—Kerri Crousset BTH., BA., MSW., RSW.

—Pastor Cathy Prout CENTRALIA FAITH TABERNACLE

A basement? Don't worry - with strings of overhead garden lights and pale walls, it's a relaxing and welcoming space.

If you journey into the heart of downtown Toronto you'll find Creeds Coffee Bar tucked into a clever dry-cleaning shop on Dupont Street. It is a hip urban space with an industrial cozy feel and it was all ours for the launch of Just Words Volume 3—the third anthology of work by Canadian Blank Spaces contributors. Complete with a full service bar and guests who came from as far as Montreal, it was a recipe for an incredible night.


We set up a small pop-up shop, displaying every back issue of Blank Spaces, along with t-shirts, pins, bumper stickers, magnets, notebooks, past anthologies, and of course, the latest anthology.

It was wonderful to meet some of our contributors face to face and to hear them read their pieces. In a Facebook post, Toronto Book Awards finalist, Ann Y. K. Choi called it a beautiful and powerful evening. "Some authors were reading in public for the first time - their hands trembling as they stood by the mic."

We are so proud of these writers—some of whom can call Blank Spaces the launching point for their literary careers—who faced those public speaking jitters and got up in front of the crowd. One such writer, Harvey Mitro, who read his beautiful piece on running, shared about the moment he found out his work had been accepted. He said he came home from work to find a red balloon tied with a note from his wife, telling him his story was going to be published! Hearing those little glimpses into people's lives was an affirming reminder that what we're trying to do with Blank Spaces is resonating a deep chord across Canada.

A big part of the vision for this magazine is to foster a creative community that is encouraging and empowering, and if this launch event did nothing else, it certainly affirmed that mission. Watching contributors connect over specialty coffees and glasses of wine, exchange contact information, and offer one another accolades and encouragements, we could see that our hope of championing Canadian creatives is spreading out from our small team to each person Blank Spaces touches and that's an incredibly rewarding and humbling thing to realize.

It is our hope that this community continues to grow, that someday we'll gather for Just Words Volume 10, that strong friendships are borne through the pages of Blank Spaces, and that more and more people are touched by our desire to foster community.

We need to offer a huge thank you to Creeds Coffee Bar for allowing us to rent their amazing space; to Fateema Miller, Creeds's event coordinator, who set up the sound equipment, ran the bar, and was hugely encouraging throughout the night; to every contributor who allowed us to showcase their work in the anthology; to every person who showed up in person (or in spirit) to help us celebrate; and finally to the entire Blank Spaces team who pitched in with set-up, door prize ticket sales, and book sales. You are all treasures and made the night run smoothly!

If you haven't ordered your copy of Just Words Volume 3, you can do that now by clicking the BUY NOW button below. (Complete your purchase by clicking on the shopping bag.)

Profits from every sale of this collection help us further the work and mission of Blank Spaces.



Check out our Event Album below!

Celebrating 37 Canadian authors and their work as featured during the first year of Blank Spaces, a literary arts magazine birthed out of small town Ontario. Filled with creative non-fiction, short stories, and poetry, Just Words Volume 2 is a true reflection of the heart, humour, and depth of Canadian creatives; capturing, in its text, the very pulse of Blank Spaces.

Editor in Chief, Alanna Rusnak, along with her editing partners, Pamela Hopwood and Michelle McLaughlin, have brought this collection together beautifully. Wrapped in the gorgeous colours of Toronto artist, Sharon Barr, the book delivers as much beauty on the outside as its words do inside.

Officially launched at the Word on the Street Festival at the Toronto, Ontario harbour front, Just Words Volume 2 was met with a warm reception from eager readers, going on to be named the Number Two new release for Canadian Collections on Amazon.

Fourth Annual Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist Announced

Canada’s hottest new books have been selected in three genres: Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction and Mystery.

When her debut novel, The Church in the Wildwood, received such a warm reception from readers and fans of her work, Alanna Rusnak felt compelled to dig a little deeper into the story of her favourite character, resulting in a novella that erases the barrier between character and author.  

