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NOW AVAILABLE!

MIDLIFE No. 2

Released: November 24, 2023

#1 Non-Fiction Bestseller in Edmonton

Midlife No. 2 is the second and final anthology of works from 27 former members of the Gateway, the student newspaper at the University of Alberta. This time you’ll find a strong focus on housing and homes, plus new works on themes of race, identity, COVID, and many journeys in between. Read the introduction, and see the contents and contributors.
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$1 from every copy goes to the Edmonton Community Foundation’s Edmonton Refugee and Emerging Communities Awards

AS FEATURED IN

midlife

Released: April 19, 2021

Also a #1 Non-Fiction Bestseller in Edmonton

Sharp, moving, and uniquely Canadian, Midlife is a book about reaching middle age in 2021, by 27 friends who met at the Gateway, the student newspaper at the University of Alberta. Read an excerpt now.

BUY HARDCOVER
audreys books
upstart & crow
BUY EBOOK
FROM US
KOBO
APPLE
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS
$1 from every copy goes to the Edmonton Community Foundation’s Edmonton Refugee and Emerging Communities Awards

Two books about all the wonderful, sad, scary,
and weird things that happen in midlife.

Midlife and Midlife No. 2 are the collected works of former members of the Gateway, the student newspaper at the University of Alberta. Editors Sarah Chan and Jhenifer Pabillano brought together two crews of
27 creators from the Gateway of the late 1990s/early 2000s, to explore how navigating midlife in the 2020s
isn’t as straightforward as anyone imagined. Featuring stunning cover illustrations by Raymond Biesinger.

NEWS & UPDATES

Midlife No. 2 is having a Vancouver launch reading at Upstart & Crow on May 19, 2024! 

Midlife No. 2 had its Edmonton launch event at District Cafe & Bakery on Nov 25, 2023! Here are many of the writers in a cuddle puddle on our Instagram (and more snaps on Sarah’s Instagram).

The first Midlife book had a virtual launch in 2021 on YouTube, featuring Leanne Brown, Jag Dhadli, and Don Iveson!

Midlife No. 2 has been featured on CBC Edmonton AM, Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen, and 630 CHED so far.

The original Midlife received some amazing media coverage upon launch, including an glowing review in the Edmonton Journal.

Midlife No. 2 was #1 on the Edmonton non-fiction bestseller list for its debut week in 2023, and is still on the list through spring 2024!

The OG Midlife was #1 on the Edmonton non-fiction bestseller list in its debut week in 2021 and stayed on the list through summer. (Direct sales kept us off the list afterward!)

people who like midlife no. 2

Todd Babiak
Award-winning storyteller
and CEO of Brand Tasmania

For me, the Gateway was a place to try things, to make terrible mistakes and lifelong friends, and I did not want my time at the newspaper—or at our university—to end. I felt similarly reading this sad, funny, wise, and beautiful book about people who seemed a lot like me, only smarter and better. Nostalgia! Pride! I did not want Midlife to end.

prasanna Ranganathan
Diversity and inclusion advisor, documentary producer, author and correspondent

The collection of essays in Midlife No. 2 emerge from the writers’ deep personal experiences, taking the reader on a powerful journey of what it means to be and become more of who we are. Through their stories, we feel a palpable, profound sense of connection and community. Because they shared, we feel less alone. Organized thematically and artistically like movements in a symphony, Midlife No. 2 reminds of us the indomitable power of the human spirit and the gentle notes of love, loss, longing, laughter and light that permeate our lives if only we get still enough to listen.

J’LYN NYE
Award winning TV and radio journalist, author, and passionate Edmontonian

Midlife No. 2 delves into the hilarious, poignant, and often tumultuous journey of navigating middle age, particularly during the challenging times of COVID. The stories of realizing dreams and the realization that some dreams might not be what we truly want are brilliantly woven into the chapters, leaving readers with profound introspection.

In a world where the pressure to have it all figured out by midlife is ever-present, Midlife No. 2 offers a refreshing perspective: it’s okay not to have it all together. Instead, it’s about discovering who we are, embracing our vulnerabilities, and finding the strength to keep moving forward.

Midlife No. 2 will comfort, provide inspiration, a few tears, and some great belly laughs! Enjoy!

people who like midlife

Carrie Doll
Former TV news journalist and founder
of Carrie Doll Consulting

A beautiful example of art imitating life. I laughed, I cried, I connected, I reflected. 27 vulnerable, powerful and beautifully written essays. This book demonstrates how our past helps shape our reality and how a ridiculously tight-time lined project can come to life, when people are willing and ready to share their story.

Todd Babiak
Award-winning storyteller
and CEO of Brand Tasmania

For me, the Gateway was a place to try things, to make terrible mistakes and lifelong friends, and I did not want my time at the newspaper—or at our university—to end. I felt similarly reading this sad, funny, wise, and beautiful book about people who seemed a lot like me, only smarter and better. Nostalgia! Pride! I did not want Midlife to end.

Brittney Le Blanc
Edmonton community builder
and digital marketer

Aging as the first generation dealing with overwhelming climate change, a greater importance on social justice, and entire life plans ripped from beneath our feet; Midlife is a powerful anthology of essays from the lives of people who in many ways are also holding up a mirror to our own experiences.

David Berry
Author of On Nostalgia;
cultural critic, journalist, and strategist

In the age of the personal essay, it’s a rare thing to find a collection of writing that feel genuinely intimate, not just-revealing-enough-to-get-you-to-subscribe intimate. This book is full of the kind of aching wisdom that can only come from aging while clever.

Sapreet Buttar
Director and journalist
for My Radio 580AM

A melting pot of experiences, personalities and perspectives… I saw a reflection of myself in each of the authors. My heart kept on desiring the emotional rollercoaster ride to keep on going.

Emma Hooper
Celebrated author, musician, and academic

Some truly moving and insightful and beautiful and, also, funny writing here—and really good for a homesickness I didn’t know I had. Is reading this something I would recommend, even to non-Gateway alumni? Yes! It is! Yes. It really is.

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