Latitude’s Substack

November Newsletter

Latitude 46 Publishing — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 15:01:26 GMT

The month of October was filled with many fun and exciting literary events for Latitude 46. With all the holidays (Thanksgiving and Halloween) and fun fall activities in October, we had plenty of exciting events of our own to celebrate!

On October 23rd, we celebrated the launch of Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant's Love Letter to Food, Family, and Resilience by Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli. The launch took place at the Caruso Club in Sudbury and was a full house.

That same weekend was the Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival and a few of our authors participated as panellists.

News and Reviews!

Check out the recent media coverage and reviews for our authors and their books!

Celebrating Italian-Canadian Voices by the University of Guelph’s Italian-Canadian Narratives Showcase says, “This work joins a growing body of Italian-Canadian narratives that remind us how stories of migration continue to nourish cultural memory and community.”

Laura Stradiotto interviewed Rosanna for The Sudbury Star before the launch and shares Rosanna’s writing process and the real intent behind many of the stories that were not initially meant for publication.

From Sudbury.com, fellow author and historian, Dieter Buse highlights how one of the stories captures the challenge of moving to a new country as a child. “Most important is her own experience as an outsider, as different because of language and clothes, with the difficulties of assimilation and integration that all immigrants experience.”

CBC Sudbury’s host of Up North, Jonathan Pinto chatted with Brit Griffin about the inspiration behind the writing of The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien.

Learn more about the research and building of The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien as a uniquely northern gothic tale in her interview with Open Book. “One of the characters, a ghost librarian who is also a raven, loosened up my ideas about who has a voice, and raised questions about how immutable our physical human form actually is—all good inputs for an emerging gothic imagination.”

All Lit Up’s recent series “Women asking Women,” for Women's History Month in October, featured Brit Griffin in Conversation with Mackenzie Nolan, author of Veal (ECW Press). “I see a scene, hear voices, like eavesdropping almost, and then write it down,” shares Brit in her conversation.

The November issue of The Walleye has a feature on The Upending of Wendall Forbes. “I like to explore those human relationships and people getting to know each other."

David also appeared as a guest on the podcast Canada Reads American Style with host Tara. They discuss the themes of hope and despair in the characters lives and the relationship between youth and ageing.

Coming up in November…

Sunday, November 3rd: Entershine Bookshop Book Club, The Upending of Wendall Forbes, 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 8: James L. McIntyre Centennial Library, Sault Ste. Marie, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29: Toronto Public Library Event with author Maria Coletta McLean. Jane/Sheppard Branch, 1906 Sheppard Ave. W., 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30: Phylum Reading Series, St. Catherines, ON, Niagara Artists Centre, 7:00 p.m. -9:00 p.m. Rosanna in person, Brit and David over zoom.

Do you remember when we launched our very first short fiction anthology in November 2015? It’s been 10 years now and continues to be a favourite read.

An interstellar event occurs in your backyard. Time served in a Sudbury jail cell turns unexpected. A mudcat is caught. A prostitute pokes out underneath a hotel bed. A ghostly figure visits a painter. A bag of rotten carrots ruins a friendship. These are just some of the eclectic tales in this newest addition to the mythos of Northern Ontario. Along the 46th features 13 authors, 13 unique perspectives on the space beneath the 46thparallel. Prepare to confront and re-imagine the places we call home, the homes we promised ourselves we’d never revisit, and the promises we thought we could keep.

The holiday and gift giving season is ramping up this month and we are planning to curate some great gift bundles for your readers. Look out for our Black Friday and holiday sales coming soon!

Coming March 2026, SuperCanucks: An Anthology of Canadian Small-Town Superheros!

SuperCanucks features eleven stories that explore the usual superhero tropes while shining a spotlight on the unique corners of Canada. Not your typical big city superhero, but those who live in and around Canada’s more often overlooked locales—isolated small towns and rural outposts. These heroes battle unique Canadian dangers, including government bureaucracy and the overreaching neighbours in the south.

Pre-Order today! Place your order through Latitude 46, Indigo, Amazon, or from your local bookseller.

Pre-Order

As always you can get any of our books from your favourite bookseller or directly from Latitude 46.

Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant's Love Letter to Food, Family, and Resilience

Latitude 46 Publishing — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:15:26 GMT

Latitude 46 is excited for readers to get their copy of Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli’s latest creative non-fiction collection, Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to Food, Family, and Resilience that details her story as an immigrant and how that and many other aspects of her life have shaped her identity. Launched on October 23rd, 2025 and available from your favourite bookseller.

In this creative non-fiction collection, award-winning teacher and author Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli depicts roles she has assumed over the decades: daughter, sister, mother, teacher. Rebelling at some of the handmade clothes she had to wear in her youth, spending time in hospital as her dad’s health fails, learning some life lessons from her students, and reflecting on the influences of her first language and culture, Battigelli shares these and other stories vividly. Whether navigating the choppy waters of family challenges & loss or recounting lighter moments, Battigelli writes with unflinching honesty, measured doses of humour, and with heart and spirit. The stories encapsulate the moments and incidents that have impacted her in various ways throughout her life, ways that ultimately helped shape her character and sensibilities as a daughter, mother, teacher, and writer.

A multiple award-winning teacher and writer, Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli was born in Calabria, Italy, and immigrated to Canada with her family at three years of age. She is a professional member of The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC), the Canadian Authors Association (CAA), the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers (AICW), the Italian American Writers Association (IAWA) and the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, & Performers (CANSCAIP). An alumna of the Humber School for Writers, she has been published in twenty anthologies and journals and has read at many conferences and literary events in Canada, the U.S. and Italy. Her novel La Brigantessa (Inanna Publications, 2018) was awarded a 2019 Gold IPPY Award for Historical Fiction, and was a finalist for two Canadian Literary Awards in 2019. Pigeon Soup & Other Stories (Inanna, 2021) was honoured as a Finalist in the Fiction: Short Story category of the 2021 American BookFest Best Book Awards and the 2022 International Book Awards.

