Sheridan’s Creative Writing & Publishing program launches literary magazine

Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing & Publishing program has launched
The Ampersand Review of Writing & Publishing. 

The inaugural issue of the literary magazine has been made available as the program’s first cohort of students prepare for convocation this month. Through the magazine, faculty and students from the innovative program will have further opportunities to engage in professional publishing activities. 

Like the degree program, The Ampersand Review is unique in its aim to explore the world of writing, bringing together articles addressing the publishing industry in Canada with creative writing pieces. It aims to provide the literary community with a fresh venue for stories, poems, book reviews and features on the publishing industry, while also providing student with real-world publishing experience.  

The magazine will be led by professors Paul Vermeersch, who will serve as editor-in-chief, and Robyn Read, who will serve as managing editor. 

The pair are veterans of Canadian publishing and bring a wealth of knowledge to the new initiative. Vermeersch is senior editor of Wolsak and Wynn Publishers in Hamilton, Ont., where he runs the Buckrider Books imprint. Read is a former acquiring editor for Freehand Books in Calgary, as well as a former managing editor at the Banff Centre.

Creative Writing & Publishing students will have the opportunity to work on the magazine through paid internship opportunities.

In addition to the print magazine, The Ampersand Review is also launching a website, theampersandreview.ca. The site will host selected content from the print magazine, web-exclusive features, and a page where readers can purchase the print magazine.

“Our mission at The Ampersand Review is rooted in the belief that reading is both enjoyable and enlightening, and that writing in Canada is dynamic, diverse, and worth celebrating,” explains Vermeersch. “In our pages we will seek to provide a venue for excellent, innovative writing from across the country, representing literary voices from a vibrant spectrum of identities, intersections, backgrounds, creativities, and lived experiences.” 

The inaugural issue of The Ampersand Review contains work by several rising stars in Canadian literature, including Canisia Lubrin, Jordan Abel, Gary Barwin, and Liz Howard, alongside a feature interview with Amanda Leduc — a novelist, disability rights advocate, and communications and development coordinator with the Festival of Literary Diversity.  

“Through The Ampersand Review, we hope to spark curiosity, fuel imagination, and even inspire compassionate civic engagement and social change,” says Vermeersch. “The ‘ampersand” in our name signifies the essential relationship between writing and publishing. Through this publication, we aim to provide a platform that allows Canada’s remarkable writers to thrive.”


For more information, please contact ampersandreview@sheridancollege.ca.