SUMMER FLOWERS

As spring barrels into summer, the hard work and dedication of our Breakwater community, authors, partners, and readers is blossoming into a blooming garden of flowers! We're seeing a variety of exciting launches for recently released titles, diverse events catering to all audiences, and wonderful news of awards and accolades for our authors—take your pick!

In this issue:

New Releases & Upcoming Events (what's out now and where to catch us!)
Big News (exciting updates!)
Breakwater Buzz (reviews, interviews, and more!)
Have You Heard? (the latest on Breakwater in our community!)
Coming Soon (our next Spring releases about to hit shelves!)
Featured Titles (find your next great read!)
Photo Album (catch up on the latest happenings!)
Keep Connected (follow us on social media!)

NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING EVENTS

Accounting his decade-long, cross-continent adventures, The Great North American Paddling Odyssey has come ashore at Breakwater Books! Part memoir, part survival guide, this book makes a great lakeside read perfect for your Canada Day cabin excursions!

An epic journey from coast to coast, spanning years of adventure and perseverance on some of North America’s greatest rivers.

In 2013, Herman Perry commenced paddling from Rigolet to Menihek Landing in Labrador. This would become the first leg of The Great North American Paddling Odyssey, a canoe trip that would take Perry across the continent on a decade-long paddling venture from one side of our country to the other. The resulting narrative is a valuable reference for adventure and survival, and an informative and epic account of the challenging and ambitious multi-year journey.   

Available now on our website and at our Duckworth Street store!

SAVE THE DATE

June 27th and 28th: Find author, poet, and activist Delores Mullings signing copies of her debut poetry collection, Black Girl in the Ring, on the last weekend in June! Find her at 2PM at Coles Avalon Mall on the 27th, and 12PM at the Coles Village Mall on the 28th. 
July 4th: Families and children are invited to celebrate the launch of Drew's Secret Talent, a new children's book from local author D.D. Sheppard! Join us in the children's section at Chapters on Kenmount Road at 2PM on July 4th, and enjoy a story time plus activities and book signing!
July 3-5th: Ochre Fest is back once again with a stacked lineup in Ochre Pit Cove, Conception Bay! Catch your favourite Breakwater authors in esteemed company during not-to-be-missed panels:
-July 3rd, 7:30PM: Breakwater's Elizabeth Murphy, author of The Weather Diviner, will join Mary Walsh and Dave Paddon for Handiwork: Patches of Family History.
-July 4th, 11:00AM: Breakwater's own Diedre Halbot (Little Spoons), Ray Critch (The Beltane Massacre), and Bridget Canning (Taking Down Names) will be joined by Mackenzie Nolan for Beneath the Cloak: Monsters in the Mainstream.
-July 4th, 7:30PM: Breakwater's Angela Antle (The Saltbox Olive) joins Sharon Bala and Rhea Rollman for Hemmed In: Social Confines, Personal Pressure.
-July 5th, 10:30AM: Breakwater's Delores Mullings (Black Girl in the Ring) and Leahdawn Helena (Stolen Sisters) join Michelle Clemens and Heather Barrett for Split Seams: Rending the Standard Narratives.
July 12th: Breakwater Books will be present at the upcoming St. John's Farmers Market Pride Market! Come out to support your local Queer community by shopping a variety of goods from local Queer vendors! 10AM to 3PM, with featured author appearances and signings at the Breakwater Books table. 

BIG NEWS

Here by Heidi Wicks wins Alistair MacLeod Award for Short Fiction!

On June 4, publishers and authors from all over the Atlantic Canada region gathered together in Halifax to celebrate the Atlantic Book Awards. Breakwater president and publisher Rebecca Rose was in attendance, along with finalists Karl Wells, Heidi Wicks, and Yvonne Rumbolt-Jones. 

We are proud to share that Heidi Wicks, with her collection of short fiction, Here, was named the winner of the Alistair MacLeod for Short Fiction! This prestigious award, named after one of Canada's most celebrated and prolific writers, represents quite the accomplishment and we couldn't be more thrilled! 

Congratulations again to Heidi, and to all the finalists! 

Breakwater Winners in the 2026 IPPY Awards

We're delighted to have not one, not two, but THREE Breakwater authors as IPPY medalists this year!

Congratulations to Angela Antle's The Saltbox Olive, winner of the GOLD medal for Miltary/Wartime Fiction, to Heidi Wicks's Here, winner of the BRONZE medal for Canada-East Fiction, and Karl Wells's Openly Karl, winner of the BRONZE medal for Canada-East Nonfiction!

