Farzana Doctor π π (she/her)
@farzanadoctor
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Author of 7 books: novels, poetry, non fiction | Activist | Psychotherapist | Settler | #EndFGM + π volunteer |π2 new books in 2024! (see link in bio)
Tkaronto
Joined August 2009
An excerpt from 52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life is in β¦@guardianβ©!. Why is it so hard to take a break from work β even if we want to?
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We need to #BringBackMasks ourselves because politicians have lost interest in protecting our community. #CovidIsntOver . #LongCovid happens to at least 20% of us. Wear N95/KN95 masks. Open windows/use Hepa filters. Info:
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If youβre a #CanLit writer who was angered by the disruption of this protest, I ask you: why do you write? Why are you a writer?.
BREAKING: Protestors disrupt @scotiabankβs Giller Prize Ceremony this evening. Scotiabank is funding the genocide of the Palestinian people through its $500 million stake in Elbit Systems, Israelβs largest weapons manufacturer.
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As writers/publishers, we express our support for the protestors who disrupted the @GillerPrize gala on Nov 13. The protest called attention to @scotiabankβs $500 million stake in Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturer. #CanLitSolidarityWithPalestine.
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Hereβs TPS thinking they are IOF, stopping people leaving the Exhibition GO station. Their reason? Keffiyehs, βPalestine coloursβ, pins and flags were not allowed on CNE property. Even if this were true, we werenβt entering the CNE but trying to get to the eastbound TTC stop.
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Drop the charges! As writers, we value dissent and the protesters did a great job highlighting that @scotiabank, the main sponsor of the @GillerPrize, is also the largest foreign shareholder of Elbit, an Israeli arms manufacturer.
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Since the late β90βs, Iβve donated, canvassed, scrutineered and voted for the Ontario NDP. @MaritStiles youβve just lost a long-time @NDP supporter.
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@a_h_reaume βhi Iβve just said something incredibly oppressive and offensive but if I say Iβm privileged it doesnβt count.β π€·.
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Dear Literary Community:.The government has abandoned us re COVID. But we can do better. As events return to being in-person and indoor this fall, remember that #COVIDisAirborne. Ask audiences to wear masks (hand them out) and ventilate venues by opening doors and windows.
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Listen, I am not a good cook. But improving my cooking skills cannot solve the problem of billionairesβ greed.
Food economists say our ability to cope with rising prices has been worsened by our collective decline in cooking skills. .
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Now, U of T. Come over if you can. π
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β€οΈ this by @caseyplett: βKnowing these galas, it sounds like attendees were, at best, mildly inconvenienced by the protesters. I canβt muster much sympathy for anyone who thinks the right reaction is to throw those protesters in jail.β #DropTheCharges .
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At Arif Viraniβs house. While our politicians maintain silence and complicity during a gen*cide we interrupt the turkey dinners.
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On Nov 13, 3 protestors disrupted the @GillerPrize gala to expose @scotiabank's $500 million stake in Israeli arms manufacturing. They were charged; 1700+ writers have signed an open letter appealing to have the charges dropped + to show CanLit solidarity for Palestine. 1/2
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@NightShiftMD Brian, this was a peaceful protest (I was there) calling for a ceasefire and the end of genocide in Gaza. It was attended by a mix of people, including a large Jewish contingent. There were also many families with children in the march.
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How hard was it to say βI am aware this prize is funded by a bank with investments in the arms industry involved in the genocide in Gaza and now Lebanon β? I find that it easily rolls off the tongue.
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I signed on. CanLit authors please join us. Why do we write if not to break silence and create a more just world?. AUTHORS BREAK FROM THE GILLER PRIZE. Read letter at #noarmsinthearts #canlitresponds
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After 7 months of Zoom meetings, I am convinced that the Ikea Billy bookcase is in every single home everywhere.
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Thanks to @GisellePortenie for nominating me and thanks to @twuc for this HUGE honour.
The Writers' Union of Canada is thrilled to announce that author & activist Farzana Doctor is the recipient of the 2023 Freedom to Read Award.π«Full press release: Congratulations, @farzanadoctor! #FreedomToRead #FTRweek
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@jacasiegel Lands End had a great sale on super soft long sleeve rugby shirts. My Dad is often cold these days and likes soft shirts.
