A couple of weeks ago I had the honour and privilege to be invited as a guest to a book launch in Toronto for a yearly anthology published by Tightrope Books called Best Canadian Essays. My POV Magazine essay, Upping the Anti: Documentary, Capitalism and Liberal Consensus in an Age of Austerity was selected by the series editor, Christopher Doda and this year’s guest co-edtior Natalie Zina Walschots. It is such a huge thrill to be selected among the hundreds of articles these editors read throughout the year—from over 60 magazines and journals in Canada—and to be anthologized alongside some incredible writing talent.

A few of us read at the event, which was held in a Toronto pub, and I was reminded of how much I miss the literary scene from Vancouver, a city I lived in before coming to Montreal in 2003. My old writerly fires were stoked as I chatted with fiction writers who spoke of their characters like they were their neighbours or roommates. The force of imagination and vitality of creative spirit really sunk in on that night, and has inspired me to keep writing, to venture into fiction, and to always hone my skills by reading words put down by authors much more talented than I likely will ever be.

And it’s a nice looking book! You can read my essay online here, or purchase the anthology here.