The Ex-Puritan
@ex-puritan.bsky.social
Publishing fiction, poetry, essays, interviews and reviews. Proudly awarding The Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence.
https://linktr.ee/ex_puritan
https://linktr.ee/ex_puritan
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The Ex-Puritan
@ex-puritan.bsky.social
· Aug 25
The 2025 Austin Clarke Prize is open for submissions! This year's prize will be judged by Iryn Tushabe (fiction) & Faith Arkorful (poetry). To learn more & submit your work: ex-puritan.ca/news/the-202...
Our new special issue, Animalia (guest edited by @sannawani), features fiction from Cooper Skjeie, Ai Li Feng, and Conyer Clayton. Read their work now: ex-puritan.ca/animalia#fic...
October 16, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Our new special issue, Animalia (guest edited by @sannawani), features fiction from Cooper Skjeie, Ai Li Feng, and Conyer Clayton. Read their work now: ex-puritan.ca/animalia#fic...
"The city writhes with the contradictions of human rapacity." –Anupa Mistry's essay "Eastbound", from our Animalia special issue: ex-puritan.ca/eastbound
Eastbound
Read Anupa Mistry's essay "Eastbound" in our special issue Animalia, then check out the 2025 Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
October 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM
"The city writhes with the contradictions of human rapacity." –Anupa Mistry's essay "Eastbound", from our Animalia special issue: ex-puritan.ca/eastbound
Our 2025 special issue, Animalia, features new poetry from Terrence Abrahams, @summ.bsky.social, Javeria Hasnain, EJ Kneifel, Elizabeth Mudenyo, Bahar Orang, @pipagaopoetry.bsky.social, and Sennah Yee. Their work, and the rest of the issue, is live now:
ex-puritan.ca
October 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Our 2025 special issue, Animalia, features new poetry from Terrence Abrahams, @summ.bsky.social, Javeria Hasnain, EJ Kneifel, Elizabeth Mudenyo, Bahar Orang, @pipagaopoetry.bsky.social, and Sennah Yee. Their work, and the rest of the issue, is live now:
"Poets love birds." So says @sannawani.bsky.social's editor's note ("Marginalia: Cento as Editor’s Note") for our 2025 special issue, Animalia. Did the poets (and the fiction writers and essayists) prove her right? Find out now— the issue is live: ex-puritan.ca/animalia
October 10, 2025 at 4:04 PM
"Poets love birds." So says @sannawani.bsky.social's editor's note ("Marginalia: Cento as Editor’s Note") for our 2025 special issue, Animalia. Did the poets (and the fiction writers and essayists) prove her right? Find out now— the issue is live: ex-puritan.ca/animalia
The Ex-Puritan is proud to introduce our new Poetry Editor, Sanna Wani (@sannawani.bsky.social)!
Sanna Wani is a Kashmiri writer, editor and translator based in Toronto. She is the author of My Grief, the Sun (House of Anansi, 2022), winner of the 2023 Trillium Award for Poetry.
Sanna Wani is a Kashmiri writer, editor and translator based in Toronto. She is the author of My Grief, the Sun (House of Anansi, 2022), winner of the 2023 Trillium Award for Poetry.
September 25, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The Ex-Puritan is proud to introduce our new Poetry Editor, Sanna Wani (@sannawani.bsky.social)!
Sanna Wani is a Kashmiri writer, editor and translator based in Toronto. She is the author of My Grief, the Sun (House of Anansi, 2022), winner of the 2023 Trillium Award for Poetry.
Sanna Wani is a Kashmiri writer, editor and translator based in Toronto. She is the author of My Grief, the Sun (House of Anansi, 2022), winner of the 2023 Trillium Award for Poetry.