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SEVEN arrived! Each new book feels like a miracle. Official release dates: Sept 5/29 (Canada/US) but local booksellers have stock now! @AnotherStoryTO is arranging SIGNED copies!. Thanks to everyone @dundurnpress @cookemcdermid @penguinrandomca (audiobook).ππππ
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@MAdarshnair @dbwrf @TwitterIndia I agree. These people are promoting khafz, which is a form of FGM, a practice that is banned globally.
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Woke up to this exciting announcement! So thankful that SEVEN is a finalist alongside these amazing authors!.
Presenting our 2021 #TrilliumBookAward Shortlist Finalists:. Congratulations #CraigDavidson @farzanadoctor @EDonoghueWriter #AFMoritz #SouvankhamThammavongsa .
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"Fighting against the practice took me on a five-year journey of reconnecting with myself and my community. And it shaped a novel I never imagined Iβd write." . Thanks @Chatelaine + @balkissoon . πto Dad, @rachelletofsky + @SarahAElton for their help.
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It must be term paper time because Iβve received 4 requests from journalism students this week. Every so often there is a lovely email. But most are demanding/donβt take a polite no for an answer. Hereβs the worst example. Honestly, who is teaching students to behave this way?
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Just signed a contract for Book #6! So thrilled (and no longer bleary-eyed). More details soon.
Bleary-eyed but feeling good. Just finished another round of revisions on my YA novel about a gang of BIPOC private school girls who solve a mystery and catch an abuser! . Who wants to publish it? Iβm waiting by my phone π
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Oh! The Half of It is so beautiful! An ode to friendship, teen longing and love. Also, an original take of queer Asian adolescence. Thanks @thatalicewu @TheHalfOfItt @netflix
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To all of you who are grieving a mother today, I see you. My mom crossed 38 years ago. She was just 38, and I was 11. I feel her presence always so sheβs not exactly gone. But I do grieve her and the 38 years of missed moments to be close to her and to know her. #MothersDay.
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Writers speak truth to power.
Finalist Aaliyah Bilal reads a statement on behalf of a group of more than a dozen finalists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. #NBAwards
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A beautiful moment last night! This year I have been grateful to writers like @madeleinethien @saeedteebi and Kagiso Lesego Molope.(and so many others) who remind the literary world of what is possible even when our industry and organizations choose to remain silent.
A beautiful speech by @madeleinethien who will be donating the entirety of her prize to the Woodcock Fund for Canadian writers in need, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, and the Lebanese Red Cross, in the name of her friend Y-Dang Troeung, who passed away in 2022.
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From @shanimootoo: βScotiabank Giller Prize can be a life-changing sum. Can authors accept its sponsorβs tie to Israelβs atrocities in Gaza?β
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Being a psychotherapist during this #COVID19 pandemic is a bit like doing couple counseling when your own marriage is falling apart or doing trauma therapy while having your own flashbacks. (1).
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I #supportsexed because I want kids to be taught about their bodies, consent, gender and sexual orientation in a respectful way. #onpoli.
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Bleary-eyed but feeling good. Just finished another round of revisions on my YA novel about a gang of BIPOC private school girls who solve a mystery and catch an abuser! . Who wants to publish it? Iβm waiting by my phone π
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Hey friends, itβs time for a cover reveal! . My new YA book, The Beauty of Us , is coming this September and is available for pre-order (. A huge thanks to everyone at @ecwpress for making this happen! And love to @RachelLetofsky for all your support.
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Todayβs #audiobook . EXCEPT FOR PALESTINE.THE LIMITS of PROGRESSIVE.POLITICS by.@marclamonthill .@MJPlitnick . Available via Libby @torontolibrary
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At the protest @torontolibrary. @vbowlestpl you can still reconsider before you completely break TPLβs relationship with the LGBTTTIQ communities. #TransRightsAreHumanRights
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Packed room @ TRANScend/TRANS/form, a teach-in w/Transfolks & Allies @The519. I wish @torontolibrary had chosen to participate (they were invited π). Thanks @razorfemme @GwenBenaway @MonicaForrester @ChanelleGallant &Anju @AnotherStoryTO for your leadership. #transwomenarewomen
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When writing about white people, please say they are white, rather than writing them as though they are somehow the standard or universal people.
