A Narrative of Thomas Smallwood (Coloured Man) is the only ex-slave narrative to be written and published in Canada. Smallwood writes of his experience of slavery, and his work in helping escaped slaves get to Canada. This book is charmingly written and provides insight into early Canadian life, politics, and concerns. Smallwood's book also provides important context for the recent renaissance in African Canadian writing, including the work of writers like George Boyd, Dionne Brand, George Elliott Clarke, Wayde Compton, Lawrence Hill, and Djanet Sears.

Thomas Smallwood, author of A Narrative of Thomas Smallwood, was a leading member of the Black community in Southern Ontario in the mid-1800s.

Richard Almonte lives in Toronto, where he works in book publishing. He is also working on his doctorate in Canadian literature at McMaster University. Recent publications include work in FUSE magazine and a chapter in Rude: Contemporary Black Canadian Cultural Criticism (Insomniac, 2000). Research into Toronto’s nineteenth-century African-Canadian community led Almonte to Mary Shadd’s A Plea for Emigration and A Narrative of Thomas Smallwood.

Thomas Smallwood's profile page

Richard Almonte's profile page