The acclaimed author and journalist Omar El Akkad discusses his new book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (McClelland & Stewart, 2025), with Joseph Planta. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (McClelland & Stewart, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.   Omar El Akkad joins me again. The bestselling author and reporter has just published a new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. It’s a powerful book, where the author chronicles how his own life fits within the narratives of the worlds he inhabits, as a son of immigrants, as a father, as a citizen, and whether it’s journalism in Canada, living in the United States, being a writer; he speaks truth to power. This book is described as a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in the heart of an empire that doesn’t consider you fully human. The title of the book is adapted from a tweet Omar put out in October 2023, three weeks after the bombardment of Gaza. Going back from then he reflects on his work as a journalist, a career he began in university just after September 11, 2001. He takes the timeline of then and now, and provides examples of how he views the West as no longer to be trusted to police the world, morally or otherwise. I’ll ask Omar about the writing of the book, and the conclusions he comes to, deeply personal ones that calls into question home, as well as electoral politics, the media, and what it means to be an artist. Omar El Akkad has reported from Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He’s been on the program in the past for his previous novels, American War, and What Strange Paradise. Both were bestsellers and critically acclaimed. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. We spoke one week ago, with Omar joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Omar El Akkad; Mr. El Akkad, good morning.  The post Omar El Akkad first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The tenor and concert producer Sam Champagne previews Twilight in Concert (at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, Friday, 14 March 2025), singing, music, 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.   Sam Champagne joins me now. He will be starring in a unique concert experience, Twilight in Concert. It’s this Friday night, 14 March 2025 at the Orpheum Theatre. The film-to-concert experience will feature the original Twilight movie, a live 12-piece band on stage, candles, and Mr. Champagne performing the iconic score. You’ve got the live music in perfect synchronisation with the full-length film, on a big screen in the legendary Orpheum. I’ll ask Sam about the Twilight movies, and the music, as well as how nostalgic everything is considering it’s been fifteen years since the original film was released. And I forgot that a number of keys scenes in the picture were shot in and around British Columbia. Visit https://www.twilightinconcert.com for tickets and information. Sam Champagne is a Canadian tenor and concert producer. His voice has been described as having “impeccable intonation, correct diction, expression and musicality.” He’s been touring the country in Twilight in Concert since 2024, and later in the year, he’ll headline the Symphonic Bond tour, as well as Frozen in Concert. Visit www.samchampagne.com for more. We spoke last week with Sam joining me from Montreal. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Sam Champagne; Mr. Champagne, good morning. The post Sam Champagne first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The actor Derek Chan discusses the new production he’s starring in A Taste of Hong Kong (06-15 March 2025, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Derek Chan joins me again. He is starring in the world premiere of A Taste of Hong Kong, a new production from Pi Theatre in association with Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre. The play is written by Anonymous. I’ll ask Derek about why the playwright has chosen anonymity, which is especially interesting considering the politics in and around Hong Kong, and frankly, around the world at the moment. As the production’s director Richard Wolfe says, the show indirectly shines a light on the reality of self-censorship in Canada. I’ll also get Derek to reflect on the timeliness of this show, in light of the rise of authoritarianism not just around the world but next door. In the show, Derek’s character Jackie Z provides insight as to the history of Hong Kong from the colonial era to the present, and through food. We’ll discuss the tasty samples to be had at the show, and just how resilient the people of Hong Kong are, and have been throughout its history. The show begins in previews Thursday, 06 March 2025, opening the next evening, and runs until March 15th at the Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables Street. Visit www.thecultch.com for tickets and information. Before we get to the interview that we taped ten days ago, I should like to note that Derek’s been on the program before about a show he’s performing in or one that he’s conceived. His work has always dealt with the personal and the political, and invariably the two are inseparable. In the past, in 2023 and 2021, we’ve talked about contemporary challenges that the people in Hong Kong face amidst a larger superpower right next door with other designs. The conversations are always timely with Derek, and unfortunately today, the talk about how to contend with questions of sovereignty and self-determination are not only timely but urgent. A Taste of Hong Kong also has a lot of heart and joy, as you’ll hear from Derek. