Books

Chronicling the journey of a national social justice champion

This new edition uses the medicine wheel to help balance your life

A love letter to the Cape Breton community that the Honourable Mayann Francis calls home

The life-enhancing story of a remarkable Nova Scotia woman with ALS.

A book of snarky, feminist essays covering #MeToo, pop culture, and LGBTQ+ topics, from longtime arts-and-culture columnist, for fans of Lindy West, Anne T. Donahue, and Sara Irby.

The definitive academic resource on the Great Influenza by the celebrated historian behind Black Loyalists in time for the pandemic’s centenary.

Spring. Beautiful blossoms. Chirping peepers. Trees swaying in their new greenery. Pussy willows glistening in furry white coats. Rain and warmth. New births and new beginnings…

Maxine Tynes is a writer who has lived, studied, and worked all of her life in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Her heritage goes back to the time of the Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia. Maxine is a graduate of Dalhousie University in Halifax, and is currently a member of the board of governors at Dalhousie, the first Black Nova Scotian to hold this appointment.

A modern story of traditional Indigenous knowledge that follows a young boy and his Auntie as they gather and braid sweetgrass, one of the four sacred medicines.

Set in contemporary times, a young Mi’kmaw drum singer and a Euro-Nova Scotian biologist meet at dusk each day to count a population of endangered Chimney Swifts (kaktukopnji’jk).

From patchwork-quilt farmland to the winding red roads, from sandy beaches to the endless stars at night, Apples and Butterflies shows Prince Edward Island shining in the bright blue and gold light of fall.

Rita Joe’s powerful poem is presented anew in this children’s picture book with illustrations from Pauline Young. A story of recovering what was lost in residential school, I Lost My Talk will raise conversation about language as a vehicle for truth and reconciliation. Published simultaneously with the companion book I’m Finding My Talk.

In Birchtown and the Black Loyalists, Wanda Taylor recounts the incredible story of the Black Loyalists of Birchtown for young readers. With educational and accessible language, readers are introduced to the journey of Black American soldiers taken from Africa as slaves, their quest for freedom, the settlement and struggle of Black Loyalists on Nova Scotian soil, and the enduring spirit of their descendants in spite of a history marked by hardship and loss. Includes informative sidebars, highlighted glossary terms, recommended reading, historic timeline, an index, and dozens of historical and contemporary images.

The incisive and vital first poetry collection from Mi’kmaw spoken-word poet and former poet laureate of Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia.

Through prose and poetry, Guyleigh Johnson tells the story of sixteen-year-old Kahlua Thomas. An absent father and an alcoholic mother leave Kahlua feeling neglected, but her real pain stems from being black. She finds it hard surviving in a poor neighbourhood and even tougher society. Trapped by her own insecurities, she cannot relate to the person in the mirror. She believes that if she doesn’t acknowledge her thick hair, big lips, and dark skin maybe, just maybe, she’ll be able to blend in.

A powerful message of self-love for melanated girls of all shades, hair textures, sizes, expressions, ages, and passions, this musical work of spoken-word poetry explores all the lives a Black girl can dream of – from athletics to STEAM-related careers, journalism and law, art and medicine, and more. Through vibrant, colourful artwork, young readers will recognize illustrations of famous Black women from across North America, like Simone Biles, Drs. Angela Davis, Mayann Francis, and Carrie Best, alongside local heroes from Nova Scotia's historic Black communities.

Former Halifax Poet Laureate and second-generation residential school survivor Rebecca Thomas writes honestly and powerfully in this companion piece to Rita Joe’s I Lost My Talk. Includes vibrant illustrations from Mi’kmaw artist Pauline Young.

Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse.

In Before the Parade, journalist and activist Rebecca Rose brings her queer femme, feminist perspective to this compelling, and necessary, history of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community in 1970s and 80s Halifax.

Power Play Press is the brainchild of author Melissa Power. Writing under both Melissa Power and Lang Walsh, they currently have 21 publications under their belt, all the the LBGTQ+ genre. Melissa is also a certified life coach who works exclusively with writers and authors, doing one-on-one virtual coaching as well as holding online workshops.