The Unpublished City, Volume I, Edited by Dionne Brand

Shortlisted for the 2018 Toronto Book Award

Curated by Dionne Brand, this anthology features the work of 18 emerging Toronto talents:

Diana Biacora
David Bradford
Nicole Chin
Simone Dalton
Dalton Derkson
Doyali Islam
Laboni Islam
Ian Kamau
Adnan Khan
Shoilee Khan
Canisia Lubrin
Sofia Mostaghimi
Nadia Ragbar
Rudrapriya Rathore
Sanchari Sur
Katheryn Wabegijig
Phoebe Wang
Chuqiao Yang

Press Coverage for The Unpublished City:

“The argument (as [Dionne] Brand writes it) is quite clear, quite strong, and quite remarkable: the wide variety of emerging voices that make up Toronto’s writing scene, one that can’t be reduced to a single sensibility, personality or perspective. And this is (beyond the introduction of a whole collection of emerging writers) a very good thing to be reminded of.” —rob mclennan’s blog

Toronto Book Awards Jury Citation:

“The Unpublished City brings together a collection of diverse voices, a true cross-section of Toronto’s burgeoning literary community. These poems and short prose pieces reveal a series of lush vignettes through distinct voices that surprise and delight. The stories conjure Toronto’s city streets, its preoccupations and psychological pulse. From race relations to racial profiling, there are choices, paths, cute friendships, tragedies, cruelties, griefs, loves, losses and sadness. Here are fantasies of power through magic, the complications of sex, death in domesticity, the clash of home, homelands, journeys away, the rural, the urban, generational divides, ghosts and revelations, quirky visceral moments, an itch that will leave goosebumps. By turns gory and disturbing, morbidly funny, or charming and sweet, The Unpublished City highlights a talented crop of writers to watch out for.”