“With this mayor, the media should be asking about only one issue” by Yaakov ben Avraham

 

I’m all too familiar with the two slogans that frame the pro-Hamas, antizionist propaganda campaign. They’re chanted everywhere from Canada to Australia. But I can hear them every Sunday just a few blocks from my house at the intersection of Bathurst and Sheppard.

There’s no consulate at the corner or any MP’s office. It’s just a Jewish neighbourhood, which is what brings the antizionists here, because this isn’t normal politics; it’s a hate movement.

Slogan number one: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” or in short form, “Free Palestine.”

Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea lies the State of Israel. The meaning of the “Free Palestine” chants heard at every pro-Palestinian demonstration is perfectly clear: free “Palestine” of Israel, wipe it off the map. On October 7, 2023, Hamas demonstrated the preferred means: massacre the Jews, every one of them, man, woman, and child.

Few anti-Israel demonstrators explicitly call for mass murder, not even the ones who openly celebrated the October 7 massacre or who literally danced in the street. As for those who may pick up the butcher knife themselves, they don’t advertise. But the antizionists all glibly excuse the murder of Jews. This is the clear meaning of the second slogan heard at their demonstrations: “By any means necessary.”

Rape, kidnapping, and murder, sexual mutilations, torture, and executions of whole families one after the other – this is what Hamas deems “necessary” – this is what antizionists excuse.

Sure, many university kids don’t know what river or sea they’re chanting about. Likewise, many writers and artists who sign open letters calling for Israelis to be cast out of humanity don’t understand the words they mouth; they’re just chasing the hatred du jour.

But Olivia Chow, the mayor of Canada’s largest city?

She can’t claim naiveté, especially as she’s been around leftist politics for decades. The “Free Palestine” crowd are her people.

So, when Olivia Chow called out “Free Palestine” at this June’s Pride Parade, she knew she was calling for death to Israel. At best, she might claim to be pandering to the haters in her base.

But imagine there were a movement to murder gay people that had massacred 1,200, perhaps in New York’s West Village and taken another 251 hostage. Imagine Toronto held many supporters of this movement and that restaurants, shops, and schools in Toronto’s gay village at been shot at dozens of times.

Suppose also that Constable Marc Pinizzotto was shot and killed while executing a search warrant connected to these imaginary anti-gay attacks – rather than in connection to the many shooting attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools, and the US Consulate, as actually happened. 

So, this imaginary anti-gay hate movement is responsible not only for uncountable murders abroad but also, allegedly, of a police officer here in Toronto.

Imagine also this anti-gay hate movement had the slogan: “Free the village” and Mayor Chow had shouted this slogan to oblige a hate group supporter.

She would be pilloried across the media, denounced by politicians and forced to resign. If she ran for re-election, the media wouldn’t let up. She’d want to talk about anything else, but reporters would ask, “Ms. Chow, do you support the murder of gays?”

Canadians don’t excuse people who support hate movements. With one all too obvious exception: a significant number of Canadians are fine with Jew-hatred dressed up as antizionism.

The National Post and the Toronto Sun (same media group) reported Chow’s words, and their columnists had much to say about them, none of it complimentary.

A Globe and Mail editorial, “Thoughts and prayers, Canadian Style,” pointed out that most politicians will say a few empty words when a synagogue or Jewish bakery is shot at, but fail to even name antizionsim as the hatred fuelling these attacks.

As for Mayor Olivia Chow, she’s "failed even more spectacularly," says the Globe. Yes, she says she’s dismayed when a Jewish school gets shot at, yadda, yadda, but she skips Jewish events and yells “Free Palestine” at the Pride Festival. "Through her actions,” the Globe says, “[she’s] shown where her sympathies lie."

And Chow continues to skip Jewish events. Recently, she took a pass on a debate about the orgy of antisemitism engulfing Toronto organized by Jewish Lawyers of Canada. The two other leading candidates in Toronto’s mayoral election were there – Brad Bradford and Chris Alexander. But not Chow.