Along with writing historical fiction, short fiction, and creative non-fiction, Rosanna has had five romance novels published with Harlequin/Mills & Boon (Harper Collins) and two children’s books published with Pajama Press. Rosanna lives in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. (www.rosannabattigelli.com)

Praise for Rosanna’s collection includes:

Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli proves herself a virtuosa of creative non-fiction, blending poetic precision with emotional depth and gentle humour. Rooted in Italian heritage and quiet resilience, this tender collection finds solace in small, sensory joys—spoonfuls of Nutella, the scent of home cooking, the rhythm of ritual and conversation. With honesty and grace, Battigelli offers a heartfelt meditation on identity, loss, and renewal, exploring the spaces between longing and belonging.

— Elio Iannacci, Globe and Mail, Vogue Italia

If you want a story of true human spirit and strength, Sonia Saikaley is sure Product of Italy will touch your heart:

Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to Food, Family, and Resilience is a captivating non-fiction collection that delves into themes of migration, memory and cultural identity. Through evocative storytelling rooted in personal experience, acclaimed author Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli crafts a tender and beautifully written narrative of resilience, grief and hope. This poignant work celebrates the enduring spirit of immigrants and the unbreakable bonds of family, offering an intimate portrait of belonging and the transformative power of dreams. From beginning to end, the stories in this compassionate book will touch your heart and mind.

— Sonia Saikaley, author of The Allspice Bath

With Rosanna’s beautiful writing and story telling skills she pens this love letter as she calls it but others think her brave lyricism resembles more of a hymn:

Product of Italy, Made in Canada is an engaging and refreshingly Promethean journey toward personal reconciliation with the past, self-identity, a sense of recognition, and full personal agency. Penned with perceptible literary skill and sophistication, with memory-laden lyrical passages, and with similes that smack of old-country flavours, Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli’s latest collection of short stories, perhaps much more than a “love letter”, as the author reveals in the subtitle, is an immigrant hymn to food, family, and resilience, the three essential components in her enduring search. A tastefully arranged and charmingly crafted compilation.

—Gabriel Niccoli, Professor Emeritus, St. Jerome’s University, University of Waterloo. Editor of Ricordi: Racconti di vite oltreoceano and Patterns of Nostos in Italian Canadian Narratives. International Reader for Italy’s most prestigious literary award, the Premio Strega.

Latitude 46 had a couple questions for our author on her experience working on this collection. When asked about her experience writing Product of Italy, Made in Canada here is what she had to say:

“I wrote the stories in this book over many years, probably about two decades. Some were published in anthologies. At a certain point, I decided to gather them, along with some unpublished stories, into my own collection. There were themes relating to food, to family, and to life challenges, such as dealing with a sick parent or a significant loss. Some stories were light, others were poignant, with emotional themes that most people can identify with. I originally thought of calling the collection: Meatballs, Migration, & Other Memories, but after some consideration, I felt that the title of one of the stories in the book would fit better: Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant’s Memories & Musings. But that changed as well, based on a comment my editor Randall Perry made about the book: ‘It’s a love letter to food, family, and Canada.’ Ultimately, the title became: Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to Food, Family, and Resilience. I thought this final title was spot on!”

Family is a big inspiration in Rosanna's stories. Some writer's will find non-fiction challenging because the characters are real people. We asked Rosanna, “Do you ever feel like you have to ask permission to tell these stories?”

“If I am unsure about something that I’m writing about in non-fiction, I will ask the appropriate family member about it. Generally, if I am writing from memory, I am focusing on my particular feelings and viewpoint, which could differ from another member’s interpretation.

If I am writing about other people outside my family, as I did about several students in this collection, I asked the student’s parent(s) for permission to submit the story for publication after giving them a copy for them to read. Since two of these stories were written decades ago, I also contacted the parents again to ensure they were fine with getting the stories published at this time. And the students, now in their 20s, were on board with my request also. I am thrilled that they agreed to attend my book launch!”

If you are still looking to read more of Rosanna’s work you can read an excerpt of Product of Italy, Made in Canada below and see her heartfelt resilience and bravery for yourself.

In April 1963, Canada was not our Canada. Canada was a place where our ship landed, unloaded the lot of us out at Pier 21, and rested its ample body on the cool blue sheets of the Atlantic before puffing its way back to Italy. The mighty Saturnia—how many immigrants traveled nestled within its ribcage during its lifetime? Felt its heart beating along with theirs, felt it heaving with every breath of the capricious wind.

She wishes she could recall the trip itself—her one and only transatlantic journey. But she was only three. Over the years, she has strained to remember something, anything. She wonders, why is memory so important as one gets older? Why is there such a desire to retrieve memories of the past, of the minute details of life, of the evidence of one’s existence on this planet? The only memory she can recall of that time, and it is fleeting, is of being in a very large space with a man—her father—and waiting. Waiting to see a movie on the ship? Waiting to enter the dining room? She’ll never know for sure.

We took the train from Halifax to Montreal, where we visited some of my mother’s cousins, who graciously put us up for two nights. We were five: my mother, my father, older sister, younger brother, me. Then the journey west to Ontario, then to the northern mining town of Sudbury, our final stop, where my mother’s brother had already settled and was working at the International Nickel Company—Inco—where my father would eventually find work, too.

The Canadian landscape in May did not please her mother, whose heartstrings were still attached to Italy. They trailed her everywhere like a lost puppy, tangling her emotions like a fallen ball of yarn. It took her a long time to get used to Canada, to northern Ontario, with its short growing season and its seemingly endless winters of swirling blizzards, waist-high snowdrifts, and freezing rain.

Her parents had risked everything and left their homeland to find work in the land of opportunity. The land that had attracted them, and thousands of others, to the possibility of a better life. A land with different languages, different customs, different dreams. Dreams for their children to have more than they did.