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Hello #CanLit! It's fall book season and #CovidIsSurging so we're posting our lovely masked selfies at lit events. Please join us using #CanLitMasksUp. Letβs protect each other. #MaskUp, open doors + windows and bring air filters. #CovidIsNotOver
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A dream come true! Iβm still over the moon about Saturdayβs @globeandmail feature. Thanks @Zahra_Khozema for showing my work so much π.
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Last night I taught a workshop @BurlOnLibrary. We were all masked because I asked for that in advance. More importantly, the wonderful events organizer stood at the door, told people it was a masked event and offered masks to those who didnβt have one. (1).
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#CanadaStopArmingSaudi. Canada has exported over $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia since 2015, the year the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen began. #HamiltonOn #DayOfAction4Yemen #YemenCantWait
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Iβve been leaky-sharing this for a couple of months, but now itβs official! . My poetry collection, .YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME,.will be published by Freehand in Fall 2022! Thanks to @rachelletofsky of @CookeMcDermid and @kelseyattard of @fhbooks. #poetry
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Up next today. No big deal. ππ¬π
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Excellent article in @thewalrus by @josiahneufeld about @GillerPrize and @scotiabankβs investment in Elbit Systems. Thanks to all the writers quoted in this piece who continue to speak out.
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Well, hereβs the official announcement! A big thanks to @rachelletofsky and @CookeMcDermid and Pia Singhal and her colleagues @ecwpress. Iβm thrilled and excited to share this story with all of you in Spring 2024!.
#CMDDeal: Congratulations to writer, activist, and psychotherapist @farzanadoctor as world rights to her YA novel THE BEAUTY OF US, have been sold, in a nice deal, to Pia Singhal at @ecwpress, by @rachelletofsky!
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Iβve just written a letter to @WritersTrust to express my dismay at how Kagiso Lesego Molope was ejected from @polipenottawa and WT has still not addressed questions about their role in what happened. #CanLit #CanLitResponds.
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My sweet senior dog Maggie died Tuesday night. π She was the best. I miss her so much. Some of you know that she assisted me in book promo efforts via #MaggieWithBooks . Hereβs a few photos of her doing her thing/tolerating me/waiting for her treat compensation.
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Line edits for 2 (!) books out in 2024. Iβm tired + grateful. Stay tuned: .52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life (workbook for activists/helpers on self- and community care, @DMPublishers) SPRING π±. The Beauty of Us (YA novel about BIPOC girls @ a boarding school), @ecwpress) FALL π
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Hands off our lands, bodies, genders, sexualities, cultures. -Trans March 2024, Tkaronto
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So, I have been working on this #selfcare workbook. β52 weeks to a sweeter lifeβ.is for caregivers, activists & helping professionals. Just finished another edit (πto my generous beta readers). Now my favourite part of the processβfinding a publisher. Send good thoughts! π
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@justiceforallcn Not only is @IsraelinToronto spreading misinformation (many sources have shown there was no evidence for these anti- @UNRWA claims), they are propagating hate and standing by genocide and war crimes. @JustinTrudeau and @melaniejoly will you make a statement about this?.
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Iβm not going back to school next week but I have a strong urge to go the Biway to get some new pens and binders.
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Today I got to touch a physical ARC of my book, Seven! . Itβs coming Sept 5 π¨π¦/Sept 26 πΊπΈ. Pre-orders available now (choose an indie: or . Expect the funnest online launch ever. ππΎπ₯.@dundurnpress @CookeMcDermid #SevenNovel @twuc
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@specialkdmd Karen this was a peaceful protest (I was there) calling for a ceasefire and the end to genocide in Gaza. It was attended by a mix of people, including a large contingent of Jewish people. There were many families with children. There was nothing threatening or anti-semitic there.
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@1goodtern I really appreciate this thread:.
