Interview with Alison Gadsby

I met Alison Gadsby many moons ago at the Toronto Junction Reads Prose reading series she’s been curating and hosting for nearly two decades now. Alison is a bright light in a big city, passionately shining her light on prose writers, offering them a friendly stage in which to read and share and sell their books. Not only does Alison curate and host, she also delivers thoughtful, well-written book reviews…which she’s been doing for years as well. She is avid and attentive on social media, and hosts Live on Instagram – The First Thirty a monthly conversation with writers. She’s the kinda gal you witness and think ‘how the heck does she do it all?’!

And, this year, get your hands ready, she is celebrating the publication of her DEBUT collection of short stories Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive (Guernica Editions, 2026), with a debut novel forthcoming from Palimpsest Press in Dreams of the Weary (2027-28). She holds an MFA from the UBC, and a degree in English Literature & Creative Writing from York University. Of course she does. I’d like to add that she holds a Masters in wit, motherhood, swimming and risk-taking.

In our interview, we talk about what it feels like to be a debut author, as our chat was the day after her fabulous book launch; we talk about the writing…the when, the where, the why, and The Ultimatum Motivation. We talk about community and family and swimming and influences. We laugh a lot! We talk about hearing that you’re book will be published in real time by the publisher (!), and that space between writing the book and holding the book in your hands and realizing: oh shi*, people are gonna read it now!, and hurting each other’s feelings, and sharing stages with writers you’ve admired, loved and hosted for years.

It was a very special moment for me to talk with Alison because…for years now she holds a special place in my heart. Being a part of Junction Reads left a lasting impact on my writing confidence, and I dream about being a part of the series again at some point. But more than how my heart feels, what keeps it feeling the good feels is Alison’s determination, passion and unwavering community building. It’s inspiring. It’s grounding. It’s lasting.

I hope you enjoy our conversation, and quickly scoot to the bookshop or library to read her short stories. Contact info for Alison and the series and other fun social media info…is after the interviews in the blog.