Chow happily stands in front of a mic to declare that targeting the Jewish community is “despicable.” But she won’t stand in front of actual Jews. Jew-hatred is the one issue Chow dreads being confronted on.

By and large, the media seems willing to give her a pass. The Toronto Star and the CBC have never even noted Chow shouting the “Free Palestine” slogan.

Possibly, they’re instinctively shielding a politician much of their staff support. But I fear the real problem is that, like Chow, they’re sympathetic to antizionism. They’re okay with people hating Israel, Israelis and “Zionists.” They, too, are chasing the hatred du jour.

And it’s despicable. Because when the Mayor of Toronto shouts, “Free Palestine,” she’s encouraging others to go ahead and use “whatever means necessary.”

In Belleville, we saw this almost play out when a terrorist attempted to murder the Jews attending services there on the eve of Yom Kippur. Only the heroics of Constable Jeff Smith saved us from a mass casualty event, and now Jeff Smith still lies in the hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

I’m not suggesting Olivia Chow desired this outcome. Our homegrown antizionists prefer the terrorists to murder and rape far away; doubtless it feels less real that way. But Ms. Chow’s the mayor of Toronto. She can’t play at extremist politics. Real lives are at stake.

Constable Jeff Smith 

See the GoFundMe page for Jeff Smith here.

***

Yaakov ben Avraham is a writer, editor, and creative writing instructor who lives close to Bathurst and Sheppard in Toronto. He's writing under his Hebrew name for security reasons. This piece previously appeared on The Canadian Zionist Forum.

 

“Novellas are having a moment” – half a dozen publishers looking for novellas, novels, nonfiction, short stories and poetry

On September 27, we had the pleasure of hosting Gaby Sheiner, a new literary agent with Creative Artists Agency, one of the world’s largest entertainment agencies. (The book world is just a little corner of what they do. More on Gaby and CAA here.) During the workshop, Gaby mentioned that “Novellas are having a moment.” 

After decades of neglect, suddenly the big five publishers are acquiring novellas. Hachette has even launched a new imprint in its Union Square division devoted exclusively to novellas called Singularity.

They describe Singularity as “A bold new novella program dedicated to high-impact, one-sitting fiction.” It launched this month (Sept 2026) with novellas from Harlan Ellison (I have no mouth and I Must Scream) and Adam Cesare (Zero Lives Remaining). Read more about Singularity here.

Hachette imprints accept agented submissions only. But if you have a novella, this might be a good time to start querying agents. (And if you’re interested in getting or just meeting a literary agent, yes, I will be having another “How to Get Published” workshop soon.

But if you’re looking to submit to an independent Canadian publisher you don’t need an agent for, and you might try:

Stelliform Press “is a small independent literary press which publishes novellas, novels, short story collections, and works of creative nonfiction which address our world’s most pressing problems: climate change, ecological destruction, and the effect of these issues on how we relate to each other and to the other beings that live with us in the world. … Our stories challenge us to confront the roots of injustice which prevent us from achieving a better world for all.”

Currently, they are open to submissions only for novellas (17,500–39,999 words) by anyone and for novels (40,000–60,000 words) by BIPOC writers.

They are seeking science fiction, fantasy, quiet horror and literary works with speculative elements. Narratives should be interrelational, demonstrating some ways in which the environment changes us (and others) just as we change it.

Full submission guidelines here.

ECW Press has published at least one novella recently: Countess by Suzan Palumbo, in 2024 – which blends queer liberation themes with a sci-fi setting. For more on ECW Press and all the many kinds of books they publish, see here. 

Goose Lane Editions published How to Be Alone by Heather Nolan in 2023 – a pair of novellas that “depict the euphoric highs of a Queer awakening and the crushing lows of feeling Othered.” For more on Goose Lane, see here.

Book*hug Press published the novella, The Animals by Cary Fagan in 2022 – a realist novella with the air of a fairytale; a surprising, funny, and thought-provoking book that explores the nature of relationships. (Also, Book*Hug is particularly welcoming to older debut authors). More about Book*Hug here.

