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Upcoming Event: Rethinking Unequal Exchange
We are very excited about an upcoming book event at the Northern Woman's Bookstore. Salima Valiani's newest book, "Rethinking Unequal Exchange: the global integration of nursing labour markets" is an engaging study of international politics and women's labour in a globalized world.
Saturday, May 18
2:00pm
65 South Court Street
Sweet Seas: Portraits of the Great Lakes
As residents of Thunder Bay, we feel we know the Great Lakes pretty well since we are fortunate enough to have the largest and most beautiful of the five, Lake Superior, on our doorstep.
But Mark Schacter's wonderful new book Sweet Seas is filled with photographs from travels around all five Great Lakes which may surprise you. Mark has not only been able to capture the natural beauty and splendor, but he also includes photographs of the human side of life on the Great Lakes. And despite the human impact on the environment, as Mark says through his photography: "if you see the Lakes in the right place and at the right time, they still give the impression of being untouched and unchangeable".
The Northern Woman's Bookstore has been lucky enough to have Mark stop by the store after last night's reading at Waverly Library to sign copies of this beautiful book. We have a number for sale at the store, but only two signed copies, so make sure to stop by the store to grab one before we run out!
Richard Wagamese's "Indian Horse" has arrived!
Richard Wagamese's beautiful novel, Indian Horse has been chosen as a contender for this year's literary battle royal, CBC Canada Reads: Turf Wars .
We are excited to say that after a great deal of waiting, we received our shipment at the bookstore. Make sure you drop by to pick up a copy of a true Canadian novel.
We'Moon 2013 Day Planners for SALE
We are having a sale on We'Moon 2013: Gaia rhythms for Womyn day planners! These beautiful day planners are full of original art, poems, and stories. So come by the store to grab your copy of We'Moon at 25% off, and enjoy some lovely art as you keep yourself organized throughout 2013.
Thunder Pride Young Adult Writing Competition
As one of the official sponsors of this amazing literary event which is part of Thunder Pride Week, we have just received a press release about this exciting competition for youth. Below is the press release we received from Thunder Pride. Give it a read and share it with your friends!
Thunder Pride launches writing contest for LGBTTSQQ+ youth
Winners of contests for queer youth and their allies will read at Thunder Pride's annual literary evening, June 11, 2013
Thunder Pride, Northwestern Ontario's annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirited, queer and questioning (LGBTTQQ) diversity rights, is delighted to announce a writing contest for the region's queer youth and their allies!
Now in its third year, Thunder Pride has hosted a very popular literary evening since its inception.
Standing-room-only audiences have enjoyed a lively lineup of local queer writers, with headline
performances by well-known Canadian guest writers. Vancouver-based storyteller Ivan Coyote and
Toronto's Zoe Whittall delighted audiences in 2011 and 2012, respectively. This June, Thunder Pride will host Toronto-based writer Farzana Doctor, author of Stealing Nasreen and Six Metres of Pavement.
In 2012, members of the LGBTTQQ youth group The Other 10% contributed their voices to the literary conversation, with two members reading their work. "The audience was just so touched and happy to listen to these two young people's voices," says local writer Susan Goldberg, who is chairing the 2013 Thunder Pride Literary Evening. "It became clear pretty much immediately that we needed to include the talents of the younger members of our community in future events."
With that in mind, the Thunder Pride Young Adult Writing Competition has been created to inspire
Northwestern Ontario's LGBTTQQ youth to submit and share their writing with their larger community.
Youth aged 12-19 have until April 15, 2013, to submit their original, unpublished short stories, essays, monologues, poetry and comics for a chance to win cash prizes and read at the 2013 literary evening.
Full contest rules can be found at the Thunder Pride homepage: www.thunderpride.ca.
"This contest is a way of reaching out to Northwestern Ontario's queer youth and their allies to let them know that they have an important voice and role in our community," says Goldberg. "We hope that it will inspire teens to think creatively about issues of diversity and sexuality, to develop their creative writing skills, to build community, and - hopefully! - to have some fun in the process."
For more information and interviews, please contact Susan Goldberg: thunderprideyouthlit@gmail.com
Canada Reads 2013: Turf Wars
With the start of a new year, CBC has begun a new Canada Reads battle royale. Just as
we have seen in previous years, the selection includes amazing works by wonderful
Canadian writers.
