Book reviews
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Mourning and medieval metaphor
It’s nearly impossible to describe grief without metaphor. Perhaps this is a testament to the failure of literal language to capture something so profoundly complex.
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Arts editor’s guide to autumn
I’ve always felt that autumn is far more indicative of a new year than Jan. 1.
For the first time since 2003, I’m not returning to school in September. From preschool to the final semester of my undergraduate degree, the yellowing of the leaves marked the beginning of my studies. Though I’m no longer hitting the books, it remains a time of change and regrowth.
I like to colour each season with art, music and recipes to measure time passing. Here are a few things colouring my autumn.
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Kate Beaton remembers the oil sands
Over the past 30 years, independent comics have been steadily picking up momentum in Canada.
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Speculating Manitoba, and beyond
Literary fiction has been forever in conflict with its sibling and nemesis: genre fiction. In general, the literary world sees literary fiction as “highbrow” works that cannot be defined by their relationship to any specific genre.
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A spirited conversation
It’s a Winnipeg tradition that on the first Friday of the month, art enthusiasts of all stripes gather in the historic Exchange District to pop into warehouse studios, drink merlot from plastic chalices and converse about local artworks. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted First Fridays in the Exchange, local art-markers continue to find ways to (virtually) bring the joy of art to the public.
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To be or not to be? That is (still) the question
William Shakespeare might have written plays during the 16th century, but the pillars of his stories prevail in the modern world. Two virtual classes, presented by theatre company Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR) and McNally Robinson Booksellers, aim to shed light on his enduring influence.
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Culinary novel shakes off cultural stereotypes
Playwright and social-media influencer Primrose Madayag Knazan had the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream when Great Plains Publications asked her to write her first book.
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Critipeg: Cemetery Boys
Aiden Thomas, 320 pages, Macmillan Publishers, September 2020
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CRITIPEG: Gothic Canadian tale is pleasurably bleak
“I sat on the edge of the bed, the letter loose in my hand and stared at the space before me. ‘What is this space where I have decided to live,’ I wondered. ‘What stories hidden here?’”
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CRITIPEG: Delivering chills
If you’re looking for an accessible ghostly read, Haunted Manitoba by Matthew Komus delivers.
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CRITIPEG: Goodhand ventures into deep waters
With a stroke of a pen, a talented author can turn blank pages and scribbles of ink into works of art, creating new worlds, life situations and more.