Caitlin Press published This Unlikely Soil by Andrea Routley in 2023 – a collection of five linked novellas exploring the failures of kindness and connection among a rural west-coast community of queer women.

Caitlin Press mainly publishes works of regional (BC) nonfiction, but also some fiction and poetry. Canadian authors only, with a majority being BC-based. They are interested in topics concerning BC or by writers from the BC Interior, stories about and by Canadian women, and LGBTQ+ voices. 

Dagger Editions is their imprint for the voices of queer womxn (anyone who includes this in their personal history) – visit Dagger Editions’ submission page for details about how to submit. 

Like everyone else, they encourage writers from marginalized backgrounds, including BIPOC-identifying folks, to submit their work.

In a normal year, Caitlin Press will publish twelve to fourteen books, most of which are regional nonfiction (e.g. BC history or exploration, industry, politics, contemporary creative nonfiction). The remaining titles are literary selections such as works of fiction, short fiction, poetry, or prose.

For the time being they are not publishing children’s fiction, but if you have an interesting children’s story that reflects life in Central BC, please feel free to send it.

Full submission guidelines here.

The Malahat Review awards a Novella Prize every other year (next deadline, Feb 2028), with a $2,000 prize and publication in the magazine. 

Malahat also has several other prestigious awards:

Open Season Awards – submit either poetry, short fiction, or creative nonfiction. Each is awarded a $2,000 prize. Submission fee: $20 until Sept 30, then $30. 

Deadline Nov 1, 2026. Full submission guideline here.

Long Poem Prize (deadline Feb 1, 2027),

Far Horizons Award for Poetry (deadline May 1, 2027)

Constance Rook Creative Nonfiction Prize (deadline Aug 1, 2027)

Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction (deadline May 1, 2028)

Details of all Malahat contests here.

Malahat also welcomes regular submissions of poetry short fiction, and creative nonfiction from January 11 to June 30 each year (and Feb 14 to Feb 28 for international writers. Full submission guidelines here.

For information about other publishers looking for manuscripts, see here (and scroll down).

See more writing contests and markets for your short pieces here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful retreats here.

A terror attack in Belleville greets Yom Kippur 5787

Ezekiel's vision from the Leipzig mahzor {prayer book for the high holy days}

On Rosh Hashanah it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed – how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time and who before time, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague  …

-         From the high holidays prayer book

 May you all be inscribed and sealed for a good year, a healthy year, and a happy year.

Special for this year, the City of Toronto has erected signs in front of all the synagogues saying it's against a bylaw to harass Jews while we’re praying. (Actually, the sign’s a few hundred words long and doesn't mention Jews, but I thought I'd boil it down for you.) Thank you, Toronto. But in our current antizionist times, it's the policemen with guns that are actually more helpful. See here. 

Scene of attempted terror attack outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville
Constable Jeff Smith was critically wounded by the terrorist. Our prayers go out for his swift recovery.

As for Toronto’s new bylaw, the antizionists ignored it. They gathered outside the Meridian Centre in North York, which was being used for High Holiday services, to taunt Jews as they entered on Yom Kippur.

Neil Herland, a CBC journalist, recorded his experience of running the gauntlet.

“I'm a journalist,” he wrote. “And I happen to be Jewish. On Yom Kippur I went to a synagogue service in Toronto and was met by protesters trying to taunt and intimidate me from entering the building.

“My late father was an Austrian Jew who survived the Holocaust in Romania. And came to Canada as a refugee. This year I got an Austrian passport, in case Canada becomes unsafe for me as a Jew. I fear that moment is approaching, here in Canada and elsewhere.

“Jewish Canadians are living in a parallel world. Where police stand guard with guns outside synagogues. And Jewish schools, religious sites and businesses are targeted with bullets."

See Neil's full posting and video here.

As for my family, we updated our non-Canadian passports a while ago, just in case. I wrote about it  here.

