Arsenal Pulp Press

Seeing Reds tells the story of a turbulent period in Canadian history, when in 1918-19 the Canadian government, fearful in the wake of the Russian Revolution, tried to suppress radical political activity at home by branding legitimate labor leaders as "Bolsheviks" and "Reds." Daniel Francis examines Canada's Red Scare in a global context, including government responses to similar activities in the United States and Europe, as well as its ramifications for the contemporary war on terror, in which issues of free speech and political dissent are similarly compromised in the name of national security.

A collaborative book by two extraordinary Black artists about finding beauty in the chaos.

Roger Mooking is well-known as a celebrity chef and the host of such television shows as the Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food and Everyday Exotic; he is also a recording artist with five albums to his credit and a visual artist who creates immersive experiences that merge the visual, sonic, and culinary arts. francesca ekwuyasi is a writer and filmmaker who won wide acclaim for her award-winning, bestselling debut novel, Butter Honey Pig Bread. These two enormously talented Black artists join forces in Curious Minds, a book of art, stories, and conversations that illuminates the journey to find solace and perspective in an increasingly hyperactive and distracting world.

Inspired by the fact that the average human attention span lasts 8.25 seconds, Curious Sounds is a collection of small bursts of light, color, and words that explore how time shapes and defines the world, especially from a Black perspective. Comprising three parts, which mirror the arc of a life—the Learning, the Living, and the Leaving—the book is a series of fleeting moments and visuals that help us to discover the beauty in our own chaos.

"Culley's book celebrates the relationships between people and their dogs—or perhaps, dogs and their people. The writer accompanies his essay with dozens of beautiful photographs by various photographers.... The ideal coffee table book for your dog-obsessed friends and family."—Seattle Weekly

The history of the relationship between canines and humans is more complex than one would think. From Sparta to Stalingrad, the dogs of war, cleanup, guard duty, and companionship have been at our side; their loyalty knows no bounds, whether they are beloved pets or guardians of riot police or unsavory fight fans.

From companion to full-fledged member of the tribe, the dog has irrevocably moved into our homes, hearts, and minds to such an extent that the boundaries between “owner” and “pet” have dissolved. The historical and contemporary photographs of To the Dogs explore this human-canine connection in ways that are alternately surprising, endearing, disturbing, and beautiful.

The images range from William Wegman, Larry Towell, and Eadweard Muybridge to depictions of local dog shows, a Moscow circus, a dogfight in Sarajevo, and a dog hotel in Japan. A major essay by the poet Peter Culley explores the international citizenry of dogs, and why they can tell us more about ourselves and our culture than we care to admit.

To the Dogs features 150 full-page photographs, including 50 in color.

A charming picture book that will inspire curious little artists to follow the spark that calls to them

When Eddy meets his grandfather for the first time, he's surprised by Yéye's colorful personality. Without warning, Yéye takes Eddy on an adventure to show him the magical world of shadow puppets, exploring this ancient art form and how it brings joy to people even today.

Eddy lets go of self-doubt as he learns to make his own shadow puppets and then teaches his classmates how to do so, as well. With Yéye's help, Eddy and his friends begin to appreciate the rich history and power of art.

Eddy's Shadow Puppets is a heartwarming tale about how we can all be artists, sharing our passion with others.

Ages three to eight.

This fantastical historical novel, narrated by a child yet to be born, traces the lives of three generations of a Parsi family in India beginning in the late 1800s. The narrative follows the Khargat family from the intricacies of village life in the jungles of central India, to the complications of urban life in turbulent pre- and post-independence struggles, to contemporary diasporic realities in the United Kingdom and North America. This beautifully told, engaging novel, by the author of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize finalist The Short, Happy Life of Harry Kumar, humanizes the politics of ethnicity, culture, and colonial rule.

In this beautifully illustrated book, a determined young Anishnaabe girl in search of adventure goes on a transformative journey into a forest on her traditional territory. She is joined by a chorus of women and girls in red dresses, ancestors who tell her they remember what it was like to be carefree and wild, too. Soon, though, the girl is challenged by a monster named Hate, who envelops her in a cloud of darkness. She climbs a mountain to evade him, and, with the help of her matriarchs and the power of Thunderbird, the monster is held at bay. The women and girls together beat their drums in song and support, giving the girl the confidence she needs to become a changemaker in the future, capable of fending off any monster in her way.

Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One is a moving and powerful book about Indigenous resistance and female empowerment. 