“When he looked in the mirror all he could see was the vague whiteness of her body beside him, her pale skin glowing a little in the dark.” –@elliottgish.bsky.social, from "In Glass" ex-puritan.ca/in-glass
In Glass
Read Elliott Gish's short story "In Glass" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 24, 2025 at 3:03 PM
“When he looked in the mirror all he could see was the vague whiteness of her body beside him, her pale skin glowing a little in the dark.” –@elliottgish.bsky.social, from "In Glass" ex-puritan.ca/in-glass
“Beyond the trees lay an ocean of rubble, as though a giant had sneezed and their small corner of the world had come tumbling down.” –Joyce Li, from "The Transmigration of Rabbits" ex-puritan.ca/the-transmig...
The Transmigration of Rabbits
Read Joyce Li's short story "The Transmigration of Rabbits" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
“Beyond the trees lay an ocean of rubble, as though a giant had sneezed and their small corner of the world had come tumbling down.” –Joyce Li, from "The Transmigration of Rabbits" ex-puritan.ca/the-transmig...
“There were five weeks left of camp, 35 sun-drenched days and moon-spilled nights, and we weren’t going to waste a single one of them.” –Aaron Kreuter, from "Shimon's Trial": ex-puritan.ca/shimons-trial
Shimon's Trial
Read Aaron Kreuter's short story "Shimon's Trial" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 22, 2025 at 7:23 PM
“There were five weeks left of camp, 35 sun-drenched days and moon-spilled nights, and we weren’t going to waste a single one of them.” –Aaron Kreuter, from "Shimon's Trial": ex-puritan.ca/shimons-trial
Jody Chan reviews Amy Ching-Yan Lam's Property Journal in Issue 70 of The Ex-Puritan: ex-puritan.ca/a-many-layer...
A Many-Layered Record: A Review of Amy Ching-Yan Lam’s Property Journal
Read Jody Chan's review of Amy Ching-Yan Lam’s "Property Journal” in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Jody Chan reviews Amy Ching-Yan Lam's Property Journal in Issue 70 of The Ex-Puritan: ex-puritan.ca/a-many-layer...
@yukondawn.bsky.social reviews Zane Koss's Country Music in Issue 70 of The Ex-Puritan: ex-puritan.ca/story-as-ele...
Story as Elegy in Zane Koss’s Country Music
Read Dawn MacDonald's review of Zane Koss's "Country Music" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 16, 2025 at 3:02 PM
@yukondawn.bsky.social reviews Zane Koss's Country Music in Issue 70 of The Ex-Puritan: ex-puritan.ca/story-as-ele...
“I’ve been collecting multiplicities, chucking light into myself to see what catches fire” –from "Everyone is Sleeping", one of Ezra M. Serra's two poems in Issue 70: ex-puritan.ca/everyone-is-...
"Everyone is Sleeping" and "We Fuck"
Read Ezra M. Serra's poems “Everyone is Sleeping” and "We Fuck" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 11, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“I’ve been collecting multiplicities, chucking light into myself to see what catches fire” –from "Everyone is Sleeping", one of Ezra M. Serra's two poems in Issue 70: ex-puritan.ca/everyone-is-...
“If there is no friction / the meteor is invisible” –@raoulfernandes.bsky.social, from the poem "Strike Anywhere": ex-puritan.ca/strike-anywh...
Strike Anywhere
Read Raoul Fernandes's poem "Strike Anywhere" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 10, 2025 at 7:36 PM
“If there is no friction / the meteor is invisible” –@raoulfernandes.bsky.social, from the poem "Strike Anywhere": ex-puritan.ca/strike-anywh...
“Notes on contributor: lives with his wife in the traditional territory of white sheets and little apples, explores connection to land through beadwork, writing.” –Sadie McCarney, from "Alterbiographies": ex-puritan.ca/from-alterbi...
from Alterbiographies
Read Sadie McCarney's excerpt "from Alterbiographies” in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 9, 2025 at 7:36 PM
“Notes on contributor: lives with his wife in the traditional territory of white sheets and little apples, explores connection to land through beadwork, writing.” –Sadie McCarney, from "Alterbiographies": ex-puritan.ca/from-alterbi...
“I live in a house of almost / that is not mine.” –Stella Wong, from the poem "Complex conjugates": ex-puritan.ca/complex-conj...
