LitFest 2026 in Thunder Bay!

In just under a month--May 22 and 23--writers and readers in Thunder Bay will come together to celebrate the writing and literature of northwestern Ontario at LitFest 2026. 

A few years ago, our author Roy Blomstrom was honoured at this event with the Kouhi Award, named for Finnish-Canadian poet Elizabeth Kouhi. Her poetry set a standard for literature set in and reflecting the region. 

This year's festival will feature Waubgeshig Rice, who will be interviewed, present a workshop about adapting oral storytelling to literature, and keynote the banquet. Rice, an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation near Lake Huron, is also the author of two acclaimed speculative fiction novels that present Indigenous community in a post-apocalyptic world.

Some of the events on Friday and Saturday are free of charge; some are not. A free Book Fair and Literary Market will be open from 10 to 4 on Saturday at the event venue, which is the Italian Cultural Centre on Algoma Street (132 Algoma St. S). Lots of parking!

Entershine Bookshop will have also a presence at the Book Fair, and any titles they don't have on hand are available just a block or two up the street at their permanent location, 196 Algoma Street S. 

We always look forward to the day's events. It's fun to get new perspectives on writing through workshops as well as formal and informal discussions. Writers are supposedly solitary folks, but periodically we come blinking into the sunshine to greet each other and share a meal. And everyone there is approachable, always interested in talking with other writers and readers. 

For a full list of events, go here: NOWW LitFest 2026. 

Finnish Civil War

It's spring--a snowy one in Northwestern Ontario--and our thoughts are turning to the Finnish Civil War. As they tend to do. (Maybe a "just us" thing? Probably.)

Stories written on birchbark

This year, 2026, the dates of Easter don't fall on exactly the same dates as they did in 1918. Easter is about a week later--April 5, instead of March 31. 

But important conflicts occurred near Easter, in "real life" and in the lives of the characters of SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR. 

On Maundy Thursday, Karl Solbakken heads reluctantly into the cemetery where, for him, the sounds of the battle fall silent. 

Meanwhile, Jussi Mantere and his father are bombing Tampere--a significant effort that changes forever how Jussi viewed the war's destruction and bloodshed.

When it's officially spring but snowing YET AGAIN, when armed conflict in the world seems to be escalating, we find it helpful to remember that in other wars, people who fight sometimes, eventually, do find peace, even dedicating their whole lives to maintaining it.

Roy Blomstrom's SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR is available online at this link. 

  

Happy New Year!

Reading books is one of the best ways to travel through time, to learn without experiencing something directly, and to feel what other people might feel--for starters.

Shuniah House Books

So especially in difficult times, we are hopeful when people read books--by other people. And we hope that readers in 2026 find their way to one of our books! 

We've published books in 2024 and 2025, so we may not add another in 2026--but never say never.

Best wishes for a meaningful and joyful 2026.  

Book Signing November 29!

Saturday, November 29, Roy Blomstrom will be at Entershine Bookshop signing copies of his newest work, START WITH A SHOVEL: POETRY, PROSE, AND PLAYS. Stop by any time between 11 AM and 1 PM to say hi and pick up a cookie!

Entershine is at 196 Algoma Street South, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, in the heart of the Bay-Algoma District. 

You can order your book through Entershine, buy one that day, or bring an already-purchased copy. 

And here's a secret: Roy would be happy to sign any of his books! 

It's always fun to meet readers, and (we might be biased), we think that START WITH A SHOVEL, or other books from Shuniah House Books, would make excellent holiday gifts. 

INTRODUCING START WITH A SHOVEL: POETRY, PROSE, AND PLAYS

The latest Roy Blomstrom book, START WITH A SHOVEL: POETRY, PROSE, AND PLAYS is now on the shelves at Entershine Bookshop.

Another fantastic cover by H. Leighton Dickson!

The title comes from one of the creative nonfiction essays in the collection, comparing learning to write with his parents' experiences building a house (or two). 

Much of the work in this volume has been recognized in some form or another--such as winning awards from the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop's annual contest or being produced in the local 10X10 Showcase. 

The softcover is also available online here. The ebook version is still to come.

We're so pleased to make this compilation of short work available to readers!

About Iterating

We're still finalizing the cover for our fourth title, which is an iterative process of vision and revision, some things the same, some things not. Our author Roy Blomstrom wrote an entire book about the process, in fact.

In THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE, high school teacher David Williamson almost, but doesn't, run into himself in a mirror. After that, he experiences the same locations--in North America, from Thunder Bay to the west Coast, then down to Santa Monica, and home along Route 66--in different universes.

Along the way, he meets up not only with a woman named Caroline but also a former student, Bernie. In David's original world, Bernie was a brilliant and kind but socially awkward genius. When next David searches for him, Bernie has cracked quantum computing and can explain--or try to--what David is experiencing.

"Bottom line," Bernie said, his voice kind, "you've been experiencing some very strange things. For some reason, you travel among some individual universes of the multiverse. All that's real. I don't doubt you for a second. I know how the quantum computer works, though I don't know how this works.

"But I can tell you.... In the multiverse everything that can happen, everything that is possible, happens somewhere. It's not probable that pigs can fly, but somewhere in the multiverse, pigs have big wings and fly. If it's possible, it's out there, and you may end up visiting one of those places, so be ready for anything."

Luckily, David was ready for anything. And survived to tell the tale. As with our other titles, THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE is available online in print and ebook formats.

Praise For...

While we're finalizing the cover and interior of START WITH A SHOVEL: POETRY, PROSE, AND PLAYS, we're sharing the new page, below, from the front of the book.

We're proud of all the books we publish, and we're pleased when they resonate with readers.

Praise for The Iterations of Caroline

“[A] tour-de-force of imaginative writing… a rollicking ride.”

--John Pateman, Thunder Bay Source

 

“Part philosophy, part quantum physics, part hard-boiled mystery, and part love story … worth the read.”

--Paula Thiessen, The Walleye

 

Praise for Silences: A Novel of the 1918 Finnish Civil War

“[E]pic and intimate in scope and execution…. This is a splendid, engaging historical novel. Highly Recommended.”

--Michael Sobota, Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal

 

“Very absorbing, highly recommended.”

--H. Lewis Allways, reviewed at Amazon.com

 

Praise for The Devil’s Violin: Myllysilta’s History

“Blomstrom’s writing is smart, crisp, rich in detail and human emotions…. This is a gripping, fine, and rewarding read.”

--Michael Sobota, The Walleye 

 

“A forgotten page of history Blomstrom renders vividly.”

--H Lewis Allways, reviewed at Amazon.com