Creative Writing Turns 50 At University of British Columbia
Gotta love this caricature by Chloe Cushman, one of several that turns up in Saturday’s National Post. The article, put together by Mark Medley, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Creative Writing Program at University of British Columbia. Contributors include Andreas Schroeder, Leo McKay, Nancy Lee, Charlotte Gill, Madeleine Thien, and Andrew Westoll, among others.…
Read MoreJohn Diefenbaker becomes Kildonan’s Kennedy
In the north of Scotland, they’re calling him Kildonan’s Kennedy. They’re referring to John Diefenbaker, Canadian prime minister from 1957 to 1963. And, yes, they do mean John F. Kennedy, the most charismatic of American presidents, and one who was famously attached to his Irish roots. Not only that, but in the Timespan Museum in…
Read MoreSay Goodbye to John Steinbeck
FREEDOM TO READ WEEK: (Feb. 23 to March 1) Say Goodbye to John Steinbeck? Back in the day, when I was writing songs and fronting a band (Ken McGoogan & the Immoral Minority), an elected government official began lobbying to ban Of Mice and Men from schools. He stood up in the legislature and brandished…
Read MoreCelebrating John Rae at Wilderness Symposium
No, this is not an image taken at the symposium. But I couldn’t resist: I had to show them this slide. Here we have Jenna Andersen doing the only handstand that has ever been done at the site where John Rae discovered the final link in the Northwest Passage. A bunch of us got to…
Read MoreGive this man a microphone, a podium, and an audience . . .
You have been wanting to catch Our Hero in person. You know you have. . . Friday, Jan. 31: The Burns Supper at Hart House. Toast to The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns. Saturday, Feb. 8: Canoe & Wilderness Symposium. 2 p.m. Fatal Passage: Return to Rae Strait. Tuesday, Feb. 18. McGill University Community for…
Read MoreSporran works magic at event honoring Robert Burns
Over on Facebook, a recent image sparked complaint. Where was my sporran? The clamor induced me to solicit yet one more kilted photo from Sheena Fraser McGoogan. Here we have Our Hero setting out with Sheena for the Robert Burns extravaganza sponsored by the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto. And quite a shindig it was,…
Read MoreAnd the $5,000 VIA-Rail Travel Voucher goes to . . .
My all-time favorite moment as a hander-out-of-prizes came late last year. At the Toronto launch of 50 Canadians Who Changed the World, I was honoured to give The Best Little Boy in the Whole Wide World Award to James P. McGoogan, who by good luck happened to be in the audience. That would be James…
Read MoreThe Art of Fact, toasting Robert Burns, and Revisiting Rae Strait
Our Hero disappeared from this space over the holidays. Fortunately, nobody noticed. And here he is, back on Day Two of the New Year, with comings and goings to proclaim. First up: I spent the morning working on an online course I teach through the University of Toronto. The title says it all: The Art…
Read MoreWriting Nonfiction: Everything you wanted to know . . . available online!
He’s back! The Dr. Jekyll in me is gearing up to teach an online course through University of Toronto. It’s called The Art of Fact: An Introduction to Writing Nonfiction. We launch January 20. And the particulars look like this: “The hallmarks of Creative, Literary or Narrative Nonfiction are truth and personal presence. The genre includes…
Read MoreIn defence of Celine Dion (thanks for asking)
Re: 50 Canadians Who Changed the World. I very much appreciate the spirited review that turned up in today’s National Post. Vit Wagner makes some good points (see here). He’s right to mention Lester B. Pearson. I’m a great admirer of Pearson, and I was sorely tempted to include him even though he was born…
Read More