Seeing through the eyes of others brings new perspective on the place we call home.

In Land of Many Shores, writers share their perspectives about life in Newfoundland and Labrador from often- neglected viewpoints. In this collection, Indigenous people, cultural minorities, 2SLGBTQ+ people, people living with mental or physical disabilities, workers in the sex industry, people from a variety of faiths, people who have experienced incarceration, and other marginalized and under-represented voices are brought to the forefront, with personal, poignant, celebratory, and critical visions of the land we live on.

Land of Many Shores is a collection of pieces that paints a vibrant picture of a province most of us don’t know as well as we think we do. The variety of experience against the backdrop of Newfoundland and Labrador broadens readers’ perspectives on Canada’s youngest province, helping us reimagine both who we are today and who we have the potential to become.

Ainsley Hawthorn, Ph.D., (she/her) is a cultural historian, author, and multidisciplinary artist. Raised in Steady Brook, NL, and now based in St. John’s, she earned her doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University. Her expertise includes sensory studies, Mesopotamian literature and religion, Middle Eastern dance, and the history of language. Hawthorn is a past fellow of Distant Worlds (Munich) and the Advanced Seminar in the Humanities (Venice), and she has been invited to lecture on her research at universities in Germany, Austria, Italy, Canada, and the United States. Hawthorn is passionate about using her academic knowledge to bring new ideas about culture, history, and religion to a general audience. As a public scholar, she blogs for Psychology Today, writes for CBC, and has contributed to various other publications, including The Globe and Mail, the National Post, and the Newfoundland Quarterly. She is currently completing her first solo-authored non-fiction book, The Other Five Senses.

Ainsley Hawthorn's profile page

“[A] true celebration of the diverse population that inhabits our land. [These] stories examine the importance and need for community and culture as marginalized and underrepresented peoples […] these authors explore the heartbreak of being misunderstood and the resilience required to survive.”

The Miramichi Reader

"This collection shows Newfoundland contains multitudes, as writers observe the province through the lens of their identities. From NunatuKavut Inuk spoken-word artist and professor Julie Bull’s poem weaving together the strands of their identity to queer disabled playwright Paul David Power’s meditation on the magnetic lure of home, Land of Many Shores debunks the myth of a homogenous Newfoundland."

Quill & Quire

“Land of Many Shores: Perspectives from a Diverse Newfoundland and Labrador covers terrain that ought to be required reading for residents and tourists alike. […] a myth-buster of a book that breaks down the misperception that diversity is an import good in the province. […] Land of Many Shores is at once a celebration of diversity as it is a siren call to recognize NL’s diversity.”

Atlantic Books