Author, CATHERINE BUSH Speaking on Novels to Short Stories at Muskoka Authors Association Meeting

On Thursday, August 28, Muskoka Authors Association has the pleasure of a return visit from author and associate professor of creative writing, Catherine Bush. After producing five novels, including the widely acclaimed Blaze Island (2020), Catherine Bush has just published, Skin, her first collection of stories. She’ll talk about how she transitioned from novelist to short story writer, the appeal of the short story form versus the novel (and what she loves about each), how a story can be anything from flash fiction to novella, and provide some craft tips.

Bold, vital, and unmistakably of the moment. Skin is the blistering new book of short fiction by Catherine Bush, one of Canada’s best-loved novelists. Available April 22, 2025, Skin is a moving look at survival and tenderness in a world threatened by cascading crises. Bush, a master of Canadian eco-fiction, poses trenchant questions about humanity’s reaction to the ongoing influence of climate-based disaster, probes relationships between the human and more-than-human, and delves into a world where touch and intimacy are both desirable and fraught.
Ranging from flash fiction to novella-length, these stories explore a society grappling with viruses, climate change, and ecological emergencies. Known for her intelligence and daring prose, Bush now brings us something urgent, timely, and breathtaking. Skin is a gripping addition to her widely celebrated catalog.
Catherine Bush is the author of the story collection Skin (2025) and five novels, including Blaze Island (2020), a Globe & Mail Best Book, and The Rules of Engagement (2000), a New York Times Notable Book. Her books have been shortlisted for the Trillium Prize, City of Toronto Book Award, and Books in Canada First Novel Award. She was the 2024 Writer-in-Residence at the Rachel Carson Centre for Environment and Society. An Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Guelph, she lives in Toronto and eastern Ontario.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm
Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20
For more information and to register, Please email your contact information and etransfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca.
You can also reach out for more information, to David Bruce Patterson at davidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com