Complex conjugates
Read Stella Wong's poem "Complex conjugates" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 8, 2025 at 7:35 PM
“I live in a house of almost / that is not mine.” –Stella Wong, from the poem "Complex conjugates": ex-puritan.ca/complex-conj...
"This pregnancy, this nine-month prevention, teaches me that getting to the heart of anything is drifting there, when all time does is mimic itself and there is always something you are after." –Alexandra McKay, "Water Bird" ex-puritan.ca/water-bird
Water Bird
Read Alexandra McKay's essay "Water Bird" in Issue 70: Winter 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 5, 2025 at 4:22 PM
"This pregnancy, this nine-month prevention, teaches me that getting to the heart of anything is drifting there, when all time does is mimic itself and there is always something you are after." –Alexandra McKay, "Water Bird" ex-puritan.ca/water-bird
"In late February, I was heading towards Museum Station when I noticed that someone had spray painted an 'r' over the 'Welcome to Queen's Park' sign to read 'Welcome to Queer's Park.'
Huh, I thought. Someone said the quiet part out loud."–Vivian Zhi, from "Queer's Park": ex-puritan.ca/queers-park
Huh, I thought. Someone said the quiet part out loud."–Vivian Zhi, from "Queer's Park": ex-puritan.ca/queers-park
Queer's Park
Read Vivian Zhi's essay "Queer's Park" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
September 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
"In late February, I was heading towards Museum Station when I noticed that someone had spray painted an 'r' over the 'Welcome to Queen's Park' sign to read 'Welcome to Queer's Park.'
Huh, I thought. Someone said the quiet part out loud."–Vivian Zhi, from "Queer's Park": ex-puritan.ca/queers-park
Huh, I thought. Someone said the quiet part out loud."–Vivian Zhi, from "Queer's Park": ex-puritan.ca/queers-park
In Issue 70 of The Ex-Puritan, Katherine Abbass interviews Elise Levine about her newest collection, Big of You: ex-puritan.ca/a-not-so-sec...
"A Not-So-Secret Handshake": A Conversation with Elise Levine
Read Katherine Abbass's interview with Elise Levine in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
August 29, 2025 at 4:59 PM
In Issue 70 of The Ex-Puritan, Katherine Abbass interviews Elise Levine about her newest collection, Big of You: ex-puritan.ca/a-not-so-sec...
Reposted by The Ex-Puritan
🚨New Raoul Fernandes Poem Alert! New Raoul Fernandes Poem Alert! This is not a drill! Report to your reading stations immediately! New Raoul Fernandes Poem Alert!🚨
@raoulfernandes.bsky.social @ex-puritan.bsky.social
ex-puritan.ca/strike-anywh...
@raoulfernandes.bsky.social @ex-puritan.bsky.social
ex-puritan.ca/strike-anywh...
Strike Anywhere
Read Raoul Fernandes's poem "Strike Anywhere" in Issue 70: Summer 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
August 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
🚨New Raoul Fernandes Poem Alert! New Raoul Fernandes Poem Alert! This is not a drill! Report to your reading stations immediately! New Raoul Fernandes Poem Alert!🚨
@raoulfernandes.bsky.social @ex-puritan.bsky.social
ex-puritan.ca/strike-anywh...
@raoulfernandes.bsky.social @ex-puritan.bsky.social
ex-puritan.ca/strike-anywh...
The 2025 Austin Clarke Prize is open for submissions! This year's prize will be judged by Iryn Tushabe (fiction) & Faith Arkorful (poetry). To learn more & submit your work: ex-puritan.ca/news/the-202...
August 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
The 2025 Austin Clarke Prize is open for submissions! This year's prize will be judged by Iryn Tushabe (fiction) & Faith Arkorful (poetry). To learn more & submit your work: ex-puritan.ca/news/the-202...
Announcing our Summer 2025 issue! These works pair well with a hammock, a patio, or the comfort of your air conditioning. Watch this space for contributor features to come, but the full issue is live & ready for your enjoyment: ex-puritan.ca/issue-70-sum...
