Changing the Face of Canadian Literature

Needless to say, moments like now, when the hurdles to becoming a respected author are at their lowest. When the only hurdles to being published are the quality of your writing and your patience to deal with certain less and less important gatekeepers.

Moments in history like this, must be acknowledged and celebrated. That's what this anthology is: It's a celebration. A moment to cry out, "Look how many of us have a voice! There are stories, and poetry in this country that are about people like me! I am not alone!"

This anthology features contributions from diverse writers including Doretta Lau, Ayelet Tsabari, Jael Richardson, Kaie Kellough, Doyali Islam and Charles C. Smith. (From Guernica Editions)

Dane Swan is a Bermuda-born, Toronto-based spoken word artist, former slam poet, musician, author and editor. Swan's second poetry collection, A Mingus Lullaby, was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry in 2017.

• This anthology of diverse Canadian literary voices is an important read in 2020
• The best Canadian nonfiction of 2020
• 25 books by Black Canadian authors to read in 2021

Why Dane Swan put this anthology together

"When I first started putting this anthology together, one of the things that I wanted to do was make sure that the first group of people that I reached out to were actually involved in their communities. 

One of the things that I wanted to do was make sure that the first group of people that I reached out to were actually involved in their communities.- Dane Swan

"I didn't want to get a random person because they came from a certain background. I wanted people who were heavily involved.

"When I look for writers, I try to find people who I trust on the technical side of things and then let them do whatever they want to do with an anthology like this. 

"There wasn't an infrastructure before — part of the story here are the people who are creating that infrastructure."

Read more in his interview with The Next Chapter.

Interviews with Dane Swan

The Next Chapter19:10Dane Swan & Charles C. Smith on Changing the Face of Canadian Literature

Dane Swan is an editor and Charles C. Smith a contributor to the anthology Changing the Face of Canadian Literature, which celebrates writing by diverse voices.