One beautiful thing about BC books and BC publishers is that they have the space and scope for more experimental works. These books vary in content–one is a collection of a lifetime of work, one is a story of resisting colonial ceremonial institutions, one is a long poem, and one is a satirical how-to, but what they all have in common is a rejection of the status quo when it comes to writing, genres, and what a book can do. Here are four books that will inspire the rule-breaking rebel in you.
A Haida Wedding by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson with Robert Davidson
(Heritage House Publishing)
An intimate look into the first traditional Haida wedding ceremony performed in more than 100 years that was not officiated by Canadian or religious institutions, but rather legalized under Haida law. Married in 1996, both Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson and Robert Davidson are internationally acclaimed for their respective work in music, law, activism, and visual art. Through photos and text, they share a visual and cultural celebration of their traditional Haida wedding ceremony, exploring its roots, rituals, symbolism, joyfulness, and contemporary significance for a thriving Indigenous Nation.
Out now!
Another Order: Selected Works by Judith Copithorne (Talonbooks)
Judith Copithorne (b. 1939) has been a boundary-pushing poet and artist in Vancouver’s literary scene since the 1960s. This book collects her dynamic and previously inaccessible works, including poetry, fiction, visual art, comics, life writing, and her tireless experiments with physical media. These texts engage with the timelessly relevant topics of gender, sexuality, desire, subjectivity, spirituality, and revolution.
Out December 2023!
Male Pregnancy in Reverse by Tom Prime (New Star Books)
This avant-garde book is a long poem in five acts full of a cast of intriguing characters and Elizabethan vocabulary, all of which adds up to a heady literary puzzle that evokes both horror and laughter-inducing silliness. Author Tom Prime is a PhD candidate at Western University (specializing in seventeenth century female prophesy). The book also features a section of visual collage poetry.
Out now!
The Cobra and the Key by Sam Shelstad (TouchWood Editions)
The Cobra and the Key is a funny and satirical auto fictional meta novel in the form of a writing guide. The book takes the novice through aspects of character, detail, plot, style, point of view, dialogue, and meaning. Before long, you’ll be ready to print off your first draft and embark on revisions. Then it’s time to learn some of the tricks of the publishing biz. Are you ready to get seriously silly?
Out now!