January/February 2021

January/February 2021 / Poetry

Boundary

March 4, 2021March 4, 2021 - by Evie Christie

We’re both here, it’s dusk, my heart beats too

January/February 2021 / Poetry

The Tragedian

February 12, 2021February 12, 2021 - by Billy-Ray Belcourt

Why is it that love turns me into a tragedian?

Poet Bardia Sinaee pictured in a suit and sunglasses

January/February 2021 / Poetry

Stichomancy

February 5, 2021 - by Bardia Sinaee

She opens a layer / between my skin / and the air

Red ring marks from the bottom of a glass form an abstract pattern on a black background

January/February 2021 / Memoir

My Struggle with Sobriety

January 6, 2021January 29, 2021 - by Mel Lefebvre

The decision to quit drinking was the right one for me. But, as I have learned, there’s no perfect way to do it

An illustration of two ships crossing a checkered finish line. The ship in the lead has Chinese characters on the side. The ship behind it has a small Canadian flag.

January/February 2021 / Politics

China Wants to Invest in the Arctic. Why Doesn’t Canada?

January 4, 2021January 29, 2021 - by Gloria Dickie

While Canada ignores the North’s economic potential, China is poised to make inroads

An illustration of the road from prisons to freedom. At the bottom is guards, fences, police cards. As the people make their way to the top of the road, locks on their wrists begin to be cut off and they are released freely into an open field

January/February 2021 / Visual Art

Looking Ahead to 2021

January 1, 2021January 1, 2021 - by The Walrus Staff

Four illustrators share their hopes for themselves and the world

Illustration of several plates containing cassava-based dishes like pie and sliced root. The plates are garnished with purple and green flowers.

First Person / January/February 2021

Why My Mother’s Cassava Pie Is More than a Comfort Food

December 11, 2020January 29, 2021 - by Stephanie Wong Ken

Learning the history of resistance behind my family’s favourite dish

Illustration of a circle of slowly sinking boats on the water. In each boat, a person scoops water out of the bottom of their boat and pours it into the boat of the next person, creating a complete circle.

January/February 2021 / The O'Hagan Essay on Public Affairs

The Myth of Universal Health Care

December 8, 2020April 6, 2021 - by Nadine Caron

Despite our illusions, Canada’s system is neither comprehensive nor equally accessible. What would it take to reform it?

An illustration of three parachutes in the shape of books flying in a tan coloured sky

Arts & Culture / Books / January/February 2021

Canadian Authors Pick Their Favourite Books of 2020

December 7, 2020January 8, 2021 - by The Walrus Staff

From a dystopia that vilifies sleep to a heartbreaking account of the end of a life, here are some of our leading contemporary writers’ favourite books of the year

An illustration of a man in a grey suit, but on his shoulders instead of his head lies a person curled up in a bed. The background is a very dark blue

January/February 2021

Editor’s Letter: The Aftermath

December 4, 2020December 8, 2020 - by Jessica Johnson

In the wake of the US election and amid a raging pandemic, how can we move on?