Canadian Literature (journal)

Canadian Literature publishes both general and special issues. The general issues deal with a range of periods and topics, while the special issues focus on more specific topics, including issues on themes such as travel, ethnicity, women's writing, multiculturalism, and Indigenous literature; particular genres such as Canadian poetry, historical novels; life writing, and speculative fiction; or the work of prominent authors of Canadian literature such as Thomas King, P.K. Page, or Leonard Cohen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.canlit.ca/|title=161-162 On Thomas King (1999)|website=Canadian Literature|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.canlit.ca/|title=50 Poetry of P. K. Page (1971)|website=Canadian Literature|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.canlit.ca/|title=34 Views of Leonard Cohen (1967)|website=Canadian Literature|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}

The journal's average length is 208 pages. Canadian Literature reaches a global readership and is distributed in print in Canada, US, and twenty-five other countries.[http://www.bcamp.bc.ca/magazines/canadian-literature Canadian Literature] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905043739/http://www.bcamp.bc.ca/magazines/canadian-literature |date=2011-09-05 }}, Magazine Association of BC website. Retrieved 2011-03-09. Institutions make up the majority of its print subscription base, which is largely made up of university and college libraries. In 2007, Canadian Literature{{'}}s subscriber base was 45% Canadian, 36% American and 19% international.Potter, Laura. "A Short History of Canadian Literature." From A Speaking Place: Writings from the First Fifty Years of Canadian Literature. Eds. W.H. New et al. Vancouver: Ronsdale, 2009. The journal's back catalogue of issues is openly accessible through its website, which also houses original resources such as the [http://canlitguides.ca CanLit Guides] educational project, the [https://canlit.ca/private/canlit-databases/canlit-poets/ CanLit Poets] database, interviews, opinions, and other content. In 2013-14, the journal's website had 452,237 visitors and its articles were downloaded 193,506 times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.canlit.ca/|title=Auditing, Counting, and Tracking CanLit|last=Moss|first=Laura|date=2014|website=Canadian Literature|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}

Canadian Literature was established in the autumn of 1958 by Roy Daniells and George Woodcock at the University of British Columbia. The first issue appeared in summer 1959{{cite web|author=Wynne Francis|title=The Expanding Spectrum|url=http://canlit.ca/pdfs/articles/canlit57-Expanding(Francis).pdf|work=Canadian Literature|access-date=1 November 2015|format=Book Chapter}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} to skeptical reception because of a general belief that Canada had no national literature; some critics predicted that the journal would run out of material after only a few issues. Initially, editor George Woodcock intended that Canadian Literature would be fully bilingual in French and English, but due to the lack of French submissions, after ten years of publication French-language material never rose above 10% of an issue's content. At the time of its foundation, Canadian Literature was the first and only quarterly entirely devoted to the discussion and criticism of Canadian writing and literature."Canadian Literature." The Concise Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. Ed. William Toye. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Although the position of editor eventually went to George Woodcock, the university's first choice was a bibliographer, UBC's only specialist in Canadian literature, Reginald Watters; the position was offered to Woodcock after Watters decided to accept a fellowship in Australia.Klinck, Carl F. Giving Canada a Literary History. Ed. Sandra Djwa. Ottawa: Carleton UP for U of Western Ontario. Cited in Fetherling, Douglas. The Gentle Anarchist: a Life of George Woodcock. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998. As editor, Woodcock strove to keep the journal from being purely academic,Doyle, Mike. "Working with George Woodcock." Making Waves: Reading BC and Pacific Northwest Literature. Ed. Trevor Carolan. Vancouver: Anvil / University of the Fraser Valley P, 2010. instead adopting a tone "serious but not academic, popular but not journalistic, contextual more than textual" (Fetherling).Fetherling, Douglas. The Gentle Anarchist: a Life of George Woodcock. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998. As the first journal dedicated to the study of Canadian writers and writing, Canadian Literature supported the "newly institutionalized field of Canadian literature" during a period of increasing cultural nationalism in Canada.{{Cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature|last=Sugars|first=Cynthia Conchita|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2016|pages=762}} Woodcock later attributed Canadian Literature{{'}}s success to having arrived "at the right moment in the development of a Canadian literary tradition, and created its own ground swell of critical activity."Woodcock, George. Beyond the Blue Mountains: An Autobiography. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1987. cited in Potter, Laura. "A Short History of Canadian Literature." From A Speaking Place: Writings from the First Fifty Years of Canadian Literature. Eds. W.H. New et al. Vancouver: Ronsdale, 2009.