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Derek Chan; Mr. Chan, good morning.The post Derek Chan first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The academic and writer Ira Wells discusses his new book On Book Banning (Biblioasis, 2025), with Joseph Planta. On Book Banning by Ira Wells (Biblioasis, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: On Book Banning The text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. The history of book banning is interesting enough, but in his new book, out today, Ira Wells takes a fascinating survey of literary censorship through the ages, and looks at the current efforts to ban books both emanating from the right, as well as the left. Libraries are seen by a lot of people as sites of contagion and exposure, and the front line as to what affects children’s minds, and so activists want to suppress opposing viewpoints in the pursuit of their ideological agenda. The arguments range from certain books causing harm because they promote social deviance, or harm can be had through racist language or non-inclusive narratives. The book opens with Mr. Wells, who joins me now, attending a public meeting regarding the books in his children’s school library. The librarian there wanted to do away with books that were written prior to 2008. I’ll ask Ira about the survey that happened, and why a greater role for parents should be played in the schools and libraries where their children learn. Ira Wells is a critic, essayist, and an associate professor at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, where he teaches in the Northrop Frye stream in literature and the humanities. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the Globe and Mail, Guardian, and The New Republic, among many other publications. He was first on the program back in 2021 when his acclaimed biography Norman Jewison: A Director’s Life was published. On Book Banning is published by Biblioasis. We spoke in late January. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ira Wells; Professor Wells, good morning.The post Ira Wells first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The dancer, actor, teacher and director James E. Hibbard discusses his new memoir Can’t Stop Dancing (BearManor Media, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Can’t Stop Dancing by James E. Hibbard (BearManor Media, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Can’t Stop Dancing Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.   For over sixty-five years now, James Hibbard has worked as professional dancer, singer, actor, director, writer and teacher. He can add writer to his many personal and professional achievements as he’s just published a new memoir, Can’t Stop Dancing. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and fell in love with the movies, especially the dancing. His parents notice his talent and skill, and nurture it with lessons two and a half hours away in Boise, Idaho. Soon, his mother takes him to Los Angeles for further study, and seeing Hollywood as he writes about it in the book, provides for a charming view into a company town in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Soon he gets his start in movies, dancing in the film version of Gypsy, starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. That’s followed by Bye Bye Birdie with Ann-Margret, a number of films with Elvis Presley, and Hello, Dolly! directed by his childhood idol Gene Kelly. Throughout there’s television work, as well as theatre and nightclubs. But he moves permanently to Vancouver in the 1970s, and soon a whole new life as well as professional vistas open for Jim and his family. Jim, who joins me now has worked with everybody, and it’s very tempting to just throw out a name and get his reaction or experience with some famed show business personality. But the book is more than just name-dropping. You get as sense of the hard work artisans like Jim go through when working in the glamourous business of show, in Hollywood especially at the height and the decline of the movie musical. We see in Canada how he rises with the increase in film and television production in Vancouver. In the book, we get that very Vancouver story of somebody who falls in love with the city the first time they arrive. That happened for Jim in the mid-1960s when he came to do a production of West Side Story produced by Hugh Pickett and directed by Aida Broadbent. On that run, he met his wife, Charlene Brandolini, who herself has deep roots in Vancouver history. I spoke to Jim last week, who joined me from his home in the Okanagan. This new memoir is published by BearManor Media. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jim Hibbard; Mr. Hibbard, good morning.  The post James E. Hibbard first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and historian Nancy Marguerite Anderson discusses her recent book The HBC Brigades: Culture, Conflict and Perilous Journeys of the Fur Trade (Ronsdale Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. The HBC Brigades: Culture, Conflict and Perilous Journeys of the Fur Trade by Nancy Marguerite Anderson (Ronsdale Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The HBC Brigades Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the more interesting books of last year was The HBC Brigades: Culture, Conflict and Perilous Journeys of the Fur Trade. It’s author Nancy Marguerite Anderson joins me now to talk about the book which is a lively recounting of the thousand-mile trails encountered by the brigades of the Hudson’s Bay Company. They would travel over mountains and through river crossings to reach isolated fur-trading posts. Ms. Anderson writes of the size of these brigades, and the challenges they would encounter amongst themselves and naturally, along the way. And Nancy’s book illustrates how formative these trails are to the shaping of the British Columbia we know today; as a lot of the highways or roads we know now follow a lot of these paths. Nancy Anderson is Métis and an accepted member of Métis Nation British Columbia. She is, as we’ll hear in the interview, descended from a North West Company voyageur. Visit her website at www.nancymargueriteanderson.com for more. This book is published by Ronsdale Press. We spoke in late December 2024. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nancy Marguerite Anderson; Ms. Anderson, good morning. The post Nancy Marguerite Anderson first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning singer and songwriter Kellylee Evans previews her upcoming concert in New Westminster (Saturday, 16 February 2025), recovering her health, 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. Kellylee Evans joins me now. The JUNO Award winning singer and songwriter will be at New Westminster’s Anvil Theatre this Saturday, 15 February 2023. In fact, tomorrow night, she’ll be in Victoria Thursday night (13 February 2025), as part of nearly a dozen dates between now and late spring across Canada. Visit www.kellyleeevans.com for more. Whether she’s performing jazz or R&B or pop, Ms. Evans manages to perform widely and with such ease. I went on a deep dive through her discography on Apple Music the last week, and she brings energy and verve to every song she performs. She had to put her burgeoning career on hold in 2013 after experiencing a life altering lightning strike. Then concussions a couple of years later impeded her recovery and her return to the concert stage. Hers is a story of recovery that’s inspiring and helpful as she shares her path on the journey of self-care. I’ll ask her about her work, the music, these upcoming dates, and more. We spoke earlier this week, with Kellylee joining me from Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kellylee Evans; Ms. Evans, good morning.The post Kellylee Evans first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The artistic director of Music on Main David Pay previews their Big Bang Festival at The Roundhouse, Sunday, 16 February 2025, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. David Pay joins me again. The artistic director of Music on Main previews their Big Bang Festival, an adventurous music event for young audiences. It’s Sunday, 16 February 2025.  That’s Family Day weekend, and it’ll be a good time to get children aged five and up to The Roundhouse, where there’ll be all sorts of free activities like face painting, origami, and a bounce house that I’ll get David to tell us about. There’ll be concerts as well, with a ticket fee of only $5. Visit www.musiconmain.ca for information on the festival which stresses the importance of music for all ages, but especially for the young people in our lives. I’ll ask David about how important music was to his own upbringing, and how running an arts organisation like Music on Main has fared as we’ve come out of the pandemic. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, David Pay; Mr. Pay, good morning.The post David Pay first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The legendary musician Jay Douglas discusses his life and the new documentary that looks at his storied part in the Toronto music scene, Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. There’s a new documentary that tells the story of how the music scene in Toronto, predominantly in the genres of Caribbean, Jamaican and reggae took off in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul. Joining me now is the legendary Jay Douglas, the lead singer of The Cougars, he’s the subject of the film and through his story brings us into this era. Whether it’s the vibrant clubs on Yonge Street in Toronto or finding audiences as they toured small towns through Northern Ontario and Quebec, we see what it’s like for Jamaica-born artists like Douglas, born Clive Pinnock, or other performers of his era: Jackie Mittoo, Leory Sibbles, and Wayne McGhie among others. So even though they all developed a following, the lack of label support or airplay prevented performers like Douglas to make it bigger. The film also narrates the reality of a lot of Canadian artists who seem to get more appreciation outside of the country. As we see in the film, nearly twenty years ago, Seattle label Light in the Attic put out a compilation album that shone a light on the Jamaican music scene with the release of Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974. Another shining moment that’s recounted in the film is Caribana ‘67, a remarkable event in Toronto during Canada’s centenary which seems a flash point in the music scene in Toronto. I talked to Jay last week, and we talked about this film, his own life story which is not uncommon for a lot of Canadians. Jay was born and grew up in Montego Bay, and he joined his mother, who came to Canada to work when he was a child. You’ll hear in the interview Jay talk about his mother and what his upbringing was like. The film opens Friday, 07 February at the VIFF Centre, with Jay in attendance. The film will have a run there through next week, and then will begin airing across British Columbia on the Knowledge Network, February 27th. The film is funded by TVO among others, so I’m sure it’ll play there as well. The film is directed by Graeme Mathieson, and produced by Andrew Munger. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jay Douglas; Mr. Douglas, good morning.The post Jay Douglas first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The star of Lasa Ng Imperyo, playing at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (until Saturday, 08 February 2025) Carmela Sison talks to Joseph Planta about the adaptation of the Jovanni Sy play A Taste of Empire, preparing bangus on stage and more. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.   An adaptation of Jovanni Sy’s A Taste of Empire has been playing as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival this past week. There are five more performances of Lasa Ng Imperyo, evening performances tonight, tomorrow and Thursday and Friday, with a matinee on Saturday. Visit www.pushfestival.ca for tickets and information. Joining me now is Carmela Sison, the star of the rice & beans theatre production, who was also instrumental in this adaptation and translation. The show is Tagalog with English surtitles. I’ll ask Carmela about the show, and the themes explored like globalisation and colonialism, along with how the food we consume is shaped by the world around us, and how tastes, even identity are formed as a result. During the show, Ms. Sison’s character, Sous-Chef Mela prepares and cooks a stuffed milkfish, rellenong bangus. It’s a complicated dish to prepare, as the fish is deboned, and then stuffed usually with tomatoes, onions and other aromatics. Carmela Sison is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA in Acting program, who has been working in the theatre and film for fifteen years. As well as acting, she’s produced, worked in arts administration, and coaching for young actors. The show’s on at The Nest on Granville Island. The production is directed by Marcus Youssef. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Carmela Sison; Ms. Sison, good morning.  The post Carmela Sison first appeared on thecommentary.ca.