Curtis McRae

Incredibly thrilled to be selected as a Writers’ Trust 2026 Rising Star. A huge thank you to the @writerstrust for organizing this program and for supporting early-career authors, and to my supportive friend and talented colleague @cowboybegonias for the nomination. I’m also incredibly grateful for @michaelwinternet for selecting me and for these kind words about my work: “Curtis John McRae’s writing got my attention for being subtle, funny, wise, confident, blocked with unpredictable dialogue, laced through with reflections on prior events, and the feeling constantly that something is about to change. He has a facility with making minor characters believe they are the center of the story, which contributes to the all-around socially generous climate he conveys while having, at the core of the plot, a solitary examination of contemporary Canadian life. I knew very little about this world and these people that populate McRae’s fiction, and yet he makes me believe in them and care about that world and care, too, about the person telling these stories.”

Shoutout Queen’s Gambit ♟️ 📸 @cowboybegonias

⚡️Annonce de la traduction anglaise à venir ❤️ "Véhicule Press is proud to publish Gabrielle's new novel following the success of her first novel, DANDELION DAUGHTER, which we published in 2023. On a personal note, I am thrilled that this will be my first acquisition in my new position as Fiction Editor. I couldn't have dreamed up a better first book to publish." Curtis John McRae Thank you so much Curtis, Simon and Katia ❤️🙏🏻 About Katia Grubisic : Katia Grubisic is a Canadian writer, editor and translator. She completed French and English literature degrees at the University of New Brunswick, and received her master's degree in English from Concordia University.[1] Her collection What if red ran out (Goose Lane Editions, 2008) won the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for best first book, and was a finalist for the Quebec Writers' Federation A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry. She won the 2024 Governor General's Award for French to English translation for Nights Too Short to Dance, her translation of Marie-Claire Blais's Un cœur habité de mille voix. She was previously shortlisted for the 2017 Governor General's Awards for Brothers, her translation of David Clerson's novel Frères,and the 2021 Governor General's Awards for A Cemetery for Bees, her translation of Alina Dumitrescu's Le cimetière des abeilles.

Cowboy Begonias Exclusive 📷 @cowboybegonias

@disquietilp festival and friends 💛 A real treat workshopping with all you spondaic smart ****s.

Join us on the evening of June 15 at our Queen location for the launch of Quietly, Loving Everyone, the debut from @c_crae from @vehiculepress 🎫 Admission is free, but please RSVP at the link in bio. ABOUT THE BOOK Quietly, Loving Everyone, Curtis McRae’s debut collection of stories, assembles a meditative and often profound cycle of portraits pulled from everyday Canadian life. A young boy raises James Dean from the dead, only to find out the cult icon is not the playmate he’d hoped for. A university student riddled with ulcers silently spirals after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. A young girl takes a road trip with her older sister to Cape Cod, and years later reconstructs the tragic circumstances behind what she remembers. A couple goes on a date at an old porn theatre that is the last remaining vestige of a neighbourhood that has moved on. McRae plays witness to characters at those crucial beginnings or ends of relationships, with lovers, friends, family, and most importantly themselves. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Curtis John McRae is editor-in-chief at Yolk Literary Journal. His fiction has appeared in The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, Chronicling the Days anthology (Guernica Editions, 2021), and others. He lives in Montreal. 📍 371 Queen St. W. 🔗 Tickets at the link in bio

Happy publication day to our friend @c_crae ! 🎉 *Quietly, Loving Everyone* is a beautiful, heartfelt collection about the strange ways love shows up — stories of loneliness, tenderness, and unexpected connection, marked by Curtis’s dry wit, sharp observations, and big heart. 💛❤️ Available now in store. Come pick up a copy and help us celebrate this incredible debut!

Mark your calendars, my friends! At last, launching my debut collection of short stories with @vehiculepress into the world. I’ll be speaking about the book with my editor @dimitrinasrallahsrecords . There will be a reading, Q&A, book signings, and of course libations. Would love to see you there. WHERE: Cardinal Tearoom, 5326 St Laurent Blvd, MTL WHEN: Thursday, May 15, 7pm doors, conversation at 7:30pm For those that don’t feel like working on Friday, we’ll pick another location to continue the festivities past 9pm Huge thank you to my very dear and talented friend @gabrielle.drolet for making this event poster inspired by the book. (Rumour has it it came to her in a dream.)

I've been holding on to this one for a while, but excited to announce that my debut collection of short stories, Quietly, Loving Everyone (forthcoming with @vehiculepress , Winter 2025) is now available for preorder on amazon! I've included the link in my bio. Big shoutout to @salamanderhill for the amazing cover art, absolutely chuffed about it. I'm also extremely grateful to @dimitrinasrallahsrecords for his editorial vision and guidance, and to everyone at Véhicule Press.

Another story in @thenewquarterly ! “A Sensitive Man Drinks Yellow Flowers” was an honourable mention in the 2024 Peter Hinchcliffe short fiction award, and will be in my forthcoming debut collection out this spring!

Learned a new language (⛵️).

🇮🇪☘️🌈🍯 Marshal ‘24