Literature Archives - Queen's Journal

Exploring the meaning of family in fiction

Written on November 26, 2021. Posted in Arts, Literature.

As a live-at-home Kingstonian, the end of exam season has always been awkward for me. I’ve listened to my friends excitedly plan elaborate journeys to return to their loved ones. Meanwhile, my “elaborate journey” involves closing my laptop, descending a set of stairs, and hugging my mom in the...

‘The Undergraduate Review’ publishes 33rd annual issue

Written on June 28, 2021. Posted in Arts, Literature.

Editor’s Note: Two members of The Journal’s Editorial Board contributed to The Undergraduate Review. The Undergraduate Review (UR), a Queen’s arts and literature-focused magazine, released their 33rd annual issue on Jun. 4th. Featuring work from 38 contributors, the issue is available online through...

In defense of YA literature: teenage experiences are valuable, too

Written on March 5, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

A lot of people put down Young Adult (YA) literature. Not only is it considered less valuable than other literary genres by the academic English community, but the general public often frowns upon readers of the genre who lie outside of its targeted age demographic. It’s labelled unrealistic, inconsequential,...

Commentary: The art of adapting literature to television is strategic

Written on January 22, 2021. Posted in Arts.

Adapting books to television is not a new phenomenon, but in the past couple of years, the popularity of series based on bestselling novels seems to be heightened. From The Handmaid’s Tale to You and Bridgerton, there is now a distinct correlation between the bestseller list and the stories production...

Stop the literary elitism: graphic novels are books, too

Written on January 19, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

Literary elitism has got to go. Last October, S. E. Hinton, author of the beloved classic The Outsiders, took to Twitter to condemn the suggestion that her book be adapted into a graphic novel. She claimed that reading The Outsiders at a young age “shows them they CAN read a book. Not that they can...

Access to controversial reads should be up to students

Written on October 10, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

School administrators banning books because of their authors’ past aren’t condemning the artists’ actions—they’re taking away an opportunity for students to learn and broaden their worldview. The #MeToo movement has recently swung the spotlight toward public figures revealed to have sexually abused...

English class deserves more respect

Written on November 29, 2018. Posted in Opinions.

Despite the criticism it receives, English Literature is an important area of study. While many faculties are exclusive to one concentrated field, English serves as an umbrella for several different topics within the humanities. When compared to other fields of study that have more practical...

Kingston’s Writersfest returns for 10th anniversary

Written on September 28, 2018. Posted in Arts, Literature.

At the 10th annual Kingston Writersfest, Queen’s students and local residents will gather in the Holiday Inn with some of the most esteemed authors in Canada. Artistic director Barbara Bell spends a full year organizing the annual five-day festival, welcoming book lovers to exchange ideas and learn...

Therese Greenwood relives Fort McMurray wildfire in Kill As You Go

Written on September 14, 2018. Posted in Arts, Literature.

On the day of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, redemption and retribution were everywhere. Two years later, author Therese Greenwood relives those moments in her short stories by writing fictional accounts of the events which took place in her neighbourhood on the day of the fire. A crime writer...

A case for realistic female characters

Written on March 9, 2018. Posted in Arts.

On International Women’s Day, it’s time for us to reevalute what we call a strong female literary character. Even in recent years, the image of a strong female character connotes an unemotional robot who’s skilled at shooting arrows or some other physical activity and despite having no personality,...

Q&A with renowned poet Liz Howard

Written on March 10, 2017. Posted in Arts.

On March 6, poetry enthusiasts gathered in Watson Hall to hear renowned Canadian poet Liz Howard read from her debut novel, Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent, as part of the Creative Writing at Queen’s reading series. Howard, who’s been authoring poetry since early childhood, writes with an extraordinary...

What the CanLit controversy means to an aspiring Canadian writer

Written on January 27, 2017. Posted in Arts.

With Canadian names lining my bookshelves and a lofty dream to be one of those renowned Canadian writers some day, one incident is hard to swallow — the involvement of those renowned names in the Steven Galloway scandal. Last November, the University of British Columbia (UBC) fired Steven Galloway,...

Kingston WritersFest showcases well-rounded talent

Written on October 6, 2016. Posted in Arts.

“The buzz at this year’s WritersFest was palpable,” said Barbara Bell, artistic director of Kingston WritersFest. From Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, Kingston WritersFest, an annual festival dedicated to appreciation and awareness of the literary arts, swept through Kingston. The event featured big name...

To be or not to be

Written on September 23, 2016. Posted in Arts.

Shakespeare is irreplaceable vs. Time to shake things up Shakespeare is irreplaceable Clayton Tomlinson, Contributor William Shakespeare is the pinnacle of achievement in English drama and is widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of the English language. His plays...

