This issue of Briarpatch features the winning entries of our second annual creative writing contest. Among the flood of entries submitted by talented writers from across North America, these two stories most impressed and moved our judges. And with Indigenous social movements and solidarity forefront in people’s minds, we’ve also devoted some space in this issue to Idle No More – the movement and the countless conversations it has sparked, as well as the broader context of women’s leadership in resurgent Indigenous struggles.
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MagazineLetter from the editor
It’s been an enormous pleasure to return to Briarpatch to guest edit this issue. -
Magazine
Announcing Writing in the Margins contest winners!
This issue of Briarpatch features the winners of our second annual Writing in the Margins creative writing contest.
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MagazineHow to be lonely
It’s not clear why how to be lonely is this way, but it’s certain it wants a tool to dig.
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MagazineNo force more powerful
Nothing can really convey the power of moments where people come together to realize their collective strength, but we thought we’d try anyway
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MagazineWho’s got their eyes on Canada’s spies?
Even with the recommended oversight, CSIS has not proven immune to abuses of power and the law.
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MagazineVoices of resistance
Across the Americas, Indigenous women are working to restore values of harmony, co-operation, balance, and respect within their communities.
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MagazineFreshwater food security
Many fishers are passionately opposed to wasting fish but struggle to survive in an industry where the price paid per pound has declined over the years while costs such as gasoline, labour, and equipment have only risen. Fishers in Grand Rapids have come up with a potential solution.
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MagazineStories mapping place and power
How to Get Along With Women is a finely written collection exploring the ways our identities, our most intimate relationships, and our experiences can be shaped by the world we inhabit, a world mapped by dynamics of power.
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MagazineA steady lens and a dangerous weapon
“Healing is a challenge in life. It is a victim’s sole obligation,” he says. “Forgotten wounds cannot be healed. So I film to heal.”
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MagazineSovereignty and social transformation
In the final days of Quebec’s 2012 election campaign, many journalists and federalist politicians warned Canadians of the dangers of a Parti Québécois victory. Progressive movements across Canada have a lot to learn about what is made possible when the question of independence is raised.