My life as a Canadian didn’t officially begin until I received my Canadian citizenship at the age of seven. My first memory of life in Canada is of being in a kindergarten classroom. I remember feeling completely alone and different. I was unable to understand my teacher. She didn’t speak my language and couldn’t understand me. It was a rude awakening. I was in Canada, but Canada wasn’t mine.

Of course, she eventually learned to speak English. She gobbled up the words she was taught, instinctively knowing, perhaps, that words were the key to fitting in. Belonging. Being like the others. But fitting in wasn’t easy. At home, her parents spoke to her in their Calabrese dialect, cooked the way they always did, raised her and her sister and brothers the way they would have in the old country. They made friends with the other Italian immigrants on their street and in their neighbourhood. When their parents could afford to buy a modest house, they continued their tradition of gardening.

Our Canada was “Little Italy.” Our Canadian garden had tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, peas, beans, broccoli, and dandelions. Pomodori, zucchini, melanzane, piselli, fagiola, rapini, e cicoria… everything we could imagine from the Italy of old. Our parents continued to cling to their other traditions: making tomato preserves and wine in the fall, “chinuli” pastries at Christmas, pork sausages in January, sweet “cuzzupi” pastries at Easter. Oh, the sights and the smells! All those bushels of shiny tomatoes, their skins glistening; the sweet aroma of fresh tomato sauce, bubbling away with fresh, green sprigs of basilico; the musky fermenting smell of the zinfandel, muscat, and alicante grapes; the first taste of the pan-fried pork sausages sprinkled with pepper and fennel seed. Our Canada was spaghetti and polpette (meatballs), riso e patate, brodo (chicken soup), melanzane ripiene (stuffed eggplants).

Unlike their parents, who favoured the foods they had always known, she and her siblings embraced the strangeness of Canadian food. They desperately wanted to try peanut butter and jam sandwiches instead of panini with mortadella and provolone cheese. They wanted to live more like Canadians. They were happy to go skating at the neighbourhood rink and to eat French fries and hot dogs at Bell Park by Ramsey Lake in the summer.

But, of course, we come full circle. We return to the traditions we were taught. Now, as adults, we buy mortadella and panini for our children. We try out our mother’s old recipes, the ones we had to write down, while she spent her lifetime cooking with a pinch of this or a handful of that. Farina quanto basta. Zucchero quanto basta. We enroll our children in Italian lessons. We want our Canadian children to appreciate our heritage, their heritage.

She knows her children love Canada. It is their land. It was always their land, right from the start. She has come to love Canada also. But she will never forget l’Italia bella. Like many immigrants, she will always remember her homeland with nostalgia, and she will return to her welcoming arms as often as she can, bringing back pictures of her golden beaches, turquoise seas, silver-green olive groves, magnificent cathedrals, picturesque piazzas. Pictures to keep her memories alive. Pictures she didn’t have when she first came to Canada.

And when we’re sitting with our caffè latte, recalling our recent visit to the old country, we realize just how Canadian we are, proud and tall like the Rockies, flexible like the Prairie wheat, solid like the Canadian Shield. We are Canada.

Product of Italy. Made in Canada!

Canada is ours. Like the words of the song we heard in school years ago, before some of us could even understand the words, “This land was made for you and me.”

By now you have surely fallen in love with Rosanna’s poignant story. To read more you can order from your local bookseller or directly from www.latitude46publishing.com.

If you missed the book launch and want to see more of Rosanna you can visit her on these dates at the locations below.

Signing Schedule:

Saturday, October 25th: Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival, panel On the Road to Getting Published, Place des Arts, Sudbury.
Saturday, November 29th: Toronto Public Library Event with author Maria Coletta McLean. Jane/Sheppard Branch, 1906 Sheppard Ave. W., 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 30th: Phylum Reading Series, Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catherines, 7:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 9th: Conspiracy of 3, North Bay Public Library, 271 Worthington St. E. and via Zoom, 7:00 p.m.-8:45 p.m.

The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien

Latitude 46 Publishing — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:00:04 GMT

Author Brit Griffin’s latest novel The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien came out September 20th, 2025. A northern gothic tale with western elements, perfect for fans of either genre! With Halloween approaching it is the perfect time to dive into this riveting tale of revenge.

A gothic tale from deep within the boreal forest…

Violence and greed have intruded into a wild and remote land. It’s 1907, and silver fever has drawn thousands of men into a fledgling mining camp in the heart of the wilderness. Modesto O’Brien, fortune-teller and detective, is there too - but he isn’t looking for riches. He’s seeking revenge.

O’Brien soon finds himself entangled with the mysterious Nail sisters, Lucy and Lily. On the run from their past and headed for trouble, Lily turns to O’Brien when Lucy goes missing. But what should have been a straightforward case of kidnapping pulls O’Brien into a world of ancient myths, magic, and male violence.

As he searches for Lucy, O’Brien fears that dark forces are emerging from the ravaged landscape. Mesmerized by a nightmarish creature stalking the wilderness, and haunted by his past, O’Brien struggles to maintain his grip on reality as he faces hard choices about loyalty, sacrifice, and revenge.

Brit Griffin is the author of the climate-fiction Wintermen trilogy (Latitude 46) and has written essays, musings, and articles for various publications. Griffin spent many years as a researcher for the Timiskaming First Nation, an Algonquin community in northern Quebec. She lives in Cobalt, northern Ontario, where she is the mother of three grown daughters. These days, she divides her time between writing and caring for her unruly yard.

Female readers who love a good tale of female rage and feminist sisterhood will devour Brit’s words. Lindsay Wong author of Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies, said it best:

“A propulsive and fast-paced historical thriller that glitters with a violent, nightmarish-tinged atmosphere. The action-adventure is deftly paced, the mystery of the beating heart of the novel is unsettling, and Griffin excites, entertains, and provokes with an intensely haunting ghost story about what we must do for our loved ones, when our turbulent pasts haunt us ourselves. Set among a wild and wicked landscape of the uncanny, the characters navigate corrupt circumstances out of their control, amidst despair and volatile events that detail their very human obsessions and vulnerability tied to the wealth and prosperity of the land.”