The Ghost of Iris Carver is a tender, emotional journey back to the character that enriched the Wildwood narrative. Though readers have proved to be quite polarized in their opinion of the flawed Iris Carver, the consensus is clear that she is not to be overlooked and is, in fact, a stirrer of great conversation and self-reflection.

With high calibre writing and profound observations, The Ghost of Iris Carver sings from the pages with clever plot twists and the author's passionate love for the art of writing.

Readers and other writers alike will connect to Rusnak's creation in that divine place of creative souls.


"If there were ever any doubt in my mind about Alanna Rusnak's extraordinary talent, she has fully eradicated any uncertainty with her latest novella, 'The Ghost of Iris Carver'. Not only was she able to create deeply engaging characters and bring them fully to life on the page, but she was equally capable of expertly placing them into a conceptual labyrinth and conceal them just behind the venerable, sacred, fourth wall. Sorry Margaret (Atwood), move over Madeleine (Thien), shake a leg Miriam (Toews), and so-long-for-now Ann-Marie (MacDonald), Heather (O'Neill), and Elizabeth (Hay). I have a new favourite Canadian author and she's one to watch."

—Geraldine MacDonald (medical translator, writer, published author)      Officially launched at the Neustadt Craft Fair on May 5, 2018 in Neustadt, Ontario, The Ghost of Iris Carver is making quick work of haunting its readers, rooting within them an almost desperate need for the next installment in Rusnak's Fallmoore Chronicles, which is in the works for a Spring 2019 release.

Copies are available through this website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK (March 30, 2018 - page 27) printed a little blurb on the release of Hannibal Lecture's book, Arguments with Mortality. And while they properly attributed publication to ARP, they went on to contribute a lot of quotes to Alanna, which were things she did not say (though doesn't disagree with). The quotes were taken from Hannibal's bio and the back cover copy of the book.

This Christmas, enjoy a signed copy of The Church in the Wildwood for LESS!

From November 25-December 25, order your copy with a savings of $2 off the cover price AND free shipping in Canada!

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Alanna Rusnak Publishing; 1 edition (May, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0992125553
• ISBN-13: 978-0992125554
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces 
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars

It's November 1 and across the world, writers are eagerly digging into the incredible challenge that is NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH.

NaNoWriMo is all about unlocking the story inside you. It's heralded as a 'Write A Novel In A Month' month, but that's not really true. Because it's not about writing a novel—not really. It's about finding a story, spilling it out for thirty days, after which you hopefully want to clean up the mess and make something good of it.

NaNoWriMo is about self-discovery: Can you do it? Do you love writing enough? Do you really want it? Do you actually have anything to say under the gun?


Expectation: You think your life will continue in a normal fashion. 1667 daily words will only take an hour or two and you think you can bang those out without interfering in your family's daily routine.

Reality: Ha! Sure, some days you might speed through your word-count BUT other days your words will come ssslllooowwwlllyyy. Almost everything else will become less of a priority—the dishes, the laundry, dinner, bathing your children...

Expectation: You think it won't be that hard.

Reality: Ha! It will be excruciating and you'll want to quit at least once every day.

Expectation: You think people will care.

Reality: Ha! People won't care. They might be mildly curious. They might tip their head to the side like they're talking to a widow and say, "Aw...good for you!" They'll only really care when your obsessive writing interferes with their regular life.

Expectation: On November 30, you will submit your words to the NaNoWriMo official word-counter, receive your celebratory email and certificate from the NaNoWriMo offices and have a shiny new novel ready to send to a publisher.

Reality: Ha! On November 30, you will submit your words to the NaNoWriMo official word-counter, receive your celebratory email and certificate from the NaNoWriMo offices and have a stinking pile of goodness-knows-what to wade through and mine for goods.

NaNoWriMo is about the beginning. It is not about the end. It's about the journey, not the destination. It's the tool that will put you on the road towards a novel and it's a journey worth taking if you've got the guts.

