As much as I love Montreal summers for their longer days, warmer weather, and seemingly endless stream of festivals, I spent most of my June and July longing for the fall months to come. This summer, to balance out the endless monotony of an office job, I took on a[Read More…]
Tag: fiction
Remembering Alice Munro
Alice Munro died on May 13, and I ate half a grapefruit every morning for the next week. I first encountered the acclaimed author’s work in school, as Canadians often do. I remember enjoying her stories—particularly the landscapes within them—but was not yet entirely engrossed. Then moments began to emerge[Read More…]
A letter to lonely writers: Words of wisdom from Heather O’Neill
“Oh here comes the torture” and “oh what crap” are phrases that acclaimed author Heather O’Neill uses to describe the harrowing experience of reciting passages from her novels in public. She is McGill’s Writer-In-Residence, known for her debut novel Lullabies for Little Criminals, which won Canada Reads (2007) and When[Read More…]
’Until August’ —published against the late author’s wishes—revisits desire
“Memory was my source material and my tool. Without it, there’s nothing.” Gabriel García Márquez began to write Until August toward the end of his life. It was intended to be part of a much longer work, cut short by García Márquez’s battle with dementia. His final verdict was absolute:[Read More…]
The multifaceted stories of ‘Personal Attention Roleplay’
Montreal-based writer and fiction editor Helen Chau Bradley is set to release their debut story collection Personal Attention Roleplay on Nov. 23 under Metonymy Press. The McGill Tribune reviews the stories ahead of this upcoming release. “Only The Lonely,” Ian Clements “Only The Lonely” follows the relationships of an unemployed[Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Is it blue and black, or white and gold?
#TheDress became a viral sensation at the end of February, triggering heated arguments: Is the dress blue and black, or white and gold? Though the trivial debate was blown tiresomely out of proportion, the disagreements have revealed amazing differences in how our eyes and brains have developed to perceive[Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Is magic real?
Many young boys and girls wake up on their 11th birthday hoping to hear an owl rapping at their window, inviting them to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While most remain mere Muggles to this day, there are a few who claim to have learned the art of[Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Do aphrodisiacs really work?
Aphrodite—the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure— shares her name with another substance associated with desire: The aphrodisiac. Aphrodisiacs can be anything—foods, drinks, drugs, smells—that causes an increase in sexual desire. For centuries, people have sworn by the power certain foods, such as chocolate or oysters, to boost their[Read More…]