Books published by Magenta

This collection of short stories presents a socially conscious critique of various issues in our society by re-visioning significant attitudes and activities concerning competition, militarism, environmentalism, advertising, watching tv, going to school, shopping, hunting, the news, sex, religion, and government. Social commentary and activism via fiction. "As the title indicates, this collection of stories is about getting into the thick of things, taking sides, taking action, and speaking out loud and clear, however unpopular your opinion may be. ... refreshingly out of the ordinary."  Joan McGrath, Canadian Book Review AnnualFirst edition published 1990; this is the second edition.

Each poem in this collection describes a painting or a sculpture: some, a re-vision of a classic; others, an original work not yet realized. Among the artists whose work is re-imagined are Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Dali, Botticelli, Monet, and Rodin. "It has been a long time since I've read a poetry book, but when I came across Paintings and Sculptures by Chris Wind, I was hooked. You know that feeling-when you read the first page and you know you're going to like the book? That happened when I read the first poem. ... I loved "Mona" and I could picture the scene; it might have happened that way, we'll never know. Also, "The Last Supper" was brilliantly clever. But my favourite one was "Lady of Justice"-such a fine poem, with a subtle message ... This is for sure a book I'll reread every couple months!" Mesca Elin 5/5¿Praise for chris wind's poetry collections"... a top pick of poetry and very much worth considering." Midwest Book Review about dreaming of kaleidoscopes" ... not only dynamic, imaginative verse writing, but extremely intelligent and intuitive insight ..." Joanne Zipay, Judith Shakespeare Company, NYC about Soliloquies: the lady doth indeed protest"There is anger and truth here, not to mention courage." Eric Folsom, Next Exit about UnMythed

In a near-future, ''gender recognition'' legislation is repealed, and it becomes illegal for males to identify as females and females to identify as males. However, due in part to the continued conflation of sex and gender and in part to the insistence that gender align with sex, it also becomes illegal for males to be feminine and females to be masculine. A gender identity dystopia. CATEGORY FINALIST FOR THE ERIC HOFFER AWARD 2021"A gripping read." Katya, Goodreads

How is it that the girl who got the top marks in high school ends up, at fifty, scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets for minimum wage, living in a room above Vera''s Hairstyling, in a god-forsaken town called Powassan?  Feminist theorist Dale Spender wrote, in Women of Ideas and What Men Have Done to Them, "We need to know how patriarchy works. We need to know how women disappear...."  Although Spender spoke of women who disappear from the historical record, women all too often seem to disappear from any sort of public life as soon as they leave high school: so many shine there, but once they graduate, they become invisible. What happens to them?This is what happens provides several answers as it traces this disappearance with a microscopic examination of one woman''s life. There are three voices juxtaposed throughout the novel: the fresh, impassioned protagonist speaking through her journal entries from the age of fifteen; the sarcastic, now-fifty protagonist commenting about the events of her life, occasionally speaking to her younger self; and the dispassionate narrator. The novel''s audience is primarily women-it will resonate most with older women, but it is younger women who most need to read it. Because this is what happens.  "An incisive reflection on how social forces constrain women''s lives. ... Great for fans of Sylvia Plath, Doris Lessing''s The Golden Notebook." Booklife/Publishers'' Weekly"I find the writing style very appealing ... An interesting mix of a memoir and a philosophical work, together with some amazing poetry. ... This is what happens ranks in my top five of books ever read." Mesca Elin, Psychochromatic Redemption

Impact presents an extended confrontation between a sexual assault victim and her assailants, as part of an imagined slightly revised court process, in order to understand why they did what they did and, on that basis, to make a recommendation to the court regarding sentence. It does not go ... as expected. A novella for women and men alike."Edgy, insightful, terrific writing, propelled by rage against rape. Tittle writes in a fast-paced, dialogue-driven style that hurtles the reader from one confrontation to the next. Chock full of painful social observations .... " Hank Pellissier, Director of Humanist Global Charity"This is not an easy book to read, and there are times when you just have to close the book and breathe. ..." Mesca Elin, Psychochromatic Redemption"[Impact] it made me think (and will so for a long time) about the woman''s place in society, about how men see us ..." Alexandra, Goodreads"A deftly scripted novella by an author with a genuine flair for a riveting narrative style of storytelling that will engage the dedicated attention for women and men from first page to last, Impact effectively showcases the personal and social consequences of misogyny ... While highly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that Impact is also readily available in a digital book format." Micah Andrew, Midwest Book Review ...

What if one day, all of the women suddenly disappeared, leaving the men to take their places, fill their roles, do what they did. What would happen? How would the men react?Here and now, women''s subordination is so systemic it''s unremarkable (to all but serious feminists). In It Wasn''t Enough, once women are gone and men have to take their places, fill their roles, the subordination becomes remarkable-that is, it becomes noticeable. And then- What would happen? Would men finally see that their world is based, unjustifiably so, on a hierarchy of sex and, as a result, change it? Or would they just create a new, arbitrary, subordinate class to maintain their positions of power? CATEGORY FINALIST FOR THE ERIC HOFFER AWARD 2021"... a powerful and introspective dystopia .... It is a book I truly recommend for a book club as the discussions could be endless .... " Mesca Elin, Psychochromatic Redemption"Unlike far too many novels, this one will make you think, make you uncomfortable, and then make you reread it .... " C. Osborne moonspeaker.ca"I bought this today and just finished reading it (I couldn''t stop btw). It''s amazing, powerful, sad, devastating, funny, angering ... and I wish everyone could read it." Anonymous by request"Tittle''s book hits you hard .... " D. Sohi, Goodreads"I read this book from cover to cover in one afternoon, pulled inexorably along by the readable style and careful pacing. I then spent a long time staring at a wall, recovering from the free-fall, hurtling journey, coming to the conclusion that this book must be read." Shefali Sequeira, 4w"I absolutely enjoyed it. There were times when I was thinking ''There''s no way this would happen,'' but then I''d check the references at the back and sure enough there it was." Sarah Rean

