Mitchell Toews Biography & Capsule Bibliography

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

Biography

Mitchell Toews is a Canadian author of literary fiction focusing on themes of fairness, rural life, intergenerational bonds, and Mennonite heritage. Nominated by Pulp Literature for a 2025 Writers’ Trust McClelland Stewart Journey Prize, he is a 4X Pushcart Prize-nominated writer known for gritty, character-driven storytelling. Mitch is the author of “Pinching Zwieback” (At Bay Press, 2023) and a novel, “Mulholland and Hardbar,” forthcoming in 2026.

Bibliography — Primary Sources (Periodicals, Anthologies, Podcasts)

2016

16 publications in total, partial list below:

  • The Fisherman’s Story — Rhubarb (CA)
  • Heavy Artillery  — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • Nothing to Lose  — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • Encountered on the Shore  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • A Vile Insinuation  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • Without Reason  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • Zero to Sixty  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • The Margin of the River  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • Fifty Dollar Sewing Machine  — Literally Stories (UK)
  • Frozen Tag   — Literally Stories (UK)
  • South of Oromocto Depths  — Literally Stories (UK)
  • Our German Relative  — Red Fez (CA)
  • So They All Are  — Voices (CA)

2017

20 publications in total, partial details below:

  • Fall from Grace  — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • The Beefeater  — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • The Preacher’s Wife  — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • Nothing to Lose  — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • South of Oromocto  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • Winter Eve at Walker Creek Park   — CommuterLit (CA)
  • The Rothman Job  — CommuterLit (CA)
  • The Business of Saving Souls  — Literally Stories (UK)
  • So They All Are  — Literally Stories (UK)
  • City Lights  — Lingo Bites (UK)
  • Schutzengel  — Occullum  (US)
  • The Margin of the River  — Pandemonium Press (US)
  • The Log Boom  — Storgy (INTL)
  • The Peacemongers  — The MOON Magazine (US)
  • The Old Guardsmen  — Lingo Bites (UK)
  • Graperoo  — Occullum (US) 
  • The Seven Songs  — Fictive Dream (UK)
  • Best of Fiction on the Web (UK): 1996–2017 — anthology
  • The Machinery (India): Fauna — anthology

2018

13 publications in total

  • Fall From Grace — Literally Stories (UK)
  • Of a Forest Silent — Alsina Publishing LingoBites (UK/ES)
  • City Lights — Literally Stories (UK)
  • The Bottom of the Sky — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • In the Dim Light Beyond the Fence — riverbabble (US)
  • Nothing to Lose — riverbabble (US)
  • Shade Tree Haven — Doorknobs & Bodypaint (US)
  • Sweet Caporal at Dawn — Blank Spaces (CA)
  • Sweet Caporal at Dawn — Just Words Vol. 2 Anthology (CA)
  • Away Game — Pulp Literature (CA)
  • Groota Pieter — River Poets Journal “The Immigrants” Anthology (US)
  • The Narrowing — Scarlet Leaf Review (CA)
  • Wide Winter River — Not Ready for Prime Time podcast (US)

2019

14 publications in total

  • The Fifty Dollar Sewing Machine — Literally Stories (UK)
  • The Toboggan Run — The MOON Magazine (US)
  • Peacemongers — The MOON Anthology (US)
  • Cave on a Cul-de-sac — Doorknobs & Bodypaint Issue 93 (US)
  • Din and the Wash Bear — Doorknobs & Bodypaint Issue 95 (US)
  • Died Rich — Fabula Argentea (US)
  • I Am Otter — Short Tales (Iran)
  • Away Game — Short Tales (Iran)
  • Concealment — Me First Magazine (US)
  • Groota Pieter — Pact Press “We Refugees” Anthology (AU)
  • Fast and Steep — Riddle Fence (CA)
  • Holthacka’s Quandary — Lunate Fiction (UK)
  • Shade Tree Haven — (mac)ro(mic) (US)
  • Our German Relative — Xmas Stories (Iran)

2020

14 publications in total

  • The Business of Saving Souls — Literally Stories (UK)
  • The Log Boom — River Poets Journal Anthology (US)
  • Encampment — Tiny Seed Journal (US)
  • Regrets de Foie Gras — Literally Stories (UK)
  • The Grittiness of Mango Chiffon — Agnes and True (CA)
  • My Life as a Corkscrew — Blank Spaces (CA)
  • Piece of My Heart — Pulp Literature (CA)
  • Away Game — Quail Bell Magazine (US)
  • Interview — Maysam Kandej Talks (Iran)
  • My Life as a Corkscrew — Just Voices Anthology (CA)
  • The Sunshine Girl — Cowboy Jamboree (US)
  • Died Rich — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • Baloney, Hot Mustard and Metal Filings — WordCity Monthly (Intl)
  • Our German Relative — WordCity Monthly (Intl)