Update, Sept 25, 2026: The CBC has pulled Neil Herland off the air for posting what happened to him and subjected him to a disciplinary hearing. See here. 

"Clinging to what saves me" by Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt

Tanya at work

 Clinging to what saves me

Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt

 

When I’m writing a novel,

there are certain things I can control:

who says what, and where, who gets to fall in love

and who must die a tragic death

alone, on a bridge, under a moonless sky.

 

I make wondrous things happen:

like finding hidden treasure

or a message in a bottle,

a new constellation

or a city hidden beneath the sea.

 

It’s exhilarating and exhausting

to exert such control, to be the mastermind

of my detailed maps and charts and timelines,

my lists of names and dates and perils.

 

But when the world beyond my desk tilts sideways,

slides off the edge and is swallowed into the abyss,

when catastrophe and plague threaten

like pirates to set my ship on fire,

grab me by the throat and rob me blind

 

my stories are the flotsam that will save me,

the driftwood oars that will row me to shore,

build a fire to warm my shivering body

and shelter me from the raging storm.

***

Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt is an accomplished author. Her latest memoir, Carrying War, was published by Dundurn Press in August 2026 (see here). She’s also the author of her critically acclaimed memoir Peacekeeper’s Daughter, available through the publisher, Thistledown Press here or order it through your local bookstore (see here). 

Tanya has also published two volumes of poetry with Shoreline Press: Chaos Theories of Goodness (here) and The Hospitality of Trees (here).

Tanya’s award-winning essays, poems and fictions have been published in numerous journals and anthologies including Grain, Prairie Fire, Malahat Review, The New Quarterly, and Best Canadian Essays 2015 and 2019. She holds an MA in English Literature from McGill and an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC.

Visit Tanya online here.

Read more short pieces about reading and writing here (and scroll down). Read other short stories, essays, and reviews by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful writing retreats here.

19 literary agents at Creative Artists Agency are seeking new authors

Karolina Sutton, who represents Margaret Atwood, is one of the agents at CAA who's open to new authors

Creative Artists Agency

https://www.caa.com/entertainmenttalent/books/

Creative Artists Agency is a leading entertainment and sports agency. that includes a full-service literary agency with two dozen US-based agents in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, and another five agents in the UK. More than 100 of their books appear on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers lists every year. Their clients include myriad Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, and Baillie Gifford Prize, and National Book Award winners.

Most of their agents are open for submissions. Including:

Hillary Jacobson represents a wide array of adult and young adult fiction, as well as select nonfiction. Quick Brown Fox readers may be familiar with her as Laurie Elizabeth Flynn’s agent.

Hillary began her career at Independent Creative Management in 2015 and joined CAA in 2022 following the agency’s acquisition of ICM.

A lifelong obsessive reader, she is always on the hunt for writing that provokes a strong emotional reaction, adds an important perspective to the cultural conversation, or challenges the reader's beliefs. She is particularly drawn to suspense, coming-of-age narratives, sweeping family sagas, moving love stories and rom-coms, as well as speculative fiction.

To submit your work, please send your pitch and the first 10 pages of your manuscript in the body of an email. She responds to every query, and her average response time is approximately one month.

Submit through Hillary’s profile page here.

Gaby Sheiner is Hilary Jacobson’s assistant and has just begun building her own list – so she definitely needs authors! Gaby represents both fiction and nonfiction. On the fiction side, she’s looking for commercial and upmarket authors and is always on the lookout for buzzy book club fiction, thrillers and suspense, romance, and family sagas. 

On the nonfiction side, she is particularly interested in cookbooks and lifestyle, psychology, memoirs, and books by experts with distinctive perspectives and authority in their fields. 

Gabby began her career at CAA in 2023. She is from Toronto, Ontario, and is a graduate of Tufts University.

To submit to Gaby, send a query letter and the first 10 pages of your manuscript to: gaby.sheiner@caa.com

For memoir, add a short synopsis, though note that Gaby doesn’t accept many memoirs from queries. 

