I was released from an in-patient mental health ward in early March 2006. A trophy pictured in the preface of this book displays the date July 23, 2006, as the initial USA competition poetry award. That date marks the deadline of the period required for a poem to be created, entered, and judged. All that was left for application after my 20 years of post grad training, was creative writing. My hidden hope was to offer in a real way, an apology via deed to all those who encountered me when I was unwell. There is something strange regarding that period’s legal progress, since society so easily ignores this as “dealing with madness.” My elderly mother watched as my life appeared to unravel, but always offered support. In 2009, as she lay upon her deathbed in hospital, she held the first volume for which she was my sounding board. She smiled and said, “Well, at least you have a little hope appearing now.” These works you hold are the collated works of this period of hurtful outpour, and are continuous from early 2006 until late 2014.

I am blessed by the Almighty who endowed me the ability to say as it was and to write the way it had been. I thank all the Dow- Hillians and Victorians who supported me in presenting this Book, and those who contributed their experiences to make it more wholesome. To Aman Seth, alumnus, Victoria who suggested the Title, ‘Dow Hill to Thee’, it couldn’t have been better. However, I have given another name, ‘Maidens’ Delight’ and made the previous one the subtitle.

In the magical time between night and day, when both the sun and the moon are in the sky, a child is born in a little blue house on a hill. And Miu Lan is not just any child, but one who can change into any shape they can imagine. The only problem is they can't decide what to be: A boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star? At school, though, they must endure inquisitive looks and difficult questions from the other children, and they have trouble finding friends who will accept them for who they are. But they find comfort in the loving arms of their mother, who always offers them the same loving refrain: "whatever you dream of / i believe you can be / from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea." In this captivating, beautifully imagined picture book about gender, identity, and the acceptance of the differences between us, Miu Lan faces many questions about who they are and who they may be. But one thing's for sure: no matter what this child becomes, their mother will love them just the same. Kai Cheng Thom is a writer, performance artist, and psychotherapist in Toronto. Her first poetry book, a Place Called No Homeland, was published in 2017. Kai Yun Ching is a community-based organizer, educator, and illustrator in Montreal. Wai-Yant Li is a ceramics artist and illustrator in Montreal.

Fate is on its way to the tenants of 66 Star Street, bringing with it love and tragedy, friendship and heartbreak, and the power to change lives ... One of them is falling in love; another is torn between two lovers. For some, secrets they want to stay buried will come to light and for others the unveiling of those secrets will have tragic consequences.

Jandy Nelson's beloved, critically adored debut is now an Apple TV+ and A24 original film starring Jason Segel, Cherry Jones, Grace Kaufman, and Jacques Colimon. “Both a profound meditation on loss and grieving and an exhilarating and very sexy romance." —NPR Adrift after her sister Bailey’s sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey’s boyfriend who shares Lennie's grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. One boy helps her remember. The other lets her forget. And she knows if the two of them collide, her whole world will explode. As much a laugh-out-loud celebration of love as a nuanced and poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her makes for an always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable read.

A compelling tale of following your destiny, drenched with love and war. Sultan is a sixteen-year-old kid son of a potter who lives in poverty and misery. Sultan may be poor but his dreams are big and he wants to become a king one day. He decides to learn under the King of Kings, King Shiva, to emulate him. People laugh at him, but he convinces his grandfather and marches towards his destiny along with his father. The palace of the king is far away and the path is difficult. Sultan has to cross the forest of the Oracle, the river of the dead and the valley of snakes. On his journey, he encounters Dhamin, a shape shifting snake, who gives him a powerful silver dagger and asks Sultan to kill his uncle, the king of the valley of snakes. Dhamin threatens to kill them if he doesn’t do so. On his way, Sultan saves a girl from the cave of a monster and falls in love with her. He finds that the girl is an Angel who gives Sultan two of her ‘tears’ and tells her that the tears have Godlike powers. Sultan now has to decide whether to kill Dhamin’s uncle, and whether to follow a road that leads to his love or the one that leads to his destiny. This is a mesmerizing story that will entice you to do something bigger and memorable in your life.