The Thunder Bay Public Library is hosting an exciting event with two of this year's authors,Jane Urquhart and Richard Wagamese. This event takes place
at the Waverly Resource Library Auditorium on
Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 pm.
Tickets are free and available at all Library locations.
Happy 2013!
The Northern Woman's Bookstore has some wonderful books to help make the long winter months more enjoyable.It's a new year and we are looking forward to a bright and happy January. Now that the holiday season is behind us, the long winter months may seem to drag on. Especially for all of us living in the Canadian North!
We have so many fantastic novels that are perfect for curling up to read through the extended winter evenings. From recent award winners like Bring Up the Bodies by Hiliary Mantel, to novels about life during Canadian winters like The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart and February by Lisa Moore, we have lots of choices.
Kids getting cabin fever? Snow Daze by Marcia Arpin and Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors by Jane Drake and Ann Love, are full of plenty of ideas and activities to keep the little ones busy.
GIFT IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!
COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
WOMEN WHO LIGHT THE DARK: Beautiful photography by Paola Gianturco, with stories from women from fifteen countries about their lives and their activism on behalf of women.
Artists who like to experiment would enjoy HOT TOPICS: PORTRAITS OF 20TH CENTURY FEMINISTS, painting by Kirsten McCrea, text by Misty Ericson.
VIVA: Community Arts and Popular Education in the Americas, Deborah Barndt, editor,… a great collection of inspiring case studies from community arts projects in five countries, beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred colour photographs and includes a DVD.
QUETICO: Into the Wild..adventure photo-journalists Gary and Joanie McGuffin guide us by canoe and snowshoe through the four seasons of Quetico’s wilderness.
HARK! A VAGRANT… an uproarious romp through history and literature seen through the sharp, contemporary lens of New Yorker cartoonist and comics sensation Kate Beaton.
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
MY INVENTED COUNTRY: A Nostalgic Journey ThroughChile, by Isabel Allende. In MY INVENTED COUNTRY, Allende explores “the role of memory and nostalgia in shaping her life, her books, and the most intimate connection to her place of origin.”
EATING DIRT: Deep Forests, Big timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe, by Charlotte Gill. “EATING DIRT celebrates the priceless value of forests, the ever-changing relationship between humans and trees, and perhaps most os all the joys of planting trees, one of the world’s most ancient ecological pursuits”.
A THOUSAND FAREWELLS: A Reporter’s Journey from Refugee Camp to the Arab Spring, by Nahlah Ayed is the heartfelt and personal chronicle of a journalist who has devoted her career to covering one of the world’s most volatile regions.
SOMETHING FIERCE: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter is Carmen Aguirre’s memoir of her time with the Chilean resistance, from the age of eleven years until she was twenty-one. This reader was totally captivated by this memoir, which won Canada Reads 2012.
FALLING BACKWARDS, a memoir, by Jann Arden.. “will capture yur heart – and keep you in stitiches – with her powerful stories about coming of age as an artist and as a human being”
SOME WONDERFUL BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
KISS ME! (I’m a Prince) by Heather McLeod
A FLOCK OF SHOES, Story by Sarah Tsiang, art by Qin Leng
BIRTHDAY SUIT, by Olive Senior
GIRAFFE AND BIRD, by Rebecca Bender
MUSIC FROM THE SKY, by Denise Gillard, pictures by Stephen Taylor
AND TANGO MAKES THREE, by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell
GET OUTSIDE: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors, by Jane Drake and Ann Love, illlustrated by Heather Collins
SEVEN GIFTS FOR CEDAR, by Cherie Dimaline, ill. Grant Nicholson
TALKING TAILS: The Incredible Connnection Between People and Their Pets, by Ann Love andn Jane Drake, illustrated by Bill Slavin
NEW AND RECENT BOOKS BY NWO AUTHORS
THE BARN’S ON FIRE and KAY’S DOWN THE WELL: The Special Barrick Edition, by Joan Skelton, Christine Barrick, Wendy Barrick Rhead
KEEPING THE LAND: KITCHENUHMAYKOOSIB INNINUWUG, RECONCILATION AND CANADIAN LAW, by Rachel Ariss with John Cutfett
ROCK & ROLL, CRASH & BURN: THE DRIVER STORY, a memoir, by Maureen Croissant Prairie
FRAGMENTS de TEMPS Suzette Heber-Downey, by Marlene Belanger
LIFE’S WAY: Reflections of Hospice Voluntters inNorthwestern Ontario
WITH LOVE, LYDIA: The Story of Canada’s First Ordained Minister, by Patricia Wotton
THE HUNT FOR MOBY DICK, by Brian G. Spare PhD
THE CALLING: Beyond the Elder Stars, by John Peace
Still can’t decide? We do have gift certificates!
