Sign in

Alex Boyd

@alexboydwriter.bsky.social
89 followers 99 following 73 posts

The Least Important Man (poems), Army of the Brave and Accidental (a novel), Take This for the Pain: Essays on Writing and Life. boydwords.wordpress.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Nobody can read everything. Nobody can read the hundredth part of everything. Nevertheless international prizes purport to tell us which is the best novel of the year, who is the greatest writer." -- Tim Parks, Where I'm Reading From #essays #amreading
030
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
In @thestar.com I write about how to reimagine & continue Ford's very Trumpy, absurd & ridiculous bike lane war: don't feel lonely (there's more cyclists everyday); protests will grow (note to engineering firms & drivers); it's a culture war (facts, science & good faith don't matter). Let's go.
thestar.com
Shawn Micallef: Doug Ford has waged a Trump-like war on bike lanes. Here’s how Toronto can fight back
Ford’s war on bike lanes is a culture war. From protests to narrowing roads, here is how Toronto can fight back.
1018773
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Here's my One Question Interview with Blair Trewartha about his superb new book Half-Earth: #poetry #writing @palimpsestpress.bsky.social boydwords.wordpress.com/2026/08/26/o...
boydwords.wordpress.com
One Question Interview: Blair Trewartha
In his second full-length poetry collection, Half-Earth, Blair Trewartha explores what it means to survive in a world beset by climate crisis and the ever-distorting realities of digitized human li…
1104
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Tim Parks on reviewing: "To be impartial about narrative would be to come from nowhere, to be no one. The challenge ... is to be aware of one's habits, even to surprise oneself ... it's the books that very slightly shift an old position ... that become most precious." #amreading #books #reviews
110
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Catherine Owen @cowenwriter.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/products/six... As requested by a fellow Blueskyer, here are the cover and details on Sixteen Homes, a memoir that deals at its core with the housing crisis across Canada. It would be amazing if you pre-ordered. Will be out by October 18th :) #canlit #wolsakandwynn
bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca
Sixteen Homes by Catherine Owen
In Sixteen Homes Catherine Owen pulls together the ideas, words and images that surround our understanding of home and housing. Asking questions about transience and about how long it takes to set dow...
2103
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
#amreading Where I'm Reading From, essays by Tim Parks meant to "upend our assumptions about literature and its purpose." Opening words: "It's time to rethink everything. Everything."
static.klipy.com
Shocked Astonished Cartoon Man
ALT: Shocked Astonished Cartoon Man
010
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Well I wrote a thing for @thestar.com
thestar.com
Shawn Micallef: Doug Ford won his bike lane battle. But removing them won’t solve Toronto’s traffic nightmare
The Ontario Court of Appeal cleared Doug Ford to remove Toronto bike lanes. Here is why the plan won’t solve traffic congestion.
916555
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
#amreading Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis, with observations about his time in WW1 at 19 years old: "two middle-aged Canadians at once took charge of me and treated me, not like a son (that might have given offence) but like a long-lost friend. Blessings upon them!" #Memoirs #Canada
010
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Jade Wallace (they/them) @nycterosea.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Have to say it feels pretty cool. Grateful to Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social and congrats to him on his new book of essays with @palimpsestpress.bsky.social! I also noticed some reviews of work by my peers like @peterbcounter.com in here. 👀
142
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
#amreading Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis and already in the first chapter some brilliant description. Someone saying they find insects disturbing because "they are like French locomotives -- they have all the works on the outside." #CSLewis
050
Reposted by Alex Boyd
All Lit Up @alllitupcanada.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
@alexboydwriter.bsky.social's TAKE THIS FOR THE PAIN (@palimpsestpress.bsky.social) pulls from twenty-five years of essays, articles, and reviews to explore how art and culture can reinforce ideas of identity and promote social change. Read an excerpt from the book at alllitup.ca/excerpted-ta...
