Denison Avenue

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction Finalist, 2024

A moving story told in visual art & fiction about gentrification, aging in place, grief, & vulnerable Chinese Canadian elders

Bringing together ink artwork & fiction, Denison Avenue by Daniel Innes (illustrations) & Christina Wong (text) follows the elderly Wong Cho Sum, who, living in Toronto's gentrifying Chinatown–Kensington Market, begins to collect bottles & cans after the sudden loss of her husband as a way to fill her days & keep grief & loneliness at bay. In her long walks around the city, Cho Sum meets new friends, confronts classism & racism, & learns how to build a life as a widow in a neighborhood that is being destroyed & rebuilt, leaving elders like her behind.

A poignant meditation on loss, aging, gentrification, & the barriers that Chinese Canadian seniors experience in big cities, Denison Avenue beautifully combines visual art, fiction, & the endangered Toisan dialect to create a book that is truly unforgettable.