It's about writing. It's not about good writing. It's not about perfect writing. It's about 30 days without a delete key. It's about a first draft. It's about vomiting out ideas and cleaning up the stink later. Don't feel like writing? Doesn't matter—do it anyway! Your first run at a story doesn't have to be flawless but it does have to be written. Write when writing is the last thing you want to do. Write when all you want to be doing is writing. Write when you feel it come easy. Write when every word comes with the pain of a thirty hour labour. Just write. Don't delete. Don't read. Just write.

There's no time to be afraid!

So much energy can be wasted on thinking you're not good enough, your ideas aren't original, or your characters have stupid names...It doesn't matter! Just get it out! If you spend November scared of what you're writing you'll never meet your goal. Set aside inhibitions and go all in. When you ignore your fears and you allow the pressure to propel you forward things will be pulled from you and into your story that you would have never found moseying along on your tiptoes. Be bold. Be brave. This is only about you and the story you have inside you—a story you probably won't even know until you read it back to yourself some time in December.

No matter what NaNoWriMo brings out of you, remember that the most important thing is showing up. Just write. And whenever you're ready, ARP would love to come along side you and help turn your novel into something that belongs on a bookstore shelf! 

(Check out The Church In The Wildwood, a novel drafted during NaNoWriMo 2014)

Celebrating 34 Canadian authors and their work as featured during the first year of Blank Spaces, a literary arts magazine birthed out of small town Ontario. Filled with creative non-fiction, short stories, and poetry, Just Words Volume One is a true reflection of the heart, humour, and depth of Canadian creatives; capturing, in its text, the very pulse of Blank Spaces.

Editor in Chief, Alanna Rusnak, along with her editing partners, Pamela Hopwood and Michelle McLaughlin, have brought this collection together beautifully. Wrapped in the colours of Calgary artist, Paula Timm, the book delivers as much beauty on the outside as its words do inside.

Officially launched at the Word on the Street Festival at the Toronto, Ontario harbour front, Just Words Volume 1 was met with a warm reception from eager readers, going on to be named the Number One new release for Canadian Collections on Amazon.

Alanna Rusnak might look like the average working mom, mini-van and all, but don’t be fooled; she is an assertive go-getter with a professional full-length literary work officially launching on June 23, 2017 in Durham, Ontario in the Municipality of West Grey. 

The Church in the Wildwood tackles poignant and contemporary themes with poetic refinement. Presenting the multi-dimensional narrative of a young man on a gruelling path from tragedy to hope, Rusnak has skillfully enacted on paper the depths and intensities of the human condition. 

“Although harsh,” says one Amazon reviewer, “the story is depicted through a fresh lens of redemption and hope, reminiscent of the innocence conveyed in the book Room by Emma Donoghue. While the plot line is engaging, the personal growth of each character is the true focal point of the book. The reader is taken on a journey from a place of judgement to compassion as the story unfolds, reminding us that…it is wrong to condemn someone without walking a mile in their shoes. We each need a Church in the Wildwood where we can forgive the past and say goodbye to the memories and relics that haunt us.”

Persevering against the brick wall of the publishing world by sheer force of will, Rusnak has built up a faithful readership that recognizes her talent and encourages her forward momentum. Her quiet nature, combined with a marketing and advertising budget of zero, make it all the more fascinating that almost 500 people have added The Church in the Wildwood on Goodreads. This industrious woman is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Canadian literary arts magazine Blank Spaces. 

The book launch is a great opportunity to support a local entrepreneur and celebrate a literary success story. Learn more at churchinthewildwood.alannarusnak.com. Rusnak is available for radio, tv, and print or digital interviews, guest blogging, and readings.

EVE UNDONE - CREATION RETOLD

- a four part short story -

Rusnak makes the Garden of Eden and its inhabitants come alive
—Amazon Reviewer

KISSING JOHNNY

- a five part short story -

...a very pleasurable dirty little secret —Amazon reviewer

published for Kindle on May 3, 2016