Woodcock resigned from the editorship in 1977, having edited 73 issues of the journal.[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-literature "Canadian Literature (periodical)"]. The Canadian Encyclopedia, After Woodcock's retirement, the University of British Columbia invited William H. New, who had been an assistant editor since 1965, to act as editor. Under New's editorship, the journal "often placed the Canadian within the broader Commonwealth field" of postcolonial criticism.{{Cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature|last=Brydon, Diana, and Bruno Cornellier.|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2016|location=New York|pages=762}} New chose to give priority to First Nations, Asian Canadian, Caribbean Canadian and other minority literatures, which previously had been under-represented in Canadian literary criticism. For example, in 1985 New had Joseph Pivato co-edit an issue devoted to Italian-Canadian writers (number 106), and in 1990 he edited the first special issue on Indigenous literatures in Canada, titled [https://canlit.ca/full-issue/?issue=124-125 Native Writers & Canadian Writing] (no. 124-125, published the same year as a book by University of British Columbia Press).{{Cite book|title="Is This the Indian You Had in Mind?" Thomas King: Works and Impact. Edited by Eva Gruber.|last=Hulan, Renee, and Linda Warley.|publisher=Camden House|year=2012|location=Rochester|pages=115}} New's work as the journal's editor has been described as "pioneer[ing] in changing preconceptions about Canadian writing throughout the 1980s" and the Canadian literary canon.{{Cite book|title="Rewriting Tradition: Literature, History, and Changing Narratives of English Canada since the 1970s." Unruly Penelopes and the Ghosts: Narratives of English Canada. Edited by Eva Darias-Beautell.|last=Howells|first=Coral Ann|publisher=Wilfrid Laurier UP|year=2012}} New also set up a peer review process for the journal, with the goal of drawing readership from both general and scholarly audiences. New retired as editor in 1995, having edited 72 issues.

Between 1995 and 2003, Eva-Marie Kröller was the editor.{{cite book|author=William Toye|title=The Concise Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DszyAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-541523-0|page=65}} In addition to producing thirty-four issues, Kröller raised the journal's reputation worldwide by establishing an international editorial board made up of Canadian and international scholars. She refined the peer-review process for article submissions: currently, articles are assessed by two expert readers who are at arm's length from the author, whose name they do not know. In turn, their names are not revealed to the author (double-blind peer review). During Kröller's editorship, Canadian Literature fortified its commitment to Canadian francophone writers by appointing its first Associate Editor specifically for francophone writing, Michel Rocheleau. Under Associate Editor Réjean Beaudoin's guidance, Canadian Literature published several special issues featuring a majority of French content, such as "Littérature Francophone hors-Québec / Francophone Writing Outside Quebec."

In 1995, the journal underwent major design changes: it moved from plain beige covers to coloured, changed to a narrower trim, and added more pages to each issue in order to accommodate an expanded focus on themes such as postcolonialism, poetics, cultural history, and multiculturalism. The journal also continued publishing original poems by Canadian writers.

In 2003, Laurie Ricou, an ecocritic and specialist in the literature of the Pacific Northwest who had been either an associate or acting editor of Canadian Literature since 1983, became the journal's editor. In addition to publishing a range of special issues, Ricou oversaw the relaunch of Canadian Literature's website and the creation of the [https://canlit.ca/resources/poets/ CanLit Poets] resource. Ricou's term ended in 2007.

In 2007, Margery Fee, a specialist in Indigenous literatures and Canadian literature and language, became the journal's fifth editor.[http://canlit.ca/about.php Canadian Literature: About] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207024536/http://canlit.ca/about.php|date=2010-12-07}}. Retrieved 9 March 2011. During Fee's editorship, Canadian Literature made its back catalogue of issues openly accessible through the journal's website, and in 2012 launched the [https://canlitguides.ca CanLit Guides] open-access online educational resource, which uses archival material from the journal to teach students of Canadian literature about academic writing and reading.