We'll soon be in the position of having to accept or deny invitations to gather. Our replies and our concerns may be met in different ways. While the risks will vary, the science they are based on is consistent. May this summary help you in your conversations. 𧡠#COVIDisVascular
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Ahead of Feb 6th, the Intβl Day for #zerotolerance4FGM, I wrote this piece: How to Be An Ally to .FGM/C Survivors: Get Over Your Fear of Being Called Racist . ππ½Pls RT. #endFGM #FGM #Allyship @Medium @equalitynow @CanadaFgm @SpeakoutonFGM .@sahiyovoices .
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Today is pub day for my #poetry book! Available in #audiobook + #ebook WORLDWIDE and in #paperback in Canada/UK/US. Hereβs an audiobook sample read by @ulkaM. Big love to @ecwpress for audio production + to @kelseyattard @fhbooks for publishing the e-book/paper versions. π.β
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Canβt wait! .Thurs, Nov 7, 6-8pm.Itβs OK Studios, 468 Queen St W, Toronto. The No Arms in the Arts book club features writers who have withdrawn from the Scotiabank-funded Giller Prize as an act of solidarity with Palestine. Register/ info: @wawog_now
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My forthcoming #SevenNovel has been honoured with a #BookLook by @JennyHeijun! How fabulous is this!.
Todayβs #booklook is in celebration of @farzanadoctorβs soon to be released Seven. I saw Farzana read from All Inclusive a while back and Iβm desperate to get my hands on this new book too! Farzana will be asking all the pressing questions about memoir this aft at ##FOLD2020 :)
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Well this is exciting! SEVEN (out in August) has its first public mention in this @cbcbooks list! β47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020β & sheβs among terrific books by many writers I love. @dundurnpress @CookeMcDermid.
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Ontarians: send an email to your MPP telling them you oppose the @fordnation decision to shrink Toronto Council from 47 to 25, a decision without consultation and in the middle of a municipal election race. Tell them you expect them to oppose it too.
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All ready to go home n my little booth @cbcradio! First interview at 2:30 in Toronto. Then from east to west, coast to coast, talking about my new book, 52 Week to a Sweeter Life, out now from @DMPublishers
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but being 7 months into a #pandemic -with no end in sight- qualifies as a chronic stress situation.
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To the Grade 12 English teacher who made my homework assignment a joke (by reading it aloud to the class while guffawing), I recently finished edits on Book 5. and I youβre one of its characters π.
To the grumpy old lady prof in grad school who invited me to her brownstone at 8 AM to serve me tea/strawberry jam on burnt toast but mostly just to tell me that I was "a mess with very little talent" and would never publish, I just finished edits on book 3. π
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SEVENβs US launch! .Thurs, Oct 1, 8pm ET, with host @marielounahhas, #endFGM activist + actor (@OITNB) . Intros by @sophiepaaslang (cover designer). Info: Regβn: @bluestockings @dundurnpress .@CookeMcDermid @PenguinRandomCA
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I just sent my MP a letter calling for Canada to stop arming Israelβs military - will you join me?
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Doing our e-day get-out-the-vote canvas with @FarheenAlim and listening to @bifnaked (π§‘I Love Myself Todayπ§‘). Have you voted yet? #onpoli #EtobicokeLakeshore
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ICYMI, I was on @CBCβs The Next Chapter with @RogersShelagh! . Quicklink: @cbcbooks @dundurnpress @PenguinRandomCA @CookeMcDermid @cookeintl @SmithPublicity .#SevenNovel
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Thanks to everyone who voted for SEVEN! And congrats to Jesse Thistle and Margaret Atwood, whose books were shortlisted. What an honour!.
We have a winner! Congratulations to @farzanadoctor on her book 'Seven', which we'll be reading during November & December. THANK YOU to all our #bookclub members who participated! Over 14,000 votes were cast for Readers' Choice 2020. #canlit.