BREAKWATER BUZZ

Want to know more about our books, our authors, and what we're up to? We have new features and new content to dig deeper into the story behind your favourite recent reads:

- Seamus and the Shiny Things by multi-disciplinary artist Cara Kansala has been named one of Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens! Check out the page and more details here!
- Are you a lover OR a writer of mystery novels? The Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries recently held a panel of NL mystery authors to talk all things thrillers, crime, and books — featuring Breakwater's Kevin Major! You can check out the recorded version of the panel on the NLPL YouTube page!
- A Temporary Grace, the sophomore release of Griffin Prize-winning poet and author Maggie Burton, has been praised by reviewers! Check out this thought-provoking write-up from Craig Francis Power for Riddle Fence!
- Wondering what Canadian books to watch out for this June? One of the eighteen titles on CBC Books' list is Taking Down Names by Bridget Canning! See the full list of titles and beef up your summer reading list!

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Book Launches Abound!

In June, we were thrilled to celebrate the release of three new titles with their own events! Early in the month, we returned to The Rooms for an afternoon of conversation, questions, and maps! With authors Herman Perry, Derek Wilton, and Michael Collins, we marked the launch of two books for the outdoor-lovers: The Great North American Paddling Odyssey, and Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador. Both books are still available at The Rooms gift shop to kick-start your summer exploration!

Continuing the fun, Darren Ivany was joined by a few special guests to celebrate the launch of Home in Three Plays at Theatre Hill! With script readings from Darren and Michael Rodhri Smith, and the appearance of our special guest Andy Jones as host, the event was a huge success—and hilarious! 

Behind the Nominations!

Breakwater authors Yvonne Rumbolt-Jones and Karl Wells were both nominated finalists for the Atlantic Book Awards APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book award for their memoirs! Sarah El-Chaar from Atlantic Books digs into all three finalist titles and shares insights from the jury in this article. Read the full article to really understand these three amazing titles!

COMING SOON!

We have two more exciting releases to look forward to this summer!

Award-winning author Bridget Canning is back with a new novel, Taking Down Names! In a darkly humorous and thrilling exploration of vengeance and grief, a journalist must unravel a tangled web of mysterious deaths and apparent karma amidst her own personal tragedy.

Continuing her successful series of gluten-free, dairy-free recipes, Jessica O'Leary provides healthy alternatives to your favourite cozy, comfort foods in Some Good: Healthy Comforts!

Both of these titles are available for pre-order on our website!

FEATURED TITLES

Indigenous History Month

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada! Breakwater is honoured to feature a selection of titles that recognize and celebrate Indigenous stories and knowledge of the past and present.

Stop by our store or browse our website to check out some of the titles we’re highlighting this month, as well as our full collection of Indigenous-authored books, including:

My Indian and Suliewey by Chief Mi'sel Joe and Sheila O'Neill, both volumes of Towards an Encylopedia of Local Knowledge by Pam Hall and Jerry Evans, Stolen Sisters by Leahdawn Helena, and the recently released Little Spoons by Diedre J. Halbot!

Father's Day

Recommended reading for the fathers in your life!  

For the small kids and grandkids, check out Jack and the Hurricane (written by a father-son duo!) and On Poppy’s Beach, a Newfoundland classic! For dads that love a mystery, check out The Beltane Massacre and Six for Saint Pierre. And for the outdoorsy types, explore The Great North American Paddling Odyssey and the Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador! 

Pride Month

While Pride month in Canada is ending soon, St. John’s Pride is still on the horizon!  

As a Queer-owned business with an extensive backlist of formative and impactful work by Queer writers of this province, we are proud to feature some of our newest releases for Pride Month!  

For children’s stories by Queer authors with universal themes, check out Drew’s Secret Talent and Seamus and the Shiny Things! For the autobiography of one of Newfoundland’s most prominent gay figures in media, read Openly Karl by Karl Wells! And for some fiction dealing with queer lives and stories based in NL, pick up A Temporary Grace and  A Seal of Salvage! 

PHOTO ALBUM

Check out authors Herman Perry, Derek Wilton, and Michael Collins at The Rooms on June 4! It was a great conversation from some fascinating writers!

Darren Ivany was interviewed by Newfoundland icon Andy Jones at his book launch! Huge thanks to Theatre Hill Bar & Cafe for hosting us and making their space so welcoming!

If you missed out on the fun, Home in Three Plays is available from Breakwater Books online and in-store.

What an amazing night celebrating the literary talents of the Atlantic provinces! Thank you to the Atlantic Book Awards for these lovely photos at their awards ceremony!

And in more award news! Children's author and illustrator Pheilm Martin accepted his Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for Songs in the Sea in Halifax this month! Congrats, Pheilm!

KEEP CONNECTED

We know you love to find us in your inbox, but don't forget to keep up with us on social media too! Follow all our channels to make sure you don't miss out on any crucial book news. Be the first to get event and book announcements, author appearance schedules, reels and videos, and more!