The CBC Books Writers to Watch list: 24 Canadian writers on the rise in 2020

It's time for the CBC Booksannual writers to watch list! Here are 24 writers on the rise the CBC Books class of 2020.

Sarah Louise Butler

Sarah Louise Butler is a writer from Nelson, B.C. Her work has appeared in Room. Her first novel,The Wild Heavens, came out in spring 2020.

The Wild Heavensis a novel about the magic and mystery of nature and our relationship to it. Over the course of one cold winter day, a young mother, Sandy Langley, reflects on her grandfather, who was obsessed with a mysterious creature in the woods, their relationship, motherhood and more, while finally coming to terms with the mysteries and tragedies that shaped her life and made her who she is.

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Jillian Christmas

Jillian Christmas is a Vancouver-based educator, activist,community organizerand spoken word poet who focuses on increasinganti-oppression initiatives in spoken word.She is the former artistic director of Vancouver's Verses Festival of Words.The Gospel of Breakingis her debut poetry collection.

The Gospel of Breakingdraws on Christmas's politics, family history and queer lineage, telling stories of love, friendship and community.

• Why the poetry of Jillian Christmas examines the realities of Black queerness, femininity and community

Desmond Cole

Desmond Cole is ajournalist, radio hostand activist based inToronto.His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Now Magazineandthe Walrus.The Skin We're Inis his first book.

• How Desmond Cole wrote a bestselling book about being Black in Canada

The Skin We're Inlooks at one year, 2017, and chronicles Cole's personal journalism, activism and experiences alongside stories that made the headlines across the country, including refugees crossing the Canada-U.S. border in the middle of winter and the death of Somali-CanadianAbdirahman Abdiat the hands of the Ottawa police.

The Next Chapter3:44Michelle Good on Five Little Indians

Michelle Good on her debut novel Five Little Indians, which follows five characters after they leave residential school.

Megan Gail Coles

Megan Gail Colesis a playwright from Savage Cove on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. She has published theshort story collectionEating Habits of the Chronically Lonesomeand the novel Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club. Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club was a finalist for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize and was defended on Canada Reads 2020 by Alayna Fender.

• Megan Gail Coles wrote a novel to have a frank conversation on what ails the nation

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Clubrevolves around a cast of flawed characters all connected to a trendy St. John's restaurant. Over the course of a snowy February day, theyare implicated in each other's hopes, dreams and pains as they try to survive harsh economic times in the province.

The Next Chapter13:49Gemma Hickey on Almost Feral

Activist Gemma Hickey on their memoir Almost Feral, about an epic walk across Newfoundland that was life-changing.

Eva Crocker

Eva Crocker is a novelist and short story writer from Newfoundland. She is the author of the short story collectionBarrelling Forwardand the novel All I Ask.All IAskwill be available in August 2020.

In All IAsk, Stacey wakes up one morning to the police pounding on her door. They claim they are looking for "illegal digital material" and seize her phone and computer. Worried for her safety, Stacey bands together with her friends to seek a way toan authentic, unencumbered way of life.

Chantal Gibson

ChantalGibson is an artist, poet and educator from Vancouver. With ancestral roots in Nova Scotia, Gibson's literary approach is dedicated to challenging imperialist ideas by way of a close look at Canadian literature, history, art, media and pop culture. She is the author of the poetry collectionHow She Read.

• Griffin Poetry Prize finalist Chantal Gibson wants to decolonize minds through poetry

How She Readis a collection of genre-blurring poems about the representation of Black women in Canada from a cultural perspective. It was a finalist for the 2019 Griffin Poetry Prize.

Unreserved11:04Return to tradition: How author Helen Knott used writing and ceremony to overcome trauma

In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience tells the story of how Helen Knott overcame addiction and trauma, and how writing became instrumental to her healing.

Michelle Good

Michelle Good is a Cree writer and lawyer, as well as a member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. She published her first novel,Five Little Indians,in spring 2020.

• Michelle Good's Five Little Indians is a fictional look at the real Canadian legacy of residential schools

InFive Little Indians, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie were taken from their families and sent to a residential school when they were very small. Barely out of childhood, they are released and left to contend with the seedy world of eastside Vancouver. Fuelled by the trauma of their childhood, the five friends cross paths over the decades and struggle with the weight of their shared past.

Gemma Hickey

Gemma Hickey is an LGBTQ activist and writer from Newfoundland. They became the first person in Canada to receive a gender neutral birth certificate and passport. Their first book,Almost Feral, came out in 2019.

• Gemma Hickey trekked across Newfoundland and found their purpose on the other side

A few years ago, Hickey did a908-kilometre walk across the island of Newfoundland. They did it to raise awareness and money for survivors of institutional religious abuse. Their memoir,Almost Feral, describes that journey and the equally hard road ofcomingto terms with their identity throughout the journey digging into the good and bad in theirpast along the way with an eye on motivating others to accept themselves and what they stand for.

