Everything Was Good-bye centers around Meena, a young Indo Canadian woman growing up in the lower mainland of British Columbia and traces her life as she struggles to assert her independence in a Punjabi community. Raised by her tradition bound widowed mother, Meena knows the freedoms of her Canadian peers can never be hers, but unlike her sisters, she is reluctant to submit to a life that is defined by a suitable marriage. Though a narrative moving between race and culture, it is ultimately a story of love, loss and self acceptance amidst shifting cultural ideals.

Everything Was Good-Bye

Gurjinder Basran

Mother Tongue Publishing

The Edge of the World: Curt Lang's Vancouver: 1937-1998

Claudia Cornwall

In the weight of dew, Daniela Elzas remarkably elegant debut book of poetry, we are taken on a literal, metaphorical and philosophical journey from the city, inland through (mostly) British Columbia. In the miles and meditations Elzas poems travel light, with the shape of me nameless. the weight of dew settles around us, after the long journey of contemplation. These poems are delicate, condensed, crystallized, yet paradoxically spacious, not only visually but philosophically. They gently ask questions about our existence. Use language to investigate belief. Use metaphor to awaken consciousness. Beautifully transforming us through the alphabet of her knowing.

the weight of dew

Literature & Fiction

Daniela Elza

Poetry

111 West Coast Literary Portraits by Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright features rare portraits of emerging, midcareer and well-known writers who have lived in B.C., accompanied by excerpts of their writing. In 1997 Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright became obsessively curious about the characters behind the novels and poetry written by British Columbian authors and began photographing them. They travelled the Coast and Gulf Islands for 6 years seeking the famous and infamous. They shot over 50 portraits in black and white to contrast the colourful nature of each writer and to minimize visual distraction from the character of each. They took pictures of writers in their personal space, where they were less inhibited, resulting in intimate portraits of B.C.s best, most honoured, as well as emerging, literary talent. Introduction by Alan Twigg. Authors in the book: Caroline Adderson, Taiaiake Alfred, Colin Angus, Julie Angus, Chris Arnett, Joanne Arnott, Jean Barman, Gurjinder Basran, Joanne Bealy, Thomas R. Berger, Bill Bissett, Arthur Black, Robin Blaser, George Bowering, Marilyn Bowering, Kate Braid, Brian Brett, Barry Broadfoot, Anne Cameron, Trevor Carolan, Norma Charles, Jim Christy, Marie Clements, Wayde Compton, Claudia Cornwall, Lorna Crozier, William Deverell, Hadani Ditmars, Phinder Dulai, Marilyn Dumont, Daniela Elza, M.A.C. Farrant, Mona Fertig, George Fetherling, Patrick Friesen, Maxine Gadd, Charlotte Gill, Terry Glavin, Kim Goldberg, Katherine Palmer Gordon, Shirley Graham, R. W. Gray, Amanda Hale, Keith Harrison, Diana Hayes, Robert Hilles, Jack Hodgins, Pauline Holdstock, Irene Howard, Edith Iglauer, Rick James, Sandi Johnson, Eve Joseph, Des Kennedy, W.P. Kinsella, Theresa Kishkan, Joy Kogawa, Larissa Lai, Tim Lander, Patrick Lane, Evelyn Lau, Peter Levitt, Pearl Luke, Derek Lundy, Vera Manuel, Daphne Marlatt, George McWhirter, Roy Miki, Alice Munro, Sheila Munro, Susan Musgrave, Peter C. Newman, Eric Nicol, Bud Osborn, Kathy Page, P.K. Page, Morris Panych, John Pass, Stan Persky, Al Purdy, Meredith Quartermain, Jamie Reid, Stephen Reid, Bill Richardson, Lisa Robertson, Ajmer Rode, Linda Rogers, Joe Rosenblatt, Jane Rule, Mairuth Sarsfield, Andreas Schroeder, Gregory Scofield, Goh Poh Seng, Doris Shadbolt, George Stanley, Robert Strandquist, Peter Such, George Szanto, Timothy Taylor, Sharon Thesen, Peter Trower, Alan Twigg, Fred Wah, Betsy Warland, David Watmough, Phyllis Webb, Evelyn C. White, Howard White, Paula Wild, Rita Wong, Caroline Woodward, Ronald Wright, Rachel Wyatt, Max Wyman, Patricia Young.

111 West Coast Literary Portraits: Photographs by Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright

Arts & Photography

Barry Peterson

Blaise Enright

Photography & Video

Force Field is the first anthology of BC women poets in 34 years. It gathers the poetry of seventy-seven emerging, mid-career and established poets who currently live and write in British Columbia. Now readers can more easily share, study and take pleasure in the range and vitality of women's poetry today. Edited with introduction by Susan Musgrave. Each poet's section features 4 pages of poems, a bio and author photo.