Ages 3 to 8.

In this beautiful children’s picture book by Vivek Shraya, author of the acclaimed God Loves Hair, a five-year-old South Asian boy becomes fascinated with his mother’s bindi, the red dot commonly worn by Hindu women to indicate the point at which creation begins, and wishes to have one of his own. Rather than chastise her son, she agrees to it, and teaches him about its cultural significance, allowing the boy to discover the magic of the bindi, which in turn gives him permission to be more fully himself.

Beautifully illustrated by Rajni Perera, The Boy & the Bindi is a joyful celebration of gender and cultural difference.

Vivek Shraya is a writer, musician, performer, and filmmaker. His body of work includes twelve albums, four short films, and four books which include God Loves Hair, She of the Mountains, and even this page is white. He has read and performed at shows, festivals, and post-secondary institutions internationally. He lives in Toronto.

Rajni Perera is a Sri Lankan-born artist whose internationally showcased work floats between Western and immigrant culture. She lives in Toronto.

Alan Turing, subject of the Oscar-winning 2014 film The Imitation Game, was the brilliant mathematician solicited by the British government to help decipher messages sent by Germany's Enigma machines during World War II. The work of Turing and his colleagues at Hut 8 created what became known as the "bombe" which descrambled the German navy's messages and saved countless lives and millions in British goods and merchandise.

Despite his heroics, however, Turing led a secret life as a homosexual. After a young man with whom he was involved stole money from him, he went to the police, where he confessed his homosexuality; he was charged with gross indecency, and only avoided prison after agreeing to undergo chemical castration. Tragically, he committed suicide two years later.

Authors Liberge and Delalande used once-classified information only available in 2012 to create a biography that is scientifically rigorous yet understandable for the lay reader. It's also a meticulous depiction of World War II, and an intimate portrayal of a gay man living in an intolerant world.

Delving deeper into Turing's life than The Imitation Game, this graphic novel is a fascinating portrait of this brilliant, complicated, and troubled man.

Eric Liberge has authored or co-authored over thirty graphic novels in his native France, including books on Versailles and World War II.

Arnaud Delalande is the author of nine novels as well as numerous graphic novels in France, including Le Piege de Dante (Dante's Trap), translated into twenty languages.

An endearing and beautifully illustrated children’s book about learning to embrace our heritage and celebrating what makes us unique.

Multicultural Day is coming up at school, and Kai is nervous about sharing her family’s Chinese food with her classmates. Kai’s mother is excited about making special dishes, but Kai doesn’t like feeling different from everyone else.

Upset, she runs off on her own and meets Ming the dragon, who takes her on a magical journey to explore different parts of Chinese culture—especially all the different kinds of delicious food! With Ming’s help, Kai learns about her family roots and how to celebrate all that makes her unique.

Kai’s Tea Eggs is a charming story for anyone who, like Kai, has felt the frustration of trying to fit in before finally learning to appreciate who they are.

Ages 3 to 7.

Attila Richard Lukacs is one of the art world’s most talented and controversial contemporary artists, best known for his epic paintings that depict masculine, homoerotic imagery, featuring figures such as gay skinheads and military cadets. His work has been exhibited at documenta in Kassel, Germany, as well as in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, and Cologne, among other cities.

A co-publication between Arsenal Pulp Press and three Canadian art galleries, this is the first book to document the work of this important artist, from an unusual perspective—a collection of some 1,200 full-color Polaroid images (twelve per page) taken by Lukacs over the past twenty years as core referents for his paintings, assembled and collaged by Vancouver artist and curator Michael Morris.

Lukacs regularly employs a Polaroid camera as part of his artistic process, using his friends and acquaintances as models; taking advantage of the Polaroid’s unique characteristics, his painterly sensibility is evident in the rich hues and romantic sensuality of these photographs, which are strikingly similar to the paintings that resulted from them.

The book is physically enormous, allowing the Polaroid grids to be printed at their full size. It also features essays by award-winning author Michael Turner (Hard Core Logo); curator Scott Watson; gay writer Stan Persky; and Vince Aletti, the American curator and photography critic for The New Yorker.

Stunning and bold, Polaroids: Attila Richard Lukacs and Michael Morris is a remarkable visual and written document on one of the most compelling visual artists working today.

This is an art book on the politics of urban conflict based around artist Stan Douglas' stunning photo installation of the same name, depicting a violent confrontation in 1971 between police and Vancouver's counterculture known as the Gastown Riot.