2021

10 publications in total

  • Interview — Blank Spaces (CA)
  • So Are They All — Literally Stories (UK)
  • Fast and Steep — CommuterLit (CA)
  • The Grittiness of Mango Chiffon — Literally Stories (UK)
  • Fast and Steep — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • Featured Artist — Winnipeg River Arts Council (CA)
  • The Log Boom — WordCity Monthly (Intl)
  • In the Dim Light Beyond the Fence — The Twin Bill (US)
  • Sweet Caporal — Rivanna Review (US)
  • Fast and Steep — Fenechty Anthology (UK)

2022

  • Hundred Miles an Hour — Rivanna Review (US)
  • Piece of My Heart — Miramichi Flash (CA)
  • Downtown Diner — Cowboy Jamboree (US)
  • Winter Eve at Walker Creek Park & Shade Tree Haven — Guernica Editions Anthology (Intl)
  • I Am Otter — Lintusen Press Anthology (CA)
  • Sanctuary Quandary — WordCity Monthly (Intl)
  • New War — Old Technology — The Fieldstone Review (CA)
  • No Strings — Bell Press Anthology (CA)
  • The Spring Kid — Macrina Magazine (US/Intl)
  • A Cultivated Halloween — CommuterLit (CA)
  • Sweet Caporal — WordCity Literary Journal (Intl)
  • The Sewing Machine — Rivanna Review (US)

2023

7 publications in total, plus the 20 stories contained in the “Pinching Zwieback” collection (At Bay Press) and reprints in Sam Kandej’s online blog in Iran

  • The Margin of the River & I Am Otter — D.A. Cairns Anthology (AU)
  • Piece of My Heart — Literally Stories (UK)
  • All Our Swains Commend Her — Pulp Literature (CA)
  • Pass It to Freddie — The Other Journal (US)
  • Angel and the Craigflower Bus — Hawkshaw Press Noir Anthology (US)
  • Piece of My Heart — Mennotoba (CA)
  • Multiple reprints — toews.ir (Iran)
  • The Seven Songs — Rivanna Review (US)

2024

2 publications in total, plus reprints in Sam Kandej’s online blog in Iran

  • The Sunshine Girl — Prine Primed Anthology, Cowboy Jamboree (US)
  • Multiple reprints — toews.ir (Iran)
  • Essay — “Why I Wrote This Book” Miramichi Reader (CA)

2025

16 publications in total, plus one scheduled for 2026

  • The Seven Songs — Fiction on the Web (UK)
  • Our German Relative — 7th-Circle Pyrite (US)
  • Bouncing Baby Boy — Lothlorien Poetry Journal (FR)
  • The Preacher’s Wife — Rivanna Review (US)
  • Shade Tree Diplomacy — Literary Heist (CA)
  • The Margin of the River — Literally Stories (UK)
  • All Our Swains Commend Her — Chiron Review (US)
  • Pass It to Freddie — CommuterLit (CA)
  • Schutzengel — 7th-Circle Pyrite (US)
  • Blank Spaces Interview (CA)
  • This Older Dude… — Manitoba Writers’ Guild Tagore Competition (CA)
  • Night Bandits — SBLAAM (US)
  • Shade Tree Haven — Grit Quarterly (US)
  • Ahead, Go — CommuterLit (CA)
  • The Light Pool — Pulp Literature (CA)
  • Review of Pitfall by Terry Kirk — Literary Heist (CA) December 2025
  • Second Helping at Conchita’s Diner — Pulp Literature (CA) March 2026

Bibliography — Secondary Sources (Reviews, Profiles, Criticism)

  • Featured Artist Profile — Winnipeg River Arts Council (CA, 2021)
  • Interviews in Mennotoba, Blank Spaces, South Branch Scribbler, Maysam Kandej Talks, My (small press) Writing Day, and others.