A graphic featuring the cover of Alex Boyd's TAKE THIS FOR THE PAIN (Palimpsest Press) against a static background of dark teal. The cover of the book is a tan colour with the title and author name left-aligned from top to bottom in a sans-serif font. The title is black and the author name is teal. On the right upper portion over the cover is an illustration of a prescription pad. Written in place of the prescription is the book's subtitle "Essays on Writing and Life." Below this in the lower right of the cover is an illustration in dark brown of a human brain.
0103
Reposted by Alex Boyd
scott dagostino @scottdagostino.ca · 15/07/2026
“This just in,” says 680 News radio, “Toronto’s air quality today is the worst in the world” 😬
6268
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Ontario Book Publishers Organization @obpoofficial.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Read an excerpt from TAKE THIS FOR THE PAIN (@palimpsestpress.bsky.social), the fascinating new essay collection by Alex Boyd! #AmReading #Nonfiction #Essays #CanLit open-book.ca/News/Read-an...
open-book.ca
Read an Excerpt from TAKE THIS FOR THE PAIN, the Fascinating New Essay Collection by Alex Boyd
Art has a way of turning up in unexpected places, and Take this for the Pain (Palimpsest Press) follows those moments wherever they lead. Drawing on ...
064
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
#amreading Rites of Passage, set on an early 19th century sailing ship, with delightful lines like this: "He left me then with as courteous an inclination of the head as you would expect from a man leaning like the pitch of a roof." William Golding, winner of the 1980 Booker Prize. #fiction
020
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
It was fun to do the Shane Hewitt show and chat about writing, memorable jobs, Orwell and life in general, including my new book Take This for the Pain. #essays #amwriting shanehewitt.ca/new-just-wri...
060
Reposted by Alex Boyd
River Street @riverstreetwriting.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Alex Boyd’s essay collection, Take This for the Pain (Palimpsest Press, 2026), received a brilliant review in Hippocampus Magazine by writer, scholar, and narrative medicine leader Renée K. Nicholson. Read full review: www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2026/06/revi... @palimpsestpress.bsky.social
041
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
#amreading My Autobiography, Charles Chaplin. Did not expect the best (in my opinion) early filmmaker to also be a good writer, but he has an eye for the most salient details and can pull off impressive description. So far, so fascinating. #books #Chaplin
static.klipy.com
Charlie Chaplin in The Lion's Cage
ALT: Charlie Chaplin in The Lion's Cage
030
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Typo of the day: "Let men know your thoughts."
010
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Anakana Schofield @anakanaschofield.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"This new novel by Anakana Schofield is her most inventive, funniest, and boldest yet--a political and philosophical work that expands our expectations of the novel form and presents a gloriously absurdist blueprint for resistance to the inhumane march of "progress."..."
0102
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Grateful to @anotherstoryto.bsky.social for hosting the launch of Take This for the Pain: Essays on Writing and Life earlier in the month, and they still have copies! #essays #books
140
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Here's an interview with the good people at On Creative Writing in which I generally go on about Orwell and my new personal essay collection Take This for the Pain. #essays #writing cc: @sheelaghcaygill.bsky.social www.oncreativewriting.com/post/alex-bo...
oncreativewriting.com
Alex Boyd on modeling Orwell's clear, accessible style in writing
In this interview, author Alex Boyd discusses his new essay collection, Take This for the Pain. Inspired by George Orwell’s clear, accessible style, Boyd reflects on his diverse reading habits—champio...
