Posts by Ken McGoogan
Northern Exposure
Our hero turns up Saturday (Feb. 19) in the Globe and Mail reviewing The Magnetic North by Sara Wheeler. . . . “Toward the end of this book, Sara Wheeler describes a recent visit to the medieval Solovki monastery in Siberia, located on an island in the White Sea near the Arctic Circle. Solovki “had…
Read MoreIn Praise of the Maple Leaf Tartan
The inclusiveness of it. That’s what I like about the Maple Leaf tartan. That’s what makes it special. The waistcoat I wear when I sally forth in formal dress? The matching tie? They are in the Maple Leaf tartan. So now a Liberal senator is proposing a bill to establish that tartan as the official…
Read MoreThe ineffable Shelagh Rogers . . .
Shelagh Heather Sutherland Rogers has her way with Our Hero. If you feel a yen to visit Scotland, press the Scots tab above and follow the link to win a free trip around the Scottish Isles with Adventure Canada . . .
Read MoreSix minutes with Our Hero
This interview popped up out of CBC Calgary. Those who crave a longer conversation (hi, Mom!) should tune in Monday to The Next Chapter, the Shelagh Rogers show on CBC Radio One (1 pm). Shelagh is arguably the best on-air interviewer in the country, and we covered a lot of ground. For the rest, Our…
Read MoreRobbie Burns saved!
All’s well that ends well. Click here to read a Fredericton Gleaner article about the salvation of Robbie Burns. In part, it says . . .. Mayor Brad Woodside on Monday night announced that J.K. and Jean Irving will underwrite the cost of the statue’s restoration. The total cost will be between $106,559 and $120,000.…
Read MoreRobbie Burns inspires righteous double-whammy
The Fredericton Daily Gleaner is all over this story. . . and quite rightly. City making ‘grievous mistake’ with statue Daily Gleaner Ken McGoogan of Toronto said he’s shocked the city is refusing to fund the restoration of the statue’s base along the banks of the St. John River near the … Funding refusal is…
Read MoreRobbie Burns mistreated in Fredericton
Open Letter from Ken McGoogan, author of How the Scots Invented Canada I was shocked to learn that the City of Fredericton is refusing to fund the restoration of its statue of Robbie Burns. I vividly remember that memorial from my sojourn in that city as writer-in-residence at the University of New Brunswick. I can’t…
Read MoreHow the Scots hit the New Year running . . .
Monday, Jan. 24: With Robbie Burns Day looming, Our Hero chats about Scots with Sheila Rogers on The Next Chapter, CBC One, 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8: Toronto Reference Library. 1-3 p.m Saturday, Feb. 12: Winnipeg, Manitoba Historical Society. Featured speaker, 46th annual Sir John A. Macdonald dinner. Thursday, Feb. 17. Markham. U of T…
Read MoreThe TLS is hip to Toronto . . .
Turns out the TLS has a soft spot for Toronto. In an upbeat review of How the Scots Invented Canada, the London-based journal (Dec. 10) — no stranger to acerbic commentary — encapsulates my take on an early governor-general. It then says that John Buchan’s words, “as McGoogan notes in this enjoyable book, show that…
Read MoreExcellence in Teaching Award
Much as I hate blowing my own horn, I do have to thank the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies for presenting me with an Excellence in Teaching Award. It sounds cynical, I know, but I’ve always believed that these awards went to those who lobbied for them. So this one came as a…
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