Fall in Love with 19 New October Poetry Releases
As October rolls in, we enter the world of crisp, cool weather, changing leaves, and the prospect of fresh new reads to add to your shelf. With a whopping 19 new books on our radar, there’s something for everyone this month. Grab a sweetly spiced fall drink and settle into your favorite chair so you can get lost in October’s new releases.
I Will Be Corrupted by Joseph Dandurand
October 1, 2020
Poet, playwright, and archaeologist Joseph A. Dandurand draws on his Kwantlen Aboriginal roots in this upcoming poetry collection. I Will Be Corrupted tells the epic and magical tale of a Kwantlen man’s hope, loss, and redemption.
Knot Body by Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch
October 1, 2020
Montreal-based poet Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch stitches together poetry, essay, and letters in this moving collection. Ambitious and unflinching, the author confronts topics like capitalism, fatphobia, transness, disability, and more.
The Cyborg Anthology by Lindsay B-e
October 1, 2020
Sci-fi lovers rejoice! The Cyborg Anthology is set in a futuristic world of robot and human coexistence. Writer and filmmaker Lindsay B-e crafts an extraordinary narrative in the format of a typical anthology. Through carefully sectioned biographies and poetry, the book explores the concept of personhood for technological beings, their struggle for liberation, and different meanings of the term Cyborg.
Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith
October 6, 2020
Award-winning author Maggie Smith extends a lifeline to those experiencing loss and change. This collection of quotes, essays, and poems reminds readers of the promise of new beginnings, encouraging us to celebrate the beauty and strength beyond loss.
Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times: from Ask Baba Yaga by Taisia Kitaiskaia
October 6, 2020
With striking honesty and an unexpected style, Tasia Kitaiskaia embodies the witch of Slavic folklore to offer advice, humor, and relief to those looking for an answer. A follow-up to her 2017 release, Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles, Kitaiskaia once again weaves a spellbinding collection of comfort.
Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back by Alicia Cook
October 6, 2020
Taking on themes of love, grief, and hope, poet Alicia Cook brings us another poetry mixtape. If you loved her last collection, Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately, the Side-A/Side-B style of Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is sure to please.
Word Problems by Ian Williams
October 6, 2020
Award-winning Canadian poet and fiction writer Ian Williams pushes language to its limits in this relevant and inventive collection. Williams searches for answers to the ineffable—racial inequality, depression, interpersonal strife, and more—with an emotional yet humorous touch.
Dandelion by Gabbie Hanna
October 13, 2020
New York Times bestselling author Gabbie Hanna combines her lyrical and illustrative skills in this forthcoming collection. Dandelion gets uncomfortably honest in its exploration of childhood, relationships, and identity.
While the Earth Sleeps We Travel by Ahmed Badr
October 13, 2020
This diverse and moving poetry collection from Ahmed Badr combines his poetry with personal narratives and art from young refugees across the globe. Displaced youth share their experiences living in and outside of camps and adjusting to life after resettlement—bringing us to truly redefine the concept of “home.”
Sincerely by F.S. Yousaf
October 19, 2020
Romantics will swoon at this uplifting collection of letters and love poems. F.S. Yousaf manages to find the words to describe how love survives and thrives. This deeply personal collection tells the universal tale of falling in love.
Finish this Sentence by Leslie Roach
October 20, 2020
Healing from the trauma of racism, Montreal-based poet Leslie Roach explores the anger, anxiety, and harmful thoughts that result. Powerful, political, and spiritual, Roach empowers readers to share their lived experiences.
Flowers on the Moon by Billy Chapata
October 20, 2020
Love, heartbreak, and new beginnings make up this touching collection from Zimbabwean poet Billy Chapata. As his second collection, Flowers on the Moon blends the experience and advice fans know and love.
Check by Sarah Tolmie
October 22, 2020
Poet and novelist Sarah Tolmie introduces her third poetry collection, Check. With an unflinching and satirical edge, Tolmie analyzes the consequences of in-groups, out-groups, and mutual suspicion. The concept of tolerance falls under the microscope in this bold collection.
DKMH by Dacre Montgomery
October 27, 2020
Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery releases his debut poetry collection, DKMH. An extension of the widely popular podcast where Montogmery performs beat poetry set to music, DKMH ventures to explore life’s biggest questions: Who are we, why, and what drives us?
Talk to Me Always by Alexi Lubormirski
October 27, 2020
Explore the art of photopoetry in this forthcoming collection. Iconic British photographer and Polish prince Alexi Lubormirski pairs his world-renowned photography with hypnotic poetry in Talk to Me Always. Love, loss, fatherhood, and hope fall under Lubormirski’s inspiring lens.
The Space Between Us by Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey
October 27, 2020
The hopes and pains of long-distance relationships are beautifully illustrated in this new collection from Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey. The Space Between Us weaves together stories, messages, and poems that recreate the long-distance experience.
Festival of All Souls by Jean Eng
October 30, 2020
Toronto-based writer and painter Jean Eng explores the multicultural experience of an Asian woman born in Canada. Eng uses the Festival of All Souls ritual to explore themes of loss, visible and hidden energy, public and private space, and the cycle of life.
Phillis by Alison Clarke
October 2020
Poet, artist, and creative writing teacher Alison Clarke travels through time to tell the story of Phillis Wheatley—reimagined. Through poems and prose, Clarke tells Wheatley’s story in an illuminating first-person narrative.
mahikan ka onot by Duncan Mercredi
October 2020
Former Winnipeg poet laureate Duncan Mercredi is known for his vibrant multi-lingual storytelling. mahikan ka onot is a collection of his greatest works, revealing the complexities of contemporary Indigenous life.