Bibliography — Awards

Major Awards & Wins

  • “So Are They All” — Second Place, Write on the Lake Adult Fiction, 2016
  • “Cave on a Cul-de-sac” — Winner, Hayward Fault Line / Doorknobs & Bodypaint Flash Contest, 2018
  • “The Lunker Jack” — Third Place, NOWW Bill MacDonald Prize (Short Fiction), 2025
  • “Second Helping at Conchita’s Diner” — First Runner-up, Pulp Literature Raven Contest, 2025

Shortlists

  • “The Spring Kid” — Shortlist, J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction, 2022
  • “Luck!” — Shortlist, Pulp Literature Hummingbird Flash Contest, 2022
  • “Winter in the Sandilands” — Shortlist, Pulp Literature Bumblebee Flash Contest, 2023
  • “Saskatchewan” — Shortlist, Nona Macdonald Heaslip Award, 2023
  • “This Older Dude Over at Conchita’s Up North Main This Morning” — Shortlist, Rabindranath Tagore Poetry Competition, 2025

Longlists

  • “Winter in the Sandilands” — Longlist, Pulp Literature Hummingbird Flash Contest, 2022
  • “Saskatchewan” — Longlist, Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition, 2023
  • “Mr. R” — Longlist, NOWW Bill MacDonald Prize, 2023
  • “Parade Day” — Longlist, Pulp Literature Raven Contest, 2024
  • “The Light Pool” — Longlist, Pulp Literature Bumblebee Flash Contest, 2025
  • “This Older Dude Over at Conchita’s” — Longlist, Pulp Literature Hummingbird Flash Contest, 2025

Finalists

  • “The Phage Match” — Finalist, Broken Pencil Deathmatch, 2016
  • “Fetch” — Finalist — TWUC Short Prose Competition, 2020
  • “The Rabid” — Finalist, Pulp Literature Bumblebee Flash Contest, 2022
  • “The Spring Kid” — Finalist, J.F. Powers Prize, 2022
  • “The Mighty Hartski” — Finalist, Humber Literary Review / CNFC CNF Contest, 2022

Honourable Mentions

  • “Fall from Grace” — Honourable Mention, Writers’ Workshop of Asheville Memoirs Contest, 2016

Editors’ Choice & Other Distinctions

  • “I am Otter” — Runner-up, CommuterLit Flash Feature, 2018
  • “Piece of My Heart” — Editors’ Choice, Pulp Literature Bumblebee Flash Contest, 2020
  • “Fall from Grace” (Pinching Zwieback) — Mentor Text selection, moving writers, 2024

Nominations

  • “Sweet Caporal at Dawn” — Pushcart Prize nomination (Blank Spaces), 2019
  • “The Margin of the River” — Pushcart Prize nomination (Blank Spaces), 2020
  • “Sweet Caporal” — Pushcart Prize nomination (Rivanna Review), 2021
  • “All Our Swains Commend Her” — Pushcart Prize nomination (Pulp Literature), 2023
  • “All Our Swains Commend Her” — Journey Prize nomination (Pulp Literature), 2025

Mitchellaneous Redux

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

For years, I’ve kept a blog at Mitchellaneous.com. Now, with a new site — mitchtoewsauthor.com — it’s time to bring everything under one roof.

Not a diaspora, not a forced march — just a subtle shift.

The new site provides me with a single platform to share my work and, in 2026, to host my debut novel and any subsequent projects. Everything is here: links to buy books or read published stories, a calendar of events, reviews, and more.

You’ll still find me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and X, as usual.

Thanks for reading. I’ll keep posting, and I hope you’ll keep stopping by. As before, my big mouth snookery pairs well with caffeine and is best taken with a grain of salt.

Quiet writing in a noisy era

Market Copy—Metaphor in the Making

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

The wheels of literature turn slowly, but they produce without rest, grinding out the vast quantity of grist, meal, and fine flour that create the broad imaginative canon that is Canadian fiction.

My personal grindstones have turned out plenty of words—maybe even more than I ever thought I would create. My milestone map looks something like this:

Early Submissions to literary periodicals, anthologies, and contests, Jan/2016-Oct/2023. I began submitting in 2015; however, I was not a Duotrope subscriber until August 28, 2015, so I don’t have accurate submission records for that period, except that my acceptances were zero. 2016-2023, I submitted 501 stories, essays, and interviews with 121 acceptances. Note: Duotrope does not record stats for every market I submitted to, so the submission totals are lower than the actual number sent. I used actual acceptance numbers.

Launch of Debut Collection, Pinching Zwieback “Made-up Stories from the Darp” Oct/2023-Present. With a book out, I continued to submit work for publication in periodicals, etc, but also spent time at launches, other literary events, and Open Mics. I made 123 submissions, with 21 acceptances, and attended 45 in-person events. I’ve had the honour of receiving four Pushcart Prize nominations in the years since I began my imaginative writing life in fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry.

