Ann Douglas's Blog: Ann Douglas @ goodreads

I’ve only had the opportunity to meet Jennifer Fink in person once (at a writers’ conference in New York City, many years ago), but she made a strong enough impression on me that the two of us have stayed in touch ever since. (It’s one of the best things about being a writer: being in community with other writers!) When I heard Jennifer had a brand new parenting book arriving on bookstore shelves, I invited her to do a short Q&A for my blog. What follows are my questions and her answers.

Imagine having someone get in touch with you to see if you’d be interested in having them host a special event celebrating your achievements as an author—if you’d be okay with them shining a spotlight on you and your books?

Believe it or not, this happened to me recently—and the special event I’m talking about is actually in the works right now. (I know: it’s pretty mind-boggling, isn’t it?)

Anyway, to say that I’m thrilled and honoured would be the understatement of the year, which is why I’m ex...

Rona Maynard is known for being a brilliant storyteller: someone who understands the many ways stories can bring people together. It’s the thread that weaves together so many of the different chapters in own life. She was the editor-in-chief of Chatelaine from 1994 to 2004. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir My Mother’s Daughter. And, next month, her latest book, Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging, and Loving This World, will hit the bookstore shelves. I recently had the op...

January 13, 2022

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

The last thing I feel like doing this evening is sitting in front of my computer, writing this email, but as much as I’d like to simply relax and enjoy my evening, I can’t. I keep thinking about how many of our fellow Canadians are struggling—really struggling—right now, as a result of the ongoing stress and strain posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. And I keep thinking of all the people in low-income countries who are dying because they lack access to lif...

Lindsay Zier-Vogel, author of Letters to Amelia. Photo by Phillipa Croft.

I always love having the chance to get inside the head of another writer — and when that writer is a debut novelist, well, I have to say I find it all the more thrilli...

Back when I was a kid, I really enjoyed doing crafts, making things with paper plates, obsolete catalogues, wallpaper scraps, and whatever else I could get my hands on. And, at one point, I actually felt confident enough in my own artistic abilities to enter (and win!) a fire safety poster contest at my school. (That was back when I was in Grade 3 and I still have that poster tucked away in one of the many “miscellaneous sentimental papers” boxes stacked in a corner of my office.)

I’m back with another book pairing—a recommendation of a book that you’re likely to enjoy if you enjoyed my most recent book, Happy Parents, Happy Kids.

This time, I want to shine a spotlight on Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life by Tara Henley, a book that’s one part memoir and one part call to action to...

Over the course of the pandemic, I’ve spoken at dozens of community events and workplace town halls for parents. Time and time again, parents have told me: “It doesn’t matter what, I’m doing. I always feel like I’m letting someone in my life down. Sometimes it’s my kids or other family members. Sometimes it’s my coworkers or my employer. I simply can’t be there for everyone in the way I want to be or that they need me to be. There isn’t enough of me to go around.”

Parents have been feeling guilty...

Feel like you’re ready to take a mental vacation from the world of 2020? Hey, that’s how I’ve been feeling lately, too! And while I’m not about to stop reading books about the social change that so urgently needs to happen, I’m also not about to pass up the opportunity to lose myself in a wildly entertaining and escapist ...

When did feminism become a brand, a hashtag, or a campaign slogan?

When did feminism become something that we can buy or sell, a self-identity or a lifestyle rather than a political orientation through which to organize against the status quo?

These are the kinds of hard-hitting questions journalist and activist Nora Loreto tackles in her latest book, Take Back the Fighta book that dares to imagine what a truly liberatory feminist movement might look like and that isnt afraid to...