The Halifax Explosion is a poem written by Halifax’s seventh poet laureate, Dr. Afua Cooper. It reveals dramatically what happened on 6 December 1917 at 9:05 when two ships carrying munitions and war supplies collided in the Halifax Harbour. The poem shows the tragic toll the resulting explosion and fire took on the residents of Halifax and the surrounding area, which stretched all the way north to Africville. Dr. Cooper commemorates the Halifax Explosion through verse and highlights the experiences of the Black Haligonians in this disaster. Her powerful words are magnified in this book with dramatic historical photographs and poignant art.

Poetry is movement, poetry is politics, it’s everything. It fires the imagination and so that excites me because in firing the imagination then we produce a new world.
—Dr. Afua Cooper

The Halifax Explosion is a poem written by Halifax’s seventh poet laureate, Dr. Afua Cooper. It reveals dramatically what happened on 6 December 1917 at 9:05 when two ships carrying munitions and war supplies collided in the Halifax Harbour. The poem shows the tragic toll the resulting explosion and fire took on the residents of Halifax and the surrounding area, which stretched all the way north to Africville. Dr. Cooper commemorates the Halifax Explosion through verse and highlights the experiences of the Black Haligonians in this disaster. Her powerful words are magnified in this book with dramatic historical photographs and poignant art.

Poetry is movement, poetry is politics, it’s everything. It fires the imagination and so that excites me because in firing the imagination then we produce a new world.
—Dr. Afua Cooper

Written by Catherine Little
Illustrated by Sae Kimura

Twelve in a Race is a read-aloud rhyming book about the origin story of the Chinese zodiac. Young readers will learn about the characteristics of each zodiac animal and how they finished in the Emperor’s great race. Written by Catherine Little and illustrated by Sae Kimura, Twelve in a Race is the perfect gift to give children to find out which animal correlates to their birth year!

by Marilyn Lightstone

And “What (you may ask) is a poem to an actress like yourself?’

And I would reply, “Why a mini drama, of course!”

Seven nights a week, listeners tune in to Nocturne on the New Classical FM, hosted by Marilyn Lightstone — for two hours of poetry selected and read by Ms. Lightstone, interwoven with classical music. Inspired by the many fans who have written to her about the poetry, Ms. Lightstone has gathered some of the poems she read on the radio program into a stunning poetry collection of classic to contemporary poems by renowned and lesser-known poets. Nocturne: Poems to Linger Over is a celebration for the poetry lover, and also features beautiful paintings by Ms. Lightstone.

“In 2020, two poets, two friends, stunned and saddened by the events surrounding us, reached across the miles and wrote and shared poems of love, comfort and hope — that is how this book came about. And because we believe in the power of poetry to inspire contemplation and creativity, we included pages in the book for you, the reader, to record your reflections. May you find solace and joy in doing so.”
— Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich

By Diana Hayes

Labyrinth of Green is a collection of poetry and photography by Diana Hayes. Her poems and photographs share maps and narratives for the inner journey, a labyrinth that leads to wholeness, to our own centre and back again out into the world. Here, both beauty and the forces of nature are revealed in delight, in grief and ultimately through awakening. Each of the book’s five sections explores aspects of this process. The reader enters a West Coast rainforest and walks toward the inner sanctum of the wetlands. Childhood and adolescence and the lessons of the underworld will be encountered. Ancestors provide solace and wisdom. The well of grief is visited. Dreamscapes of near-sleep, offering healing — as witness, as seer, as sage — conclude the final section, “where sleep’s wild embrace does not prepare you.”

By Georgia Heard

Edited by acclaimed poet and author Georgia Heard, who became acutely aware of the beauty and power of poetry when working on an anthology of poems to comfort children after September 11th, The Woman in this Poem features the work of both renowned and lesser-known female poets from the past 150 years.

Organized into five thematic sections centered on the topics of Love, Motherhood, Work, Family and Friends, and Balance, this book not only offers wisdom, comfort, reckoning, and redemption to readers of any age or gender, but it also reminds us of how pleasurable and enriching it can be to lose ourselves in the power of well-crafted words.