When asked about the inspiration behind her work and what she draws on to formulate such worlds Brit talked about her community and the inspiration it provided.

“The place I live is a post-industrial landscape, the remnant of a silver mining boom town from the early 20th century. It was a place of extreme events – of population moving, land destroying, peoples and creatures displacing. The history of this place, and how we have told the story of this history at different times, is fascinating. Regardless of the various interpretations of what happened – ranging from a celebration of the adventurous capitalist through to environmental devastation - this small place has given rise to big and enduring and fabulous stories, the local community committed to, and interested in, its own history. In a very real sense, its history persists, continues to haunt the landscape. So, these local stories/lore are compelling, they cannot help but appear in my writing. So far, all four books I have written have been located in this town. And so far, it seems like my next one will be too.”

She also mentioned there were various myths and legends that inspired the sinister spirits and dark forces present in the work, and how they might make their way into more of her future work.

“During the writing of The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien, I read a lot of Irish myth and traditional stories, and it certainly pulled at the edges of my imagination, sent me off in strange directions. But the interesting thing about myths is how they are so enduring and relevant - so as peculiar as many of the stories are, they still provide a structure to think about current struggles and moral dilemmas. I can see myself returning to these myths again and again in my writing.”

Still curious about the story of Modesto O’Brien? Read the excerpt below to enjoy more of Brit’s exceptional storytelling!

A man called through the door, “O’Brien? There a Mis-ter O’Brien here?”

Modesto was relieved by the distraction, bored with un-packing the few crates he’d brought with him. Books and papers stacked in messy piles, a few already falling back to the floor.

“Yes. Do come in.”

There was a delay, as if the man on the other side of the door was reluctant to enter. Then the door handle creaked and a man came through the door saying, “They told me I’d find you here, had the only green door on the street. Maybe even in this here entire town of Cobalt. Guess they weren’t lying.”

“Apparently not,” Modesto said, smiling politely. The man was tall enough but scrawny, bit of a slouch to him and scruffy looking, the armpits of his blue shirt already soaked in sweat even though it was still early in the day.

The man was looking back at the door. “Get the paint in town here?”

“Yes, the place up the street. Are you in the market for some paint?”

“Me? No. Didn’t even know there was paint to be had in town, never thought about it I guess. Most folks don’t bother painting much of anything round here, ‘specially not their doors.”

“And why is that?”

“Not sure,” the man said, moving a few steps into the room, eyes darting around, nervous but eager, “guess they don’t think they’ll be here long enough for the paint to dry,” snorting at his own cleverness.

“Well, who knows how long I’ll be here,” Modesto said, changing his mind about the interruption, now wanting the man gone, finding his presence too much, standing planted near the door, blocking the exit, gobbling up the room with his jittery eyes, “but I’m here now. Modesto O’Brien at your service, how may I be of help?”

“Modesto? What kind of name is that?”

“Yes, I believe it is an Italian name. Biddy, my Gran, took a fancy to it, think she saw it on a gravestone in Butte, Montana.”

“I ain’t heard that name before, and let me tell you, I heard all kinds of names around here. Fellas from all over the world here, Germany, Finland, and Americans too, lots of ‘em from Montana, but haven’t heard that name.”

“Well,” Modesto said, “now you have. And what is it I can do for you?”

But the man was not to be moved along in the conversation.

“You one of them mining O’Briens?”

“No, I don’t believe so.”

“Must be,” he said, but then added, “or maybe a hockey O’Brien. You own one of them there hockey teams?”

“No, I know nothing of hockey. Or mining for that matter.”

“This here town’s all about mining. All the O’Brien people in this camp are about mining or hockey. You sure?”

“I’m afraid so, but O’Brien it is a well-known Irish name, after Brian Boru, a king of noble house of Munster, eventually became King of all of Ireland. But that’s going back a while.”

“So just some other O’Brien then?”

Modesto smiled, extending his hand towards the man hoping the gesture might dislodge him from his persistent questioning, said, “Yes, just some other O’Brien. And you are?”

The man reached out his own hand awkwardly, Modesto almost recoiling from the dampness of it. The man said, “Name’s Milton Steam. Some fellas just call me Shitty.”

“Ah yes, then you’ve come about the horse.” Shitty scowled a bit, said, “Alright then, we can get down to it. Now Werner said you’d paid him yesterday what you owed him for up and shooting his horse right out of the blue, and stealing the other one away, so that’s the one thing. But now you gotta pay me for hauling the dead one away, pay me fair and square, now if there’s a problem...”

“Of course not, there’s no problem at all,” Modesto said, moving behind the desk, sliding a wooden box out from the top drawer, “I have it ready.”

“You bought that other horse? The grey?”

“I did, so in fact it was hardly stealing. I paid Mr. Werner in full.”

“You a teamster? That thing won’t be able to pull anything for you, ain’t nuthin’ but skin and bone.”

“We’re all skin and bone, the horse, myself. You.”

“I suppose you’re right about that, but it’s a funny way of thinking about things,” Shitty said, then asking, “What you done with the horse? Didn’t see it out front.”

“I have her stabled down at Carr’s livery for now. She’s a lovely creature, just needs some rest, she’ll be fit as a fiddle. I’ll find somewhere with nice pasture for her.”

“Sure won’t be around this town, no sir. There’s not a single scrap of land left. They say this town’s worth a hundred dollars a square inch! ‘Cause of the silver, you see.”

Yes, Modesto had seen what the silver had done, both to the men who chased it and the land that held it. Gnawed a town out of the forest, scraped bare the rock. He’d only been there a week or so and had seen families emerging from the hovels they’d built out of discarded crates, seen too those same hovels torn down from around those very families—nothing but ‘squatters’ the mining men had said. And how the family had howled, clinging to the ground, green with sludge and thick with garbage, but they were dragged nonetheless. That dragging, that breaking of homes and families, Biddy had told him all about that.

“It’s a hard place,” Modesto said.