231
Reposted by Alex Boyd
River Street @riverstreetwriting.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Take a peek at the launch of Take This for the Pain: Essays on Writing and Life by Alex Boyd, released with Palimpsest Press. Big love to Another Story Bookshop in Toronto for hosting! Learn more: palimpsestpress.ca/books/take-t... 🫶🏼 @palimpsestpress.bsky.social #nonfiction
051
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
A review of Take This for the Pain: "It’s generously offered, without ceremony and without overclaiming its own significance: take this for the pain because, even though it won’t fix what ails you, it helps." www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2026/06/revi...
hippocampusmagazine.com
REVIEW: Take This For the Pain: Essays on Writing and Life by Alex Boyd | Hippocampus Magazine
"...[Alex Boyd 's] book **is** the art and life of writing, and understanding it that way changes what you expect from it." - reviewer Renée K. Nicholson
030
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Well, that was a good night yesterday! A pleasure to launch Take This for the Pain: Essays on Writing and Life chatting with Jim Johnstone of Palimpsest Press at @anotherstoryto.bsky.social
120
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Tonight! Take This for the Pain: Essays on Writing and Life launches at 7pm, Another Story Bookshop on Roncesvalles. Looking forward to a chat with Jim Johnstone of @palimpsestpress.bsky.social
120
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The Canadian Griffin Prize is reinstated! I am so pleased! Thanks to everyone who rallied behind Canadian poets, and to the Griffin Trust for hearing us. griffinpoetryprize.com/press/2026-a...
0346
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Had a very pleasant chat with Joseph Planta over at The Commentary about my new book of essays Take This for the Pain. He always has good questions. You can have a listen here: thecommentary.ca/ontheline/24...
static.klipy.com
On Air Radio Broadcast
ALT: On Air Radio Broadcast
020
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Garth Martens @garthmartens.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Hassan Kanafani is the pseudonym for a Palestinian writer whose firsthand account of living in Gaza, Pizza Before We Die, is now out with @arsenalpulp.bsky.social. . Find it, order it, from any bookstore in Canada. With gratitude to Yasuko Thanh for her role in getting this book published.
122
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
"At the bottom of Portsea's Cheviot Bay in Victoria is a sunken gravestone for Harold Holt, the missing, presumed drowned former Prime Minister of Australia." -- from Vessel: The Shape of Absent Bodies, Dani Netherclift. @pressassembly.bsky.social #amreading
031
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Published my first essay in the Globe and Mail in 1999 and thought "That was fun, but I'll write another essay when I have a good idea for one." Here we are: a book on many meaningful subjects available for pre-order from @palimpsestpress.bsky.social palimpsestpress.ca/books/take-t...
palimpsestpress.ca
TAKE THIS FOR THE PAIN, Alex Boyd - Palimpsest Press
A curious look at art and culture in a rapidly changing world. Pre-order Take this for the Pain now
072
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Love the cover of the new Penguin Deluxe Classics Wind in the Willows, and others in the series. #books #amreading
010
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Here's a One Question Interview with Russell Thornton about choosing from nine previous collections for his new selected poems: Two Songs #writing #poems boydwords.wordpress.com/2026/03/31/o...
boydwords.wordpress.com
One Question Interview: Russell Thornton
Russell Thornton is a Canadian poet with nine poetry collections previous to Two Songs, Selected Poems (2026, Harbour Publishing) including previous titles shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize,…
000
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
A reminder that if you had a new book published in Canada in 2025, the deadline to register new titles with PLR for 2027 is MAY 1, 2026. publiclendingright.ca
publiclendingright.ca
The Public Lending Right (PLR) Program
It pays to have your books in Canada’s libraries! Learn more about the Public Lending Right Program
183
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Enjoyed Watership Down so much I may spend the rest of the year reading books and saying "Pretty good, but not enough rabbits." #amreading
media.tenor.com
a cartoon rabbit is sitting in a field with a horse in the background
ALT: a cartoon rabbit is sitting in a field with a horse in the background
021
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
“There is nothing that cuts you down to size like coming to some strange and marvellous place where no one even stops to notice that you stare about you.” Watership Down, Richard Adams #quote #books
000
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
My review of Cannibal Rats, new poetry from Richard Greene: boydwords.wordpress.com/2026/02/28/c...
