I'm ever grateful to @learning2levumore , @leatarantowrites , @cidvbrunetwrites , and @sarahemc2 , who generously took the time to read the Advanced Reading Copy of Northern Girls: True Stories (Baraka Books) many months back, and to write blurbs for it. The support of these incredible writers has been wonderful, and I hope everyone will read their work, as well!
In my interview for @alllitupcanada , one of the questions I answered was “Which authors have had the most impact on your own writing?” One of the authors I name is Nick Rupert, and added “I’ve read his short stories multiple times and will until the end of my days—they’re a masterclass is short prose writing.”
Not only is @nickrupert2786 a great writer, he’s a really kind and generous person. I hope writers and readers get a chance to read his short fiction collection, Bosses of Light and Sound (@wsbooks ), which was the winner of the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction, and includes his Pushcart Prize-winning short story, “Aunt Job” which was most recently selected again—this time for the Pushcart Prize special volume, The Pushcart Book of Twenty-First Century Poetry and Prose (which celebrates the best of the last 25 years of the Pushcart Prize)! (Congrats again, Nick! 🙌)
You can also visit his website for more information on his book, and other works.
The first story I ever read of Nick’s was “The Temptation of Saint Ravine” back 2017, and I’ve read it several times since (it’s in TLR, in his book, and linked on his website), as well as many of his other stories!
@mishwillms ' debut memoir-in-stories, NORTHERN GIRLS (@barakabooks ), is a raw collection of nine true stories navigating generational trauma, parental addiction, and resilience.
In today’s Writer's Block interview, Willms opens up about writing as a means of healing and how she works her way through the fear that can disrupt the storytelling process.
Read the full interview at the link in our bio.
Many thanks to everyone who came out to the @lpplibraryon Rittenhouse Library yesterday evening for my “In Conversation” event with Kelly Spence, where I discussed my book Northern Girls (@barakabooks ) and did a reading! Thank you to Kelly Spence and the attendees for their thoughtful questions, and for the deep and vulnerable discussions that followed during the book signing portion of the evening. I’m so grateful for community. ❤️ And thank you also to everyone who bought a book (or two)! Your support is greatly appreciated!
Photo credit: @libtechatlrg and Kelly Spence
#LincolnON #PelhamON #NorthernGirls #canlit #nonfiction
Many thanks to @newsnowniagara and Joanne McDonald, the excellent NewsNow wordsmith/reporter who interviewed me, for writing about my memoir Northern Girls (@barakabooks ), and covering the difficult subject matter of intergenerational trauma which is at the heart of Northern Girls. If anyone would like to read the full article in the NewsNow E-edition, please click on the NewsNow link in my bio and flip to page 15. If you’d like to read Northern Girls, you can purchase a copy on the Baraka Books website (also linked in my bio) or put in a request at your local library for them to carry a copy (if they don’t already).
Instagram photo credit: Kelly Spence (@lpplibraryon )
Thank you!
Read local!
Local author Michelle Willms joins us tomorrow night in #Vineland in conversation about her brand-new book Northern Girls, recently named one of CBC’s top 50 nonfiction titles for spring.
Brave, engaging and electric, Northern Girls is a collection of true stories about the fractured legacy of growing up in rural northern Ontario.
Wednesday, May 6
6:30 - 7:30 pm
Rittenhouse Branch, #Vineland
Free; registration appreciated: https://lppl.ca/event/local-author-visits-michelle-willms-northern-girls/
Drop ins welcome. Books available for purchase (cash or e-transfer).
#LincolnON #PelhamON #NorthernGirls
Please join me at the Rittenhouse Library in Vineland this Wednesday, May 6th from 6:30 to 7:30 for an In Conversation event where I’ll be discussing my memoir, Northern Girls, with Kelly Spence. Tickets are free, but registration is required. Please find the registration link in my bio.
Books will be available for purchase at the event (cash or e-transfer). Thank you to all the wonderful staff at the Lincoln Pelham Public Library, who work hard to foster the love of reading, and who create a safe community space for the people of Niagara!
@barakabooks@lpplibraryon
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to @mahtaycafe to support the book launch of Northern Girls (@barakabooks ). I absolutely loved our time together, the thoughtful questions, and the meaningful conversation. My heart is so full. ❤️
Many thanks to Mahtay Café for hosting me for my book launch; the people working tonight were wonderful. Thank you also for taking photos, along with my eldest son (Thanks, Josh!)
Light installation photo essay that ends with John Hamm.
I’m a writer, but I moonlight as a home renovator and designer. My husband and I have been working on homes together for 20+ years, and I find it so enjoyable. Do we get along while working together, some have asked? Mostlyish.
I write about my early days of woodworking as a teenager in my creative nonfiction story "Kill Switch," which is included in my memoir Northern Girls (linked in my bio).
Expertly written, Natalie Southworth’s short story collection, There’s Always More to Say (@llp_mtl ), offers an important lens for readers, with the aperture adjusted to the difficult terrain of childhood and womanhood. Over the course of nine stories, the characters in this collection navigate an array of difficult situations, painful realizations, and loss, and they do so with resourcefulness, resilience, and compassion. A beautifully rendered collection by @natdousouth !
