WHAT'S IN STORE for Books in Canada readers during the coming year? Two theme issues on Atlantic Provinces and Prairies writing, for starters. We'll head east in March, interviewing Ann Copeland, profiling Bill Gaston, and timing in on work in progress from Kenneth Harvey; then Fraser Sutherland will offer an overview of the region's rich literary heritage. In May we'll turn our attention to the Prairies, where we'll interview Sharon Butala, profile Fred Stenson, and feature Don Gayton's appreciation of western myth-maker Bill James. Both issues will also include an extensive selection of book reviews of regional titles.

April's Books in Canada will be enlivened by a generous excerpt from Alice Munro: A Double Life, a new biography by Catherine Sheldrick Ross. Munro is one of the more private personages in our literary community, and we think you'll he intrigued by Ross's sensitive portrayal of both the writer and the work. Also scheduled for this issue are an interview with L. R. Wright and a profile of Anne Dandurand; and we'll be announcing the winner of the W H. Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award, which spotlights our usual - and unique - policy of printing the judges' candid comments about the short-listed titles. Farther on down the road, major articles on emerging children's-book authors and the media coverage of literary news are in the works; and for our Summer issue, we're planning to spoof both supermarket tabloids and literary magazines by doing an interactive parody of the two. 1992: the year when Books in Canada jumps out of the garret and into your shopping cart.