Literature
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published a policy commentary in Policy Options analyzing Canada’s $650M Canada Water Agency plan in September 2025. The commentary argues that federal water funding must be tied to integrated governance reform, linking conservation, reuse, restoration and public engagement to avoid repeating decades of fragmented water policy.
published his first book “The Golden Generation” in November 2025. The book tells the untold story of Canadian basketball, from Team Canada’s breakthrough at the 2000 Olympic Games to two decades of struggle and, controversy that ultimately lead to a bright future in professional sport.
received the Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award League from Canadian Poets in 2025 after 60 years of publishing and writing.
launched his third book “Leaving Lisa” in 2024. This fictional romantic comedy follows four overlapping stories as characters face and navigate major turning points in their lives.
was short-listed in the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her story Nuala Nu was one of 25 chosen from almost 8000 entries.
Sheila Ingebrigtson-Stewart, BA’85, BEd’87
released her first self-published book Fogbound: A Heroic Bush Pilot Named Gunnar – a true story about her late uncle’s flight career in the Arctic.
published the second volume In the Writers’ Words, bringing us closer to the minds of some of our major contemporary poets.
Timothy Reynolds, BA’82, BEd’84
has two new novels from Cometcatcher Press: SOLO by GASLIGHT, a psychological suspense about a serial killer geocaching body parts around Calgary, and FADED NOTES, a mystery about a retiree and his sister’s murder.
released a new book entitled Panorama of Existence: The Story of My Near-Death Experience (NDE) and Post-Cancer Awakening in April 2024.
authored as AD Sui won the 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novella for The Dragonfly Gambit.
won the Margaret & John Savage First Book Award (Non-Fiction) for Hell of a Ride: Chasing Home and Survival on a Bicycle Voyage Across Canada. The book was also a runner-up for the Evelyn Richardson Award, Nova Scotia’s highest honour for non-fiction.
published Thornfield in July 2025.
debut poetry collection Our Little Agonies is slated for publication by Montreal Publishing Company on May 1st, 2025.
launched his book On a Pilgrimage with Augustine’s Confessions, published by Austin Macauley, New Work/UK/UAR.
published his fourth novel In The Shadows Of Love with Hera Books in October 2024 and was featured in a Forbes article in December 2024.
released her debut book, a memoir entitled With Love from Bali.
won the New Quarterly’s 2024 Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest for The Isabel Letters, an essay about his correspondence with Canadian writer, Isabel Huggan, BA’65. Both Geoff and Isabel will appear together at the Wild Writers Festival in Waterloo, November 1-3, 2024.
released Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: A Path to Reconciliation in Our Divided Times in September 2024. The book reflects on an epic 13-month, 53-city, 26,403-mile road trip across Canada and the United States.
released his novel Garbage Boy -The High Bar of Low Expectations in December 2023, the sequel to SCARRED.
has been nominated for a Theater Library Association of New York City’s annual award for his book, Al Christie: Hollywood’s Forgotten Film Pioneer. The award recognizes performing arts scholarship that demonstrates exemplary use and interpretation of library and archival collections.
published her first work of fiction, HR Can Be Murder. The novel explores interpersonal relationships, the complexities of navigating work expectations, and the importance of personal growth – all in the context of a murder mystery.
published Culture Clubs: The Real Fate of Societies in July 2022.
has published her second novel, Cicada Summer in June 2024. The book follows Husha, a young woman who discovers an unsettling short story collection penned by her late mother.
wrote their debut novel Dotted Lines, available on Oct. 1, 2024. This work of fiction takes place on Western’s campus.
launched The Ultimate Entrepreneur’s Handbook in June 2024, a how-to guide on starting and growing a business.
is the co-editor and co-author of The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession, published in April 2024.
released her debut novella The Dragonfly Gambit in April 2024. Anna is a Theodore A. Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist, and her Pushcart-nominated writing has appeared in many publications.
