges with their new community while maintaining their ties with their traditional culture. A devoted Muslim…
Edmonton: Bakar Mansaray Launches his First Book in Canada
The African-Canadian community in Edmonton, Canada, on Saturday October 10, 2015, witnessed a major milestone in its literary circles. One of their own, Bakar Mansaray formally launched his first book…
Oil Boom and Bust, Galician Style
Peak Oil. Neil Young’s condemnation of the environmental damage caused by the Alberta “Tar Sands.” The Leap Manifesto on climate... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Foreign correspondent’s Afghanistan memoir recalls her experiences in war-torn country
Foreign correspondent Heidi Kingstone has spent much of her career pursuing stories in politically charged and war-torn countries. Her... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Holocaust Diary Details Rabbi’s Struggle to Survive
It was on his wedding day in 1964 when Feivel Wolgelernter’s uncle Dovid gifted him with the unnumbered pages, yellowed with age, handwritten... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish News Read…
Biography Explores Stephen Harper, the Politician and the Man
Whether you admire Stephen Harper or not, John Ibbitson’s biography of our current prime minister is a fascinating read. Clearly, a lot of research went... -- Delivered by Feed43 service Epoch Times Read…
Canadian Author Provides a Moving Account of Life in Israel
Danita Dubinsky Aziza’s Finding Home, A Journey of Life Lessons in the Land of Israel, an account of her family’s four years living in... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish…
What if Israel Had Existed Before the Holocaust?
Yehuda Avner was the quintessential diplomat. He represented the State of Israel to the world with conviction, skill and pride. He was a wise... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish…
Courageous and Masterful Explorations of Otherness – An interview with H. Nigel Thomas
The celebrated author, academic, and essayist, H. Nigel Thomas, says:“I write because reality mystifies me, and my temperament pushes me to explore it via my imagination. I know that my senses…
Using Humour and Deceit to Expose Anti-Israel Rhetoric
As Tuvia Tenenbom amply demonstrates in Catch the Jew, a new book that has become a bestseller in Israel, the Jewish state attracts scores of leftist... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The…
A Current Snapshot of Canadian Multiculturalism
by Don Curry (@DonDoncurry) in North Bay, Ontario A new book on multiculturalism provides an in-depth snapshot of where we are now as a country, while also looking in the rear-view…
Cosmopolis Toronto Photography Project Launches Book
In 2013, Cosmopolis Toronto was a project started by Toronto-based photographer Colin Boyd Shafer, who set out to photograph the world, one Torontonian at a time. This unique documentary photography…
Swami Vidyananda Maharaj Launches Book
Swami Vidyananda Maharaj, originally from the Cove and John Ashram in Guyana, was in Canada to launch his new book Journey of the Guru. The official launch took place last… --…
Hitler’s Olympics Were More Than Just Games
I boycotted the 2014 Sochi Olympic games, none too effectively, from my Montreal vantage point, refusing to view them on television or read about... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish…
Author Discusses the Challenge of Living as an Arab in Israel
Despite his light, jokey manner, Arab-Israeli writer Sayed Kashua conveyed deep cynicism at an event hosted by the New Israel Fund of Canada (NIFC)... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish…
The Compelling Story of Occupation
Known throughout the world as the City of Light, and considered by many to be one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Paris was a darkly... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The…
Book Profiles 40 Forgotten Female Footnotes
No matter what egregious things women feel their husbands have done, these men are “amateurs” compared to the men featured in her new... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read…
Memoir Recounts Transition from Russia to America
In this funny, self-deprecating memoir, Gary Shteyngart tells the story of his family’s migration from Russia to America in 1979, when... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Book Debates Halachic Debate on Brain Death
After the first human heart transplants in the 1960s, the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986), the leading authority on Halachah in the United... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read…
New Memoir Shows Nuances of Chassidic and Secular Life