boydwords.wordpress.com
Cannibal Rats, Richard Greene
I don’t know who originally said that certain rare individuals might step over every body in a battlefield fo mourn the passing of a butterfly. At first glance it suggests a useless personali…
001
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
My review of Cannibal Rats, new poetry from Richard Greene: boydwords.wordpress.com/2026/02/28/c...
boydwords.wordpress.com
Cannibal Rats, Richard Greene
I don’t know who originally said that certain rare individuals might step over every body in a battlefield fo mourn the passing of a butterfly. At first glance it suggests a useless personali…
001
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
There were concerns reading was in decline 20 years ago, before the iPhone, when this review I wrote was posted to The Danforth Review #amreading boydwords.wordpress.com/2026/02/16/b...
boydwords.wordpress.com
Bookmark Now, Kevin Smokler (editor)
This review was originally posted to The Danforth Review in 2006, the year before the introduction of the iPhone. Editor Kevin Smokler explains in his introduction to Bookmark Now that the voices b…
020
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
The rabbit word for tractor is hrududu. #amreading Watership Down
000
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Fox 8 by George Saunders. Concise, inventive, meaningful. I wanted to steal it and pretend it was mine. #amreading
000
Reposted by Alex Boyd
Hollay Ghadery @hollay.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Read an excerpt from my new novel, The Unravelling of Ou, published by @palimpsestpress.bsky.social. Thank you, @civilianreader.com!
0116
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
90 years after the release date I showed my son Modern Times and he found it delightful. Chaplin gave us timeless gifts. #film
media.tenor.com
a black and white photo of a man in overalls standing in a kitchen .
ALT: a black and white photo of a man in overalls standing in a kitchen .
020
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Before the end of the year I need to say that if you've never seen Jeremy Brett as #SherlockHolmes it's time.
media.tenor.com
a man in a suit and tie sitting in a chair
ALT: a man in a suit and tie sitting in a chair
062
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
BBC Archives: Remembering the Christmas Truce. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPMy...
youtube.com
1968: Remembering the CHRISTMAS TRUCE | Voice of the People | BBC Archive
YouTube video by BBC Archive
020
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Once again I've written up a list of stuff I really enjoyed this year (not going to say "best" because who reads everything?) including fiction, nonfiction, essays, graphic novels. #amreading #books boydwords.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/y...
boydwords.wordpress.com
Year in Review: 2025
Fiction: A House Without Spirits (David Homel) had characters that feel quite real, an intriguing premise about a writer getting to know a reclusive photographer, and lines like this: “The on…
020
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
"I permitted myself to be amused," is six words that are possibly peak British... from the charming memoir My Dog Tulip, J.R. Ackerley #amreading
010
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
"The screen is replacing the book. Studies show dramatic and unprecedented drops in literacy and reading, especially among teenagers." www.newstatesman.com/culture/book...
newstatesman.com
English literature’s last stand
Stefan Collini’s new book explores why such a prestigious academic discipline finds itself on the margins of modern society.
010
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
In Crisis, On Crisis: Essays in Troubled Times (James Cairns) is a worthy and timely book. Here's my review. #amreading @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social boydwords.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/i...
boydwords.wordpress.com
In Crisis, On Crisis: Essays in Troubled Times, James Cairns
Are things going to get worse before they get better? It’s among the questions In Crisis, On Crisis ponders. We have a decaying social safety net, or maybe the rising cost of living has forced more…
021
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
An excerpt from Dust: More Lives of the Poets (With Guitars), more portraits of musicians by Ray Robertson, new from @biblioasis.bsky.social boydwords.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/e...
boydwords.wordpress.com
Excerpt: Dust, More Lives of the Poets by Ray Robertson
In 2016, Ray Robertson published Lives of the Poets (With Guitars), essays on the lives of different musicians, reviewed on Goodreads as “essays every bit as rollicking and energetic as many …
031
Alex Boyd @alexboydwriter.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
My Dog Tulip by Ackerley: so far so charming. A great gift for anyone who loves dogs, and in the first thirty pages already advocating gentleness instead of cruelty. #amreading
010