Laura Moss is the journal's sixth and most recent editor, having taken over from Fee in 2015. In recent years, Canadian Literature has published special issues on topics such as Indigenous literature, Asian Canadian critique, the literature of Vancouver, global perspectives on Canadian literature, as well as issues supporting the work of emerging scholarship and graduate students.{{Cite web|url=https://www.canlit.ca/|title="Back Issues: 2010-Present." Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review|website=Canadian Literature|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-29}} Moss's work as editor has sought "to ensure that the journal continues to be vital to a wide readership," keeping in Canadian Literature's tradition of critical eclecticism while emphasizing the "social utility" of Canadian literary criticism and the "journal as a space to speak freely, debate passionately, think safely, question vigorously, argue vehemently, and express contentious opinion."{{Cite web|url=https://canlit.ca/article/canadian-literature-6-0/|title=Canadian Literature 6.0|last=Moss|first=Laura|date=2015}}

Canadian Literature celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009 by holding a four-day gala from September 30 to October 3, 2009.[https://www.pressreader.com/canada/vancouver-sun/20091003/282368330696635 "Journal that has helped define Canadian literature turns 50"]. Vancouver Sun, October 3, 2009. Rebecca Wigold It included a two-day conference entitled "The Future of Canadian literature / Canadian Literature" featuring talks by Canadian writers and scholars Thomas King, Roch Carrier, Steven Galloway and Aritha Van Herk, along with presentations and short talks by Canadian and international academics and graduate students.

The conference was followed by the launches of Sherrill Grace's book On the Art of Being Canadian, published by UBC Press and From A Speaking Place: Writings from the First Fifty Years of Canadian Literature, edited by W. H. New, and published by Ronsdale Press. A silent art auction to support undergraduate students interning at Canadian Literature included pieces donated by Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Dennis Lee, Thomas King, Patrick Lane, Joni Mitchell, and Fred Wah.

Canadian Literature's 60th anniversary was celebrated in 2019 with a reading emceed by the poetry editor, Phinder Dulai, featuring Jordan Abel, Sonnet L’Abbé, Daphne Marlatt, Cecily Nicholson, and Shazia Hafiz Ramji, followed by the awarding of the 60th Anniversary Graduate Student Essay Prize.{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress2019.ca/calendar/1104|title=Canadian Literature at 60: How CanLit Works {{!}} •La littérature canadienne à 60 ans : Réception " comment fonctionne CanLit ? " {{!}} Congress 2019|website=www.congress2019.ca|access-date=2019-10-28}}

• George Woodcock (1959-1977)
• W.H. New (1977-1995)
• Eva-Marie Kröller (1999-2003)
• Laurie Ricou (2003-2007)
• Margery Fee (2007-2015)
• Laura Moss (2015–Present)

CanLit Guides is an online, open-access, and flexible educational resource created and maintained by Canadian Literature.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ufv.ca/tlc/resources-for-teaching-and-learning/canlit-guides/|title=CanLit Guides - University of the Fraser Valley (UFV)|website=www.ufv.ca|access-date=2019-10-28}} The project is designed to supplement classroom learning and assist students and educators to critically engage with Canadian writing while promoting independent study. The website offers a variety of content composed of textbook-style modular “Chapters” that are organized into larger thematic “Guides” and available for users to curate into customized reading lists.{{Cite web|url=https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/blog/post/canlit-guides-workshop-writing-centre-using-think-aloud|title=From the CanLit Guides Workshop to the Writing Centre: Using the Think-Aloud Protocol as a Tool for Peer Review|last=Fladd|first=Nadine|date=2016-06-30|website=Writing and Communication Centre|language=en|access-date=2019-10-28}} The Chapters and Guides cover topics of importance to studying, reading, contextualizing, and writing about Canadian literature, including on literary theory; literary, cultural, and political history; specific authors and works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama; and skills-based research and composition topics. The CanLit Guides draws from Canadian Literature’s journal archives of articles, editorials, reviews, and poetry in its content. The chapters and activities are freely accessible to the public and published to support learning in undergraduate and advanced high school levels.

In 2018, CanLit Guides expanded by launching new peer-reviewed Chapters written by external specialists from across Canada and internationally.{{Cite web|url=https://www.canlit.ca/|title=CanLit Guides at Congress: Launch Event and Roundtable|date=24 May 2018|website=Canadian Literature|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}} The CanLit Guides website serves a wide international user base that has gradually expanded from ~18,000 users in its inaugural year to now receiving roughly a quarter of a million visits annually from 75,000 users in 184 countries.{{Cite web|url=http://canlitguides.ca/news/statistically-speaking-tracking-canlit-guides-traffic/|title=Statistically Speaking… Tracking CanLit Guides Traffic {{!}} CanLit Guides|last=McCormack|first=Brendan|date=September 9, 2019|website=canlitguides.ca|access-date=2019-10-28}}

