Authors for Indies sparks talk of Leonard Cohen and Celtic Lightning
Two authors, three buyers, and one professional bookseller. Yes, here we see Our Hero with Glenda McElwain, George A. Walker, and Ian Donker. This is the calm before the storm at Book City in the Beach. Shortly after Sheena Fraser McGoogan snapped this photo, a mob descended, clamoring for photos, counsel, and signatures on books.…
Read MoreGetting excited to sail Out of the Northwest Passage
We’ve done eight or nine voyages with Adventure Canada, Sheena and I, but this year is shaping up to be special. First, sailing Out of the Northwest Passage is my favorite itinerary. As always, we’ll be sailing through exploration history: John Franklin, John Rae, Thomas Simpson, Roald Amundsen. But this year, traveling in September, we’ll…
Read MoreSearching for Franklin leads Our Hero to University Women
Originally, I had planned to give a talk entitled Nothing is More Fun Than Chasing the New History. But then came the finding of the Erebus. And participating in the documentary called Franklin’s Lost Ships. And people saying, well, this latest discovery is fun. But what does it mean? Why does it matter? So I’ve…
Read MoreHundreds of authors set to party with Canadian booksellers
Looks like The Great Canadian Book Bash is coming to a bookstore near you. On Saturday, May 2, more than 500 Canadian authors will turn up at 100-plus independent bookstores across the country. We’re calling it Authors for Indies and, yes, we mean to show our support for Canada’s independent booksellers. We want them not…
Read MoreCeltic Lightning to strike bookstores in September
With Celtic Lightning, best-selling author Ken McGoogan plunges into the perpetual debate about Canadian roots and identity: who do we think we are? He argues that Canadians have never investigated the demographic reality that informs this book — the fact that more than nine million Canadians claim Scottish or Irish heritage. Did the ancestors of…
Read MoreFranklin’s Lost Ships turn up on CBC-TV’s The Nature of Things
Hats off to Andrew E.M. Gregg! He produced Franklin’s Lost Ships, an extraordinary new documentary that turned up April 9 on CBC-TVs The Nature of Things. And finished in such a short period! The most impressive thing may well have been how smoothly the narrative unwound, cutting back and forth between the contemporary search and…
Read MoreMount Royal University in Calgary is doing everything right
Everywhere he goes, Our Hero runs into a life-size image of himself. This is happening at Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he is spending a week as writer-in-residence. Last night, all kinds of old friends turned up for a talk entitled Our Story Begins in Calgary. And the introductions and expressions of thanks…
Read MoreThe days fly away like wild horses over the hills
The days fly away like wild horses over the hills. The poet Charles Bukowski said it first. But I’ve been feeling it as I get set to spend a week as writer-in-residence in Calgary. I’ll be at Mount Royal University from March 23 through March 27, courtesy of the English Department. For my public…
Read MoreOur Hero goes public on Franklin, the Scots, and the Irish
The hue and cry is deafening. Where can we see Our Hero? Where is he appearing next? Last night, Ken entertained the Canadian chapter of The Explorers Club. He talked about Chasing John Franklin into the Northwest Passage. You missed that? Not to worry. On the evening of March 4, Ken will give a presentation…
Read MoreRichard Dawkins + Celtic figurines = Who Do We Think We Are?
Whoosh! Away it goes to the copy editor. Beneath that title page, the manuscript reminds us that, despite our perpetual obsession with our collective identity, we Canadians have never investigated a crucial demographic reality — the fact that more than nine million Canadians claim Scottish or Irish ancestry. Did the ancestors of more than one…
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