Reading the under-rated and under-read

Written on September 23, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Like “cool” or “art,” the term “classic literature” is notoriously indefinable. The literary canon taught in universities and reprinted countless times is full of works by authors who we’re told are great before we can decide for ourselves. After many years of feeling the pressure to read all the...

Creative writing illuminated from the other side

Written on June 27, 2016. Posted in Arts.

“Language, which is useful in the province of the intellect is a relatively clumsy vehicle in the expression of emotion and of narrative movement,” Carol Shields wrote in her work Narrative Hunger and the Possibilities of Fiction. I had never heard of Carol Shields before I held her latest work....

What makes literature 'truly Canadian'?

Written on March 31, 2016. Posted in Arts.

What’s the novel all Canadians should read? That’s the question at the core of CBC’s Canada Reads competition. I followed along with Canada Reads this year by reading all five of the shortlisted books in six weeks — a task that proved more trying than I anticipated. According to the CBC website, Canada...

Books don’t bite: approachable non-fiction for the non-non-fiction reader

Written on March 4, 2016. Posted in Arts.

Non-fiction has a bad reputation in the world of literature, and it’s time we change that misconception. We often read for an escape from reality. Fiction offers a much-needed escape, whether it’s set in our world or a wildly different one. Other times we read for school. While some of us enjoy...

Some light reading for reading week

Written on February 11, 2016. Posted in Arts.

As the weather outside goes from premature spring back to the gloom of February, many — myself included — find themselves spending reading week alone in Kingston. A book can provide a well-needed escape. I’ve done your homework for you (because no one wants homework on their week off) and chose...

Compiling community art

Written on January 29, 2016. Posted in Arts.

In her two years working for the Kingston Arts Council as the Cultural Animator, Irina Skvortsova has met many artists working in Kingston. The author’s interactions inspired her to compile the accounts of artists into a book titled Dreamscape Interviews. The book features interviews with 18 local...

Harlequin vs. hero’s journey: “chick lit” trivializes good literature

Written on January 22, 2016. Posted in Arts.

Many of my favourite novels — books that made me laugh, cry, and envy the ability of the author — have been forced into tight genres like “chick lit” and “airport fiction” simply because they happen to be written by women. While I’ve never been a fan of squeezing my scattered taste in books into...

Literary gems in downtown Kingston

Written on October 2, 2015. Posted in Arts.

In the coming winter months, few things are more cozy and warm than a cup of coffee and a good bookstore. While the recent Kingston WritersFest brought dozens of renowned Canadian writers to Kingston, it also brought an influx of people to the city’s oldest and busiest bookstores. Here’s a list of...

Literary icon leaves legacy

Written on May 27, 2014. Posted in Arts.

Canadian author, environmentalist, and activist Farley Mowat passed away on May 6 at the age of 92. The famed author was born in Belleville, Ont. in 1921 and grew up in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, later moving to Saskatoon. Later in his life, Mowat served in World War II, after which he studied...

What We're Reading: Winter Break Edition

Written on November 22, 2013. Posted in Arts.

The Journal staff put together a list of good reads for the holiday season — perfect for a cozy night in front of a fire.

CanLit aglow thanks to Munro

Written on October 25, 2013. Posted in Opinions.

Sylvia Söderlind Alice Munro has done Canadian literature a great favour by winning the Nobel Prize. As a returning Swede, I’ve had the unmitigated pleasure of finding myself in the midst of a newfound interest in all things Canadian among the Swedish reading public. Although Munro has long had a...

‘Write the best story that’s in you’

Written on October 1, 2013. Posted in Arts.

You do it for the love of it. Or at least that’s what current writer-in-residence, Tim Wynne-Jones, says to aspiring writers at Queen’s. For one term each year, the department of English welcomes a writer who participates in various literary events and offers mentorship to students involved in creative...

Creating a common ground

Written on September 20, 2013. Posted in Arts.

Students will finally have the chance to hear from the author whose story they have read, analyzed and related to. To help ease students into life at Queen’s, the Queen’s Reads program was created by the Student Experience Office. Now in its second year, the program reached out to over 30 per cent...

Page turners for the summer season

Written on June 25, 2013. Posted in Arts.

We have all, at some point, promised ourselves a fruitful and educational summer of reading.Whether our reading list consists of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird, our student selves often resent the novels pushed on us from a course syllabus. Instead...

The critical and satirical

Written on January 22, 2013. Posted in Lifestyle.

The audience laughs as Jon Stewart mocks the outcry against Obama’s latest push for more gun control, but there’s a sober message behind his tone. Stewart is one of the few political satirists on TV — a well-known personality who use comedy and exaggeration to criticize. And according to University...

Tag: Literature

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