Sorry, Not Sorry edited by Shawn Bird

Reviewed by Robert Runté

If you are an Alberta separatist, a truck convoy supporter, or Fox News enthusiast, this anthology is probably not for you. For everybody else, this is a pretty great collection of feel-good stories that make one proud to be Canadian.

I did not expect to be reviewing another Lintusen Press release so soon after the success of Heavens to Murgatroyd, but an American President threatened our sovereignty with calls for Canada to become the 51st state, leading to an uncharacteristic wave of Canadian nationalism, which in turn became the impetus for this timely anthology. Elbows Up, readers!

The 16 stories in this collection range from hockey (because, how not hockey in a collection of Canadian stories) to stories of heroes, pioneers, the immigrant experience, tolerance, inclusivity, and TikTok. Of course, as a Canadian, your immediate reaction to that list was likely, “that sounds boring!” because, Trump notwithstanding, our national inferiority complex is still at play, and because CanLit stories about heroes, pioneers and the like tend to be educational, ponderous, and painfully self-conscious.

Not so here!

A couple of these stories immediately catapulted themselves onto my list of all-time favourites. Finnian Burnett’s “Kindness, Canada” is about a small town that rallies behind Canadian values against an invasion of MAGA hats. It’s Burnett writing at her best, a master of the short form. Shawn Bird’s own contribution, “Reconciliation”, is about a high school class reacting to Kristian RedFeather turning up in their home room. As Bird is herself a former English teacher, this is pretty much how I expect things would have gone in her classroom. Both are quintessential Canadian stories about how things should be.

Nor were these the only stories that celebrated what I think of as basic Canadian values. C. A. O’Brien’s “Allie & Fergus” depicts a multi-racial, blended family grappling with, and resolving, a potentially awkward birthday party. Glenna Turnbull’s “Carousel” provides a sensitive portrait of a controversial topic: a sixteen-year-old having to choose whether to have an abortion. It’s an important Canadian topic because it still is a choice in this country. Turnbull’s makes it clear that whatever her heroine chooses, it’s going to suck. Robyn Dinner’s piece, “The Cougars of TikTok”, is more essay than story, but confirms her place as one of my favourite Canadian authors with this insightful yet gentle piece on older women, social media, and sex. If I were still teaching sociology, that would totally be the opening entry in my course reader.

There are, inevitably, four hockey stories in this collection. I confess that, although Canadian-born, I’ve never liked hockey. Nevertheless, Mark Watson’s “Cold Mask” made me feel all the feels and reconsider my former attitude. Thanks to Mark’s story, I kind of get it now. Murgatroyd Monaghan’s, “The Hockey Game,” follows a group of immigrants on a field trip to their first game—so that they can get it, now. Matthew Heneghan’s “Skates and Dreams” is a true story about growing up in hockey. Chris McMahen’s “The Day My Aunt Florence Rode an Elevator with Gordie Howe” is maybe more hockey-adjacent than about the game per se, but completely charming.

Sean Donaghue-Johnston “Redcoats!” is similarly charming and does for historical cosplay what Watson’s “Cold Mask” does for hockey. I kind of get re-enactments now—and yeah, we won the War of 1812!

Shirley Smith-Matheson’s “On the Trail of a Canadian Hero” celebrates quiet, Canadian-style heroism, in contrast to the American-style vigilante, Marine, or overpowered superhero model. I enjoyed the anthropological framing of the otherwise straightforward reporting. Fatmir Sadiku’s, “Exodus to an Unknown Country”, provides a first-hand account of the immigrant experience and is an unreserved testimonial for Canadian niceness.

Cindy Webb Morris’s, “Old Earl Till”, depicts an elderly hermit isolated in his forest hut, but still close enough to civilization to get regular mail delivery. It has an almost urban legend vibe, except, there are indeed many such Canadian homesteaders still out there, quietly aging. Joy L. Magnusson “Main Street Wandering” is an actual example of a Canadian tall tale, but as suggested by the title, the story perhaps takes a bit too long to get to the point. Still, I like the Canadian assumption that there are two sides to every story, even a tall tale.

Nick Perry’s “Tofino” is about a Canadian musician choosing to stay in her rural community rather than seeking the big time in Toronto or America. Ironically, Perry slips into a self-conscious CanLit pretension that perhaps runs contrary to his theme of authenticity, of Canadians valuing who and where they are.

Full disclosure: I also have a story (about parenthood, a crying baby, and Tim Horton’s) in the collection. You will have to assess its merits yourself.

This collection is what Canada is (or, at least, should be) all about. Pressed by an American critic, I would have to concede the anthology verges on being a tiny bit self-congratulatory. Damn it, though, if there were ever a time for Canadians to rise above their self-image as inherently modest and self-effacing, now is that time. Bird’s Canadian anthology accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: assert the best parts of what it means to be Canadian through a cross-section of stories from the Canadian Geist. Sorry, not sorry!

Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Celebration of Canadian Life Through Story is published by Lintusen Press, and releases in June 2025.