Now in Stock: We'Moon 2013
Newly arrived to the Bookstore are We'Moon date books and calendars. We are happy to offer "the iconic feminist datebook, astrological moon calendar, earth-spirited handbook in natural rhythms, and visionary collection of women's creative work". Filled with astrological information and beautiful artwork, it really is a great gift to treasure in the new year.
Women's Literature Night
Coming up this Friday, November 30th starting at 7:00 pm we are holding an open house to celebrate feminist book stores and women's literature.
November 30th marks the closing of the Toronto Women's Bookstore which makes the Northern Woman's Bookstore the last of its kind in Canada. We are deeply saddened by the loss of so many great spaces across the country and our event on Friday will be a celebration of feminist book stores and our relationships to the spaces, books, and people connected to women's literature.
So many amazing women have agreed to participate in the evening, and we will have a number of authors reading their own writing and poetry, as well as musical performances to close out the night.
Make sure to stop by Friday evening to catch performances from wonderful local authors and musicians, sample some treats, and check out our books as we celebrate women's literature.
NORTHERN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE
WINS BUSINESS AWARD
At a ceremony held recently at City Hall, the Mayor's Community Safety and Crime Prevention Awards were presented. The Northern Woman’s Bookstore was honoured that evening as we received the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Business Award. The citation of our award explained that "the Business Award is presented to the Northern Woman's Bookstore for being an advocate and educator to empower women on issues of social justice and discrimination."
It is indeed gratifying to have our work recognized. We are very pleased to receive this award and we thank the Awards Committee; our nominator; and the sponsor of the Business Award - BrookMcIlrory. The ceremony was a wonderful celebration of the work of diverse organizations and individuals. It was most encouraging to be among young (and some older) activists that are working to strenghten our community.
Other award recipients were:
Media Award: Biindigaate Indigenous Film Festival (Michelle Desrosiers);Education Award: The Other 10% (Julie Macarthur);
Youth Leadership Award: Renee Legarde;
Enforcement Professional Award: Constable Julie Tilbury.
Outstanding Community Project Awards were given to Community Coalition United for the Protection of our Children (CCUPCY) and to Community Action Group.
Fittingly, the Community Hero Award was presented to Sharon Johnson, founder and key organizer of the Full Moon Memory Walk, for her dedication to honour the memory of missing and murdered Anishinaabe and Metis women. We congratulate all recipients - you inspire us! Your efforts will ensure a more inclusive and just community.
For more information about the Mayor's Community Safety and Crime Prevention Awards click here.
Take Back the Night
November 7
Starting at 5:30pm At the Spirit Garden in the Marina Park
Make sure to mark your calendars and join us for this event organized by the GIC.
The walk route has been planned for the Port Arthur downtown core, with an after party to take place at The Foundry.
Make sure to come out and support Take Back The Night!
International Festival of Authors
Last year's IFOA event was a packed event, with a huge audience turning out to hear the readings from 3 amazing authors.
This year we are looking forward to joining 3 wonderful authors, Rawi Hage, Helen Humphreys and Madeleine Thien, as they share readings from their latest works.
Tickets are on sale at the Northern Woman's Bookstore.
Make sure to stop by to pick up your tickets before they sell out!
Author Reading - Keeping the Land
We are very excited to announce this upcoming event. Please join us for an evening with the authors of Keeping the Land: Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Reconciliation and Canadian Law.
