When the days are short and the world outdoors is frozen and inhospitable, it can be hard to get motivated to do much other than lie in bed with some insalubrious snacks and a steady stream of Netflix. Three Toronto writers who will be reading in Ottawa on December 19th want to encourage us to try some other winter survival tactics, and talk about some of the ways that we can survive difficult times by caring for ourselves and taking part in our communities.  They also want to bring to... | Continue reading article

During the past year, the Write On Ottawa series has profiled some excellent writers from the National Capital Region. As we near the end of 2013, and reflect on the great wordsmiths in Ottawa-Gatineau, we decided to profile five young authors whose pen has already won them awards. This past fall the Ottawa Public Library released Pot-Pourri 2013, a collection of winning short stories and poems from their Awesome Authors contest.  (The deadline to apply for the next contest is February 9, 2014). Open to those between the ages of 9 to... | Continue reading article

Earlier this year, Apartment613 started the Write On Ottawa series to profile the great literary talent in our city.  With Christmas fast approaching, we are looking back at all the writers that we spoke to this year, as well as giving a sneak preview to some of the reviews coming in the weeks and months ahead. Below we have listed more than 60 writers from the National Capital Region, as well as various independent stores where you can purchase books and comics.  All listed authors have been reviewed by Apartment613,... | Continue reading article

The Breadfruit Tree by Chilean-born Ottawa author Gabriela Etcheverry  pictures life in all its strangeness, wickedness and comedy. Etcheverry writes from the perspective of a woman who has succeeded against all the odds, not once but twice.  First, she made her way out of extreme poverty on the outskirts of the port city of Coquimbo to become a teacher in the Chilean capital, Santiago, where she married and set up home. Second, as an exile, initially speaking little English or French, she again had to start at the bottom to... | Continue reading article

If you are a fan of comic books, and love a healthy dose of science fiction and fantasy, then the Ottawa Pop Expo this weekend offers many special treats. Taking place at the Ernst and Young Centre (4899 Uplands Dr), the two-day event will feature a wide range of exhibitors, as well as numerous special guests, including such luminaries as Howard Chaykin of American Flagg! fame, and Tony Moore who co-launched the comic book series The Walking Dead. Marco Rudy, who has worked on such projects as Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, will also be present.  In 2014, Rudy is teaming up... | Continue reading article

As federal civil servants know all too well, strange things happen inside the Canadian government. How weird?  Well, if you read The Cube People and Cube Squared, two uproariously funny novels by local writer Christian McPherson, you may never see the National Capital Region in the same way again. Published by Nightwood Editions, the two books revolve around Colin MacDonald, a government IT worker who dreams of being a published writer.  While typing away at science fiction and horror stories, he has to deal with a bizarre cast of co-workers, as well as hyper-bureaucratic managers who... | Continue reading article

OPL does publish official holiday gift lists, so I thought it would be fun to look at some of the random books I have enjoyed over the past year which probably won’t feature on those lists. Even though my day job is in Children’s Services, I read all kinds of books. I have some picks for kids, teens and adults, and have tried to keep it short, but there were so many good ones… Best subversive princess picture book – The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp  I read this to... | Continue reading article

Qu’est-ce que deviendrait la terre si on découvrait un remède anti-vieillissement? C’est ce que l’auteur Yoan St-Onge nous fait découvrir dans son récit, La fin des vieux jours, présentement disponible en téléchargement gratuit. Écrit entre 2008 et 2010, ce roman publié par St-Onge lui-même raconte principalement l’histoire de deux familles à différentes à différentes époques – les Lafontaine et les Champagne. Les Lafontaine sont deux – père et fils. Hubert, le paternel est un aventurier et un charmeur. Certains de ses traits se sont transmis à son fils, Félix, le... | Continue reading article

Chris Hadfield is a Canadian national treasure.  The retired astronaut has a resume that is beyond exemplary: former fighter pilot; fluent in English, French and Russian; musician; traveled three times to outer space. What has really caught many people’s attention, however, is his down to earth attitude (no pun intended) that radiates a joy for life.  Whether singing a revised version of David Bowie’s classic Space Oddity while in space, or teaming up with the Barenaked Ladies to record a song as he orbited earth on the International Space Station, Hadfield... | Continue reading article

It was an offer that Meg couldn’t refuse.  When her brother George asked if she wanted to go to Paris during the Tour de France she immediately jumped at the opportunity. All she had to do was deliver a package to George’s friend at a hotel in the City of Lights (easy-peasy right?) and then go on a European vacation where she could watch the world’s most famous cycling race.  As an avid cycling enthusiast Meg was in heaven. From the start of her trip, however, there were signs that everything... | Continue reading article