“Well, maybe for some fellas, but others fella get downright rich. You know that silver vein they just found, well it was almost two feet wide, ran for over three hundred feet. Imagine that! No wonder those fellas are fighting over it. There ain’t no place like Cobalt.”

“You’re correct about that, the noise, the smell. It’s unbelievable.”

“Well, it sure can get ripe, that’s a fact. Just wait till summer.”

Purchase here

Upcoming Signings:

Allison the Bookworm, North Bay, October 19th
Another Story Bookshop, Toronto, October 22nd

The Upending of Wendall Forbes

Latitude 46 Publishing — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:36:05 GMT

On September 19, 2025, The Upending of Wendall Forbes by David Giuliano was released into the world. This is David’s second book published with Latitude 46 and we are very excited to be working with him again! This novel, also set in Twelve-Mile House, tells the story of an elderly couple and the challenges they face as they age and the realizations that occur during a blizzard spent with strangers.

Wendall and Ruby Forbes are confronting the vagaries of aging boomers: – sleeplessness, loneliness, memory loss, and the fear Ruby is showing signs of dementia. A blizzard hits their small town of Twenty-Six Mile House and a remarkable, perhaps unbelievable, band of strangers — : an Indigenous Colombian refugee, his environmental academic wife, an environmental academic, and their child; a young man on an accidental journey quest; a teenage activist and her ten-year-old gay half-brother; and a sleep consultant in from Indianapolis — all take refuge in the Forbeses’ home.

In this heartwarming, funny, wise, and hopeful story, the companionship of strangers, a foul-mouthed raven, and a lynx, restore Wendall and Ruby’s hope for the future.

David Giuliano is an award-winning writer of fiction and non-fiction. His first novel, The Undertaking of Billy Buffone (Latitude 46, 2021), was awarded the 2022 Bressani Prize for Fiction. It’s Good to Be Here: Stories We Tell About Cancer is a memoir about the power of story to heal. Postcards from the Valley, a collection of essays, was a Canadian bestseller. He has also published two illustrated children’s books. David lives on the north shore of Lake Superior.

At Latitude 46 we were delighted to work with David again and help bring this story to life. There aren’t too many stories about the reality of aging, something hopefully all of us will face in life. That is why this particular story was so important. There are many layers to Wendall and Ruby’s story that show the complexities of aging and everyday life. This is a very sweet and heart warming story that will leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy when they are done. From discussing family life and marriage, Wendall’s eyes begin to open when he and his wife invite a diverse cast of characters into their home to ride out a Christmas blizzard.

Rod Carley said it best, describing the feeling the novel leaves with readers:

When angels start shutting your mouth it’s time to throw in the towel or pay attention. In David Giuliano’s new novel, The Upending of Wendall Forbes, he chooses the latter and we the reader are the better for it. A Northern Ontario survival tale dressed up as an unexpected Christmas miracle, Giuliano weaves a rich and multi-layered tapestry, tackling aging and alienation with a wry grace and robust spirituality. Both playful and profound, he reminds us that sometimes all we need is an old-fashioned winter blizzard to plunge us back into ourselves.

- Rod Carley, award-winning author of RUFF

In his Open Book interview, David spoke about the main epigraph of the book and how it relates not only to his characters but to present day life.

“The epigraph I settled on is a quote from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians 5.1-2: “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” The snowbound strangers, silence, a foul-mouthed raven and a talking lynx arrive like thieves in the night, surprising and inspiring Wendall and Ruby with renewed hopefulness. Postapocalyptic literature is, not surprisingly, given climate change and the state of the world, very popular these days. Writing The Upending of Wendall Forbes, I imagined a small, warm crucible of community, kindness and hope amidst the storms and blizzards of dystopian narratives that stalk the world” (Open Book, para. 20-22).

With Wendall being a retired Pastor, there are many different religious quotes throughout the book and it is a recurring theme that brings him and his wife closer together. Readers will find the sprinkling of religion warming will give them a new way to explore aging and marriage.

For those of you still curious and wanting to know more about The Upending of Wendall Forbes, please check out the excerpt below.

The phone glows like a wide-eyed owl

Wendall lifts the phone from Ruby’s lap by the tripod to hang it up. He sits up, sliding his feet into his slippers, while carefully turning the device around in his hands, looking for an off button. He randomly taps the screen with the pad of his thumb, the way he has observed people more technologically savvy than himself doing.

“What are you doing?” Ruby asks, pushing the quilt down, ready to follow Wendall around the bedroom. “Leave it alone, Wendall.”

Handling the phone like a monkey with a gun, Wendall murmurs, “Just hanging it up.”

“You don’t have to hang it up. Dylan hung it up already. Just leave it!” Frustration rises in her voice.

“It looks like it’s still on… ah-ha! There you go. It’s off.” Wendall sets the phone on Ruby’s dresser and steps away. It stares back at them blankly, an inscrutable black expression on its face.

“Dylan said to leave it on.” She flops back against the headboard and covers her eyes with her hands.

“It’s on. When it rings, we’ll just pick it up, or answer or… there’s a button…” Wendall turns the phone around, exploring its smooth edges for an on/off switch.

“If it’s turned off, it won’t ring. We won’t even know they’re calling.” Panic overtakes the frustration in Ruby’s voice, and she slaps her hands down on the bed beside her hips. “Jake said plug it in when the battery gets low. That’s it! Otherwise, leave it alone.” Her eyes glass over with tears. Her tears have as much to do with the call ending as they do with the possibility of missing the next one. Whenever Ruby says goodbye to one of their children, and especially to their granddaughters—in person or by phone— her love for them invariably spills out of her eyes.

Wendall, as always, is highly motivated by her tears. “Hang on, hang on, I’ll put it back.” Another thumb roll on the screen, and he finds a little picture of an f. He presses down on it hard, and another screen opens. He sees a video camera with the word Live beside it and pushes it. A new screen pops up, displaying the bedroom behind him. Wendall lifts the phone over his head by its tripod, like the Olympic torch, and declares, “We have contact, Houston!”