September 2012 - New Nonfiction
KEEPING THE LAND: Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Reconciliation and Canadian Law, by Rachel Ariss with John Cutfeet. “When the Kitchenuhnaykoosib Inninusug’s tradtional territory was threatened by mining exploration in 2006, they followed their traditional duty to protect the land and asked the mining exploration company, Platinex, to leave. Platinex left -then sued the remote First Nation for $10 billion. The ensuing legal dispute lasted two years and eventually resulted in the jailing of community leaders. Ariss argues that though this jailing was extraordinarily punitive and is indictive of continuing colonialism within the legal system, some aspects of the case demonstrate the potential of Canadian law to understand, include and reflect Aboriginal perspectives. Connecting scholarship in Aboriginal rights and Canadian law, traditional Aboriginal law, social change and community activism, KEEPING THE LAND explores the twists and turns of this legal dispute in order to gain a deeper understanding of the law’s contributions to and detractions from the process of reconciliation.” Rachel Ariss, a former LU faculty member, is presently an assistant professor in legal studies at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
ROCK AND ROLL, CRASH AND BURN: THE DRIVER STORY, a memoir, by Maureen Croissant Prairie.Joining the band DRIVER as keyboardist in 1973 was a dream come true for fifteen year old Maureen , allowing her to escape an unhealthy home environment and create “family” with the other band members. Equally based in Thunder Bay in winter months and London, Ontario in the summers, Maureen spent three years with DRIVER until a tragic car accident killed three band members and DRIVER disbanded. The dream quickly became a nightmare as the band manager (an older man) manipulated and traumatized all the band members with utterly horrendous abuse… sometimes at gunpoint.. forced drug use, beatings, torture, rape, . Attempts to fire the manager resulted in forced overdosing of one or another of the members. Time and again the young people were manipulated into silence. Why did they endure it? Prairie suggests the Stockholm Syndrome phenonemen , but what the story reveals is that they were protecting one another. Following the demise of the band Prairie spent time in Europe, returned to Thunder Bay and created a new life for herself… silencing the DRIVER story for more than thirty years until a chance encounter with a former colleague opened the flood of memories that needed to be told. With grace and great courage Prairie has given us the DRIVER story which I will long remember.
VIVA!: Community Arts and Popular Education in the Americas, edited by Deborah Barndt with VIVA! Project Partners. “This compelling collection of inspiring case studies from community arts projects in five countries will inform and inspire students, artists, and activists. VIVA! Is the product of a five year transnational research project that integrates place, politics, passion and praxis. Framed by postcolonial theories of decolonization, the pedagody of the oppressed…and the burgeoning field of community arts, this collection not only analyzes the dynamic integration of the critical and the creative, it embodies such a praxis. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 photographs, the book also includes a DVD with videos that bring the project to life.”
RECONSIDERING KNOWLEDGE: FEMINISM AND THE ACADEMY, edited by Meg Luxton and Mary Jane Mossman, examines current ideas about feminism in relation to knowledge, education and teaching in the university context. Connecting early stories of women who defied their exclusion from knowledge creation to contemporary challenges for feminism in universities, this collection assesses how feminist knowledge has influenced dominant thinking and transformed teaching and learning. It also focuses on the challenges for feminism as corporatization redefines the role of universities in a global world.
MOTHER-TALK: Conversations with Mothers of Lesbian Daughters and FTM Transgender Children, by Sarah F. Pearman. A collection of stories of twenty-four mothers – twelve who found out a daughter was a lesbian and twelve who learned that a child, once a biological female, was planning to transition to male, MOTHER-TALK captures the complexity of coming to terms with the loss of a daughter who has changed sex, or an anticipated relationship with a daughter, now a lesbian, who lives in a different world and will lead a different life. This groundbreaking book will help other mothers as well as lesbian daughters and FTM transgender children to understand their own mothers, their changed lives, and their determination to remain connected.”
Margie Taylor Book Launch: 60 IS THE NEW 20
On June 28 we are excited to host the launch of Margie's Taylor's newest publication; 60 Is the New 20: A Boomer's Guide to Aging with Grace, Dignity, and What's Left of Your Self-Respect. Margie Taylor's latest book has been described as “a light-hearted tongue-in-cheek look at boomers by one of their own”. As Margie herself explained in the preface, she wrote 60 is the New 20 in response to the Freedom 55 ideal of the current boomer lifestyle; that “life for the boomers is just getting better and better - we’re not growing old, we’re growing fitter, and richer, and having more sex”.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
7:30pm
65 South Court Street
Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome, and we hope you can make it to this wonderful event.
