"Deft, incisive, searching. Sometimes a little lost, sometimes uncomfortable. These stories have an ache with no name.”
— Nina Dunic, author of Suddenly Light

"With bone-dry humour and the precision of a lens, Midha finds humanity in our increasingly distracted and perilous world.”
— Bill Gaston, author of Tunnel Island

“With laser-sharp prose and naked emotional clarity, Rishi Midha zeroes in on the technologically mediated lives of older Gen Z and tail-end Millennials, skewering the pretensions of their social, artistic, and work milieus while evincing tenderness over their yearnings for authentic connection. These stories of people busy being busy while striving to be more alive mark the debut of a terrific new writer—one whose eyes are wide open.”
— Zsuzsi Gartner, Giller finalist and guest editor of Best Canadian Stories 2026

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Set in a North American milieu of detachment and alienation, the stories in We Are Busy Being Alive document the attempts of disillusioned characters to re-enchant themselves with a seemingly indifferent world. Their flailing quests after a sense of purpose are equal parts tragic, absurd, frivolous, and touchingly human.

A drug-fuelled romance with a stolen painting; a sexual awakening at the dentist’s; a crisis of personality from the months-long haze of a forest fire. Small spectacles dangle outside the confines of the everyday, keeping the restless characters reaching.

The stories are a nudge out the door and into the lonesome night, with a wink and a shrug as if to say—what else to do? Through each quiet inflection of hope, mischief, and despair, We Are Busy Being Alive reacquaints readers with the magical qualities of their miserable, monumental lives.

Previously published stories in the collection have appeared in Biblioasis Press’ Best Canadian Stories 2026, The New Quarterly, and subTerrain.