Exile Editions
Exile Editions and ELQ/Exile: The Literary Quarterly are independent Ontario-based literary publishing operations headed by Michael Callaghan (Publisher), Barry Callaghan (Editor-in-chief) and Gabriela Campos (Operations Manager).
Founded in 1972 by one of Canada’s most recognized man of letters, Barry Callaghan, Exile Editions and ELQ/Exile specialize in finding and developing Canadian writers of fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction, as well as visual artists engaged in painting, photography, illustration and other fine arts disciplines. They have also published many works in translation.
The two houses have published close to 450 books, and over 160 issues of a literary/arts magazine that has featured close to 2,000 contributions. This body of published works is impressive, the result of a shared editorial vision, one that looks to make it possible for writers, artists and readers to benefit from a vibrant, accessible and pluralistic arts environment that enables a culture of discovery and expression through literary and artistic diversity.
And Exile Editions and ELQ/Exile continue to evolve in their support of a vital and diverse Canadian arts ecology. Each year’s list of books, and on average 60 contributors annually appearing in the magazine, speak to people across Canada, and to those in each country that enjoy Canadian writing. And year after year Exile Editions and ELQ/Exile build upon their dedication to advancing contemporary literary and visual arts: in our pages anyone can expand their sense of self and find different ways of thinking.
ELQ/Exile is published quarterly as an 8″x10″ 96 page magazine that presents a rich and varied selection of new and established authors and artists. We draw our material from English and French Canada, as well as from the U.S., Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and all around the world. Some of the most notable to have been published are Margaret Atwood, Austin Clarke, Leon Rooke, Yehuda Amichai, Pablo Neruda, Morley Callaghan, Roch Carrier, George Elliott Clarke, Anne Michaels, Charles Pachter, Joe Rosenblatt, Leonard Cohen, Sorel Ertrog, Kenneth J. Harvey, Phyllis Gotlieb, William Kurelek, Lauren B. Davis, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Joyce Carol Oates, Boris Pasternak, Jaime Sabines, Priscila Uppal, and Sean Virgo.
Exile Editions publishes distinctive Canadian writers and artists who represent the country’s multicultural and multiracial make up. Our books look to engage all readers with a diversity of works by senior, mid-career and emerging/new generation writers, along with works by francophones in translation, the culturally diverse, the marginalized, and Indigenous talents.
As publishers of distinctive Canadian literature, our shared mandate is:
• To support and promote literary and artistic creativity by presenting writers who reflect Canada’s diverse make up.
• To publish distinctively Canadian works of literary and speculative fiction, poetry, non-fiction, works in translation, drama, and art that will contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression.
• To engage local, regional, national and international readers of all ages and backgrounds with a diversity of works by senior, mid-career and new generation writers.
• To maintain a priority on discovering new and emerging talent, and to offer a mentoring program that pairs established and emerging writers. And to work with senior creators by providing knowledgeable insights and direction through editorial discussion.
• To publish Canadian authors working in other languages – and at times foreign authors – through translations most often done by Canadians.
• To maintain a reprint program that keeps Canadian-authored books of cultural significance in print, and to annually increase through digitization our back list of titles.
• To gather material from our literary/arts magazine into new anthologies, as digital releases.
• To post original, high-quality content on our website and via social media.
• To work in partnership with industry-related businesses and individuals so we develop new opportunities that foster an environment of discovery and expression.