In 1988, Canadian Literature became the only journal to win the Gabrielle Roy Prize for best English book-length studies in Canadian and Québec literary criticism.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060619203818/http://www.alcq-acql.ca/GB.html The Association for Canadian and Quebec Literatures: The ACQL Literary Prize recipients.]. Retrieved 9 March 2011. The US-based Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) presented Eva-Marie Kröller with a Distinguished Editor award in 2004 in recognition of her work with Canadian Literature.[http://www.celj.org/distinguished_editor Council of Editors of Learned Journals: Distinguished Editor Award Winners.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103061144/http://www.celj.org/distinguished_editor |date=2012-01-03 }}. Retrieved 9 March 2011. In 2004, William H. New was awarded the Governor General's International Award for Canadian Studies.[http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/pages/6_prizes/a_govgenaw.html Governor General's International Award for Canadian Studies Award Winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518113437/http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/pages/6_prizes/a_govgenaw.html |date=2011-05-18 }}, International Council for Canadian Studies. Retrieved 9 March 2011. In 2006, Eva-Marie Kröller and Laurie Ricou joined W. H. New, who was elected in 1986, as Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada,[http://www.rsc.ca/submitallsearch.php?pageNum_rsResults=21&totalRows_rsResults=1592 All Fellows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706202603/http://www.rsc.ca/submitallsearch.php?pageNum_rsResults=21&totalRows_rsResults=1592 |date=2011-07-06 }}, Royal Society of Canada. Retrieved 2011-03-09.[http://www.canlit.ca/about.php?page=history History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207093749/http://canlit.ca/about.php?page=history |date=2010-12-07 }}, Canadian Literature. Retrieved 9 March 2011. and Margery Fee became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ubyssey.ca/news/eight-faculty-members-named-royal-society-of-canada-fellows/|title=Eight faculty members named Royal Society of Canada fellows|last=Barn|first=Allison|website=The Ubyssey|access-date=2019-10-28}} In 2007, the Governor General named New an Officer of the Order of Canada.[http://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4984 Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada], Order of Canada Archives, 20 February 2007. Retrieved 9 March 2011. In 2009, Canadian Literature won a Canadian Online Publishing Award for Best Cross Platform for their poetry archive CanLit Poets.[http://www.canadianonlinepublishingawards.com/2009/winners.shtml 2009 Finalists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708113359/http://www.canadianonlinepublishingawards.com/2009/winners.shtml |date=2011-07-08 }}, Canadian Online Publishing Awards. Retrieved 9 March 2011. In 2019, the Canadian Association of Learned Journals awarded the journal the Scholarly and Research Communication Innovation Award for its CanLit Guides project.{{Cite web|url=https://www.calj-acrs.ca/news/winner-2019-scholarly-and-research-communication-award|title=The winner of the 2019 Scholarly and Research Communication Award {{!}} Canadian Association of Learned Journals|website=www.calj-acrs.ca|access-date=2019-10-28}}

The publication of Canadian Literature is assisted by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council[http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/results-resultats/2008/journals.pdf 2008 SSCRC grant results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718231550/http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/results-resultats/2008/journals.pdf |date=2011-07-18 }}, the UBC Faculty of Arts, and acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Magazine Fund towards web enhancement.[http://www.pch.gc.ca/pap/publctn/report-rapport/ann-rep2010/index-eng.cfm Publications Assistance Program 2009-2010 Funding], Canadian Heritage.

The journal is indexed by, among others, Canadian Magazine Index, Canadian Periodical Index, European Reference Index for the Humanities, Humanities International Complete, and the MLA International Bibliography. It is indexed and abstracted by EBSCO, PROQUEST, and ABES.{{Cite web|url=https://canlit.ca/about/|title=About|website=Canadian Literature|access-date=24 October 2019}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.canlit.ca Canadian Literature website]
• [http://www.calj-acrs.ca/journals/index.php?journal_id=82 Canadian Literature on the Canadian Association of Learned Journals (CALJ) website.]
• [http://canlitguides.ca CanLit Guides: online classroom resources curated by Canadian Literature]

Category:1959 establishments in British Columbia

Category:Literary magazines published in Canada

Category:Magazines published in Vancouver

Category:Magazines established in 1959

Category:Quarterly magazines published in Canada

Category:University of British Columbia

Category:Multilingual journals

Category:Academic journals published in Canada

Category:Quarterly journals

Category:Academic journals published by universities and colleges