The Next Chapter9:53Karen McBride on Crow Winter

Shelagh Rogers talks to Karen McBride about her novel, Crow Winter

Jasmin Kaur

Jasmin Kaur is a poet who's been embraced by pop culture. She's a Sikh illustrator and spoken word artist living in Vancouver whose work has shown up everywhere, from Reese Witherspoon's social media toJennifer Lopez's performance at the 2018 American Music Awards. Her first poetry collection is calledWhen You Ask Me Where I'm Going.

• Poet Jasmin Kaur moves from screen to page in debut collection

When You Ask Me Where I'm Goingis a mix of poetry, prose and artwork. The book aims to spark debate around themes of mental health, feminism, immigration and personal empowerment. It's a look at what it means to be alive and willing to fight for rights in theworld.

Cole Pauls and his Indigenous punk comics

6 years ago

Duration 4:13

Tahltan comic artist Cole Pauls has been inspired by punk music, pizza and carrying the legacy of Southern Tutchone language through his comic art. Filmmaker: Camille Vernet

Adnan Khan

Adnan Khan is a journalist and magazine writer from Toronto.He was the recipient of the2016 RBC Taylor Prize for Emerging Writersand was a readerfor theCBC Nonfiction Prizein 2017. He published his first book,There Has to Be a Knife, in 2019.

• Adnan Khan explores tired stereotypes and being a young Muslim in Canada in his debut novel

There Has to Be a Knifeis about a chef who unravels after the death of his ex-girlfriend.When Omar Ali is informed his ex-girlfriend Anna has died, he resolves to retrieve her suicide note from her parents. Filled with grief and unable to cope, the 27-year-old line cook spirals out of control, participating in break-ins and online terrorism.

Helen Knott

Helen Knott is a social worker, poet and writer of Dane Zaa, Nehiyaw and European descent.Her memoir,In My Own Moccasins, is a story of addiction, sexual violence and intergenerational trauma. It explores how colonization has affected her family over generations. It is also a story of hope and redemption, celebrating the resilience and history of her family.

• Helen Knott explores the connection between violence against Indigenous women and violence against the land

In My Own Moccasins,was onthe 2020 RBC Taylor Prize longlist. In 2020, she launched a literary prize for single parents.

Stphane Larue

Stphane Larue is a novelist from Quebec. He's spent 15 years in the restaurant industry, where he started as a dishwasher. This became the inspiration for his first novel,The Dishwasher.

• Confessions of a dishwasher and gambling addict who became a bestselling novelist

The French version of the book,Le Plongeur,won thePrix des libraires du Qubec and thePrix Senghorand was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for French-language fiction.It was translated into English by Pablo Strauss. The English version won the 2020 Amazon First Novel Award.

The Next Chapter16:14Jenny Heijun Wills on Older Sister: Not Necessarily Related

Jenny Heijun Wills on her award-winning memoir of reconnecting with her birth parents, Older Sister: Not Necessarily Related.

David Ly

David Ly is a poet who lives in Vancouver.His poetry has appeared in publications like The Puritan, PRISM international and The Temz Review. His first poetry collection,Mythical Man,was published in spring 2020.

Mythical Man explores the many facets of queer love. The book builds on themes of toxic masculinity, race and identity in the 21st century.

Karen McBride

Karen McBrideis an Algonquin Anishinaabe writer from the Timiskaming First Nation in the territory that is now Quebec. Her first novel,Crow Winter, was published in 2019.

• Why Karen McBride's debut novel Crow Winter is rooted in the real and the magical worlds

Crow Winter is about a young Indigenous woman namedHazel Ellis, who has the magical power tocross between thespiritualandmaterialworlds. Following the loss of her father, Hazel returns to her reservation, Spirit Bear Point First Nation,to be with her mother and to reconcile her grief.

J.R. McConvey

J.R. McConvey is a writer from Toronto. His work has been published in the Malahat Review, Joyland and the Dalhousie Review.He was also longlisted for the2016CBC Poetry Prize. His first book, the fantastical short story collection,Different Beasts, was published in 2019.

Different Beastsis a short story collection that explores the beastly side of humanityand the human side of monsters. The characters are both otherworldly and earth-bound, ranging from mutant angels and insectoid demon-gods topoliticians and parents.Different Beastswon the 2020 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in the speculative fiction category.

Noor Naga

Noor Nagais aCanadian-Egyptian writer.She won the 2017 Bronwen Wallace Awardfor her poemThe Mistress and the Ping.She also wonthe Disquiet Fiction Prize in 2019.Her debut novelAmerican Girl and Boy from Shobrakheitis forthcoming in the fall 2021. Her first book is the poetry collection Washes, Prays.

Washes, Praysfollows Coocoo, a young immigrant woman living in Toronto who begins to question her faith after falling in love with Muhammad, a married father of two. Coocoo wonders how she can reconcile her faith with her actions and whether her relationship withMuhammad can really last.