John Holland, Artist Diploma’01, MMus’04, Artist Diploma’01, MMus’04
published The Lost Tradition of Dvo≈ôák’s Operas: Myth, Music, and Nationalism in October 2023. The book examines Antonín Dvo≈ôák’s operas and vindicates and validates him as an often-overlooked opera composer. This research began at Western.
published two books in 2023 for a total of eight. She created and contributed to her own anthology, Canada: Brave New World, as well as Maggie, her mother’s unfinished book, which she published through her own imprint Peache House Press.
published a book on the crisis of meaning in society amid several chaotic world issues.
released her first children’s novel Maya Plays the Part, featuring autism representation in a story with musical flair.
has published their first book, Microaggressions in Medicine (co-authored with Lauren Freeman) by Oxford University Press. The book analyzes microaggressions that occur in medical contexts and their harmful consequences.
published her first poetry collection, Northerny, with the University of Alberta Press in February 2024.
released the English version of their third book of fiction, Illusion of Power. The story takes place in Montreal’s city hall about a mayor who confronts administrative and political pitfalls while navigating his personal life.
won the Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction for his debut memoir, Hell of a Ride, about a 7,000-kilometre solo bicycle trek across Canada in support of mental health initiatives. The book comes out March 15, 2024.
published a children’s book in February 2024. With This Note is a story about listening to your body and trusting your gut feelings.
will celebrate the release of her debut picture book in March 2024. Published by Amicus Ink, Was It a Cat I Saw? is the story of a lost cat, a found friend and a girl who speaks only in palindromes.
is the artist and internationally recognized calligrapher behind @peakpaperco. Her guided grief journal titled Forget You Not from Blue Star Press & Penguin Random House releases in February 2024.
published their first book Authentic Collaboration: A Bridge to Meaningful Connection in 2023. The book is about developing healthier relationships with yourself, others and the Earth.
began Somewhat Grumpy Press Inc. in the spring of 2021. At that time, the company had published one book. The company now has 10 non-fiction titles from six authors, and more coming soon.
published her most recent book Behind the Mask in October 2023. It includes profiles of 12 legendary hockey goalies, emphasizing the personality traits that make each one unique.
self-published a novel called Closer to Indigo in September 2022. Set in Victoria, BC, the story takes us through the months that lead to the lead character’s pilgrimage in Spain.
published his first book The Book of Benjamin from Palimpsest Press in October 2023. This literary essay on names, birth and grief is the testament of both a son and a father, contrasting genealogy with larger communal narratives.
published Museums and Societal Collapse: The Museum as Lifeboat in September 2023. This book presents evidence and theories around collapse and extinction while highlighting the responsibility of museums in our changing world.
released two novels in October 2023 from Cometcatcher Press. She Runs with Wolves, He Sits with Kittens is a snarky Toronto-set rom-com and The Gravity of Guilt is a future Earth-colony sci-fi thriller.
published his third book, Someone Like Her with Orenda Books in August 2023. Awais’ writing has garnered immense critical acclaim and was reviewed by magazines and newspapers in the UK and Pakistan.
recently published his professional autobiography and fourth book, My Experiences in Medicine, Theology, and Along the Way. His fascinating experiences began as a pioneer in space clinical medicine and ended as an interim minister and explorer of spiritual healing.
recently became a self-published author.
published his third book, 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts featuring stories and surprising facts collected coast to coast.
recently had their young adult novel, The Sound of a Rainbow recommended by CBC Books. Sharon is a guest speaker at the Niagara Parks Coast to Coast Literary Series, Canada’s Family Women in November 2023.
an assistant professor of history at Saint Mary’s University, published her first book, The American Liberty Pole: Popular Politics and the Struggle for Democracy in the Early Republic with UVA Press in October 2023.
wrote a children’s book, Kyla and Kyra Go To School.
published The Anguish of War, a two-volume set about the war dead of Windsor and Essex County.
published Peacocks & Thorns ~Humour & Beauty in the Darkest Times~: The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County A History and Reminiscences of a Palliative Care Physician in June 2023 with co-author Veronique Perrier Mandal.
published A Philosopher’s Guide to Natural Capitalism: A Sustainable Future Within Reach in July 2023 by Routledge. The book posits that a sustainable future is possible without abandoning capitalism.
won the 2023 Alistair MacLeod prize for short fiction with Rafael Has Pretty Eyes (Goose Lane Editions). Her seventh book, a novel entitled The Gift Child, will be published in fall 2024.