He repositions the tripod on Ruby’s cluttered dresser so she can see her tiny self on the screen, assured that all is well and at the ready. He checks, nudges, and lines it up for the next call. Ruby expects it could come at any moment. That’s the difference between hope and optimism, Wendall thinks.

Optimism is a considered opinion based on tangible evidence: The doctor is optimistic about a full recovery because the patient’s steady improvement points to a positive outcome. Hope, on the other hand, is confidence without regard to the evidence: We hope it’s not too late to stop the climate crisis. Ruby is not always optimistic, but she is fiercely hopeful. Lately, Wendall finds himself feeling neither hopeful nor optimistic about anything.

He grunts and shimmies back up onto the bed and under the covers. Not that he expects to sleep. His nights are more like long, dark tunnels of wakeful dreaming, punctuated with existential angst over the meaning of his life, and worries about whether or not he remembered to pull the garage door closed. He can go check that the garage door is closed to bears, but has failed to arrive at any conclusions regarding the meaning of his life.

Ruby drops off like a stone. All she needs to do is position a pillow between her knees to reduce pressure on her clicky hip, and she’s gone. Wendall shuts off his bedside lamp, settles onto his back and stretches his arm out above Ruby’s pillow. Ruby scooches over to rest her head on his shoulder, as they have done nearly every night for fifty years. He folds his arm down along her back and rests his hand on her hip. They fit together like two old trees planted close as saplings that have intertwined with age.

“I miss them,” Ruby whispers.

“Me too.”

“They’re taking the girls off to Japan.” Ruby sniffs in the dark. “We’ll be alone on the continent.”

Their daughter, Meadow, and her girlfriend, Paige, are volunteering at the Women’s Shelter in Cusco, Peru. The girls are four months in and have not said anything about an expected date of return to Canada.

Conscious of their carbon footprint, Wendall and Ruby are determined to travel by air only when necessary. Driving to Vancouver, or Peru for that matter, is out of the question. Ruby’s hip couldn’t handle that much sitting.

It has been at least eight months—Ruby could probably tell Wendall how many days—since they last visited Amanda and Millie. Flying out felt absolutely necessary. They could hear on the telephone how quickly the girls were growing up.

In August, Meadow and Paige drove their vintage Westfalia north to Twenty-Six Mile House for a three-week visit before pointing the VW bus south toward Peru. Wendall starts counting backward in his head but gives up before sorting out how many months ago that was. Three or four, at least.

“Maybe we need to move,” he offers. Twenty-Six Mile House, its population hovering around one thousand, is situated just south of the Trans-Canada Highway on the top of Lake Superior, in the middle of nowhere. For an airport, shoes, or an echocardiogram, they drive to Thunder Bay, four hours to the west on roads that are snow-covered and treacherous half of the year. It’s twelve hours to Toronto, east then south. They’re getting too old for that.

Relocating is a regular topic of conversation for Ruby and Wendall. A conversation that eventually circles around and ends up back in Twenty-Six Mile House.

“Where would we go?” Ruby asks, her head resting on Wendall’s chest. This is the question that starts their elimination of options. Wendall has begun to think that the “where to go” conversation is like counting sheep for Ruby.

She was the youngest sibling and the only sister of three brothers. They grew up on the family’s mixed-crop farm, just outside of Leamington in Southwestern Ontario. Her ancestors farmed that land for four generations. Ruby was named not for the precious gem but for a variety of tomatoes: Ruby Red. Her brothers called her Cherry because she was so small. In the end, an agribusiness ketchup outfit bought their land and all the farms around theirs. Ruby’s only surviving brother lives in Clearwater, Florida. His Christmas cards always include an invitation to visit him and his second wife in the Sunshine State, but Wendall and Ruby can’t imagine living in the same state as Donald Trump.

As for Wendall’s family, he shook their proverbial dust from his sandals—their money, their white-privileged ersatz-conservative politics, and the Vietnam War—on his eighteenth birthday. He fled to Toronto, where he and Ruby met in Yorkville at a church basement coffee house. Now, New Hampshire seems like a recurring nightmare he had as a child. Toronto has changed, and is no longer the place he remembers falling in love. Ruby lightly drums her fingers on Wendall’s chest. Her knees are bent, pressed up against his thigh. Her breathing slows, and she drifts off into her first sleep of the night. She wakes fifteen minutes later.

Wendall kisses her lips. “I love you. Sweet dreams.” “Sweet dreams.” Ruby’s words overlap his. She kisses him. Even when they are irritated with one another, they are faithful to their bedtime routine. When at odds, the ritual is more perfunctory but never entirely neglected. Wendall stretches out his arm so Ruby can roll over onto her good hip. He follows her and aligns his body against her back. He wraps an arm around her. He kisses the back of her neck above her cotton nightgown. They have spooned like this, like slow dancing, every night as far back as he can remember. Their bodies have grown softer with age and fit together more easily.

Ruby begins to snore. Softly at first. Over the years, she has become a veritable orchestra of snoring, a sound as somniferous as melatonin for Wendall. Her snoring may not put him to sleep, but it does put him at ease.

He carefully frees his arm, rolls onto his back, and pulls a sleep mask over his eyes. He is willing to try anything that improves his odds of sleep. He pulls the quilt up to his neck and begins to count his blessings.

Occasionally, gratitude, combined with Ruby’s snoring, helps him solve the puzzle of sleep. His mind settles. If sleep eludes him, stillness is the consolation prize he has learned to appreciate.

The phone, perched on its tripod on Ruby’s dresser, glows like a wide-eyed owl. Its light blends with the moonlight sneaking into the house around the edges of the blinds, like a thief in the night. This ominous illumination bathes Wendall and Ruby in an unnatural shade of blue.

Copyright 2025 David Giuliano

You can continue with the story of Wendall and Ruby by ordering from your favourite book seller or directly from www.latitude46publishing.com

Get your copy here

Another exciting Fall with new books!

