The writer Susan Grundy discusses her memoir Mad Sisters (Ronsdale Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Mad Sisters by Susan Grundy (Ronsdale Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Mad Sisters Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Mad Sisters is one of those books that will make you laugh, break your heart, as well as frustrate and fascinate, sometimes all at the same time. Its author Susan Grundy joins me now. She’s written a book that captures her journey as a sister and caregiver to a sibling who has mental illness. It’s honest, raw, as well as heart-wrenching in some parts. Susan’s sister Nancy is often funny, but her circumstances often make it challenging for those around her, like Susan who has had to bear the brunt of it since they were children. What’s frustrating in the book is where we see how difficult it might be for a family contending with mental illness. The Grundys are not without some privilege, which makes it all the more frustrating to think of other families who might be less fortunate, or when considering there are a lot people with mental health challenges who have no family, no advocates. Susan is a great storyteller and somebody who talks candidly about having to be there for her sister and her mother and father. She talks about the challenges of being one’s advocate, while at the same time, offers a lot of insight in how to make giving care a little easier. Susan Grundy veered from a 30-year career in marketing to write. Her short fiction has appeared in the Danforth Review and Montreal Writes. She has completed a second novel. Visit www.susanfgrundy.com for more. This new book is published by Ronsdale Press. We spoke earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Susan Grundy; Ms. Grundy, good morning.The post Susan Grundy first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and editor Stephen Osborne discusses his new collection of essays The Coincidence Problem: Selected Dispatches 1999-2022 (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. The Coincidence Problem: Selected Dispatches 1999-2022 by Stephen Osborne (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Coincidence Problem Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the great collections this year has been the latest from Stephen Osborne, The Coincidence Problem: Selected Dispatches 1999-2022. In the book he’s collected a variety of essays and pieces from the last quarter century that reflect what’s been on his mind. He’s by no means an expert on coincidence, but throughout the collection are essays that look at how coincidence touches on a variety of issues: world politics, the changing city, and family history, among many others. There are forays into history like the lynching of Indigenous youth Louie Sam, as well as the death of C.F. Keiss, who was struck down and killed by the first ambulance in the City of Vancouver in 1909. We get marvelous insight into what interests Mr. Osborne, who joins me now, and how his interesting and interested mind works. We’ll talk about photographs, memory, and the collective memory of a city, and the future of where we live. The founder of Arsenal Pulp Press, who publishes this new collection, and co-founder of Geist magazine, Stephen Osborne is an award-winning writer. Among his many awards include: the CBC Literary Award, the Vancouver Arts Award for Writing and Publishing, the National Magazine Foundation Special Achievement Award, and the Event Creative Non-fiction Prize. We spoke earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program Stephen Osborne; Mr. Osborne, good morning.The post Stephen Osborne first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning journalist and staff reporter at The Tyee Christopher Cheung discusses his new book Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism (Purich Books, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism by Christopher Cheung (Purich Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Under the White Gaze Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the best books of the year is the new book from Christopher Cheung: Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism. A lot of us would like to think that the newsrooms in Canada are reflective of the country’s multiculturalism, or at the very least hip to representing the country’s population in the news that the media covers. Mr. Cheung, who joins me now, points out that a lot of the journalism in this country seems to present people of colour as clichés, and rarely as complex individuals. There’s the painting with broad brushes as to what communities there are in this country, what they look like, what they eat, what they celebrate, and what concerns them. Chris dismantles a lot of that thinking, and provides great examples of recent, as well as some local stories that perhaps missed the mark. There are some stories he cites that I thought were reflective of a group or community, but got me thinking about how they weren’t necessarily accurate, and how some might have been done better. Chris is not immune from his critical and probing eye. He looks at stories he’s framed in the past and looked back at how different they might be with the skills he also shares in the book. One will find ways in which we, who consume the media, might read, watch and listen to the journalism around us better, and even critically. The idea that intersectionality is critical to combatting stereotypes is one of the important aspects of the book. And whether you’re an aspiring or seasoned journalist, you’ll want to read this book for perhaps a new perspective. I’ll also ask Chris about how he’s handled criticism he’s received for his work, some of it not so constructive, even nasty. Christopher Cheung is a staff reporter at The Tyee, who previously wrote for Metro and the Vancouver Courier. He is highly acclaimed for his reporting on urban culture, inequality, and life in Metro Vancouver’s diasporas. He’s received two Jack Webster Awards, and holds as Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia. This new