Launch of Debut Novel, Mulholland and Hardbar (At Bay Press) Spring 2026. Having another book forthcoming with my wonderful publisher, At Bay Press, I will once again shift gears in my writing practice. I still hope to maintain a steady stream of short story submissions, so 2026 is sure to be an interesting and busy year.

Mulholland and Hardbar: “Like ‘Fargo’ with a Low German accent, Mulholland and Hardbar follows the four seasons in the boreal: friendship, mistrust, deceit, and violence.”

Here’s an IDEA BOARD look at some of the market copy drafted to date concerning my career and including my short story publication work and Pinching Zwieback. New work, including as-yet unpublished short stories, flash fiction, verse and the 2026 novel will inform these sketchbook ideas with more detail.

Mitchell Toews – Author Profile & Literary Positioning

“One chair, one cracked teacup, one quiet sigh”

Overview:
Mitchell Toews is a seasoned Canadian writer whose stories explore the human experience through the lens of Mennonite life, small-town society, and intergenerational dynamics. Across his work—from Pinching Zwieback to his periodical publications—Toews blends humour, pathos, and cultural insight, offering a layered portrayal of community, identity, and moral complexity. His work is distinguished by its balance of comic observation, emotional resonance, and attention to social hierarchies, family dynamics, and the struggles of outsiders within tightly knit communities.

Themes & Motifs:

  • Coming-of-age & growth: Stories frequently track male protagonists (such as Matt, Lenny, & Diedrich in Pinching Zwieback) navigating the transition from boyhood into adulthood, then into grandparenthood, exploring moral, emotional, and cultural challenges. This trend continues in his upcoming Bildungsroman novel, Mulholland and Hardbar.
  • Cultural heritage & outsider perspective: A recurring focus on Mennonite traditions, language (including Low German), and religious hierarchies, showing both the richness and constraints of cultural identity.
  • Family & community dynamics: Examines intergenerational relationships, the role of women as moral and cultural anchors, and the tension between individual agency and societal expectation.
  • Humour & pathos: Humour often arises from the clash between expectation and reality, offering relief and insight while maintaining the gravity of cultural, ethical, and emotional stakes.
  • Power & agency: Stories explore institutionalized hierarchies, gender roles, and moral courage, often highlighting the overlooked strength of women, the in-between world of children, and the ethical struggles of men.
  • Symbolism & recurring motifs: Bread-making, baseball, and local traditions serve as metaphors for growth, resilience, and cultural continuity.

Style & Technique:

  • Short stories: Each story functions as a “micro-battle” against expectation, building toward broader narrative and thematic arcs.
  • Narrative voice: Experienced, reflective, often balancing insider knowledge with a playful, empathetic eye.
  • Language play: Incorporates Low German and cultural vernaculars to enrich authenticity, convey identity tension, and provide a foreground for the politics of language.
  • Emotional layering: Combines intimate, personal observation with social commentary; uses juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy, physical risk with moral choice.

Critical Highlights (Summarized):

  • Armin Wiebe: Toews explores facets of Mennonite life others avoid; combines comedy and tragedy; portrays multi-generational sagas with depth.
  • Donna Besel: Gives sharp insights into the limitations of closed communities; parallels with Miriam Toews in examining cultural clashes.
  • Ralph Friesen: Steinbach’s Mitch Toews champions the underdog; balances humour with heartfelt engagement; moral courage and love as central outcomes.
  • Zilla Jones: Asks universal questions of belonging, conformity, and dissent that emerge in vividly local settings; metaphorically rich prose.
  • Linda Rogers Van Krugel: An author skilled in exploring outsiderhood, moral complexity, and intergenerational growth; offers mastery of language, humour, and cultural nuance.
  • Winnipeg Free Press: Mitch Toews writes with grit, humour, and tenderness, elevating everyday prairie life into unforgettable art. He’s an authentic storyteller—rooted in Mennonite prairie life, yet speaking to the universal. He captures the rhythms of small-town life and renders them with warmth, wit, and lasting resonance.