Sonia Palleck, DDS’93, MCID’99
has written and published a four-book series in 2023. Leave the Little Light On is a love story for humanity. Sonia painted the covers and narrated the audiobooks while working as a full-time orthodontist.
published his first book of poems, Insomnio de Fogones.
published her first book, Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future, in July 2023 through W.W. Norton. The book is a global exploration of the eight remaining species of bears and the dangers they face, from polar bears in the Arctic to the spectacled bear of the Andes.
published her second book, Glimpses: Sundown Manor, through Austin Macauley Publishing. Her third book is expected in 2024.
published a debut novel, The Paths We Never Took, in March 2023. The book explores the themes of love, self-sabotage, and commitment while navigating young adulthood.
published a young adult novel Cultivating Sunshine in March 2023.
retired from her career as a lawyer to be a writer. Her second book, Grief and the Spirit World: A Search for Comfort, was just released.
Cornelia (Corry) Janssen-Hendriksen, BA’13
wrote a young adult fiction novel titled Magic at the Rink, which explores grieving the loss of a loved one.
published his first book Clinking Outside the Box, The World in a Glass. The book is an offbeat, humorous look at the world of wine, beer and spirits from the perspective of an industry veteran.
published her debut book of poetry Safety Razor. These poems are shaped by her education at Western and her subsequent studies at the University of Cambridge in Old Norse language and Literature.
published a third graphic novel in the original series The Demonhuntress.
published her first children’s book, Music Is All Around Me, about enjoying music through nature and the five senses.
won the 2022 Prairie Fire McNally Robinson Booksellers Short Fiction Contest for his story Excavations, which will appear in the summer edition of Prairie Fire.
released her fourth work of fiction, Our Forever Place, under her pen name Maren Hill. A retired chiropractor, she now writes women’s fiction, romance, and children’s literature.
published Shelter from our Secrets, Silence & Shame; How Our Stories Can Keep Us Stuck or Set Us Free.
published Cinema’s Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture. The book details the history of Griffith’s racist epic The Birth of a Nation from 1915 to the Trump era.
Barbara Macaulay, BA’75, BEd’76
published a biography This is War and I Ain’t Kiddin’: A Collection of World War II Letters From Dad, honouring her father and everyone affected by the war.
published her first book Speak Kindly, You’re Listening, teaching high achievers to navigate their inner voice.
published True Tales of Medical Physics: Insights into a Life Saving Specialty featuring short stories from scientists and medical professionals.
released her new children’s book, From Head to Heart, a story about bullying and the importance of mental health.
published The Rosetta Mind, the second novel in her science fiction series.
Tristan Squire-Smith, BSc’04, BA’05
published Wrinkly Ranch, a deep dive into COVID’s toll on long-term care facilities.
Erica McKeen, BA’17, BA’19, MA’20
published her debut novel, Tear, a layered, lyrical tale dealing with contemporary feminist issues set in London, Ontario.
published his ninth book, a collection of playful verses titled What If Jack Wasn’t So Nimble? Mother Goose Characters Reimagined in 2022.
won the 2022 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer’s Award for New Girl in Little Cove, published in 2021.
retired as a family physician in 2019 and self-published a novella called Hearts Of Wax in 2022.
published her first book, Demystifying Grief: What You Need to Know to Heal, in 2022.
published Immigrant to accompany her paintings featured in the ‘Immigrant’ exhibition. Read more here.
published Writers’ Words Volume II, a collection of interviews with 10 Canadian poets.