Kobo and local community newspaper West End Phoenix are collaborating to release an collection of stories from prominent Canadian writers, such as Claudia Dey, Margaret Atwood, Dave Bidini and Ivy Knight on life during COVID-19. One story from the series by Claudia Dey is going live on the Kobo blog tomorrow.
West End Phoenix is a hyper-local print newspaper created by author and musician Dave Bidini, and is known for featuring some of the country’s greatest writers, artists and photographers articulating their experiences of living in their Toronto neighborhoods. Some of the stories included in the Telegrams from Home collection will also be published in a June edition of West End Phoenix.
Drawing on frequent West End Phoenix collaborators and others, the new works explore the local experience of the global pandemic, showcasing stories that touch on the human experience that connects us all, brimming with empathy and transcending borders. The collected works are published as Kobo Originals; sales from each of the three anthologies will be donated to charity, with proceeds from the first going to Community Food Centers of Canada to help the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories included in each collection will be published every Saturday on the Kobo.com blog, to give readers a sample of what is to come.
This collaboration between Kobo and West End Phoenix introduces new stories by Canadian literary voices focusing on the central theme of life during a pandemic, encompassing a variety of styles, formats and tones. Each installment showcases personal reflections, short profiles of people who work on the front lines, poems and Q&As.
The first collection, releasing May 29 and available for per-order now, includes work from Claudia Dey, Margaret Atwood, Dave Bidini, Ivy Knight, and others, as well as community members, offers differing viewpoints on this unparalleled time and describes the multitude of ways people are experiencing and coping.
“Reading has been an important source of comfort to many of us during the COVID-19 period, and we are proud of the new format we created through our collaboration with West End Phoenix,” said Pieter Swinkels, Chief Content Officer, Kobo. “By re imagining the rich texture of community newspapers and adapting it for digital reading, our goal is to connect some of the most powerful Canadian literary voices with our readers.”
“Before the COVID-19 crisis, one in eight Canadians struggled to put good food on the table. With furloughs and layoffs and economic uncertainty, more and more Canadians don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said Nick Saul, CEO, Community Food Centres Canada. “We are grateful to Rakuten Kobo and the West End Phoenix for directing proceeds from their new collaboration to address the ever deepening food insecurity crisis. Their support will ensure that our most vulnerable neighbours, including children, single parents, Indigenous people, seniors, and those on disability supports can receive emergency relief through our Good Food Access Fund.”
Pre-order Volume 1: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/telegrams-from-home-vol-1
Michael Kozlowski is the editor of the Good e-Reader News Publication and the Good e-Reader Bookstore. He has been chronicling the e-reader and publishing industry since 2007, the year the Kindle was first released. His stories have been picked up by the New York Times, Washington Post and various online news sites.