About Us

 In an era when the restructuring of capitalism seems to be threatening to erase many of the gains that have been made by the oppressed in society, we think that our books have a part to play in bucking the trend. — Errol Sharpe, Fernwood Publishing 

Our Goals

Fernwood Publishing produces critical non-fiction that inform, enlighten and challenge readers. As a book publisher, our goals are not merely economic, but also political. In confronting issues of race, class, gender and sexuality in the books that we publish, it is our hope that we can be part of the process of change. We also aim to  provide authentic opportunities to first time authors and to groups who are often silent or silenced in today’s media. We are not afraid to take risks in this regard and, because of our confidence in the quality of the work we choose to publish, many of our first time authors remain with us throughout their publishing career.

Our History

Fernwood Publishing Co. Ltd. was founded in August 1991 and published its first books in the spring of 1992. First located in Halifax, Fernwood Publishing now has an office in Black Point, Nova Scotia. In 1994, Fernwood Publishing expanded with the establishment of an office in Winnipeg. After eighteen seasons, we have published over 300 titles.

Historically, Fernwood Publishing has published primarily for an academic audience. To this end, we publish books intended for undergraduate university and college courses, and monographs intended as supplementary texts in all levels of undergraduate and graduate courses. Our main focus is in the social sciences, with an emphasis on criminology, aboriginal studies, labour studies, women’s studies, gender studies, critical theory, politics, political economy, cultural studies and social work.

In recent years we have expanded our publishing mandate with more books intended for an audience of general readers who are interested in social change and social justice. With the acquisition of the Roseway imprint in 2006 we have launched a modest publishing program more oriented toward fiction. All of our books, non-fiction, fiction and academic, are designed to appeal to critical readers.

Our Team

Errol Sharpe, Co-Publisher: Errol has been active in publishing since the early 1970s. In 1978 he launched Fernwood Books Ltd., a national book marketing and sales company, and in 1982, was the co-founder of Garamond Press. He began Fernwood Publishing in 1991.

Wayne Antony, Co-Publisher: Located in Winnipeg, Wayne mainly works, in consultation with Errol, at acquiring and developing manuscripts for publication. He joined Fernwood Publishing in 1994, and has been the prairie sales representative for Fernwood Books since 1991. Wayne also worked for 20 years as a part-time lecturer in sociology.

Beverley Rach, Production Coordinator, as well as Publisher and Managing Editor for Roseway: Bev has worked with Fernwood Publishing since the beginning, in 1991. In 2008 Bev took over the role as publisher for Roseway.

Jessica Antony, Assistant to the Publishers: Jessica joined Fernwood Publishing at the Winnipeg office in September 2007, and assists with manuscript acquisition and development, as well as some aspects of marketing and promotion.

Nancy Malek, Promotions: Nancy joined Fernwood Publishing in Nova Scotia in early 2008 and is responsible for co-ordinating the promotional activities.

Candida Hadley, Assistant to the Publishers: Candida joined Fernwood Publishing in July of 2009. She assists with manuscript acquisition and development, as well as some aspects of promotion.

Curran Faris, Office Co-ordinator: Curran is the newest member of Fernwood Publishing, having just joined in October of 2009.  He takes care of the day-to-day operations of the office, as well as our website maintenance and marketing campaigns.