Books published by Goose Lane Editions

polari (pe 'la: ri) from Italian parlare, a coded anti-language or idiolect at one time spoken by gay men for cover -- or a précis of John Barton's unique experience of language. In this expansive collection, there are no boundaries of time, geography, or subject. Giving voice to history, to political and environmental anxieties, to the immediate past and the fluid present, Barton understands that we all live and speak in code, whether in language common to millions, in 0s and 1s, or in gestures, silences, and the most intimate of glances. > is John Barton's eleventh collection of poetry.

The Aroostook War of 1839, an oft-forgotten incident in the storied history of Canada-US relations, is a misnomer. It was an undeclared war with no real combat. Its underpinnings were a two-fold reaction to the 1793 Treaty of Paris -- which ended the American Revolutionary War but left the border between Maine (then part of Massachusetts) and British North America unsettled -- and the War of 1812, when parts of northern Maine were occupied by Britain. Concluding that a negotiated border might negatively afect their claim for the disputed territory, the Maine government set out to occupy the Aroostook River valley in early 1839. In preparation for armed conflict, British regulars, New Brunswick militia, and Maine militia were deployed in the dead of winter, laying the kindling for a third major Anglo-American conflagration. Although a truce negotiated in late March 1839 prevented the outbreak of hostilities, confrontations between the Maine volunteers and New Brunswick's warden, magistrates, and seizing officers continued. Ultimately, cooler heads prevailed and an agreement was reached, which resulted in the Ashburton-Webster Treaty of 1842. A multifaceted story of friction, greed, land grabs, and rivalry, this tale of a border dispute and near-war is an intriguing chapter in the history of Canada and the United States.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name held at Art Gallery of Ontario June 16-August 12, 2018.

Sir John A. Macdonald -- Canada's first prime minister and Father of Confederation -- a politician and a lawyer; a husband, father, and son; a rascal, prankster, and notorious tippler. There have been many books about Sir John but none like this. From humble family dinners to elaborate political galas, from tragic losses to dizzying triumphs, Lindy Mechefske leads us through Macdonald's life and the culinary history of a nation. Marvel -- or shudder -- at the food available to hopeful immigrants on the high seas as the Macdonald family leaves Scotland for a fresh start in the New World. Celebrate the young John A.'s marriage while learning about popular wedding foods of the era. Learn how a roast duck dinner saved the dominion and take a seat at the Charlottetown Conference and indulge in fried oysters. Along the way, try your hand at authentic recipes sourced from cookbooks of the day. Sir John's Table is a unique look at the life of Sir John A. Macdonald through the lens of Canada's culinary past.

From the mind (and feet) of Canada's foremost trail authority comes Hiking Trail of Montréal and Beyond, a fresh and comprehensive guide to the trails within the city of Montréal and beyond its borders. Featuring 50 routes within 150 km of the city, including trails in Laval, in the adjacent Lanaudière, Laurentian, and Montéregie regions, and the Eastern Townships, this handy guide is, without question, the choice hiker's companion to the region. Trekking from the slopes of Mont Royal to the summit of Mont Sutton, from le circuit TransTerrebonne to les sentiers du Mont Rigaud, Michael Haynes has assembled an invaluable guide to some of the most enjoyable and challenging hikes in Western Québec. Included in the book are detailed maps, trail descriptions, and GPS coordinates, as well as information on time, length, difficulty, and facilites available. Rounding out the experience are hiking tips, Haynes's own photographs of interesting vistas, and sidebars on historical, cultural, and natural subjects as well as a glossary of common hiking terms for non-French speakers.

Grab your hiking boots, water bottle, and a healthy snack and hit the trail! This new edition of Hiking Trails of Cape Breton profiles forty routes, from Money Point to Ghost Beach. In addition to providing instructions for locating each route and in-depth descriptions, Hiking Trails of Cape Breton includes detailed maps and synoptic information on length, time, difficulty, facilities, and the correct topographical map to use. Also found in this edition are trailhead GPS listings for all hikes, and, for those who carry cellphones as safety devices, information about the often-uncertain reception in Cape Breton's mountains and woodlands. Enhanced by dozens of images of the magnificent scenery, this edition features informative sidebars on plants, animals, historic sites, and other appealing features of the trails. Whether you're planning a family stroll or venturing deep into the Highlands, Hiking Trails of Cape Breton contains all the information needed to make the journey both entertaining and educational.

