Jack’s proudest contribution to literature is not publishing his early novels (see “About Jack”). Aside from this:
The Tyranny of Good Intentions, Jack’s debut novel, was released by Chicken House Press in September 2025. Good Intentions is a satirical tale of love, death and plenty of politics on a condominium board of directors that serves as a microcosm of political life. Some of the implications for democratic politics are troubling, some are heartening and more than a few will help us laugh at ourselves, I hope.
“Pursuing Isadora” was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2024 Alice Munro Short Story Contest.
“Muse” was published in the Maple Leaf Literary Supplement (MTLS), January 2025.
“Beach Buddies” was published in Spadina Review, Issue 45, in June 2025.
“My Secret Life as a Car” was published in Blank Spaces, Vol. 9, Issue 4, June 2025. (See My Secret Life page.)
“The role of the governor general: time to revisit the visits,” is an op-ed written during Jack’s former life as a policy analyst, about a problem that quietly continues to exist.
FORTHCOMING (but not too soon to check out the terrific magazines where these stories will appear):
Summer 2026: The Ironist. In “Sex Education,” a father sets out to educate his son but comes face-to-face with his own shortcomings.
September 2026: Blank Spaces (Tenth Anniversary Issue). In “imposters,” a politician seeks to become authentic, which ensures that he won’t be.
2026, Allium. In “Sprouts” a successful man discovers that when life is too beautiful, it might have to be broken.
Winter 2026/Spring 2027, The New Quarterly. In “Weeds” an outsider has a fleeting moment of connection with another outsider.
JackStilborn 