Tia Ikemoto is another relative newcomer to CAA. Based in the New York office, she represents a diverse range of nonfiction and fiction across the commercial to literary spectrum.

She began her career at ICM Partners in 2019 assisting the co-head of the Publishing department and joined CAA in 2022 following the agency’s acquisition of ICM. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Communication and a minor in Business.

She is seeking fiction and nonfiction projects that resonate with a wide audience. She is drawn to compelling and propulsive storytelling, emotionally resonant narratives, and high concept projects with unique hooks or fresh perspectives.

Submit through her profile page here.

See profiles of all of CAA’s US-based agents here.

Rachel Mann is based in CAA’s London office. She represents a broad range of work – largely fiction, with some non-fiction – from commercial to literary, in adult, young adult, and middle-grade markets.

Her clients include Eliza Clark, Caleb Femi, Jade LB and Aisling Rawle, and have won and been listed for major prizes, including the Granta Best Young British Novelist, the Forward Prize for Poetry, the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, The Bookseller Discover Prize, and the Carnegie Medal.

She spent ten years editing and commissioning fiction for young people at houses including Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, and was global publishing director at the Roald Dahl Story Company. She became an agent in 2018 and joined CAA in 2023.

She gravitates towards darkly comic and formally inventive works. She seeks compelling voices, unpatronizing writing, and vivid, complex characters. International settings and traditions and radical social commentary will always capture her attention. To submit, please send a cover email, one-page synopsis and the first three chapters of your work, or the rough equivalent.

Submit through her profile page here.

Margaret Atwood and Karolina Sutton
at the Alhambra in Granada

Karolina Sutton (also based in the London office) is known for launching successful debuts in literary and upmarket commercial fiction, as well as shepherding long-term literary careers. Sutton is always keen to hear from new voices in both fiction and non-fiction, including traditional storytellers and writers introducing new ideas or challenging form and convention.

Sutton does not limit her interests to specific genres; her work spans literary fiction, crime and psychological suspense, historical fiction, serious non-fiction, and memoir. She enjoys works that are ambitious, innovative, intellectually curious, immersive, and psychologically astute.

She has worked with some of the most loved and admired novelists, journalists, academics, politicians, artists, and public figures, including winners of the Booker Prize, the Nobel Peace Prize, the Costa First Novel Award, and the UK's premier non-fiction awards, from the Orwell Prize to the Baillie Gifford Prize. Sutton represents writers from around the world. Her clients include Margaret Atwood, Oliver Bullough, Philippa Perry, and Amia Srinivasan, among others.

In 2020, Sutton was named Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards.

She is looking for literary and upmarket commercial fiction, as well as narrative and ideas-based non-fiction. Please send a query letter and the manuscript to: ukbooksubmissions@caa.com

Or submit through her profile page here.

See profiles of all of CAA’s Uk-based agents here.

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful writing retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post: here.

“Two visits to Sherwood Inn, 80 years apart, in 1943 and 2023” by Elizabeth Sime

Bag unpacked and I’m almost back to my normal routine, after a stimulating October weekend at a writing retreat with Brian Henry at Sherwood Inn. The last time I was at Sherwood was in August 1943 during the second World War when I was ten.

My father learnt about Sherwood Inn from Mr. Draper, a business associate from Bay Street in Toronto. Father was looking for a small Inn on Lake Joseph where he could take Mother and I for a week of day trips by canoe.  My parents’ main interests on this holiday were canoeing, good food, and staying in a friendly place with like-minded people. Mother was in agreement and I didn’t have a choice, but was looking forward to being in or on the water. 

Mr. Draper arranged for a red cedar strip canoe to be ready on the beach for our adventures. We brought our own paddles which were suitable for our height. Father always paddled stern and had a wider paddle. There were no life jackets in those days. I was dumped in deep water and taught to kick the canoe to shore. At ten, when I was learning to paddle, we stayed close to the shore. 

Young Betsy Draper's dog Jet in
the formal dining room at Sherwood Inn

Each morning when not raining rattlesnakes, we set out with a packed lunch for a day trip on the lake. There were lots of rocks and places to swim for our lunch time stops.  I was happy. 

