The Town Crier

The Town Crier operated as a hub for criticism and commentary, connecting a community of writers, readers, and commentators through social media, and focusing on the interplay of literary opinion in and around the city of Toronto until its closure in February 2021.

• In An Alternative Reality, I'm Not Telling This Story

  By Phoebe Wang | March 19, 2017

  Phoebe Wang discusses China after WWII, Trump's "alternative reality," and the three-part dynamic that allows for "alternative facts" to take hold.

• Memoir in the Age of Post-Truth

  By Evelyn Deshane | March 16, 2017

  Evelyn Deshane discusses transgender memoirs and the idea of "truth" and the "true self," with references to Roland Barthes, Jay Prosser, and Gavin Grimm.

• Becoming Politics

  By Hana Shafi | March 13, 2017

  Hana Shafi discusses the debates that surround her experiences, her existence, and her art, and the collective gaslighting that takes place on social media.

• Author Note: William Kemp

  By William Kemp | March 9, 2017

  William Kemp discusses his poem "Boomer Sooner," published in The Puritan Issue 35, Fall 2016, with references to Jim Ross and E. E. Cummings.

• On the Creative Craft as the Craft of Correcting

  By Natalie Wee | March 6, 2017

  Guest editor Natalie Wee introduces an exploration of the post-truth era for the month of March, with references to Moez Surani and Kendra James.

• Author Note: Maureen Scott Harris

  By Maureen Scott Harris | March 2, 2017

  Maureen Scott Harris discusses her poem “Nijinsky,” published in The Puritan Issue 35, Fall 2016, with references to Mark Strand and Aristotle.

• Interview with Lynn Crosbie

  By Danila Botha | February 27, 2017

  Danila Botha and Lynn Crosbie discuss Crosbie's new collection of poetry, "The Corpses of the Future," her father, and his struggle with dementia.

• The Puritan Co-Founders Announce Resignation

  By Spencer Gordon and Tyler Willis | February 24, 2017

  The Puritan co-founders Spencer Gordon and Tyler Willis announce their resignation and thank all those involved with the magazine.

• Writing Fiction as Pipe Laying

  By Katy Wimhurst | February 22, 2017

  Gail Anderson-Dargatz discusses her approach to writing in an outtake from her upcoming interview with Katy Wimhurst in The Puritan’s Issue 36, Winter 2017.

• The Search for Youth in CanLit

  By Kailey Havelock | February 20, 2017

  Kailey Havelock discusses the IFOA's Lit Jam and why younger audiences aren’t coming out to events in Toronto's literary community.

• Author Note: Claire Farley

  By Claire Farley | February 16, 2017

  Claire Farley discusses her poem “Pointillism,” published in The Puritan Issue 35, Fall 2016, with references to Lyn Hejinian and Erin Mouré.

• The Vivid Inner Life of Julieta

  By Paula Razuri | February 13, 2017

  Paula Razuri reviews Pedro Almodóvar's "Julieta," a film based on three short stories from Alice Munro's 2004 collection "Runaway."