Welcome to Umbrella, where we explore art, ideas and culture. We believe that authenticity lives along the margins, in the cracks and...

Through the submissions we receive as a publisher, I have a bit of an overview of what is out there - in our case novels, poetry and philosophy. And when making a decision on what to publish, there are a number of considerations I draw from.  Most would assume that we choose what we consider the best writing. But that’s only one aspect. Especially since the best writing isn’t necessarily the most important or engaging. Besides, in terms of literature specifically, I don’t agr

I bailed the stern of the Speedwagon with a milk carton cut in half, felt the bounce of hull against the dock, the black tie ropes keeping the boat from drifting off. I’d come down early, ahead of my two companions, to get the boat ready for our outing. It had been a few weeks since I last came down to the marina where I kept my 12’ aluminum. I live on an island about the size of Manhattan, in the middle of the Salish Sea, and though to urbanites it might seem a short drive f

Parenting was not something I thought much about before I had kids. During those youthful years I would spend most nights roaming Vancouver’s drenched alleyways, well past midnight, obsessing about the paintings I was making, or about poetry, or films, or my addictions, or my general disgust at the thought of having to contribute to the leviathan in some way. To be sure, I was disgruntled. It’s remarkable how we snap into alignment when life’s natural rhythms beckon. Fate is

How did words become so powerful?

At this point I don’t know why I sat here preparing to write down my life story. I am terrified by what I have seen and hope that these...

by Allen Darling Uncle Mikey was many things, an engineer without schooling, an inventor, a philosopher, a true artist...painter,...

By Shaun Day-Woods Ever since I became interested in philosophy, especially its popular varieties, I have encountered the encouragement...

By Shaun Day-Woods “More foul weather coming” the headline read. It was an announcement for rain. Lots of it. Recent heavy rainfall, ...

The rise of earth-based spirituality in recent times has been spectacular, and we have much to celebrate! Empire-building has created a...

Our world is on fire, with the last remaining natural beauties being rent asunder in the ever-expanding quest for profit and domination...

by Morgen As the cold runoff water trickles down the wet ferns, it collects in small pools taking cover underneath the tall plants that...

For a union of egoists that includes all living flora, fauna and mineral individuals. By Julian Langer The central focus of this essay is...

By Ron Sakolsky Question: What do Jonathan Swift, D.A.F. de Sade, Charles Fourier, Thomas De Quincy, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire,...

By Suijin | August 18, 2020 Halfway up the mountain, hiking on an old logging road, I neared a 15-foot Western Hemlock. Its top was just...

By Ramon Elani The primitive mentality does not invent myths, it experiences them. Myths are original revelations of the preconscious...

by Laura Busheikin | March 27th, 2020 The etymology of the word “pandemic” comes from the Greek pan, meaning all, and demos meaning...

By Amanda Hale | Feb 20, 2020 | Night Forest Press Umbrella Blog photos by Krista Whitford I have taken a run at many...

The summer of 1989 in Toronto was hot and humid. I loved riding my bike through the diasporic neighbourhoods in the middle of the night...

(How did I get so old so fast? One day you're nursing a hangover and the next you're in a nursing home.) ~ Me all the time Over the...