Cole Pauls

Cole Pauls is a Tahltan comic artist. He created the comicDakwkda Warriorsas a language revival initiative. In 2017, it won Broken Pencil Magazine's Best Comic and Best Zine of the Year Award. It's now a full-length graphic novel, which wasshortlistedfor the 2020 Doug Wright Award for best book for kids.Pauls was also nominated for theforthe 2020 Doug Wright Award for best emerging talent.

• Cole Pauls's comics preserve First Nations language and also celebrate punks eating pizza

In Dakwkda Warriors, two Earth Protectors are charged with saving the planet from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches.The comic, which incorporates a blend of English and Southern Tutchone, serves as an allegory for colonialism.

Alex Pugsley

AlexPugsleyis a filmmaker and writer from Nova Scotia. He is the co-author of the novelKay Darling. His fiction has appeared in the Dalhousie Review, Brick and McSweeney's.His latest book is the novelAubrey McKee.

• Why Alex Pugsley feels there needs to be more fiction set in his hometown of Halifax

Aubrey McKeeis the the first in a series of five autobiographical novels by Alex Pugsley.Aubrey McKeetells the story of a boy growing up in 1970s and 1980s Halifax. The second novel in the series willfollowthe narrator's arrival in Toronto as a young man.

Yusuf Saadi

Yusuf Saadiis a poet from Montreal.Pluviophileis his first collection. He won theMalahat Review's 2016 Far Horizons Award for Poetry for the poemThe Place Words Go to Die, which is inPluviophile.

Pluviophileis a mix of longer sonnets and shorter meditations, all of which explore humanity's relationship with divinity and how we value our bodies, our language and how we connect with each other and the greater world.

John Elizabeth Stintzi

John Elizabeth Stintzi is anovelist, poet, teacher and visual artist. They won the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers for their workSelections From Junebat.The complete poetrycollection,Junebat, was published in spring 2020. Stintzi is also the author of the novelVanishing Monuments.

InVanishing Monuments,Alani Baum has not seen their mother since they were 17 years old almost 30 years ago. The non-binary photographer ran away from home with their girlfriend.When their mother's dementia worsensAlani is forced to run back to her. In the face of a debilitatingillness, Alani has to contend with painful memories from the past.

• How writing a novel helped John Elizabeth Stintzi connect with their own genderqueer identity

Souvankham Thammavongsa

Souvankham Thammavongsais an Ontario writer and poet.Her stories have won an O. Henry Award and appeared inHarper's,Granta,The Paris ReviewandNoon.She has published four books of poetry, including 2019'sCluster.She published her first work of fiction, the short story collectionHow to Pronounce Knife, in spring 2020.

How to Pronounce Knifeis a collection of idiosyncratic and diverse stories. From a young man painting nails in a salonto a housewife learning English from soap operas,How to Pronounce Knifeexplores the tragedy and humour inthe daily lives of immigrants.

• Souvankham Thammavongsa's stories explore the diversity of the immigrant experience

Jesse Thistle

Jesse Thistle is a Mtis-Cree academic specializing in Indigenous homelessness, addiction and inter-generational trauma. For Thistle, these issues are more than just subjects on the page. After a difficult childhood, Thistle spent much of his early adulthood struggling with addiction while living on the streets of Toronto. Told in short chapters interspersedwith poetry, his memoirFrom the Ashesdetails how his issues with abandonment and addiction led to homelessness, incarceration and his eventual redemption through higher education.

• How Jesse Thistle survived addiction, homelessness and incarceration and became a bestselling author

From the Ashesis his first book.From the Asheswas defended byGeorge CanyononCanada Reads2020. It won the 2020 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for nonfiction.

Jenny Heijun Wills

Jenny Heijun Wills is an academic and author who currently teaches at the University of Winnipeg. She was born in Korea and adopted as an infant by a white family in southern Ontario. In her late 20s, Wills traveled to Seoul to look for her first family. She chronicles this emotional,rocky reunion in her memoirOlder Sister. Not Necessarily Related.

• Why Jenny Heijun Wills wrote a book about reuniting with her first family in Korea

Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related.shares this journey in a series of vignettes and letters. It also explores the impact of being raised by a family of a different ethnicity and culture. It won the$60,000 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

Evan Winter

Evan Winter is a writer currently living in Markham, Ont.He was born in England to South American parents. The fantasy novelThe Rage of Dragonsis his first book.The Rage of Dragonswas originally self-published before it was acquired by Orbit Books. It is the first book in a planned series. The second novel, The Fires of Vengeance, is set to be published in fall 2020.

• With African epicThe Rage of Dragons, Evan Winter wrote the book he'd want to read

InThe Rage of Dragons, a world is caught in an eternal warand protagonist Tau is his people's only hope for survival. Describedas a mix ofGame of ThronesandGladiator,The Rage of Dragonsfollows Tau as he attempts to get revenge and become the greatest swordsman to ever live.