An Overflowing Crowd
In the beautiful surroundings of the new Mary J.L. Black Library, more than 100 avid story listeners gathered for the Thunder Pride Literary and Story-Telling evening. We were thrilled and awed by the great stories by our local authors, and we enthusiastically welcomed guest author Zoe Whittall. Thanks to Shannon for her great efforts in organizing this event.
The Northern Woman's Bookstore wants to continue the celebration so until June 30th all LGBTW books will be 20% off.
Authors included: Ivan E. Coyote, Zoe Whittall, Jeannette Winterson, Audre Lorde, Katherine Forrest, elana dykewomon, Farsana Doctor, Dione Brandi, Anne Cameron, Susan Goldberg, Jane Rule, Leslie Feinberg and many more!
Thunder Bay's 2nd Annual Pride Week
June 10th - 16th, 2012
Thunder Bay will celebrate Pride Week this year with a number of exciting events including an Anti-Homophobia Awareness Breakfast, Drag Show, Pub Crawl, and a Walk of Healing.
There is so much going on during Pride Week, and the Northern Woman's Bookstore will be participating at the Night of Literature and Story-Telling on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at Mary J. L. Black Library from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
For more information about the Night of Literature and Story-Telling check out our Events page , and for to find out more about all the great events going on during Pride Week just click on this link .
Congratulations to Heather McLeod, whose wonderful children's book KISS ME (I'm a Prince!) was chosen as HONOUR BOOK in the recent Blue Spruce competition.
Heather was one of the seven award-winning authors who participated in the Festival of Trees, held recently in Thunder Bay. Attended by 1200 local elementary school students, the Festival of Trees was a truly inspiring event, involving workshops, readings, author autographing, games and other events to encourage literacy and literature. For those of us who love books it was most gratifying to witness the children's joy, excitement and awe as they engaged with the authors. A resounding thank-you to the local committee who organized this wondrous festival.
Overflow
Please join us for an exciting event, "Overflow", an evening of readings about the vulnerable, with three Thunder Bay writers:
Susan Goldberg
Rachel Mishenene
Meghan Eddy
Sunday, April 22 - 7:00pm at the Northern Woman's Bookstore
This evening will also serve as the launch of the anthology Here Come the Brides: Reflections on Lesbian Love and Marriage (Seal Press, 2012), edited by Audrey Bilger and Michele Kort. Copies of the anthology - which includes an essay by Susan Goldberg, excerpted in the current issue of Ms. magazine - will be available for sale and signing.
Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome, so come out and enjoy a wonderful evening!
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO JOINED US TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!
What a wonderful party we had to celebrate! Everyone was into the "Retro 70s" theme ... with food, dress, decor and memories. Joan read her marvelous story about the 1970s abortion caravan's visit to Thunder Bay, which stimulated an important discussion. Then we talked about books from the 70s (our display is still up -- come and browse!).
It was suggested that we provide a list of these books, so for starters, here are some titles and authors (in no particular order) that were really important. If you have any other favourites, please let us know.
- SEXUAL POLITICS (Kate Millett)
- AGAINST OUR WILL: MEN, WOMEN AND RAPE (Susan Brownmiller)
- SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL (Robin Morgan)
- THE FEMALE EUNUCH (Germaine Greer)
- THE LACE GHETTO (Maxine Numes & Deanna White)
- WOMAN IN SEXIST SOCIETY (Vivian Gormick & Barbara Moran)
- RADICAL FEMINISM (Anne Koedt, Ellen Levine, Anita Rapone)
- WOMEN, RESISTANCE AND REVOLUTION (Sheila Rowbotham)
- AMAZON ODYSSEY (Ti-Grace Atkinson)
- THE POLITICS OF RAPE (Diane E. Russell)
- WOMEN AND NATURE (Susan Griffin)
- PORNOGRAPHY AND SILENCE (Susan Griffin)
- LESBIAN NATION (Jill Johnston)
- WOMEN IN CANADA (Marilee Stephenson)
- MOTHER WAS NOT A PERSON (Marguerite Anderson)
- THE TRAUMA OF INCEST (Sandra Butler)
- OF WOMAN BORN (Adrienne Rich)
- PORNOGRAPHY: MEN POSSESSING WOMEN (Andrea Dworkin)
- THE DIALETIC OF SEX (Shulamith Firestone)
Another book published in the 70s that is of tremendous importance is Maria Campbell's HALF BREED. This was the first book by an Aboriginal woman published in Canada in more than 50 years (since Pauline Johnson's poetry in the early 1900s). With the publication of HALF BREED, Maria Campbell gave voice to Aboriginal women and became (and still is) a mentor to young writers who are now publishing important books (theory, memoir and fiction).
