Celebrate Room 47.4 Full Circle and 48.1 Wits End at the Spring Equinox

“What does it mean to come full circle in literature? It is often said that a good story requires change, either in the plot or the characters, if not both. Yet as I read through this issue, I keep returning to the idea of circularity.” – Shristi Uprety, Lead Editor of ROOM 47.4 Full Circle

"Between snake facial ASMR, millennial nostalgia, and good ol’ allegory, I feel less alone within these pages. I hope this issue challenges you, amuses you, and changes you as it did me." – Jane Shi, Lead Editor of ROOM 48.1 Wits End

Spring into a new season of reckoning and gathering strength as we bid farewell to winter and look ahead. Join our host Jane Shi for this virtual double launch as ROOM 47.4 Full Circle and 48.1 Wits End meet at the cusp of the season turning, on our 50th anniversary year, featuring readings from:

Marta Balcewicz

Marta Balcewicz is the author of Big Shadow. Her stories have appeared in Catapult, Hazlitt, Tin House Online and elsewhere. She lives in Toronto.

Em Buth

Em C Buth (they/he) is a non-binary cowboy looking towards the future. They are currently a senior editor at the Queer quarterly magazine Fruitslice. They desire the liberation of every / body from every / binary. You can find him on instagram @em.buth

Mary Katherine Carr

Mary Katherine Carr (she/her) is a writer, editor, and mental health advocate who lives on a farm in Ontario. Her website is: marykatherinecarr.com.

Melly Davidson

Melly Davidson is a poet, educator, and multidisciplinary artist based in Tkaronto. Their work has appeared in Arc Poetry, Metatron Press, The Toronto Biennale of Art, Silverfish Magazine, and more. Today Melly is moved by profound synchronicities in YouTube comments, pocket trash, and the karaoke version.

Tristan Hay Lee

Tristan Hay Lee is a Toronto-born writer of Korean, Japanese, and Scottish ancestry. Her work has been published in The Selkie and shortlisted for the HarperCollins/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction, as well as the University of Lethbridge’s Bridge Prize. In real life, her grandmothers get along very well.

Bronwyn McGuinness

Bronwyn McGuinness is an aspiring Canadian writer and student, born and raised in Halifax (Kjipuktuk), Nova Scotia. She is most interested in poetry and is inspired by the people and places she meets along the way.