There can be a certain voyeuristic pleasure in reading accounts of those who’ve left extremist religious sects. This is evidenced by the... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full…
by Marco Campana (@MarcoPolis) in Toronto In Tell Everyone: How the Stories We Share Shape What We Know and Why It Matters, author Alfred Hermida explores how social media has the…
Jewish Literary Awards to Go on Despite Koffler Hiatus
As they watch the usual awards get handed out, book lovers who attend the upcoming Canadian Jewish Literary Awards ceremony next October will likely... -- Delivered by Feed43 service The Canadian Jewish…
The War in All Its Facets
Once it was said to be the poor who were always with us, but nowadays it seems it is the war that we cannot be without. Anniversaries abound –... -- Delivered…
Pico Iyer on What ‘Home’ Means to Him
by Samantha Lui (@samanthalui_) in Toronto Author Pico Iyer may have been based in western Japan since 1987. But he is hesitant to call the country his home; he’s been living…
Invisible Immigrants: The English in Canada since 1945
The Brits in Toronto crew are always on the lookout for cool books to read on the TTC, when it’s running. We heard about this one today — Invisible Immigrants:…
A Lush Portrait of a President and Jewish Americans
The “friend of the Jews” is a familiar figure in popular Jewish commentary on mainstream culture. Non-Jewish friends are presented as... The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Award-Winning Holocaust Book now Available in English
A Hebrew-language book that won Yad Vashem’s prize for outstanding children’s Holocaust literature in 2008 is being published in English... The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Canadian Political Crisis Told Through Three Distinct Voices
It’s rare when we have an opportunity to examine a single event through multiple, disparate lenses or illuminate a singular truth through the... The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
No Secrets in Novelist’s Fictional Chance
A first time novel writer of Trinidadian heritage is among the line-up for this year’s Spur Festival Toronto scheduled for April 9 -12 under the theme Alone, Together. Sabrina Ramnanan’s… The…
Sickle Cell Activist Launches My Dream Book
By Gerald V. Paul As part of the Canada 150 Memoirs project, the book My Dream, tracing the life of 92-year-old Jamaican-born, Lillie Johnson will be launched on Sunday (March… The…
Book tells of Black Canadians who fought in U.S. Civil War
Why would Blacks who fled slavery for a better life in Canada return to the United States to join the Union Army in the four-year American Civil War? Canadian historian Bryan…
Singing at the Café Sztuka: Vera Gran’s postwar trials
Cafés and nightclubs attain special resonance in times of great artistic or historical ferment. Jean-Paul Sartre’s Les Deux Magots helped birth existentialism; the pre-World War I Café des Westens in…
Ewart Walters launches new book in Jamaica
Journalist, author and historian, Ewart Walters, has successfully launched his latest book, We Come From Jamaica: The National Movement 1937-1962, in Jamaica. The Share News Read Full Article
Best-selling Canadian author published her first book at 72
If William Wordsworth’s words are true – that “the child is father to the man” – we need look no deeper than into the trying years of the Great Depression…
A vibrant history of Toronto the Good
Ambitious in scope and masterful in execution, Allan Levine’s panoramic portrait of our city from its beginnings to the present is sweeping and... The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Why Human Rights Tribunals are Still Relevant
by Yves Engler Speaking Out on Human Rights is a powerful response to the right-wing backlash against human rights commissions and tribunals. In this readable book, lawyer and McGill University lecturer Pearl…
Traces of what was
Jody Fegelman Through the fall of 1943 and into the winter and spring of 1944, Steve Rotschild and the other children were free to roam the passages and stairwells... The Jewish…
David Topper’s latest book: “Idolatry & Infinity: Of Art, Math, & God”
By BERNIE BELLAN Naomi Ragen is a prolific and best-selling author of nine novels, most of which have to do with the plight of women in the Haredi (ultraOrthodox) community in…
What had been planned as a book review for a small group attracted a standing-room-only crowd this week at Indigo, Bayview Village in Toronto. ... The Canadian Jewish Tribune Read Full Article
Vancouver: Launch of Greek History Themed Book
Canadian author W. Ruth Kozak published her debut work “Shadow Of The Lion (Vol 1): Blood On The Moon” earlier this year. The Greek... Greek Reporter Read Full Article