We'd like to recommend two recent books that provide a wonderful history of the feminist movement in Canada from the 1960s to the 1990s: TEN THOUSAND ROSES by Judy Rebick, and WRITING THE REVOLUTION by Michele Landsberg.
First Black Woman elected to a Canadian Provincial Legislature (1972)
International Women’s Day
Retro ‘70s
celebration & potluck
Date: Sat. March 10, 2012
Time: 5 – 7 pm
Place: Northern Woman’s Bookstore, 65 S. Court St.
Women have won many struggles, which is good cause for celebration. Yet neo-liberalism, racism, homophobia, ageism and other injustices continue, so we have many more difficulties to overcome. The history of women’s accomplishments, local, regional, national and global, can inspire us to action and hope.
1970: Abortion Caravan crosses Canada, stops in Ottawa, and 30 women chain themselves to the parliamentary gallery in the House of Commons, closing the Canadian parliament for the first time in its history.
Join us at the Northern Woman’s Bookstore Sat. March 10th to celebrate the gains of women. Our event is focused on the 1970s so dress up in your retro fashion, bring along a snippet of a ‘70s milestone of women, some women's history, politics, or social and cultural issue, or other woman-centered 70s information. You might want to read a short poem or quotation by your favorite 70s writer: Audre Lorde, Maria Campbell, Marge Piercy , Sonia Sanchez , or ? What were you (or your female relatives) doing in the 70s? There will be a 70s timeline of women’s local and regional firsts, which you can add to, and we'll be playing a soundtrack of 70s music!
If you can, please bring some food for the potluck. Maybe a 70s style casserole?
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Return of "Colouring Books Sisterhood Book Club"
We are excited to announce the return of the Colouring Books Sisterhood Book Club with a new book, Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin, and a new meeting date, February 23 at 7:30 pm here at the bookstore. Everyone is welcome to stop by the bookstore and join the discussion about this wonderful book. Check out our Colouring Books page for more information about the Colouring Books Sisterhood Book Club and past books.
Halfbreed (1973). Maria Campbell
In recent years the most positive occurrence in Canadian publishing is the growth of writing by Aboriginal authors. When we opened the Bookstore 25+ years ago we had two books by Aboriginal authors: Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed and Beatrice Culleton Mosionier’s In Search of April Raintree. Now we have hundreds of books, with new ones appearing every month.
As well as the growing number of Aboriginal authors there are four Aboriginal presses to ensure Aboriginal voices are being published. Our 2011 best seller non-fiction and children’s lists reflect the growing interest in Aboriginal writing. We were privileged to launch books by Rachel Mishenene and Kim Anderson in 2011. We look forward to many new thoughtful and inspiring Aboriginal writers in 2012 and encourage readers to read their important books.
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Holiday Gift Ideas
Here are some books that we recommend as great presents and stocking stuffers. For starters:
Non-Fiction
A wonderful coffee table book WOMEN WHO LIGHT THE DARK, by photo-journalist Paola Gianturco provides magnificent photos and thoughtful stories of women across the world who are working for change in their communities and countries and whose “imaginations light the dark” A beautiful and inspiring book.
HOT TOPIC: Portraits of 20th Century Feminists, a series of paintings by Kirsten McCrea, is an artistic tribute to the feminist heroes of the song HOT TOPIC. Will appeal to artists, musicians and activists.
More activists on your list… we suggest SOMETHING FIERCE: Memoirs of a Revoluntionary Daugher, by Carmen Aguirre which is one of this year’s Canada Reads picks. Carmen Aguirre offers a rare first-hand account of revolutionary life in South America, written with passion and remarkable candor this is a stunning book.
Learn more about social justice and activism in Canada with ACTIVISM THAT WORKS, edited by Elizabeth Whitmore, Maureen G. Wilson and Avery Calhoun. ACTIVISM THAT WORKS details stories from over 86 Canadian activists as they discuss “doing” activism and social justice and what it really means to struggle against injustice.