Now the lake is ringed with palatial "cottages." [Supermodel Cindy Crawford and her gazillionaire husband Rande Gerber own a quaint mansion here.] But in 1943 only a few simple cottages suitable for living in the bush could be found on Lake Joseph. These cottages had no electricity other than provided for by a small generator for lights. There was an outhouse, a wood stove for cooking, and a box with a block of ice to keep food cool.  The cottages had large screened-in porches to deal with the summer bug problem.

Mothers spent July and August with their children at the cottage, enjoying nature away from city activities. In the 1940’s polio was on the rampage and it was safer for children to be out of the city.  The cooler breezes up north were better than spending the summer in the city without air conditioning. And, there was always a lake to jump into when it was hot. 

To get to Muskoka in 1943 was a journey. Some travelled by car and others by train. In those days, 50 miles an hour was the speed limit on highways and Number 11 was the only road to the north. It went through the busy centres of all the villages and towns between Toronto and Muskoka. Gas was rationed but my father saved up enough coupons for the summer holiday trip to the north. 

At the slow speed of travel, we had time to absorb the change in landscape. When the highway went through the blasted rock-cut at Severn,  I remember thinking , We are now in rock country.  The trees also changed, to pine, spruce and hemlock. This was not a gradual change; suddenly we were in a different world. I felt as if I was really going to the north, far away from city activities.

Thomas B. Costain, author of The Silver Chalice and 85 other novels on one of his many stays at Sherwood Inn

Other guests would go by train to Gravenhurst and proceed by boat to Sherwood. I remember the supply boat coming to the main dock. I think it was called the Constance. The boat was a floating store to provide supplies to the few cottagers on the lake.  

On a rainy day, when we weren’t out paddling, I heard a bell ring when the boat was about to dock.  I ran down with twenty-five cents to buy two Neilson’s Burnt Almond Chocolate bars with blue wrappers. I even got five cents in return. Chocolate was a real treat during the War, as sugar was rationed. I ate one of the bars before I got to my parents to share my purchase.

We arrived at Sherwood late in the afternoon in time for dinner, tired after the long curvy drive from Toronto in our blue Plymouth.  Not like today when it only takes a couple of hours to speed along the straight 400.  At dinner, it was expected males would wear jackets and ties and females a dress. Even at home, my father always wore a tie and jacket for dinner and my mother changed from her daytime attire. For my family, this was a normal routine.

Artist Lawren Harris was another frequent
guest at Sherwood. The tranquility of the setting
attracted writers and artists – and still does. 

Customs have changed at Sherwood. In 2023, I brought a dressy sweater to wear at dinner just in case the dress code still existed.  I don’t own a dress or skirt anymore. The sweater went home unused, which was okay with me. This weekend the majority of guests were with me on the writing retreat. It was not necessary to change clothes between activities. Wearing something comfy was more important.  

Activities blended into each other. Breakfast, lecture time from Brian, rapid writes, one-on-one project discussion with Brian, lunch, more writing tips from Brian, then time to write. Dinner was at six, followed by a session of listening to pieces written by group members. The day was full.

I did have time to absorb some nature. I watched the lake changing from whitecaps one day to being like a mirror the next.  To stand under the tall majestic pines, smell and see a log fire burning each night just outside the front door reminded me I was staying in a northern forest. It was stimulating for me to spend time with like-minded people who shared a common interest in writing. Canoe tripping in 1943 and writing in 2023, were both very enjoyable experiences at an Inn where the personal touch is still important, the staff are all delightful, and the company of fellow writers is the best of all.  

***

Elizabeth Sime is a retired Public Health Nurse who practiced in the Yukon and Ontario. In her retirement she enjoys painting and writing. She is currently working on a memoir about her time with Indian and Northern Health Service in the 1950's.

For details of Brian's upcoming writing retreat at Sherwood Inn, see here.

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful retreats here.