August 25, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Announcing our Summer 2025 issue! These works pair well with a hammock, a patio, or the comfort of your air conditioning. Watch this space for contributor features to come, but the full issue is live & ready for your enjoyment: ex-puritan.ca/issue-70-sum...
“As genocide is perpetrated in Palestine, as climate disaster and late-stage capitalism escalate, as fascist movements gain power, the poems question what it could look like to build a world worth living in.” -Amanda Proctor reviews Natalie Lim's Elegy for Opportunity: ex-puritan.ca/im-not-leavi...
“I’m not leaving / without you”: Forging Joy in Natalie Lim’s Elegy for Opportunity
Read Amanda Proctor's review "'I’m not leaving / without you': Forging Joy in Natalie Lim’s Elegy for Opportunity" in Issue 69: Spring 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize…
ex-puritan.ca
August 6, 2025 at 4:07 PM
“As genocide is perpetrated in Palestine, as climate disaster and late-stage capitalism escalate, as fascist movements gain power, the poems question what it could look like to build a world worth living in.” -Amanda Proctor reviews Natalie Lim's Elegy for Opportunity: ex-puritan.ca/im-not-leavi...
“i wish i could have this forever / you can – he whispers. knowing every dream has it’s patron” –Cassandra Myers, "Waterstrider's Honeymoon Cruise" in Issue 69: ex-puritan.ca/waterstrider...
Waterstrider’s Honeymoon Cruise
Read Cassandra Myers' poem "Waterstrider’s Honeymoon Cruise” in Issue 69: Spring 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
August 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
“i wish i could have this forever / you can – he whispers. knowing every dream has it’s patron” –Cassandra Myers, "Waterstrider's Honeymoon Cruise" in Issue 69: ex-puritan.ca/waterstrider...
"With this commitment to normalcy in mind I have continued to go on dates with people who I meet on the apps, the men and women whom the supposedly-complex-but-ultimately-middling algorithms present me as suitable matches." -Nour Abi-Nakhoul, from "Marmot": ex-puritan.ca/marmot
Marmot
Read Nour Abi-Nakhoul's short story "Marmot" in Issue 69: Spring 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
August 1, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"With this commitment to normalcy in mind I have continued to go on dates with people who I meet on the apps, the men and women whom the supposedly-complex-but-ultimately-middling algorithms present me as suitable matches." -Nour Abi-Nakhoul, from "Marmot": ex-puritan.ca/marmot
“I learn about my father by reading the obituary, the one hosted on the website for a funeral home in Thunder Bay. His passing creates what I’ve always wanted to uncover: a record. A bit of marrow left inside the bone.” -Brit Gillman, from "Before We Begin": ex-puritan.ca/before-we-be...
Before We Begin
Read Britt Gilman's essay "Before We Begin," in Issue 69: Spring 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence!
ex-puritan.ca
July 30, 2025 at 4:04 PM
“I learn about my father by reading the obituary, the one hosted on the website for a funeral home in Thunder Bay. His passing creates what I’ve always wanted to uncover: a record. A bit of marrow left inside the bone.” -Brit Gillman, from "Before We Begin": ex-puritan.ca/before-we-be...
"Historical fiction is not about faithfully transcribing facts from the past so much as it is about relating themes from the past that are still relevant to the world today." -Zilla Jones, in conversation with Tamara Jong. Read now in The Ex-Puritan Issue 69: ex-puritan.ca/wrestling-wi...
“Wrestling with Questions of Identity and Belonging”: A Conversation with Zilla Jones
Read Tamara Jong's interview “'Wrestling with Questions of Identity and Belonging': A Conversation with Zilla Jones" in Issue 69: Spring 2025 of The Ex-Puritan, then check out the Austin Clarke Prize…
ex-puritan.ca
July 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
"Historical fiction is not about faithfully transcribing facts from the past so much as it is about relating themes from the past that are still relevant to the world today." -Zilla Jones, in conversation with Tamara Jong. Read now in The Ex-Puritan Issue 69: ex-puritan.ca/wrestling-wi...