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For 10 years, creators like me have not been paid by educational institutions when our work is copied. We need to amend the Copyright Act so I can keep telling stories @JustinTrudeau @pablorodriguez @fp_champagne . #IValueCdnStories .#MaggieWithBooks #CreatorsCallingOnOttawa
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Had a great time reading #poetry with @isabellawangbc and @JenSookfongLee at the Sunshine Coast Festival today!. @SCFWA
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.@MoreWithMorley won almost 11k votes, and in the original 47 ward system, certainly would have won. Watch out @Mark_Grimes, we see you. 11k people in Ward 3 see youβnot showing up for us, for votes, for democracy, for fairness. #EtobicokeLakeshore #ONPoli #2022herewecome.
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Thank you @PPofTO for honouring my writing and #endFGM activism with this 2021 Choice Award!. Weeee! They called me a sexual health superhero! An amazing recognition from a terrific organization. Congrats also to @JILLSLASTWORD and Cheyenne Scarlett!. #SexualHealth #ChoiceAwards
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And there were no problems. Participants took the masks with thanks and put them on. We were spread out and I also brought my own portable hepa air cleaner. Thanks to all for creating a safer, more accessible event. #BringBackMasks.
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π£ Book Deal News! . π East African rights for .YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME sold to @ZahidRajan at Zand (@LtdZand). π So pleased my #poetry is now available in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo. π Stay tuned for launch info!
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Post #growingroom2018 event selfie with Amber Dawn and Jillian Christmas in Davidβs Dad Car.
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Hey @writerstrust , could you clarify why @kagisokeo was told to leave AND escorted by security? Who made these decisions?.
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My partner and I went out for our evening walk and talked about #Islamophobia. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the #LondonOntario family who were murdered by a #WhiteSupremacist. #OurLondonFamily πππ½.
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Our household is now double-vaxxed! A great gift to celebrate our 7.5 year anniversary. Thanks to all the researchers and health care workers who made this possible. I hope everyone around the globe gets this healthcare soon. #COVIDVaccination
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How sweet is this? Thanks @jkdegen and @twuc for the good wishes! π My spirits are boosted. #TrilliumBookAwards #SevenNovel @OntarioCreates
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Approx 20 people on a #TTC bus, and 3 of us wearing masks. Not sure what the ventilation system is like, but all windows were shut. I sat near the back door. Cβmon Toronto, we can do better than this. #COVIDisAirborne
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@writerstrust @polipenottawa @jkenney @Kathleen_Wynne @fairmontlaurier Actually, youβll find that many of us DONβT support this. As a past Dayne Ogilvie winner I certainly donβt.
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Hey if youβre in a book club and not inviting an author, then whatβs the point? We like talking about books (hah, especially our own), eating your chips and commiserating about life too, you know.
She's an activist, part-time psychotherapist, amateur tarot card reader & the author of four novels! Learn more about .@farzanadoctor & how you can #inviteanauthor to your next #bookclub meeting. #theauthorsbookclub #booklovers
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In honour of Int'l Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM/C @dundurnpress is offering my novel at a discount!. πE-book $1.99 .πpaperback 20% off w code SEVEN at . βFully feminist and ambitiously bold.β.---@MsMagazine . Sale on from 12am-11:59pm EST Feb 6.#EndFGM
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Years ago, when I publicly protested the air show for its pollution and harm to animals and war survivors, I received rape threats via email and social media. This only deepened my understanding about the air showβs meanings and underpinnings.
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This is my favourite novel of 2023 so far. I loved the characters, story, and the fabulously original narration. A heartwarming book full of hope, humour, struggle and love for chosen family and queer community. @harpercollinsca
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So many of us are coping with burnout, overwhelm, vicarious trauma. I wrote this book to help folks address personal + structural barriers to self and community care. Big π to @razorfemme for this endorsement. Preorder: Avail March (Sept/Oct in US/UK)
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2/2. Sign the letter here and swipe for more info. #DropTheChargesScotiaProtest. #NoBusinessAsUsualInCanLit. #CanLitSolidarityWithPalestine.
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I am thrilled & honoured to be part of this delegation at the #Frankfurt @Book_Fair along with some amazing authors (incl @vivekshraya @canisialu @tagaq @theloudlady & many others). Hope it will be safe to travel in Oct. Thanks @CookeMcDermid @dundurnpress
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