What if there was an app that could cloak you in a cross-gendered hologram? And it had a voice modulation module? Women could present as men and get better-paying jobs. Men could present as women and get groped in the subway. Cool.The ReGender App is a humourous expose of the sexism in our society."The characters are ... intelligent, witty, and adventurous.  I enjoyed their dialogue and insights. ...  This is a book I really recommend to any book club and to people who are interested in gender differences and gender discrimination." Mesca Elin, Psychochromatic Redemption

A perfect cottage-warming gift. Sure to resonate with paddlers everywhere.You ever have a neighbour whose behaviour is so mind-bogglingly inconsiderate and so suicide-inducingly annoying that you just want to ask him, in a polite Canadian way, to please stop? TurboJetslams isn''t like that. Jass Richards'' new novel, TurboJetslams: Proof #29 of the Non-Existence of God, tells the tale of one person''s pathetic and hilarious attempts to single-handedly stop the destruction of a little piece of beautiful Canadian wilderness by the increasing numbers of idiots who couldn''t care less."Extraordinarily well written with wit, wisdom, and laugh-out-loud ironic recognition, "TurboJetslams: Proof #29 of the Non-Existence of God" is a highly entertaining and a riveting read that will linger on in the mind and memory long after the little book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf (or shoved into the hands of friends with an insistence that they drop everything else and read it!). Highly recommended for community library collections." Midwest Book Review

A unique collection of feminist prose and poetry in five sections: I. Epistles: epistles written by Eve, Cain''s wife, Noah''s wife, Delilah, the Queen of Sheba, Mary, and others - as if they were feminist II. Myths: the myths within the myths revealed - what might Pandora, Circe, Penelope, Eurydice, Persephone, the Gorgons, and others have thought and done if they had not been the creations of a chauvinist patriarchy? III. Letters: letters that might have been written by Lady Godiva, Milton''s daughter, Rubens'' model, Mozart''s mother, Freud''s wife, Plato''s students, and others - assuming a feminist consciousness IV. Soliloquies: soliloquies delivered by Juliet, Ophelia, Lady MacBeth, Kate, Desdemona, Regan, Miranda, and others - protesting the role given to them by Shakespeare V. Fairy Tales: the classic fairy tales retold - what would have happened if Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and others had been strong and critical girls and women living today?"...an excellent and much recommended pick for unique fiction collections." Michael Dunford, Midwest Book Review

What if people had to get a license before they could be parents? Rev and Dylan (whom we meet in THE ROAD TRIP DIALOGUES) have returned from their BLASPHEMY TOUR to discover that Canada has adopted the Parent Licence Act: people who wish to become parents must apply for, and meet certain requirements before being granted, a licence. What if? After all, we require hairdressers and plumbers to be licensed. Dylan, freelance journalist, investigates, interviews, and observes; Rev, loose cannon, solves an 'illegal fertilization' mystery. They both occasionally get stoned and silly, and deal with a baby wolf who has adopted them. Jass Richards makes you laugh and think at the same time."I'm very much intrigued by the issues raised in this narrative. I also enjoy the author's voice, which is unapologetically combative but also funny and engaging." A.S. "I love Froot Loup! You make me laugh out loud all the time!" Celeste M."A thought-provoking premise and a wonderful cast of characters." H.W.

Funny, feel-good, happy-ever-after dog stories featuring the ever-quirky, ever-sarcastic Brett from This Will Not Look Good on My Resume. Also featured are her own two dogs, Kessie and Snookums, and her four regulars, Chum, Hunk, Little Miss, and Spunky Doo.

In The Road Trip Dialogues (the prequel), Rev and Dylan are charged with blasphemy for adding "'Blessed are they that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stone.' Psalms 137:9" to a Right-to-Life billboard just outside Algonquin Park. As a result of a well-publicized court trial, the American Atheist Consortium offers an all-expenses-paid speaking tour of American Bible Colleges. Guess what happens. The Blasphemy Tour. Where philosophy meets stand-up."If I were Siskel and Ebert I would give this book Two Thumbs Way Up. Yes, it is blasphemy toward organized religion, but it gives you tons of Bible verses to back up its premises. And besides, it's pure entertainment. There's a prequel which I recommend you read first: The Road Trip Dialogues. I only hope there will be a third book." L. K. Killian "Jass Richards has done it again. As I tell anyone who wants to listen, Jass is a comedy genius, she writes the funniest books and always writes the most believable unbelievable characters and scenes ... It's both funny and made me think at the same time. ... Overall, I highly recommend anything by Jass, especially this one book, which is full of comedy gold and food for thought." " May Arend, Brazilian Book Worm

The Road Trip Dialogues is a coming of age story. For those in their forties.Rev and Dylan are intelligent, sensitive, idealistic, enthusiastic, and -- utter failures. When they reconnect twenty years after teacher''s college, Rev is en route to Montreal to see the fireworks festival. (Something with great social and political import.) (Oh shut up. I tried. For twenty years. So to hell with it.). Dylan goes along for the ride. (Typical.)

intensely honest and unbearably sensitive, a non-thematic 'best of' collection of poems spanning about fifteen years, from the poet's late teens in the 1970s to her early thirties in the 1990s - "scabs and scars blowing across the snow""dreaming of kaleidoscopes is a top pick of poetry and is very much worth considering." Midwest Book Review