The first issue of Cactus Heart was released earlier this week.

Cactus Heart is a new electronic literary journal published as a PDF through E-junkie, edited by Sara Rauch.

The first issue looks pretty nifty, and it contains my review of outskirts, by Susan Goyette.

For more information about Cactus Heart Press, or to submit to the second issue, check out their site.

Novels, graphic novels, children’s books and non-fic, but no poetry? How did that happen?

23. The Game, by Ken Dryden
(Wiley, 1983, 2005)

Continuing reading the Canada Reads 2012 shortlist in reverse order of elimination, I read The Game despite my complete lack of interest in hockey. And loved it.

I have little idea who most of the players are, and fortunately lists of statistics are kept to a minimum. What you get with that the jacket copy calls “the best hockey book ever written,” is a surprisingly well-written and thought-provoking overview of the industry from the perspective of an insider, Ken Dryden being, of course, a former goalie for the Montreal Canadiens.

I can see why this was in the top five, and further, I can see why it almost made it as this year’s pick. It’s definitely worth the read. Continue reading »

The latest issue of Broken Pencil, issue 55, contains my review of The Girl on the Escalator, by Jim Nason. You can read the review on Broken Pencil‘s website as well.

This issue displays the results from the Indie Writers’ Deathmatch, the fifth incarnation of the short story writing contest in which stories are pitted against each other to fight until one emerges in all its ragged and bloody gory, I mean glory.

I’ve never participated, because, frankly, it scares the shit out of me. My skin isn’t tough enough to endure the beatings that take place in the comments. Though afterwards I always read the results in BP.

This issue features the winning story from Chase Baird, and several runners up. My favourite of those presented here was actually Claire Ferris’ “Twenty-Somethings,” a parody of hipsterdom taken to wicked extremes. I have a soft spot for hipsters. They’re so cute!

Also featured this ish is Incongruous Quarterly‘s Emma Healey. I had no idea she’s only 21. I feel like such a slacker now.

It’s a great magazine, check it out.