By Jane Austen

One of Jane Austen’s earliest works, Lady Susan is an epistolary novel with a variety of narrative voices telling the story of Lady Susan Vernon, the title character. In Lady Susan, Austen creates an imaginative world filled with intrigue, betrayal, and gossip. Lady Susan is described by author Natalie Jenner as “one of the most duplicitous and manipulative characters” of all that Austen ever created. With an introduction by Natalie Jenner, author of the international bestseller The Jane Austen Society.

By Elizabeth Gaskell

Originally a three-part novella published in a literary journal by Charles Dickens, The Grey Woman tells a powerful story of deception and distrust in an epistolary format from the perspective of the protagonist, Anna Scherer. Similar to other Gaskell works, a recurring theme is the oppression of women through marriage. This book is considered ahead of its time for its progressive feminist views. With an introduction by Molly Greeley, bestselling author of The Clergyman’s Wife and The Heiress.

By Anne Brontë

Told through a combination of letters and a diary, Anne Brontë’s last novel explores the challenges faced by an independent woman as she struggles for freedom from a repressive and abusive marriage and encounters suspicion and gossip from the community to which she has fled. The novel was first published under a pseudonym and scandalized Victorian society. With an introduction by Finola Austin, author of the bestselling novel Brontë’s Mistress.

Set of 3 featuring Lady Susan, by Jane Austen, The Grey Woman, by Elizabeth Gaskell, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Brontë

 By Lindsay Taylor

Taste Canada 2022 Gold Winner for Health and Special Diet Cookbooks!

The Food Doula Cookbook focuses on real food for real life, every step of the way. Whether you are feeling good and inspired to prep healthy meals for the week, or you are feeling terrible, have nausea or heartburn, and can’t eat much, you’ll find a big selection of recipes here to light up your taste buds, satisfy your cravings, and provide essential nutrition for you and baby, plus loads of advice and tips for food prep, meal planning, choosing the most wholesome foods, and cooking up nutritious, delicious meals.

By Betsy McGregor

The current political reality has awakened in many women the urgent determination to be involved — but the journey from the sidelines to political power is seldom a straight path.

Enter Women on the Ballot, an essential roadmap designed to encourage, equip, and empower women to step up and run for political office. This is a book about women who saw things as they were, knew change was needed, and entered into Canadian politics.

Gleaned from more than 100 hours of interviews, Women on the Ballot offers compelling stories, insights, and advice from more than 90 Canadian women with diverse backgrounds across all levels of politics and party lines.

by Jane Kim Nicholson

With her “simple is best” approach to feeding kids, Korean Canadian mother of two Jane Kim Nicholson balances taste, nutrition, and fun in this collection of recipes and presentation ideas that will have even the pickiest of eaters saying, “More, please!”.

An extension of her wildly successful Instagram page and blog “Food Kids Love,” More, Please! offers a non-judgmental, accessible space that provides everyday inspiration for kid-friendly snacks and meals.

 By Lindsay Taylor

Taste Canada 2022 Gold Winner for Health and Special Diet Cookbooks!

The Food Doula Cookbook focuses on real food for real life, every step of the way. Whether you are feeling good and inspired to prep healthy meals for the week, or you are feeling terrible, have nausea or heartburn, and can’t eat much, you’ll find a big selection of recipes here to light up your taste buds, satisfy your cravings, and provide essential nutrition for you and baby, plus loads of advice and tips for food prep, meal planning, choosing the most wholesome foods, and cooking up nutritious, delicious meals.

“In 2020, two poets, two friends, stunned and saddened by the events surrounding us, reached across the miles and wrote and shared poems of love, comfort and hope — that is how this book came about. And because we believe in the power of poetry to inspire contemplation and creativity, we included pages in the book for you, the reader, to record your reflections. May you find solace and joy in doing so.”
— Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich