Book cover for piyyut by Solomon Nagler, drawings by Angela Henderson (Nevermore Press): piyyut is a long-form poem assembling fables from the Jewish Diaspora in an attempt to unsettle refugee migration stories while exhuming mystical, prophetic voices in post-Holocaust Europe. Verses are titled and informed by the aleph-bet and examine the entanglements of the diasporic experience through allegorical tales and critical Jewish settler confessionals. Each verse is paired with a drawing by visual artist Angela Henderson exploring the intersections between graphic notation and lyrical, poetic form. Combining and juxtaposing digitally- and hand-rendered elements, the hybridized landscapes both respond to and reflect the complex, speculative and sometimes brutalist journey through past and present. https://www.nevermorepress.ca/books/p/piyyut
Book cover for Signs of Life: Field Notes from the Frontlines of Extinction by Sarah Cox (Goose Lane Editions): What’s to be done when only three spotted owls are left in Canada’s wild? When wolves eat endangered caribou, cormorants kill rare trees, and housing developments threaten a tiny frog? Environmental journalist Sarah Cox has witnessed what happens when we drive species to the brink of extinction. In Signs of Life, she tags along with the Canadian military, Indigenous guardians, biologists, conservationists, and ordinary people who are racing to save hundreds of species before it’s too late. Travelling across the country, Cox visits the Toronto Zoo, home of Canada’s only wildlife biobank, where scientists conserve living cells from endangered species in the event of future loss; tours Canada’s military bases, home to some of Canada’s last preserved ecosystems; and travels to Indigenous communities where land stewards are striving to restore the delicate ecological balance that has sustained people for millennia. Through the eyes and work of individuals who are bringing species back from the precipice, Cox delivers both an urgent message and a fresh perspective on how we can protect biodiversity and begin to turn things around. Winner, Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society Book Awards for BC Authors (Non-Fiction). https://gooselane.com/products/signs-of-life
Book cover for William D. Roach: Folk Artist by William Roach (Cape Breton University Press): William Roach’s interest – training, if you like – in carving and shaping wood into representations of the world around him, came naturally. When they weren’t making or repairing practical articles and tools, the older men in his life spent countless hours whittling curiosities that delighted children, neighbours and friends.After years working in Ontario, Roach and his family moved home to his Acadian birthplace, Chéticamp, Cape Breton, striving for the stability of family and community. A new life, turning a new leaf, William began expressing himself through his gift – a diversion at first, his passion for creating objects of beauty and value became an obsession and later a business. From his Sunset Gallery and studio on the outskirts of Chéticamp, Roach works tirelessly at his entertaining creations. https://nimbus.ca/store/william-roach-folk-artist.html
Book cover for Hopeless by Lesley Choyce (Moose House Publications): Nicolas is headstrong, wayward teen, flailing through school with no plans for a life. His now-departed father called him 'Hopeless', and the nickname stuck. How can you make it through anything wearing a tag like that? It turns out, having a fearless older brother, Garrett, can help...until Garrett makes an unexpected friend and sort of disappears from the family. Nicholas finds a surprise in that friend of Garrett's, and gets an unexpected assignment from a teacher that may yet save his high-school career. But add in near-death experiences, cross-country journeys and reunions that are far from joyful, and why would anyone hope to be hopeful? https://www.moosehousepress.com/product-page/hopeless
3/10 - #DSPBposts #SmallPress #books from @sarahkcox.bsky.social @gooselane.bsky.social @moosehousepress.bsky.social 💙📚 #BookSky #DefendNSbooks #bookish #booklovers #readingchallenge