book is published by Purich Books, which is an imprint of UBC Press. We spoke last week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris Cheung; Mr. Cheung, good morning.The post Christopher Cheung first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Professor Adam Dodek (University of Ottawa Law), discusses his new book Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm (UBC Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm by Adam Dodek (UBC Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Heenan Blaikie Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the fall’s highly readable books is Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm. It tells the story of how three idealistic young lawyers in Montreal established the firm that would become Heenan Blaikie: Donald Johnston, Roy Heenan, and Peter Blaikie. Eventually Johnston leaves the firm for a career in politics, but from 1973 through to the firm’s demise in 2014, the firm attracts a high profile with former prime ministers, premiers, cabinet ministers, and Supreme Court justices in its ranks. The book features great research, and telling interviews with the firm’s lawyers, as well as legal industry insiders, providing an often-gripping account of law firm culture, not just in Heenan Blaikie’s lifespan, but even today. We get insights into the work-life culture at the firm, as well as the stories of workplace bullying, and the challenges for women and visible minority lawyers. What’s also fascinating is how the growth of the firm mirrors the changes of Canada, and how often history intersects with the firm’s life: the 1970’s oil shock, Quebec nationalism, the flight of business from Montreal to Toronto, the growth of film production, economic expansion in the 1980’s and 1990’s, as well as the financial crisis of 2008. We see colourful characters amongst the firm, like its first big star, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, as he joins the firm once he leaves federal politics in 1984. Norman Bacal is another notable name in the firm’s history, as are some other larger than life figures like Joe Groia, Bob Donaldson, and Marcel Aubut. The book’s author Adam Dodek joins me now. And I’ll ask him about the book and more. He is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, and among his numerous publications include In Search of the Ethical Lawyer, The Canadian Constitution, Third Edition, and Solicitor-Client Privilege. He is the recipient of many awards including the Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing, and the Law Society Medal from the Law Society of Ontario. Visit www.adamdodek.ca for more. This new book is published by UBC Press. He joined me last week from Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adam Dodek; Professor Dodek, good morning.The post Adam Dodek first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The educator and writer Holly Flauto discusses their debut poetry collection Permission to Settle (Anvil Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Permission to Settle by Holly Flauto (Anvil Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Permission to Settle Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Holly Flauto joins me now. As we read in Holly’s debut poetry collection, Permission to Settle, she chronicles the travails of applying for Permanent Residency in Canada, and takes all the anxieties, hopes, memories of the past, interrogations of identity, as well as reflections of home, family, history, and memory, and a lot more, and works them out as responses to otherwise mundane or objective forms or questions on forms. It’s a marvelous way to reflect what’s deeply personal amidst questions that are impersonal. The collection is a gift as Holly bares a great deal, some that’s deeply personal, and allows the reader to reflect on their own questions of self between the poems in the book. The collection also offers insights into Holly’s love of language. Holly Flauto is a poet, storyteller, learner, and instructor. Her fiction and creative writing has previously been published in The Ex-Puritan, Joyland, and The Rusty Toque. They also perform as Stella Palermo on local story and poetry slam stages. Visit www.hollyflauto.com for more. The collection is published by Anvil Press. We spoke last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Holly Flauto; Holly, good morning.The post Holly Flauto first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning writer and journalist andrea bennett discusses their new book Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence (ECW Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence by andrea bennett (ECW Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Hearty Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. andrea bennett joins me now. They’ve just published a terrific book, Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence. andrea’s essays are not just on food, but they’re also marvelous entry points to other areas of investigation, whether it’s the people who harvest and keep seeds, or who grow sustainably in our communities, the food media we consume on television and now online, as well as andrea’s own life, their family and their history. For example, andrea looks at food that they’ve grown up with and wonders how it came to be, like their grandmother’s chutney. It’s fascinating to see andrea figure out how it might have come to the palates of either their grandmother or even earlier. There’s a lot of food for thought in the book, like how our habits are shaped by structural effects around us, how much waste there is, as well as what we might be able to grow wherever we live. I’ll ask andrea about cooking too. andrea bennett is a National Magazine Award-winning writer, and a senior editor at The Tyee. Their writing has been published by The Walrus, Chatelaine, The Atlantic, and the Globe and Mail, among other outlets. Their first book of essays Like a Boy but Not a Boy was one of CBC Books’s 2020 picks for the top Canadian nonfiction of the year. Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, andrea lives in Powell River, BC, where they joined me from last week. This new book is published by ECW Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, andrea bennett; andrea, good morning.The post andrea bennett first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and poet Cathy Stonehouse discusses their acclaimed poetry collection Dream House (Nightwood Editions, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Dream House by Cathy Stonehouse (Nightwood Editions, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Dream House Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Cathy Stonehouse joins me now. The poet, writer, teacher, and visual artist discusses their 2023 book Dream House, which was a recent finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. I’ll ask Cathy about the long poem in six sections. We’ll talk about home, as well as the seasons of the year that are particularly affecting. We’ll talk about words, and about loss and grief. There’s a lot in this collection. Cathy migrated as a young adult from Margaret Thatcher’s England to Vancouver, the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Among Cathy’s other works include a novel, The Causes, a collection of short fiction Something About the Animal, and two previous collections of poetry, Grace Shiver, and The Words I Know. Cathy is a previous editor of EVENT magazine, and currently teaches creative writing and interdisciplinary arts at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Visit www.cathystonehouse.com for more. Dream House is published by Nightwood Editions. We taped this interview in early October. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Cathy Stonehouse; Ms. Stonehouse, good morning.The post Cathy Stonehouse first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and founder of Monster House Publishing Paul McAllister discusses publishing and more, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.   Paul McAllister had a lifelong dream to publish a children’s story. He shopped it around to publishers in and around Atlantic Canada, but he soon realised he could do it himself. There and Back Again, A Herman Tale, which was illustrated with Emily Brown, was published in 2014, and soon other authors and illustrators sought to realise their own dreams, and Monster House Publishing was born. Paul joins me now, and I’ll get him to tell us his story about creating this publishing house, and what he wants to accomplish. He also shares his personal story of growing up with ADHD and Dysgraphia. I’ll also ask Paul about publishing from that side of the country, and what young readers want. The website for more is at www.monsterhousepublishing.com. We talked last month, with Paul joining me from Fredericton, New Brunswick. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Paul McAllister; Mr. McAllister, good morning.  The post Paul McAllister first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer Aaron Williams discusses his memoir The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta. The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era by Aaron Williams (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Last Logging Show Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. A terrific book published this year is the memoir from Aaron Williams, The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era. A few years ago, just out of university, Aaron takes a job in the logging industry, where both his father and grandfather worked. His great-grandfather built trestles in the 1920s. So perhaps it was inevitable that Aaron would get into forestry, but he was getting into it at a time when there were a lot of changes thanks to forest practices, as well as technology. I’ll ask Aaron about what he’s chronicled in this book, not just his time, but the end of his father’s time in the industry. The book takes us to Haida Gwaii and illustrates how spectacular a place it is. As well we meet some memorable characters, people that Mr. Williams hasn’t forgotten and which colour his memories of the hard, often dangerous work. He’s a terrific storyteller as you’ll read in the book, and hear shortly. Aaron Williams has been published in newspapers like the Globe and Mail and the Halifax Chronicle Herald. He has an MFA in creative non-fiction writing from King’s College. His first book, Chasing Smoke, was based on his experience fighting forest fires through the Pacific Northwest, as well as Idaho, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The Last Logging Show is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke in June, with Aaron joining me from Halifax, where he now lives. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Aaron Williams; Mr. Williams, good morning.The post Aaron Williams first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

A principal skater for Disney On Ice presents Magic in the Stars Matthew King, previews the show ahead of playing in Vancouver (27 November-01 December 2024), with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Disney On Ice returns to the Pacific Coliseum next week, Wednesday, 27 November 2024 through to December 1st. Fifty-six favourite Disney stars shine in Disney On Ice presents Magic in the Stars. There’s high-flying acrobatics, stunts, lighting and special effects, not to mention, costumes, set design, and of course figure skating. One of the production’s principal skaters, Matthew King joins me now. I’ll get him to tell us about working with Feld Entertainment on these shows, the reaction from audiences, kids of all ages, and the memorable music and characters we all know from timeless Disney works. I’ll also ask him about skating, how long he’s done it and what benefits one might derive from taking it up. Visit www.disneyonice.com for tickets and information. We spoke two weeks ago, with Matthew joining me from Portland, Oregon, while on tour with the show. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Matthew King; Mr. King, good morning.The post Matthew King first appeared on thecommentary.ca.