The Porcupine's Quill is an independent publishing company in
Erin, Ontario
Erin is a town in Wellington County, approximately northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Erin is bordered by the Town of Caledon, Ontario to the east, the Town of Halton Hills to the south, the Township of Guelph/Eramosa to the west and the T ...
, Canada. The Porcupine's Quill publishes contemporary Canadian literature, including poetry, fiction, art and literary criticism. It is owned and operated by Tim and Elke Inkster.
History
In 1974, The Porcupine’s Quill (PQL) was originally incorporated as the production arm of Press Porcépic in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. It is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Tim and Elke Inkster. The press is known for publishing fiction by new writers who go on to become established figures in the Canadian literary landscape, such as
Jane Urquhart
Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...
Andrew Pyper
Andrew Pyper (born March 29, 1968) is an award-winning Canadian author.
Early life: childhood and education
Pyper's parents emigrated from Northern Ireland to Stratford, Ontario. His father was an ophthalmologist, his mother trained as a nurse. P ...
,
Mary Swan
Mary Swan is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is also a trained librarian with a keen eye for history. Her novel ''The Boys in the Trees'', a shortlisted nominee for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize.Russell Smith,
Gil Adamson
Gillian "Gil" Adamson (born January 1, 1961) is a Canadian writer. She won the Books in Canada First Novel Award in 2008 for her 2007 novel ''The Outlander''.
Adamson's first published work was ''Primitive'', a volume of poetry, in 1991. She foll ...
Annabel Lyon
Annabel Lyon (born 1971) is a Canadian novelist and short-story writer. She has published two collections of short fiction, two young adult novels, and two adult historical novels, ''The Golden Mean'' and its sequel, ''The Sweet Girl''.
Life and ...
. Alternatively, the press usually publishes poetry by already well-known poets, such as Margaret Avison and
P. K. Page
Patricia Kathleen Page, (23 November 1916 – 14 January 2010) was a British-born Canadian poet,Peter ScowenP.K. Page dies at age 93 '' The Globe and Mail'', 14 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010. though the citation as she was inducted as ...
.
Its first title, ''Marzipan Lies'' by Brian Johnson, was published 1975. Early in The Porcupine's Quill's history, Tim Inkster contacted friends he met during his time at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
to publish their work, such as collections of poetry by Ed Carson and Brian Henderson.
The Porcupine's Quill has published a number of award-winning work and was named as "Canada's pre-eminent literary press" in ''The Perilous Trade: Publishing Canada's Writers''. Don Coles' collection of poetry, ''Forests of the Medieval World'', won the
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by th ...
for Poetry in 1993. Later, in 2000, Don Coles' ''Kurgan'' won the
Trillium Book Award
The Trillium Book Award (french: Prix littéraire Trillium or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is o ...
. Most recently, a collection of short stories by Ian Colford entitled ''Evidence'' won the Margaret & John Savage First Book Award, was shortlisted for the Thomas H. Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize and was furthermore shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. ''Evidence'' was also presented a silver medal by the Independent Publisher (IPPY). ''Sailor Girl'' by Sheree-Lee Olson, also published by The Porcupine's Quill, won the bronze medal. ''Off the Wall'' by Tony Urquhart, ''The Essential P K Page'', and ''A Wood Engraver's Alphabet'' by G. Brender à Brandis were cited in the Alcuin Society of Vancouver's 27th annual Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada competition.
The owners, Tim and Elke Inkster, have also received praise for their contributions to the Canadian publishing industry. In 2008, both Inksters were appointed members of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
by the
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
of Canada.
Operations
The Porcupine's Quill is unlike most other Canadian publishers in that it does most of its printing in-house. The Porcupine's Quill also prints '' The Devil's Artisan'', a bi-annual magazine about printing and book arts in Canada.
Most printing is performed on a twenty-five inch Heidelberg KORD. The Porcupine's Quill usually uses acid-free Zephyr Antique laid paper, the sheets of which are then folded and sewn into signatures on a 1907 model Smyth National Book Sewing machine. This process results in more durable, sturdier books than are usually produced by trade book publishers. Tim Inkster has created videos on YouTube that demonstrate this printing and binding process.