Relatable Heroes: Minority Representation in Genre Fiction

Posted by Augur Blog
On May 29, 2019

By Radhika Tyagi Of the thirty-nine books I read in 2018, eight were written by people of color, eleven were written by women, fourteen featured female protagonists, and fifteen featured minority protagonists (that’s almost forty percent!). While I actively seek out books written by and about women and minorities, the growing availability of these books […]

Larissa Lai’s “Rachel” and Cyborg Identity

Posted by Augur Blog
On May 17, 2019

By Ben Berman Ghan Larissa Lai’s short story “Rachel” is a brilliant blended retelling of both Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968) and Ridley Scott’s film adaptation Blade Runner (1982). It operates as a sort of mutated replicant text of its source material, becoming what post-humanist Donna Haraway, whom Lai quotes […]

Experiencing Afrofuturism as a Black Canadian

Posted by Augur Blog
On February 21, 2019

By Terese Mason Pierre I’m a young black woman. I write speculative fiction. It took me far too long to discover the existence of black women speculative fiction writers. I assumed it was something white people did, and that I, writing speculative fiction, was doing something white people do. It wasn’t the first time I […]

Murakami vs. Saunders: Magical Book Design

Posted by Augur Blog
On February 15, 2019

On the surface, a story about a library prison escape and the tale of an anthropomorphic fox rendered homeless could not be more different. But both of these short stories—The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami and Fox 8 by George Saunders—have been published as standalone books with illustrations (adult picture books, if you will). This […]

All Too Casual: Taking Responsibility in Artistic Representations

Posted by Augur Blog
On January 15, 2019

By Lorna Antoniazzi It’s the beginning of a new year—a time to look to look forward to all the new plans, but also a good time to look back at everything we’ve already accomplished. Today we’ve dug up one of Kickstarter essays that introduced Augur to all of you. Our cover artist, Lorna Antoniazzi, has written about the responsibility an artist has to ensure that intersectionality is included in renderings of stories. I feel it’s important to recognize this right off the bat: I am […]

Re-reading The Farseer Trilogy: An Introduction

Posted by Augur Blog
On January 9, 2019

By Mado Christie Just over one and a half years ago, the final book in Robin Hobb’s epic Realm of the Elderlings series was released. I had been waiting for Assassin’s Fate to arrive for years, and I devoured it in a matter of days. I remember reading the final few hundred pages one evening […]

A Year of Augur Magazine: Thoughts and Reflections

Posted by Augur Blog
On November 7, 2018

We’ve been busy in 2018. After running a successful crowdfunding campaign, publishing three issues, and obtaining Ontario Arts Council funding for Years 2–3, it’s been a whirlwind. And we’re celebrating in two ways: One: We’re having a party! If you’re in the Toronto area next Thursday (November 15) evening, drop by SKETCH Working Arts […]