Positioning:

  • Strengths: Skilled storyteller bridging cultural specificity and universal themes; adept at linking humour and emotional depth; strong voice for intergenerational and small-town narratives.
  • Unique points: Mennonite cultural insider-outsider lens; layered humour; complex portrayals of gender, hierarchy, and morality; recurring motifs (bread, baseball) anchor stories in tangible, evocative imagery.
  • Audiences: Readers of literary fiction, Canadian prairie literature, “Mennolit” and other cultural heritage narratives, coming-of-age sagas, and intergenerational stories; fans of Miriam Toews, Armin Wiebe, Patrick Friesen, and Andrew Unger.
  • Framing line: “Mitchell Toews writes with wit, wisdom, and heart, turning the intimate worlds of Mennonite family life into universally resonant stories of growth, moral courage, and the humour inherent in navigating the expectations of community and self.”

Artistic Ethos:

“I come to writing fiction from the storyteller’s places: the campfire, the backseat on a long drive, the bar stool.”

Anthologies

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

When I began submitting stories to lit mags in 2016, I noticed a few calls for submissions to anthologies. Some contests published print anthologies of the longlisted stories. Other anthologies were not open to submissions. Instead, they contained stories the editors had hand-picked for their collection.

I wondered if my work would ever be good enough to submit to an anthology, never mind have a story invited for inclusion.

As these things go, there are varying levels of anthologies. My hardcover Norton Anthology text in 1974 at the University of Victoria would be one level. I did not aim quite that high, but I did offer my work to a few and over time, others asked to include stories I had written.

My stories (18 in total) have been in 16 anthologies. I am not as active in pursuing them as I was, but I still greatly respect the form and enjoy being included in an eclectic and far-flung grouping of authors.

Here’s my printed anthology publication list, to date:

Best of Fiction on the Web: 1976-2017, 2017, U.K.
The Machinery: Fauna, 2017, India
Just Words Vol. 2, 2018, Canada
The Immigrants, 2018, U.S.
We Refugees, 2019, U.S.
The Best Short Stories from the MOON, 2019, U.S.
A Fork in the Road, 2020, U.S.
Just Voices, 2020, Canada
Anthology of Short Stories Summer 2021, 2021, U.K.
This Will Only Take a Minute, 2022, Canada
Small Shifts: Short Stories of Fantastical Transformation, 2022, Canada
Framework of the Human Body, 2022, Canada
I Used to be an Animal Lover, 2023, Australia
Hardboiled and Loaded with Sin, 2023, U.S.
Prine Primed, 2024, U.S.
Nona Heaslip (Exile) Best Canadian Short Stories, 2024 (forthcoming), Canada

I hope to continue to contribute to excellent collections like these. Every time I work with an editor, I find I improve as a writer and my work benefits with some lustre or refinement that it might have otherwise missed.

I have been nominated four times for the renowned Pushcart Prize Best of the Small Presses Anthology but so far, no room under that prestigious umbrella for me—so there’s still a lot to aspire to.

50% BOOK SALE: Act Fast! Nov 16-19

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

Wow! My publisher must have sniffed one VOC too many. For a short while, Pinching Zwieback and, in fact, all At Bay Press titles are up for grabs at HALF PRICE. For American readers (with their powerful US Greenbacks) it’s almost like I’m PAYING YOU to buy my book! That negative income proposition is not the way I was led to believe it worked via my extensive research of Snoopy cartoons. (Ending in a whole Romeo-Juliet thing with me and Peppermint Patty. . .)

No matter. To buy my collection of short stories hit this SALE LINK. USE CODE: BIG50

Here’s a Pinching Zwieback-specific mnemonic device to help you remember the BIG50 sale code. It’s 50% off, which allows you to buy a case of this stuff, which is the brand consumed by characters like Big Johnny Fear (Fehr) and Dick Loewen. Hart Zehen, of course, was a Carling Black Label guy.

“Like a Mennonite ‘Dubliners’ set in the Canadian West, Pinching Zwieback follows the lives of recurrent characters on a rumble strip road filled with pick-up trucks, strong women with sad eyes, and those who were once ‘the quiet in the land.'”—Nope, no one ever said this or wrote this blurb. To see some actual opinions, hit this LINK! https://mitchellaneous.com/2023/10/11/early-praise-for-pinching-zwieback-2/

Miss the sale? Have no fear there are many places to grab a copy: December 3 at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg at the Fireside Book Market https://www.instagram.com/p/CzMQfn_gWL4/ or online from numerous vendor sites including McNally Robinson Booksellers (online or in person in Wpg or Saskatoon) or at one of the many book launch events at which I’ll be reading, signing, and selling. (Pus other Christmasy bookish opportunities coming up!)

