LETTER FROM THE ACTING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On any given weekend in big cities and small towns across Canada, beginning in April and running through November, you’ll find a booming culture of literary celebrations. They’re held in English, French or multiple languages. They’re splashy affairs like the Vancouver Writers Festival and intimate gatherings like Writers at Woody Point, which occurs within Newfoundland’s Gros Morne National Park. All of them bring together writers and readers to share in their love of great stories.

For a small nation, we’ve long punched above our weight in words. Our authors are global bestsellers and award winners. Perhaps our outsize success and reach is the result of speaking in many different voices and languages and representing many literary traditions and histories. Our writing touches the world because it reflects so much of it.

In our June through September issues, Air Canada enRoute salutes Canada’s wealth of literary talent by showcasing original short stories from four of our most exciting authors. Contributing editor Christopher DiRaddo’s instructions to the writers were simple – tell us a story set in Canada during the summer – but the results are stunning: richly evocative takes on the season from all across the country.

In this issue, novelist Michelle Winters sets her alltoo-relatable tale of a teenage crush in her home province of New Brunswick — you can almost smell the sea spray and heartbreak (page 71). Expect more beach reads in the months to come from Christian GuayPoliquin and Cherie Dimaline. And if you missed Kim Fu’s B.C.-based ghost story The Furies in the June issue, you can find it online at enroute.aircanada.com.

As a proud Canadian and a passionate reader, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Canada Day this month than by highlighting the writers who collectively tell our story. Happy reading!