There must be at least one “boomer” on your list so be sure to give them 60 IS THE NEW 20: A boomer’s guide to aging with grace, dignity, and what’s left of your self-respect, by our own Margie Taylor… refreshing, humourous, thought-provoking.
Several literary works to recommend:
THE JUDY GRAHN READER contains work from every phase of Judy Grahn’s career, including poetry, essays, fiction and drama. Grahn is an exceptional poet as well as mentor/leader in lesbian/feminist communities. REREADING WOMEN: Thirty Years of Exploring Our Literary Traditions is a wonderful collection of essays from esteemed literary critic Sandra M. Gilbert. Renowned Canadian poet Lorna Crozier charts the geography that shaped her character and her understanding of the world in SMALL BENEATH THE SKY.
If there are any foodies or environmental activists on your list, Sarah Elton’s LOCAVORE will surely delight them. Sarah writes about her journey through contemporary Canadian food culture, as she explores the challenges and triumphs of eating a local diet in Canada. Named a David Suzuki Foundation Book Club Pick, this engaging book is an important edition to add to anyone’s collection.
Fiction
For those who love short stories: TOUCHY SUBJECTS by Emma Donaghue: a sparkling collection of nineteen contemporary stories “Fizzes with affection, fun, fecundity” (Globe and Mail) BETTER LIVING THROUGH PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES is Zsuzsi Gartner’s eagerly anticipated depth charge of deadly satire and trademark dark humour.
The hottest title in Canadian fiction this year is HALF-BLOOD BLUES by Esi Edugyan, this year’s Giller Prize winner. HALF-BLOOD BLUES is a beautifully written novel about one man’s experiences of jazz, love, and race against the backdrop of Germany and Paris in the 1940s.
For historical fiction fans: Set in lower Manhattan in 1871, THE VIRGIN CURE, by Ami McKay (author of the esteemed THE BIRTH HOUSE) brings us the story of twelve year old Moth, whose family’s betrayals lead her to the murky world of thieves, beggars, prostitutes and strange characters – yet her dreams of independence remain foremost. An engrossing story with wonderful prose.
“Beautifully written, intricately plotted, humourous and earthy”; “illuminating and heartbreaking”: “wickedly funny”; capitivating”; “mishievious and optimistic” are the words of praise for Andrea Levy’s THE LONG SONG, a story set in 19th century Jamaica in the turbulent years before and just after the abolition of slavery. You will love July, the storyteller of this extraordinary novel.
An author whose work I greatly admire and who I feel is seriously underrecognized is Nancy Huston. Her newest work INFRARED is a novel of great depth. Reading it I loved it, hated it and loved it again, but it a story that will remain with me. I’m interested in other people’s opinions. See WHAT’S NEW for more fiction ideas.
Children’s Books
Two wonderful baby books are I SEE ME BY Margaret Manuel which shows baby in a variety of activities. Great for bilingual familes as each depiction provides space to include the new word in a second language. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER is a book of photographs of babies with their “best friend” .. dogs, cats or fish. Lovely.
For pre-schoolers there is KISS ME! (I’m a Prince) by Thunder Bay’s Heather McLeod.. This is a delightfully unconvential fairy tale … with a twist. THE RABBIT’S RACE, by Deborah L. Delaronde is a tale of new friendships and valuable lessons. Beautiful photographs by Jason Stemple augment Jane Yolen WATER MUSIC: Poems for Children.
Older children will enjoy YENY AND THE CHILDREN FOR PEACE, by Michelle Mulder, a book inspired by the Colombian Children;s Movement for Peace. An instructive, historical story FACTORY GIRL , by Barbara Greenwood, tells of the plight of children working in North American cities in the early 1900s. A book to inspire the young writer in your family is RIP THE PAGE: Adventures in Creative Writing, by Karen Benke.
Local Authors
Finally, some recent books by NWO authors (see BUY BOOKS for more titles). CORE SAMPLES: Poems from Northwestern Ontario, by Sharon Irvine, Sue Blott, Sherri Lankinen, Cathy Carroll, Mary Frost ; FIRST VOICES: an Aboriginal Women’s Reader, edited by Patricia A. Monture and Patricia D. McGuire; AND BABY MAKES MORE: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families; edited by Susan Goldberg and Chloe Brushwood Rose, offers insights into how queer families are being reconceived to include new roles, new rules, and kinship ties that transcend biology. .Nominated for several prestigeous awards THE BEGGAR’S GARDEN, by Michael Christie is a fine collection of stories: EYE LAKE, is a great novel by Atikokan’s Tristan Hughes. Take a trip into the past with James R. Stevens exceptional WILD ON THE SUPERIOR FRONTIER:A Romance of Settler’s Lives Lake Superior 1845-1900.