Follow my Facebook page for a list of upcoming events or contact me to BOOK me. Here’s the current schedule, with dates in Abbotsford, Winnipeg, Lac du Bonnet, and several in Steinbach already in the rear-view:

Nov 18​ The Public​ Brewhouse, S​teinbach​​​ 7 P.M. with MC award-winning author Andrew Unger |Nov 21​ Altona Library 7 P.M. | Nov 22​ Pinawa Library 7 P.M. | Nov 23​ Winkler Library 7 P.M.​ | Nov ​28 Morden Library 7 P.M.​ | ​Fireside Book Market ​Dec 3​ Park Theatre, Winnipeg​ 10 A.M.-6 P.M. | The Listening Room Dec 13​ Open Mic​, Lac du Bonnet | PLUS events in Kenora, Brandon, Lac du Bonnet, TBA

If you don’t find Pinching Zwieback at your local bookshop or library, request it and/or shoot us a note and we’ll make it easy for them to get a copy or, as Snoopy would have me believe, fifty-five.

Fast Links: Pinching Zwieback by Manitoba Author Mitchell Toews

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN CONSOLIDATED HERE: https://mitchellaneous.com/2023/09/30/pinching-zwieback-book-author-publication-event-details/

October 24, 2023: The official launch day for Pinching Zwieback, Mitchell Toews debut collection of short stories from At Bay Press. Release Date is November 7, 2023. Mitchell and wife Janice live on Jessica Lake, in the boreal forest on Treaty 1 & 3 territory, the home of the Métis Nation.

Events: https://mitchellaneous.com/2023/10/20/pinching-zwieback-events/

Where to Purchase: “Pinching Zwieback” ISBN 9781998779055 by Mitchell Toews (At Bay Press, Wpg) may be purchased at:

From At Bay Press: “Individual orders are placed through our website by adding books to your cart and then checking out with our secure online payment. Orders may also be placed over the phone by calling 204-489-6658 and payment will be taken over the phone. You may send an email with any questions or concerns to atbaypress@gmail.com.”

McNally Robinson Booksellers all locations.

The gift shops at both Mennonite Heritage Village (Steinbach) and Mennonite Heritage Museum (Abbotsford).

CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre in Winnipeg, MB

Manitoba Made Events & Shop in Lac du Bonnet, MB

Shop in person: Canadian Bookstore Map or visit the At Bay Press website SHOP LOCAL page to find the Independent book store near you.

Virtually all ONLINE book sources WORLDWIDE including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Thriftbooks, etc.

Libraries and booksellers in Canada and the U.S. may purchase books from At Bay Press’s distribution partners:

Canada: http://www.litdistco.ca/

U.S.: https://www.casemateipm.com/9781998779055/pinching-zwieback/

Aus/NZ: https://peribo.com.au/

Other countries: Please see https://atbaypress.com/ordering or contact Matt Joudrey atbaypress@gmail.com

Requesting “Pinching Zwieback” by Mitchell Toews (At Bay Press, Wpg, 2023) at your favourite bookstore or library is also a simple way to get a copy!

Be sure to look out for author and publisher events and check with Mitch or Matt on how to receive signed copies or for information concerning special situations like review or interview requests.

“Imbued with the turbulence of an ancestral river, the joy of a toboggan careening down an icy run, and the despair of dreams broken on a distant hockey rink, Mitchell Toews’ stories ask universal questions, about belonging, conforming and dissenting, all the while rooted in the snowdrifts and sun-drenched fields of a small prairie town. The answers emerge hot from the oven, fragrant like the zwieback buns of the title: we find ourselves in our family, and memories, and forgiveness, as familiar and soothing as the worn leather of a much-loved baseball glove.”—Zilla Jones, Journey Prize winner and finalist for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award

“Pinching Zwieback:” Book, Author, Publication Details

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

Last UPDATE: Nov 4, 2023

Barn: Guide Meridian, Lynden, Wa.—mjt

Author Mitchell Toews

After eight years in creative writing, 120 prose pieces placed in periodicals and anthologies (and over 650 rejections 😊) Mitch is launching his first book, a collection of short fiction published by At Bay Press of Winnipeg.

So who is this guy, Mitchell Toews?

Mitchell James Toews is the great-great-grandson of Mennonite Delegate C.P. Toews from Molotschna, Russia; the grandson of C.F. (“Roy,” “Schusta”) and Rosa Toews of Steinbach; grandson also to former “Jantsieda” (residents from the “other side” of the Red River) Diedrich and Marie Harder of Steinbach; and son of the Steinbach Bakery family: Norman “Chuck” and Jessie Toews. He is married to Janice Kasper of Steinbach and they have two married daughters.