Force Field: 77 Women Poets of British Columbia

Susan Musgrave (editor)

"This memoir comes at you like a homespun but eloquent and funny missive from another world: the hardscrabble, life of post-World War II Liverpool. Peter Haase came through by riding his wits, humour, fast-talking and toughness to overcome poverty, a penchant for petty crimes and other hardships. My only gripe is that the book ends too soon. Derek Lundy, author of Borderlands: Riding the Edge of America A nostalgic treasure, Liverpool Lad is a coming-of-age tale and streetwise portrait of working-class life in post-war Britain s tough industrial north. No wonder many left for a better life in Australia, Canada and beyond. Anyone who watched Coronation Street or rocked to the Mersey Sound will recognize these butcher-boy depictions of the everyday joys and hardships from Liverpool, the town where Marx failed and The Beatles prevailed. Peter Haase turns memory into melody. Here s the real deal. Trevor Carolan, author of The Literary Storefront: The Glory Years, 1978-1985 A lively memoir in an authentic and engaging voice of growing up street savvy, the youngest of four boys, in the famous downtown working-class slums of Everton, Liverpool in the '50s and '60s before they were demolished. Our young hero is talented but his valiant attempts to be good sometimes fail because of violence, poverty, bullying teachers and other disasters. He loves music and fishing; accidently meets Beatles George and John; wins big on the Grand National; apprentices as a butcher boy; becomes a Mod; digs the Merseybeat, the Cavern Club and tailored suits. Before Liverpool s economic decline deepens, at 16, resilient raconteur and Scouser Peter and his family find a way out and emigrate to the Land of Oz.

Liverpool Lad: Adventures Growing Up in Postwar Liverpool

Biographies & Memoirs

Peter Haase

Community & Culture

M.E. A Portrayal of Emily Carr is a rare and moving study of an artists struggle against despair and loneliness and an intimate portrayal of the close friendship between Edythe and Emily. The two artists were good friends and met not long after Edythe had returned from Paris where she had studied art. Written as a friendly appreciation of the character of Emily Carr, rather than her life, Edythe Hembroff-Schleicher's rendering was described in reviews of the time as ""a fond memoir, well-written, a modest and excellent little book, throws new light on her methods of painting and describes the humourous adventures of camping with Emily Carr. It also contains edited versions of 20 letters written by Carr to her friend, and the cover features a rare painting of Carr recently discovered. M.E. was first published in 1969 and has been out of print for years.

M.E. A Portrayal of Emily Carr

Edythe Hembroff-Schleicher

Arts & Literature

"" . . . a spirited journey story I found as irresistible as the powerful river that carries us through the beautiful and treacherous northern landscape."" Jack Hodgins author of, The Master of Happy Endings, Broken Ground, A Passion For Narrative. After surviving a health crisis, Jay heads to the remote and challenging Dease River in Northwestern BC for a two week canoe and fishing journey, but is unprepared for the mysterious stranger who becomes his passenger. A lean and intense tale that takes the reader to haunting depths. A seminal and brilliant addition to a neglected genre, the novella.

Grayling

Gillian Wigmore

Literary

Harry (1927-1995) and Jessie Webb (1930-2011) were among an important and influential group of artists, poets and jazz musicians working in Vancouver and the North Shore in the 1950s. They met at the Vancouver School of Art and worked collaboratively for nearly a decade on a series of innovative progressive prints made with linoleum blocks. Their works were featured in exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery, The Burnaby Art Gallery and in print through-out the 1950s. They were very involved in Vancouvers local jazz scene designing posters for the legendary Cellar Jazz Club. Harry Webb later became a landscape architect and helped found the BC Society of Landscape Architects. His company designed the Park & Tilford Gardens in the North Shore, The Bayshore Inn, Centennial Square in Victoria etc. Jessie Webb would go on to write poetry and design murals. Their early work was featured in Vancouver typographer Robert Reids pm magazine. The couple were also featured in Leonard Forests 1964 National Film Boards In Search of Innocence, a documentary film profiling Vancouver artists and jazz musicians.Their fascinating story is being told by their daughter for the first time.

The Life and Art of Harry and Jessie Webb (Unheralded Artists of BC) (The Unheralded Artists of BC)

Adrienne Brown

History & Criticism

Exquisitely produced, the Unherladed Artists of BC series is an illuminating and inspiring resource for scholars, curators, artists and any reader with an interest in the diverse history of the visual arts in Canada.Bob MacIntyre, Preparator/ Exhibition Coordinator, Burnaby Art Gallery
Jack Akroyd (1921-1996) was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. Following war service in the RAF he emigrated to Canada and attended the Ontario College of Art. In 1953 he moved to the West Coast, working first as a draughtsman then a freelance artist. Two trips to Japan in the 1960s profoundly affected his perspective and iconography, and he developed a signature style he called the visual diary, which rendered details of his daily life, dreams and reminiscences in mysterious combinations. He exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Burnaby Art Gallery, and held three major shows in Japan, selling over a hundred works. He died of a heart attack on a Vancouver bus. His paintings are found in many private collections in Japan, Europe, Australia and across North America.

The Life and Art of Jack Akroyd (Unheralded Artists of BC)

Peter Busby

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Mother Tongue Publishing publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mother Tongue Publishing