On my absence from Substack
Writing, reflecting, and preparing
I have been away for all these months because I am currently writing my 6th book, and the third in a series on Canada’s history of blackface. As you can imagine, this work takes a lot of time, focus, and also deliberate rest. I want to share with you all a quick update on this work! I will be back posting on here regularly very soon!
On April 14, 2026, my 4th book will be released (it is currently in pre-order on all major platforms Canada, US, UK). Staging Blackface in Canada: Public Amusements, Variety Shows, and Racial Acts in an Age of Imitation, 1898-1919, tells a story that is the follow up to Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict, and Freedom, 1812-1897.
Andrew Torry, writer and curriculum designer, has just written a wonderful review of Canada and the Blackface Atlantic for the Literary Review of Canada, wherein he writes:
“I wish I’d had a book like this one assigned to me during university. It would have broadened my knowledge of Canadian theatre, while raising my awareness of other consequential misrepresentations in literature, film, and television. Comprehensive and timely, Thompson’s in‑depth contribution to theatre history provides us with a new lens for understanding how the stage both reflects and shapes our perceptions of others.” 🙏🏾
To have written one book on this topic is quite something, but two? And there is a third act, I am writing now. One day, I hope to develop curriculum based on the epistemology I have developed from reading Canada’s archive, but that’s going to take institutional courage, which I never want to say is not possible. It is.
Thank you Vershawn Ashanti Young for your inspiring words about my book. Thank you @wlupress, as per, you always get it right and take the time to curate powerful cover images that capture the essence of my work. And thank you to every editor, research assistants, friends, and family for all your support.
This was another book written through a thunderstorm of negativity, jealousy, and deception. But through God’s grace, it is going to be released. What a lesson it has also been on faith and belief.