Among his stop-overs and occupations: a year (1973/74) at UVIC in Victoria, two years at U of W in Winnipeg and (much later) a Master’s Certificate in Marketing Communication from York U. Mitch founded—with his father and uncle Earl Taves—and operated a small overhead door manufacturing company. In 1996, the now solely-owned business, Hanover Doors, was sold by Janice and Mitch and Mitch’s advertising and marketing career began. In 2016 after time well-spent with companies like Smith, Neufeld, Jodoin Law (Steinbach), Loewen Windows (Steinbach), Yarrow Sash & Door (Winnipeg), and Lynden Door (Abbotsford), Mitch devoted himself entirely to creative writing—a lifelong and much-delayed passion.

Janice and Mitch live in their 1950 lakeside cabin at Jessica Lake in the Manitoba territory that is part of Treaty 1 & 3 land and home to the Métis Nation, just north of the Fiftieth Parallel in the Winnipeg River basin. Their daughters Megan and Tere live in British Columbia and trips to see the families, particularly grandkids Ty, Hazel, James, and Floyd are as frequent as circumstances permit.

Mitch is an avid windsurfer, rower, and cross-country skier and the lifelong rigours of climbing ladders and swinging hammers, along with baseball, volleyball, basketball, and golf all contributed in past days to the current sorry state of his joints.

Book Synopsis

Pinching Zwieback comprises stories that recount events and conflicts from the “Mennosphere”—inwardly oriented communities that can generate wonderful characters and practical, often beautiful, solutions to life’s confusion. Other times, a solution may be elusive.

Hartplatz is the imaginary home for many of the recurrent characters. (Also Winkler, Aldergrove or fictive places like them—a small town pastiche.) These are rural Canadian junctures where vectors intersect: faith and doubt; pacifism in a world at war; honour and temptation; fervour and absurdity; the temptations of the wide welt, and of course, humour. Often gritty, it’s K-mart fiction or maybe better yet: schmaundtfat fiction. (A Low German glossary is provided!)

“God causes it to rain on Chevs and Fords alike,” as Diedrich, the main character in three* of the 20 stories puts it. It’s in this context that the characters resist, pitting their will against that of their foe—the foe they seek to love.

*Other main characters include Matt Zehen, his mother and father, Hart and Justy Zehen, Matt’s grandmother Rosa, and Matt’s close friend, Lenny Gerbrandt. A family tree provides a guide to the cast for readers.

Where to Purchase Pinching Zwieback

“Pinching Zwieback: Made-up Stories from the Darp” 2023 ISBN 9781998779055 by Mitchell Toews (At Bay Press, Wpg). Publication Date October 24, Release Date November 7, Launch Date Nov 8. Contact us for assistance: check with Mitch or Matt on where to buy and also about how to receive signed copies or for information concerning special situations, author appearances, writing workshops, and more.

Requesting “Pinching Zwieback” by Mitchell Toews (At Bay Press, Wpg) at your favourite bookstore or library will get you a copy. Coming soon to libraries in Kenora, ON and Manitoba locations in Brandon, Lac du Bonnet, Pinawa, Altona, Winkler, and Morden. More to follow.

“Pinching Zwieback” 5″X8″257-page quality paperbacks may be purchased:

From At Bay Press: “Individual orders are placed through our website by adding books to your cart and then checking out with our secure online payment. Orders may also be placed over the phone by calling 204-489-6658 and payment will be taken over the phone. You may send an email with any questions or concerns to atbaypress@gmail.com.”

McNally Robinson Booksellers (Pre-order available) all locations.

The gift shops at both Mennonite Heritage Village (Steinbach) and Mennonite Heritage Museum (Abbotsford).

CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre in Winnipeg, MB

Misty River Books in Terrace, BC

Manitoba Made Events & Shop in Lac du Bonnet, MB

Shop in person: Canadian Bookstore Map

Virtually all ONLINE book sources WORLDWIDE including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Thriftbooks, etc.

Libraries and booksellers in Canada and the U.S. may purchase books from At Bay Press’s distribution partners:

Canada: http://www.litdistco.ca/
U.S.: https://www.casemateipm.com/9781998779055/pinching-zwieback/
Aus/NZ: https://peribo.com.au/

For other countries: Please see https://atbaypress.com/ordering or contact Matt Joudrey atbaypress@gmail.com

Events

https://mitchellaneous.com/2023/10/20/pinching-zwieback-events/

Coming Soon

A first REVIEW of “Pinching Zwieback” by the eminent Canadian author, Poet Laureate, and literary leader, Linda Rogers van Krugel of Victoria will be placed shortly. Several other reviews, from Canada and the U.S., are underway.