Latitude 46 Publishing — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:34:12 GMT

Fall 2025 Releases

With summer in the rear view mirror and fall unfolding, we enter a bookworm’s favourite season for curling up with a warm mug and a good book. This fall, Latitude 46 has three new titles perfect for curling up with!

The first two fall titles that hit the shelves in September were The Upending of Wendall Forbes by David Giuliano on September 19th at Entershine Bookshop in Thunder Bay and The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien by Brit Griffin on September 20th at Chat Noir in New Liskeard.

Our final release this fall is Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli's creative non-fiction collection, Product of Italy, Made in Canada: An Immigrant's Love Letter to Food, Family, and Resilience. The launch takes place at the Caruso Club, Heritage Hall in Sudbury on Thursday, October 23rd at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm. Enjoy refreshments, Rosanna's talk about making the book, and get a signed copy. For groups planning to attend, please contact Rosanna directly to reserve a table.

Email: rbattigelli1@gmail.com

For those not able to attend, you can purchase a copy from your favourite bookseller or directly from Latitude 46 Publishing.

Purchase Here

Upcoming Readings

Several of our authors have readings coming up this month. If you want the chance to meet the author and get your book signed, be sure to check follow our social media pages for information on these upcoming dates.

News and Reviews!

Check out the recent media coverage and reviews for our authors and their books!

David Giuliano was interviewed by Mary-Jean Cormier of CBC Superior Morning.

And another interview with Tony Ryma from CTV Northern News.

Brit Griffin was also interviewed by Tony Ryma from CTV Northern News.

Kathryn MacDonald reviewed Thomas Leduc’s Palpitations in issue thirty two of the temz review.

Melanie Marttila reviewed Allister Thompson's novel Birch and Jay for The Seaboard Review of Books.

Meet the Intern!

Hello! My name is Olivia and I am a student in the Creative Writing and Publishing program at Sheridan College. I have a deep love of storytelling, I love hearing others’ stories and sharing my own unique tales. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work at Latitude 46 and learn all that I can about the publishing industry through this amazing experience!

You can reach me at marketing@latitude46publishing.com.

July News

Latitude 46 Publishing — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:45:22 GMT

As July brings us the perfect summer weather for taking time off and getting lost in a book, we are busy getting ready to release our very first Drama title, Prodigals by Sean Minogue. We are also excited to share our three Fall titles by several authors you already know - David Giuliano, Brit Griffin and Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli.

Sean Minogue has written for film, television and theatre. His poems, stories and essays have been published in ARC Poetry Magazine, Maudlin House, Shift, THIS Magazine, Full Stop, Huffington Post and The Globe and Mail. Prodigals was produced as a feature film in 2017. He recently released his debut novel Terminal Solstice (Turnstone Press, May 2025). He lives in Toronto. You can find him at seanminogue.com.

Pre-Order Here

We are thrilled to bring you the latest from three Northern Ontario storytellers this fall. Both fiction and non-fiction that will entertain. Be sure to get your order in at your favourite bookseller or directly from Latitude 46.

Visit your favourite bookseller to order your copy or visit our online store. And stay tuned for details of their launch and signings.

Latitude 46 Online Store

June Newsletter

Latitude 46 Publishing — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:02:46 GMT

Summer is quickly approaching, and all of our spring books are out in the wild for your summer reading! You can now get a copy of the vibrant poetry collection Palpitations by Thomas Leduc, and Allister Thompson’s speculative fiction young adult fiction, Birch and Jay.

May was a happening month for a number of Latitude 46 authors and books. Ruff by Rod Carley received the silver medal for Best European Fiction and was longlisted for the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. The Stones of Burren Bay by Emily De Angelis won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Best Young Adult Fiction.

These titles are available at your favourite bookseller or latitude46publishing.com

Read more about recent media coverage and upcoming events.

May Highlights

The launch of Palpitations and Birch and Jay

Awards

The Stones of Burren Bay by Emily De Angelis won the Next Generation Indie Book award for Best Young Adult fiction!

“De Angelis roots her story in a well-rendered landscape, creating a strong sense of place in both the historical and contemporary storylines. A gentle story of bittersweet growth and healing that stems from family, art, and place.”

— Kirkus Review

Purchase it Here

Ruff by Rod Carley won the silver medal for Best European Fiction in the Independent Publisher’s Book Awards!

Here’s what the author had to say about winning:

“I’m honoured (and somewhat surprised) that RUFF has won the 2025 Silver Medal for Best European Fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.
I’m told I’m now officially an internationally-acclaimed writer. Either that or the UK has secretly rejoined the EEC and no one told me— all those subversive, behind-closed-doors Elizabethan poet gatherings in the back rooms of the Pleasant Phucker (on the sketchy south side of the Thames) must’ve cinched it.
IPPY KI-YAY…”

This was a celebratory month for Rod Carley’s Ruff. This outstanding fiction was longlisted for the prestigious Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

Ruff is a theatrical odyssey with an unforgettable cast of Elizabethan eccentrics, where gender is what a person makes of it (no matter the story beneath their petticoats or tights). Will Shakespeare is having a very bad year. Suffering from a mid-life crisis, a plague outbreak, and the death of the ancient Queen, Will’s mettle is put to the test when the new King announces a national play competition that will determine which theatre company will survive. The stage is set for an outrageous and compelling tale of ghosts, ghostwriting, writer’s block, and the chopping block.

Purchase Ruff Here

News & Media

Allister Thompson, author of BIRCH AND JAY, chats with Tony Ryma about his recent release and work as an editor.

Editors Connor Lafortune and Lindsay Mayhew talk about the collection of poetry and stories A Thousand Tiny Awakenings. They discuss how they started this project and why it’s important for youth to have a space to express themselves.

Learn more about the incredible man that inspired Wolf Man Joe Laflamme: Tamer Untamed, and his fascinating connection with nature.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday June 27th at 7pm - INSTAGRAM LIVE

Keep an eye out for this reading party! Enjoy summer reading recommendations and bookish giveaways with the incredible author Allister Thompson and Hollay Ghadery.

