The Toronto Review: U of T scholars, writers launch fiction-focused weekly

A new weekly created by University of Toronto scholars aims to fill what its founders describe as a gap in the world of literary publications.

Officially launched this week, the Toronto Review publishes engaging essays, fiction and reviews of books, films and other art forms every week. 

Co-founder Adrianna Michell, a PhD candidate in U of T’s department of English in the Faculty of Arts & Science, says the Toronto Review will put its own unique spin on the format.

“We’re curating a platform that showcases Canadian literature internationally while amplifying a writing community already abundant with local talent,” says Michell, who is one of the Review’s editors. “We’re responding to the fact that Toronto doesn't have a comparable literary publication like the New York Review of Books, the Paris Review or London Review of Books, despite the many readers and writers who call our city home and their voracious appetite for culture.”

As its name suggests, the Toronto Review will also feature literary criticism.

“We see criticism as a vital mode of building connections and stimulating the literary ecosystem at U of T, in Canada and abroad,” Michell says. “We’re the third largest city in North America. It's so linguistically and culturally diverse, yet there's no publication reflecting that critical voice.”

Tia Glista, a fellow co-founder, editor and U of T English PhD candidate, says there are many local literary critics who appear in top magazines around the world, but who aren't being published closer to home.

“And that's a shame considering the amount of local talent and incredible creative output of a city like Toronto, where we have so many amazing local small and multinational presses, authors, filmmakers, and artists of all kinds,” she says. “So to bring that into conversation with a global literary culture is something we're really invested in.”

Working with Michell and Glista are Abby Lacelle, also an English PhD candidate, Winnie Wang, a graduate of U of T’s Cinema Studies Institute’s master’s program, Toronto-based writer Emma Olivia Cohen and designer Sonja Katanic.

The idea for this publication was born out of a conversation among the founders a year ago. They were discussing their own writing careers and how there’s an abundance of writing talent in Toronto and Canada, but few places to showcase, discuss and review their work.

“We’re all trying to make things happen as writers and we were commiserating about how difficult it is sometimes to get things published within the Canadian ecosystem,” says Michell.

Glista adds: “So maybe naively – but enthusiastically and energetically – we just got excited about doing something ourselves and we thought, ‘Why don't we just do it?’

“Now it feels surreal in so many ways. It's really touching to me that we'll be launching almost exactly a year to the date from that first conversation. We’ve all grown and developed as individuals and as a collective.”

Over the past 12 months, the group embarked on a self-directed crash course on running a literary publication, applying their skills and talents in writing, editing, budgeting and marketing to successfully launch a non-profit venture.

Their focus and hard work are reflected in the submissions the group has already secured from prominent Canadian writers such as Joshua Whitehead, Haley Mlotek, Claudia Dey and Furqan Mohamed. “It’s really exciting and humbling,” says Glista. “A number of the writers I'm editing are people who are more advanced in their careers than I am, and whom I really look up to.”

The Toronto Review will also include a strong U of T presence with contributions from Zak Jones, a PhD candidate and novelist, Sarah Dowling, an associate professor of comparative literature, as well as U of T alumni.

“We’re really excited to bring these established voices into conversation with emerging writers,” says Michell. “We hope these exchanges help early‑career writers grow into the next generation of recognizable names.”

What will success look like?

“Short term success would be if we launch and people are really excited and think the work is good,” says Michell. “If people read it and feel that it represents the city we live in, or that it offers a unique, critical voice and fills a gap that they’ve noticed and wanted filled, that would be success for me. Long term, it becomes something that endures. I don't want this to just be a flash in the pan. I want it to have a lasting, meaningful impact.”

For Glista, it’s all about developing a loyal readership.

“I hope this engagement will help shed more light on what's happening here in Toronto,” she says, adding that she will likely be glued to her computer screen now that the publication is up and running.

“I love the process of seeing something that was purely in your mind become materially manifest – that moment is absolutely priceless.”