Early Praise

“Pinching Zwieback Observations” from Canadian literary notables Zilla Jones, Ralph Friesen, Alanna Rusnack, Armin Wiebe and more.

Follow Mitch & Pinching Zwieback

Follow Mitch’s FaceBook page and this blog (Mitchellaneous.com) for unboring updates, news, and other crumbs and chicken feed as “Pinching Zwieback” struts in wider and wider circles around the coop.

A Toews Prose Sampler

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

From the sleepy stubble fields of Manitoba Mennonite country to the shores of the Rivanna River in Charlottesville, Virginia, here are four not-so-sleepy short stories. Besides my stories, the contents of The Rivanna Review are alive with unique literature, pictures, and book reviews. See the contents, here: https://rivannareview.com/

Single copies and subscriptions are extremely reasonable in price!

These four pieces are original works of mine, examples of “the organic story,” according to Print Editor Robert Boucheron. These stories are not in the forthcoming collection, “Pinching Zwieback” from At Bay Press (October 24), so no overlap!

Sweet Caporal: Life presents many unexpected dramas, especially for teenagers.

Hundred Miles an Hour: Set in the same lakeside location as Sweet Caporal; home to a darker drama.

The Sewing Machine: 1931 Winnipeg is the backdrop for unlikely combatants.

The Seven Songs: Pride, desperation, and deception know no one locale, no religious or national boundaries, and no exceptions.

McNally Robinson Booksellers Launch of Pinching Zwieback

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

If you’re in Winnipeg on November 8…

https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/event-18468/Ariel-Gordon-&-Mitchell-Toews-Dual-Hybrid-Book-Launch

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Join Sue Sorensen, Ariel Gordon and myself for a bookish good time!

Reblog: I Used to be an Animal Lover

Posted on by Mitchell Toews

An INTERVIEW with contributor, Mitchell Toews.

Where did you hear about the I Used to be an Animal Lover anthology? What does the title mean to you? 

I stumbled across D.A. Cairns’ anthology call on the internet and submitted my story “The Margin of the River” almost immediately, followed soon after by “I Am Otter.” I was intrigued by the anthology’s title, especially since it was a reprise of a book of his by the same name. 

Three fun facts—in the writerly domain, related to the animal kingdom, or otherwise—about you? 

1—When our kids were young, we owned (were owned by?) a gentle, runt-of-the-litter beagle the girls named “Knuckles.” One frigid Canadian winter, frustrated by Knuckles’ frequent requests for out-in-out, I rigged a backyard doghouse made of hay bales. The shelter was warmed by a 40-watt bulb coated with stove black. All systems were go until we received a late-night wake-up: It was Knuckles howling in joyous excitement as her hated winter exile went up in leaping, orange flames. A design flaw, or Knuckles the arsonist beagle? 2—I have built and lived in two geodesic domes, one at a water-access-only boreal forest location. 3—a favourite quote, “Forgive the weak for they are always fighting.” —Layne Coleman, from “Tony Nappo Ruined My Life” in “Carter V Cooper Short Fiction Anthology: Book Ten by Joyce Carol Oates”

Where can I buy your work and what’s the one piece that I ABSOLUTELY must read? 

My forthcoming collection of short stories is probably the best I can offer. “Pinching Zwieback” (At Bay Press) will be out October 24, 2023, and news of the launch, readings, and so on will be announced on my social media links. (Ask for it at your library or local bookshop—and remember, it’s a small world.) https://atbaypress.com/books/creator/mitchell-toews

Bio

Mitchell Toews lives and writes lakeside in Manitoba. His work appears in print and online, in places near and far. He is working on a novel. A collection of short stories focused on a Russian Mennonite community in Western Canada, “Pinching Zwieback” will be launched in the fall of 2023 by Winnipeg’s At Bay Press. You may follow Mitch on the trails or out on the water or ice, or more conveniently at Mitchellaneous.com and https://www.facebook.com/mitch.toews/

“I come to fiction from the storyteller’s places: the campfire, the backseat on a long drive, the bar stool.” —MJT

Reblogged from Australian Author David A. Cairns and his blog: Square Pegs https://dacairns.com.au/blog

NOTE: PRE-ORDER LINKS for I Used to be an Animal Lover are here:

Amazon Kindle

https://amzn.to/418HybT

everywhere else

https://books2read.com/u/b5qy1w