Shortlisted, Wilfrid Eggleston Award for NonfictionOn a whim, armchair-atheist Richard Kelly Kemick joins the 100-plus cast of The Canadian Badlands Passion Play, North Americas largest production of its kind and one of the main tourist attractions in Alberta. By the time closing night is over, Kemick has a story to tell. From the controversial choice of casting to the bizarre life in rehearsal, this glorious behind-the-scenes look at one of Canadas strangest theatrical spectacles also confronts the role of religion in contemporary life and the void left by its absence for non-believers.In the tradition of tragic luminaries such as David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Goldstein, and David Sedaris, I Am Herod gives its congregation of readers unparalleled access to the players of the Passion: theres Judas, who wears a leather jacket even when its 30EsC; the Chief Sadducee, who is ostracized for his fanaticism; Pilate, the only actor who swears; the Holy Spirit, who is breaking ground as the roles first female actor; and the understudy Christ, the previous years real-deal Christ who was demoted to backup and now performs illicit one-man shows backstage.

Shortlisted, Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction1971. Lilac Welsh lives an isolated life with her parents at Rough Rock on the Winnipeg River. Her father, Kal, stern and controlling, has built his wealth by designing powerful guns and ammunition. He's on the cusp of producing a .50 calibre assault rifle that can shoot down an airplane with a single bullet, when a young stranger named Gavin appears at their door, wanting to meet him before enlisting for the war in Vietnam. Gavin's arrival sparks an emotional explosion in Lilac's home and inspires her to begin her own life as a journalist, reporting on the war that's making her family rich.The Gunsmith's Daughter is both a coming-of-age story and an allegorical novel about Canada-US relations. Psychologically and politically astute, and gorgeously written, Margaret Sweatman's portrait of a brilliant gunsmith and his eighteen-year-old daughter tells an engrossing story of ruthless ambition, and one young woman's journey toward independence.

"The Sobey family of Nova Scotia has championed Canadian art for three generations. Through their collecting of historical Canadian art--from Cornelius Krieghoff to the Quebec Impressionists, from the Group of Seven to Emily Carr to Annie Pootoogook and Kent Monkman--they have assembled a sumptuous record of a country growing and changing. With the Sobey Art Award, now in its twentieth year, the family is also fostering the best of Canadian and Indigenous contemporary art from coast to coast to coast. This book celebrates the Sobeys' manifest contributions, bringing to light new perspectives on the canon of Canadian art and its unfolding future."--

Winner, Melva J. Dwyer AwardHonourable Mention, Canadian Museums Association Award for Outstanding Achievement (Research)Qummut Qukiria! celebrates art and culture within and beyond traditional Inuit and Sámi homelands in the Circumpolar Arctic -- from the continuance of longstanding practices such as storytelling and skin sewing to the development of innovative new art forms such as throatboxing (a hybrid of traditional Inuit throat singing and beatboxing). In this illuminating book, curators, scholars, artists, and activists from Inuit Nunangat, Kalaallit Nunaat, Sápmi, Canada, and Scandinavia address topics as diverse as Sámi rematriation and the revival of the ládjogahpir (a Sámi woman's headgear), the experience of bringing Inuit stone carving to a workshop for inner-city youth, and the decolonizing potential of Traditional Knowledge and its role in contemporary design and beyond.Qummut Qukiria! showcases the thriving art and culture of the Indigenous Circumpolar peoples in the present and demonstrates its importance for the revitalization of language, social wellbeing, and cultural identity.

Finalist, A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry and Raymond Souster AwardIn tarot, the Fool represents continual beginnings, not being able to see or think past the excitement and potential of a new start. The Fool is also associated with zero -- a literal loop.Like Anne Carson writing poetry in the style of the poet alchemist Arthur Rimbaud, Jessie Jones renders her reflections with acerbic brilliance. In her debut collection, she examines the sensual, cruel, pleasing, and depraved state of being human in the twenty-first century. All pro, she's ready to stage a coup d'état.Reflective with a kind of circular logic edging toward a darker surrealism, these poems are at times comically satirical, but always grounded in fresh ethos. A pleasure of language and circumstance, where passengers on a boat peer through "a thick, absorbent mist" and the poet moves "through/the city like a bundle of kindling./ All day I wait for a bit of friction/ to transform me," The Fool sets its sights on a world riddled with panaceas designed to course-correct our lives.

Edited by Ian A.C. Dejardin and Sarah Milroy, with an introduction by Sarah Milroy.

"Moving the museum: indigenous & Canadian Art at the AGO documents the reopening of the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art with a renewed focus on the AGO's Indigenous art collection. The volume reflects the nation to nation treaty relationship that is the foundation of Canada, asking questions, discovering truths, and leading conversations that address the weight of history. Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 reproductions, Indigenous & Canadian Art at the AGO features the work of First Nations artists--including Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, and Kent Monkman--along with work by Inuit artists like Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Canadian artists include Lawren Harris, Kazuo Nakamura, Joyce Wieland, and many others. Drawing from stories about our origins and identities, the featured artists and essayists invite readers to engage with issues of land, water, transformation, and sovereignty and to contemplate the historic representation of Indigenous and Canadian art in museums. Contains a list of works at the back."--

Written by Dale Sheppard; contributions from Cynthia Carroll, and Melissa Marr.

Accompanies an exhibition held at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery during October 2020 and touring in 2021 and 2022.