Look for these new titles in fall 2026!

Jan's Quodlibet: A Musician's Diary by Ian Hampton with Barbara Nickel

Sept 2026
$24.95, 260 pages
9781553807452

Musical stories and listening recommendations for every day of the year, told with Ian Hampton's characteristic wit, wisdom and passion, drawn from his life as a professional cellist.

Told in the voice of Jan (the third-person narrator of Jan in 35 Pieces), Ian Hampton delights, entertains and enlightens us with his tales of little-known composers and instruments, characters in music history and insider stories of the life of a working musician. Ian's writing is enlivened by his playful drawings, recipes, poems/doggerel and advice for young musicians.

Who knew that Arnold Schoenberg and George Gershwin were friends and tennis partners? That Winnaretta Singer, heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, was a musician who had a relationship with Virginia Woolf? Hampton not only shares his own story but celebrates Canadian musicians such as gay Québécois composer Claude Vivier who was murdered in Paris in 1983, Haida composer Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson and Chinese-Canadian composer Alexina Louie.

An entertaining and accessible musical tour through a year written by a music lover for music lovers.

Ian Hampton's first book, Jan in 35 Pieces (The Porcupine's Quill, 2018), was a critical success and a finalist for the RBC Taylor Prize and the B.C. and Yukon Book Non-Fiction Prize. He was a founding member of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and member of the London Symphony. Since moving to Vancouver in 1966, he has been principal cellist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; Vancouver Opera Orchestra; CBC Vancouver Orchestra and founder and cellist of the Purcell String Quartet. In recognition of his contribution to Canadian new music he was named a Canadian Music Centre ambassador. hungdrawnandcultured.com

Barbara Nickel is an award-winning poet and children's author whose poetry has appeared in anthologies and magazines, including The Walrus, Best Canadian Poetry (2021 and 2024) and Poetry Ireland Review . She worked with Ian Hampton for over a decade on Jan in 35 Pieces . She lives and writes in Yarrow, British Columbia, on the Stó:lo territory of the Pilalt and Ts'elxwéyeqw. barbaranickel.ca

Pioneers and Paupers: The Untold Story of the Provincial Old Men's Home by Wayne Norton

Sept 2026 
$23.95, 220 pages
9781553807490

Whether a rest home for deserving pioneers or a poorhouse, the Provincial Home for Old Men was a startling innovation in social welfare.

Over 100 years ago, when the trappers and miners who built British Columbia could no longer work, they often ended up destitute and homeless in Victoria and Vancouver. Before pensions, assisted living and universal health care, there was the Provincial Home for the Aged and Infirm in Kamloops, BC. The "Home" would prove to be a safe place for elderly indigent men to live out their lives, but it was always susceptible to accusations of political favouritism, unsanitary conditions, and overcrowding.

Through extensive research and empathetic prose, Pioneers and Paupers brings to life the story of an institution, the men and women who worked there and the more than 2500 men who lived there over the course of eight decades. The "inmates," as they were called, had to surrender any wealth they possessed and they lost the right to vote upon being admitted.

Ostensibly far removed from modern debates surrounding poverty and homelessness, there is much to learn from the difficulties and accomplishments of the Provincial Home that are relevant to discussions of contemporary social welfare policies.

The award-winning Wayne Norton is the author of Beneath the Coal Dust: Historic Journeys in the Elk Valley and Crowsnest Pass (Caitlin Press, 2022); Fernie at War: 1914-1919 (Caitlin Press, 2017) and Women on Ice: The Early Years of Women's Hockey in Western Canada (Ronsdale Press, 2009). Wayne holds a master's degree in history from UBC and is a retired teacher and research consultant. He happily possesses no cats or dogs and continues to enjoy his collections of books, vinyl records and sheet music. He lives in general harmony with his wife Valerie in Victoria, although she is talking about getting a cat.

Emily Regained by A.C. Bruce 

Sept 2026
$24.95, 350 pages
9781553807513

Suffering from chronic pain after a devastating car accident, Emily fights to rebuild her life by blowing the whistle on the health professionals who betrayed her trust.

Emily used to be a genetics researcher. She used to play competitive chess and captain a soccer team. Then a distracted driver shattered her world. She can no longer work, the opioid she has been prescribed is not only highly addictive, it causes hallucinations and her insurance company's psychologist has labelled her paranoid. Life as she knew it and loved it, is over. Suicide begins to look attractive.

When Emily learns that the health professionals she trusted have betrayed her, she struggles to throw off self-pity and take what's left of her life and her good name to launch a counterplay.

Told from Emily's point of view, we get her inner most thoughts - her humour, frustration and fear - and we cheer her on as she takes on those who have deceived her. Emily Regained includes elements of mystery and a bit of romance but, just like the real life it's based on, it is multilayered and a little messy, all captured in entertaining and engaging prose.

A.C. Bruce is the penname for two Calgary writers. Based on lived experience, they were driven to write this book because of their frustration over the lack of effective treatment for people who suffer chronic pain and their disgust at the unethical behaviour of certain health professionals. They wish to salute crash survivors. Non-fatal accidents, like non-fatal illnesses, seldom make the news unless they hold up traffic. But they are often life-altering.

An Acadian Odyssey: The Return Of Ange Amirault by Debra Amirault Camelin

Oct 2026
$23.95, 270 pages
9781553807476

It's 1766 and after years of forced exile Ange Amirault returns to Nova Scotia with his young family. But what kind of life awaits the Acadians?

Brutally forced into exile by the British in 1756, a young seaman, Captain Ange Amirault is torn from his home and his love Nathalie. But when the British decree that the Acadians may return to Acadie (in modern day Nova Scotia) Ange, now reunited with Nathalie, is determined to reclaim his place in the land they love despite it being under the full control of the distrusted English and with a steady influx of New England Planters.

The proud history of the Acadians is embodied in Ange and Nathalie as they build a new life despite the hardships. Acadian lore is weaved with eighteen century historical events as the epic, human drama unfolds in this passionate follow up to Nathalie: An Acadian's Tale of Tragedy and Triumph .

Debra Amirault Camelin is an Acadian with deep ancestral roots in Pubnico and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. She is also a poet; her collection Light in the Mist was published in 2019. Her passion for labyrinths led to co-authoring a guidebook, Rituals in the Labyrinth: 25 Rituals to Deepen Your Walkers' Experience . Debra has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and lives in Yarmouth with her husband of many years.