By Yolanda T. Marshall

It is said that autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. Welcome to November, and here are a few recommended leaves to turn in this month.

Not Talking About You

Written by Kevin HeronJones, an award-winning performance Poet.

“Part of a well-off middle-class family living in suburban Toronto, Khalil moves for grade eight to a school that does not have many racialised students. He is befriended by school sports star Cameron, who convinces Khalil to play basketball. Despite Cameron’s professed admiration for Black culture, Khalil is uncomfortable with his friend’s racist statements and behaviour. As his discomfort grows, Khalil is left with a choice: accept this as “reality” or take a stand for what’s right, even if it costs him friendships. Not talking About You portrays racism as it occurs amongst young Canadians today. It explores the impact on the target and bystanders who must decide how to react when they find a racist youth in their midst.” – Lorimer, September 2022.

Nomenclature: New and Collected Poems

Written by Dionne Brand, a Governor General’s Literary Award-winning poet and novelist from Toronto.

“Nomenclature: New and Collected Poems begins with a new long poem, the titular “Nomenclature for the Time Being,” in which Dionne Brand’s diaspora consciousness dismantles our quotidian disasters. In addition to this searing new work, Nomenclature collects eight volumes of Brand’s poetry published between 1982 and 2010. It includes a critical introduction by the literary scholar and theorist Christina Sharpe.” – McClelland & Stewart, August 2022.

Junie

 Written by Chelene Knight, a Vancouver-born author and winner of the 2018 Vancouver Book Award.

“As Junie finds adulthood, exploring her artistic talents and burgeoning sexuality, her mother sinks further into the bottle while the thriving neighbourhood—once gushing with potential—begins to change. Junie intuits the opposite for the community she loves as her world opens. Told through the fascinating lens of a bright woman in an oft-disquieting world, this book is intimate and urgent—not just an unflinching look at the destruction of a vibrant community but a celebration of the Black lives within.” – Book*hug Press, September 2022.

The Sleeping Car Porter

Written by Suzette Mayr, an award-winning Canadian novelist. This book has been shortlisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

“The Sleeping Car Porter brings to life an essential part of Black history in North America from the perspective of a queer man living in a culture that renders him invisible in two ways. Affecting, imaginative, and visceral enough that you’ll feel the rocking of the train, The Sleeping Car Porter is a stunning accomplishment.

 Baxter’s name isn’t George. But it’s 1929, and Baxter is lucky enough, as a Black man, to have a job as a sleeping car porter on a train that crisscrosses the country. So when the passengers call him George, he must smile, nod, and act invisible. He wants to go to dentistry school, but he’ll have to save up a lot of nickel and dime tips to get there, so he puts up with “George.” – Coach House Books, August 2022.

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