The book, which features essays by Alexander Alberro, Serge Guilbaut, and others, addresses various issues raised by Douglas' work, including the suppression and assimilation of the counterculture. It also includes other works from Douglas' Crowds and Riots series.

Stan Douglas has exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, and documenta. He is the subject of numerous books, including Stan Douglas (Phaidon Press). In 2016 he won the 110,000-euro Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography.

A colorful and celebratory picture book that embraces all gender expressions through a fun family fashion show

Alex, a young person who identifies as non-binary, eagerly awaits Sunday dinner with all their cousins at Gram's house. It's not just the yummy treats that Alex looks forward to—Sunday is when they get glamorous! Everyone is welcome at this fun family gathering, where gender diversity and expression are showcased on a homemade runway. Gram's wardrobe is bursting with styles from different decades, and the kids have a blast as they build their ensembles, becoming anything they can imagine. This playful fashion show is filled with so much joy that even an "uh-oh" is saved by love and understanding.

Getting Glam at Gram's is a warm and loving book that champions diversity, gender expression, and learning to love yourself. You'll be dreaming up outfits before you reach the last page. Whoever you are, get glam!

Ages 3 to 8.

In the same way that British, Scandinavian, and German food have undergone a renaissance in recent years, writer and blogger Emily Wight is convinced that Dutch cuisine is going to be the next big thing. Her new cookbook reimagines traditional Dutch cooking, which has always been known for its thriftiness and practicality, with an emphasis on the ways that simple meals bring joy and comfort to the people who share them.

Influenced by its colonial history, with bold flavors from places like Indonesia and the West Indies, and by its proximity to its European neighbors, Dutch cooking is surprisingly diverse, noted for its celebration of the ritual of the meal as much as the meal itself. From gezellig to borrels, and gado gado to uitsmijter, Dutch Feast delivers unconventional (but familiar) and economical (but indulgent) recipes, and gives you a new excuse to invite everyone over for cold gin and a heaping rijsttafel, an elaborate (yet economical) dinner party with a little dish of something for everyone.

Touching on Dutch history and the back story of traditional ingredients (from licorice to herring to beer), these 120 recipes add charm and sophistication to a cuisine that is wholesome, economical, and stubbornly delicious.

Emily Wight came to love Dutch cuisine when she married into a Dutch family. She is the author of Well Fed, Flat Broke, based on her blog of the same name.

In the magical time between night and day, when both the sun and the moon are in the sky, a child is born in a little blue house on a hill. And Miu Lan is not just any child, but one who can change into any shape they can imagine. The only problem is they can’t decide what to be: A boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star? At school, though, they must endure inquisitive looks and difficult questions from the other children, and they have trouble finding friends who will accept them for who they are. But they find comfort in the loving arms of their mother, who always offers them the same loving refrain: “whatever you dream of / i believe you can be / from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea.”

In this captivating, beautifully imagined picture book about gender, identity, and the acceptance of the differences between us, Miu Lan faces many questions about who they are and who they may be. But one thing’s for sure: no matter what this child becomes, their mother will love them just the same.

Kai Cheng Thom is a writer, performance artist, and psychotherapist in Toronto. Her first poetry book, a Place Called No Homeland, was published in 2017.

Kai Yun Ching is a community-based organizer, educator, and illustrator in Montreal.

Wai-Yant Li is a ceramics artist and illustrator in Montreal.

A gentle and loving book that helps children navigate an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in their family

The five Lim children—Jessica, Jocelyn, Jeffrey, Jacob, and Kenzie—are thrilled when their parents tell them that Oma and Opa, their beloved grandparents, are coming to town for a visit. But this time, things seem different—grandmother Oma’s cooking doesn’t taste the same, and she’s started asking the same questions over and over, even while talking about specific moments from her past. Then things around the house begin to go missing: keys, eyeglasses, the TV remote. When the items turn up in the oversized shopping bag that Oma carries around with her, the family comes to the sad realization that she’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. But the journey from the past to new shared experiences reminds them that Oma is still Oma. And as Jeffrey watches his cherished grandmother dance about the house, he reassures his grandfather, “She’s still here.”

Accompanied by joyful illustrations, Oma’s Bag is a tender and touching book to help children navigate an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in their family and learn how to fully embrace their loved ones in new and unexpected ways.

Ages 3 to 8.