The woman who launched the search for Sir John Franklin
“Denied a role in Victorian England’s male-dominated society, Jane Franklin (1791–1875) took her revenge by seizing control of that most masculine of pursuits, Arctic exploration, and shaping its history to her own ends.” This clarification went missing during my own final edit of the book, to my lasting mortification. So it’s great to see it…
Read MoreThe Franklin discovery is not about what, but where
Published Wednesday, Sep. 10 2014 You’ve got to love the above headline, which introduced Our Hero’s think-piece in today’s Globe and Mail. You can read the whole by clicking here. Probably you will want to do that after sampling this excerpt? First, a bit of extra background. 1. In 1854, the Inuit who spoke to…
Read MoreJohn Rae enters Westminster Abbey, redeems Sir John Franklin
With a Canadian search expedition scouring the Northwest Passage for the Erebus and the Terror, several Arctic historians have turned their backs on Sir John Franklin’s claim to fame. By insisting that “a substantial section” of the Passage remained undiscovered well into the 1850s, these would-be guardians of exploration orthodoxy repudiate Franklin’s claim to discovery…
Read MoreGoing online to improve your ability to tell true stories with style
So the guy in the shades is giving this course two thumbs up. Here at University of Toronto, we’ve dubbed it The Art of Fact: An Introduction to Writing Nonfiction. It’s online, so you can work it into your schedule any time, and get active from any where. The course is all about craft, and…
Read MoreSaying goodbye to my friend Victor Ramraj
Earlier this month at King’s College in Nova Scotia, one of my grad-student writers, a woman who had spent some years in Kenya, pointed to a passage in one of my Arctic books and said: “Did you study postcolonial theory?” I took a beat and said, “No, but you’re right. The influence is there. My…
Read MoreCreative Nonfiction: University of Toronto takes it online
He’s back! In response to a raucous clamor for stand-alone treatment, the Dr. Jekyll in me has beat his way free to announce an online course in Creative Nonfiction. It’s called The Art of Fact: An Introduction to Writing Nonfiction, and it’s available through the University of Toronto. We launch one month from now on…
Read MoreOur Hero contends that the wicked need no rest
Wow! Just back from Nova Scotia. And, yes, I am reeling from an extraordinary couple of weeks at University of King’s College in Halifax, teaching in the new master’s program in Creative Nonfiction. All the best stuff has been placed under a Cone of Silence. But if you were not there, here’s the good news…
Read MoreCreative Nonfiction micro-readings underway at King’s College MFA
Micro-readings are the only way to go. We saw that again tonight at University of King’s College in Halifax. Writers involved in Canada’s only MFA program in Creative Nonfiction took the stage at the University Club. All right, it was in the pub downstairs. Five minutes each, that was the rule. And it worked. Ten…
Read MoreSaying goodbye to Chapters in downtown Montreal
So here, in a single image, is what we’re losing. OK, fair enough: here is what, as a Canadian writer, I’m losing. Sheena took this shot of Our Hero at Chapters in downtown Montreal last November. Faithful readers will recall the VIA-Rail, Cross-Canada, Ocean-to-Ocean, Book-Tour Extravaganza? Montreal provided highlights, notably a fantastic books-and-breakfast event organized…
Read MoreArctic Explorer John Rae nears Westminster Abbey
A recent flurry of newspaper reports made it official. They appeared in The Scotsman, The Orcadian, The Glasgow Sunday Herald, and The Times (Scottish edition). Arctic explorer John Rae is soon to be recognized in Westminster Abbey. David Ross, Highland Correspondent for the Herald, produced a quote from the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverand…
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