The retired fisherman and boat builder Jon Taylor discusses his memoir Fried Eggs and Fish Scales: Tales from a Sointula Troller (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Fried Eggs and Fish Scales: Tales from a Sointula Troller by Jon Taylor (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Fried Eggs and Fish Scales

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

We go to Sointula, for this next conversation. I reached Jon Taylor back in June to talk about his memoir, Fried Eggs and Fish Scales: Tales from a Sointula Troller. As you’ll hear, I begin the interview by placing where Sointula is; it’s a place at the northeastern end of Vancouver Island. It’s on Malcolm Island, and Jon’s own family history there extends back to the early part of the twentieth century. His Finnish grandparents had planned to join the other Finns who’d moved there to found their own “workers paradise,” however on seeing the island, they moved back to Cuba. Jon moved there in 1976, and it’s fascinating to read of the lifestyle and what he did to make a living. We read about the rollicking commercial fishery, island life, Jon’s years as a fisherman and boat builder, as well the memorable people that he tells us about throughout the book. It’s a memorable book, as is Jon, whose ability to tell a good story on the page or over the phone are joys to behold. Jon Taylor is a retired fisherman and boat builder. He is a lifelong writer of poetry, memoir, essays and fiction, and he is an avid musician. We taped this interview in early June. The book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jon Taylor; Mr. Taylor, good morning.

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