We have a great selection of calendars and engagement books which always make nice gifts. Come browse the Bookstore and if you still can’t decide we always have gift certificates. Happy Reading!
Galvanize Your Mind
Check out the Northern Woman's Bookstore new book club on our "Book Club" page.
October 4th, 2011: Kim Anderson Author Reading
Kim Anderson, author of A Recognition of Being: Reconstructing Native Womanhood, will be hosting an author reading at the Northern Woman's Bookstore. Kim will be reading from her newest publication, Life Stages and Native Woman: Memory, Teachings and Story Medicine.
Kim Anderson is a Cree/Metis educator and co-editor of Strong Women Stories: Native Vision and Community Survival. When Kim was in Thunder Bay in 2005 to celebrate the week of International Women's Day with her book A Recognition of Being, she attracted a full house. We encourage folks to come a bit early on Tuesday to get a good seat!
Doors open at 7pm and the event will start at 7:30 at the Northern Woman's Bookstore.
Here are a few additional words about Kim's new book:
A rare and inspiring guide to the health and well-being of Aboriginal women and their communities.
The process of "digging up medicines" - of rediscovering the stories of the past - serves as a powerful healing force in the decolonization and recovery of Aboriginal communities. In Life Stages and Native Women, Kim Anderson shares the teachings of fourteen elders from the Canadian prairies and Ontario to illustrate how different life stages were experienced by Metis, Cree, and Anishinaabe girls and women during the mid-twentieth century. These elders relate stories about their own lives, the experiences of girls and women of their childhood communities, and customs related to pregnancy, birth, post-natal care, infant and child care, puberty rites, gender and age-specific work roles, the distinct roles of post-menopausal women, and women's roles in managing death. Through these teachings, we learn how evolving responsibilities from infancy to adulthood shaped women's identities and place within Indigenous society, and were integral to the health and well-being of their communities. By understanding how healthy communities were created in the past, Anderson explains how this traditional knowledge can be applied toward rebuilding healthy Indigenous communities today.
July 2011: Book Signing by Rachel Mishenene
Rachel Mishenene (Thunder Bay) recently launched the book STRENGTH AND STRUGGLE: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples in Canada at the Northern Woman’s Bookstore in June, to a standing room only crowd. Congratulations Rachel!
On Wednesday, July 6th, from 4:45 – 5.30 p.m. Rachel will be signing her book at the Bookstore for anyone who missed her at the launch.
The book is a rich array of short stories, poetry, music lyrics, graphic art, articles, essays and other pieces that will have you laughing, talking and thinking. Although designed as an educational resource for high-school use, the essays and stories deserve a much broader readership that will benefit everyone. Many of the over thirty contributors are from Northwestern Ontario.
May 2011: Welcome to our new website!
Welcome to The Northern Woman’s Bookstore’s new website!
We are a feminist bookstore in Thunder Bay, Ontario dedicated to helping spread the written words of women in all our diversities. We stock books by First Nations, Metis, lesbian, Queer, women of colour, local, Canadian and international writers, among others.
Both in our physical place on 65 South Court St. and in our online space right here, we work to keep women’s voices and feminisms a strong presence in Northwestern Ontario.
We carry both fiction and non-fiction, from novels, poetry, and magazines to books on history, biography, health, theory, violence, global issues, self-help, writing, and spirituality. We also carry books for girls and children, many by First Nation and Metis writers.
We are currently constructing our website. We hope to have a complete listing of the books we carry posted on our website soon. You will find upcoming events at The Northern Woman’s Bookstore and in the community posted on our website.
You will also find book reviews and staff picks, along with pages on our history, our bookclub, The Colouring Books Sisterhood, and our writing group, RedShoes on Court.
We are also beginning to archive our past events, photos of our gatherings, such as book launches and readings, and the writings of women who have contributed to making feminism a force in Northwestern Ontario. This will include archiving past issues of The Northern Woman Journal.
Come back and visit us soon!
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