The books

God Loves Hair is a collection of 21 short stories following a tender, intellectual, and curious child as he navigates complex realms of sexuality, gender, racial politics, religion, and belonging. Told with the poignant insight and honesty that only the voice of a young mind can convey, the stories are accompanied by the award-winning illustrations of Toronto artist Juliana Neufeld.

Six Metres of Pavement is a novel about Ismail Boxwala, a man who made the worst mistake of his life one summer morning twenty years ago. After his daughter’s tragic death, he struggles to continue living. A divorce, years of heavy drinking, and sex with strangers only leave him more alone.

Ismail’s story begins to change after he reluctantly befriends two women: Fatima, a queer activist kicked out of her parents’ home; and Celia, his grieving Portuguese-Canadian neighbour who lives six metres away. A slow-simmering romance develops between Ismail and Celia. Meanwhile, dangers lead Fatima to his doorstep. Each makes complicated demands of him, ones he is uncertain he can meet.

Six Metres of Pavement is distributed in Canada by University of Toronto Press and in the United States by Ingram Publisher Services (1-866-400-5351 or customer.service@ingrampublisherservices.com).

The authors

Vivek Shraya is a Toronto-based artist and arts educator. Winner of the We Are Listening International Singer/Songwriter Award, Vivek released his sixth record, 1:1, this fall. God Loves Hair, his first collection of short stories, was a 2011 Lambda Literary Award finalist, won the Applied Arts Award for Illustration in 2010, and is being used as a textbook at several post-secondary institutions. Vivek delivers workshops and lectures on writing, art, gender, sexuality and homophobia.

Vivek has performed internationally, sharing the stage with Tegan and Sara, Dragonette, and Melissa Ferrick, and appearing at NXNE, CMW, and Word on the Street. His music has also been featured on the TV show Degrassi. His first short film, Seeking Single White Male, screened at festivals throughout 2011. A second short, Ache in My Name, is available to watch online.

Farzana Doctor is a Toronto-based author and the recipient of the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Dayne Ogilvie Grant for an emerging gay Canadian author (2011). Her first novel, Stealing Nasreen, received critical acclaim and earned a devoted readership upon its release in 2007. She is currently touring Six Metres of Pavement, which Publishers Weekly has praised as “…a paean to second chances.” She also provides private practice psychotherapy services and delivers workshops on writing, queer and trans issues, and other diversity-related topics. She is a co-curator of the Brockton Writers Series.

Hi-res press pics

Say hello

godlovespavement@gmail.com