Upcoming Releases

May Newsletter

Latitude 46 Publishing — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:36:05 GMT

Although spring is slowing arriving, we are excited about our new releases this year. We just launched A Thousand Tiny Awakenings on April 5th and we have two more books launching in May. Check out the highlights from the fabulous launch and lots of interviews this past month. We have more books coming this spring and we have been busy behind the scenes getting our fall titles ready for readers. Every spring we welcome Centennial College, Publishing program interns to learn hands-on skills in a Canadian small press. Natalie Sofia and Sabrina Futia have been making significant contributions for our authors and books.

April Highlights

A Thousand Tiny Awakenings Book Launch

May Book Launches

Palpitations by Thomas Leduc

Join us for the launch of Thomas Leduc’s new collection of poems, Palpitations. In collaboration with Salon du livre du Grand Sudbury, the Greater Sudbury Public Library, and current and former poet laureates. To close out National Poetry Month we will celebrate with an evening of poetry readings from Sudbury poets.

When: Saturday, May 3rd at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Where: Little Montreal, Sudbury, 182 Elgin St.

RSVP

Birch and Jay by Allister Thompson

Join us for the book launch of Birch and Jay our latest in YA literature from Northern Ontario. Kirkus Review said, “An exciting adventure with important messages about caring for our world.”

When: Saturday, May 24th at 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Where: North Bay Public Library, 271 Worthington St. E

Pre-order Here

News and Events

Check out Lindsay Mayhew’s featured spotlight in Women Writing, where she shares insights into her creative process, writing spaces, and the power of community. Not only is she a co-editor and contributor for A Thousand Tiny Awakenings but you will recognize her in our TikTok videos!

Read it here

For beginner writers looking for advice, poet Thomas Leduc (Slagflower: Poems Unearthed From a Mining Town) shares some helpful pointers on the craft in his interview with On Creative Writing: “It should hurt a bit and be difficult.”

Thomas Leduc was Poet Laureate of Sudbury, Ontario from 2014-2016 and the President of the Sudbury Writers’ Guild from 2017-2021. His poems and short stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies.

Read it here

Kobo eBook Sale

On Thursday May 8th, find Latitude 46 Publishing’s ebooks on sale for Mother’s Day through Kobo! Don’t miss out on these one of a kind deals on some of our favourite stories, including Liisa Kovala’s historical fiction novel Sisu’s Winter War, Louise Ells’ profoundly intimate Lies I Told My Sister, and poet and award-winning author Kim Fahner’s The Donoghue Girl.

Gifts for Mother’s Day

Whether its heartfelt fiction, moving memoirs, or soul-stirring poetry, Latitude 46 has got you covered. This Mother’s Day, read northern Ontario, and give the perfect gift to inspire, comfort, and fall in love with.

Shop now

Meet the Interns

“Hello! My name is Natalie, and I’m currently a student in Centennial College’s Publishing program. My time at Latitude 46 has been an incredible and eye-opening experience, and an invaluable stepping stone in my publishing journey. I've loved books since I was a child, but this experience has deepened my appreciation for them. Now, I truly understand the passion and dedication that goes into every novel, from the first stroke of the pen to the moment it reaches the shelves.”

“Hi! I’m Sabrina. Having been an avid reader my whole life, it wasn’t until I was completing my undergrad in English Literature at Toronto Metropolitan University that I decided I wanted a career in book publishing. I pursued my post-graduate certificate in Publishing at Centennial College which brought me to my internship at Latitude 46. This has been an incredible opportunity that has allowed me to practice and expand my skills, and I’ve learned so much about how this industry operates.”

April Newsletter

Latitude 46 Publishing — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:02:07 GMT

`April 2, 2025`

Upcoming Events

Join us at the book launch for A Thousand Tiny Awakenings. Enjoy cake and coffee whilst listening to expressive poetry readings from the editors Connor Lafortune and Lindsay Mayhew and other contributors. Purchase a copy for $20.00 cash or $21.00 debit/credit.

When: Saturday, April 5th at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Where: Indigenous Sharing and Learning Center, (round room at Laurentian University), 935 Ramsey Lake Road

Saturday, April 12 at 2:00 PM, South End Library, 1991 Regent Street

Join authors Melanie Marttila and Vera Constantineau for a reading and conversation about poetry.

Learn more here

Follow and Latitude 46 Publishing on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack to keep up to date on author events happening year round.

Palpitations by Thomas Leduc releases May 3, 2025! Keep your eye out for more information about the book launch, featuring Thomas Leduc reading his latest collection and delving into the stories behind the poems.

Purchase a signed copy at the launch for $24.00 cash / $24.10 debit/credit.

Pre-order Here

Recent Media Hits

Join author Liisa Kovala with author and professor Louise Ells in this Women Writing podcast episode! Grab a hot beverage and enjoy.

Enjoy this review of Marion Agnew’s Making Up the Gods. Shawn Breathes Books review begins at 44:00

Listen to author Allister Thompson on this podcast episode of North Bay Echo. They chat about the power of climate fiction, the gritty realities of getting published in Canada, and how Northern Ontario continues to influence his work.

Pre-Order Birch and Jay

From Friday April 18th to Friday April 25, find Latitude 46 Publishing’s ebooks on sale through Kobo! Don’t miss out on these one of a kind deals on some of our best sellers, including Rod Carley’s hilarious fiction Grin Reaping, true crime nonfiction Seventh Shot, and poet and award-winning author Kim Fahner’s The Donoghue Girl.

COMING THIS SUMMER

Prodigals by Sean Minogue follows a big-city dreamer from a small northern Ontario city as he returns to his hometown to testify in a murder trial. He faces old uncovered wounds in his circle of friends and discovers that his missed opportunities are more than just regrets.

Keep an eye out for more information about this exciting release.

Follow us on our socials

Coming soon

Latitude 46 Publishing — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 00:35:32 GMT

This is Latitude’s Substack.