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The journalist and writer Jeannie Marshall discusses her book All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel (Biblioasis, 2023), with Joseph Planta. All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel by Jeannie Marshall (Biblioasis, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: All Things Move Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of my favourite books of the season is All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel. At once, it’s about its author Jeannie Marshall’s relationship with the work of Michelangelo; artwork she’d avoided despite having moved to Rome. At another, after finally seeing the frescoes, she’s able to work through how to view this art, what her relationship to it is, and how much of faith and spirituality is part of the work. We also get a sense of what it’s like living in the Italian capital, a city much older than the Toronto she grew up in; how is daily life affected by the aging infrastructure and history all around. And at its heart, the book is about art and its place in one’s life, how we really do need art. Jeannie Marshall joins me now, and I’ll ask her about her ongoing relationship with art, and her own family. We’ll talk about how well-timed the book is considering we’ve moved into a new stage in the pandemic, just as in Michelangelo’s time, when he returned to paint more of the Sistine Chapel after a plague, and having witnessed death and fleeing. Jeannie Marshall has lived in Italy with her family for over twenty years now. Her previous book was Outside the Box: Why Our Children Need Real Food, Not Food Products. She is a journalist and contributes to Maclean’s and The Walrus, and has appeared in The Common, Brick, Literary Review of Canada, and Literary Mama. She was a staff features writer at the National Post. This new book is published by Biblioasis. She joined me from Rome, Italy, this past weekend. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jeannie Marshall; Ms. Marshall, good morning. The post Jeannie Marshall first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The political economist and senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ricardo Tranjan discusses his book The Tenant Class (Between the Lines, 2023), with Joseph Planta. The Tenant Class by Ricardo Tranjan (Between the Lines, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Tenant Class Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the more provocative and innovative books of the season is The Tenant Class. In the book, its author Ricardo Tranjan, who joins me now, reframes the discussion about the housing crisis, actually saying it’s wrong to consider it a crisis for it’s working the way it was intended. That the system is rigged for elites, property owners, who funnel wealth away from the working class. That there are more predatory landlords than the so-called mom-and-pop ones, and that’s why rents are as high as they are. That governments just as much reap profit from the status quo, which is why nothing changes. It’s an engaging book that offers solutions, as well as some history. There are examples of when protest against the landlord class has worked, as well as areas where regulation is needed to help the lot of renters. The section of the book that talks about the disinformation in the press about the housing crisis is particularly interesting and makes for necessary reading. Ricardo Tranjan is a political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Previously, he managed Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, and taught at universities in Ontario and Quebec. He holds a PhD from the University of Waterloo, where he was a Vanier Scholar. He is also a frequent commentator in the media. This new book is published by Between the Lines. He joined me from Ottawa, Ontario earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ricardo Tranjan; Dr. Tranjan, good morning. The post Ricardo Tranjan first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and journalist Katherine Palmer Gordon discusses her new book This Place is Who We Are: Stories of Indigenous Leadership, Resilience, and Connection to Homelands (Harbour Publishing, 2023), with Joseph Planta. This Place is Who We Are: Stories of Indigenous Leadership, Resilience, and Connection to Homelands by Katherine Palmer Gordon (Harbour Publishing, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: This Place is Who We Are Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. There’s a new book out, a terrific collection of stories and insights. Katherine Palmer Gordon, the book’s author, gives us a look at inspiring people in the vast region of central and northern coastal British Columbia, which is the homelands of more than two dozen First Nations. It also has one of the largest remaining coastal temperate rainforests in the world. The challenges of climate change, and the ongoing reckoning with colonisation, are discussed by the people that Katherine talks to in the stories that she has gathered in the book. It’s got a great title too This Place Is Who We Are: Stories of Indigenous Leadership, Resilience, and Connection to Homelands. She joins me now to talk about the genesis of the book, the inspiring work going on with resource management, language, environmental law, as well as healing both physically and spiritually. We meet some fascinating people, names to watch for, as well as their plans for a better world. Katherine Palmer Gordon is the author of six books of non-fiction including We Are Born with the Songs Inside Us: Lives and Stories of First Nations People in British Columbia. She is an award-winning freelance journalist who divides her time between Gabriola Island, and Auckland, New Zealand, where she joins me from today. There will be an event for the book, Saturday evening, 17 June 2023 at the Bill Reid Gallery here in Vancouver. Visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/this-place-is-who-we-are-book-launch-in-vancouver-tickets-636803184467?aff=erelexpmlt to register. This book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Katherine Palmer Gordon; Ms. Gordon, good morning. The post Katherine Palmer Gordon first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The poet and writer Cornelia Hoogland discusses her writing and career, and receiving a prize from the League of Canadian Poets, the 2023 Colleen Thibaudeau Award, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Cornelia Hoogland joins me now. The poet and writer is one of two recipients of the 2023 Colleen Thibaudeau Award for Outstanding Contribution, given by the League of Canadian Poets. The prize recognises thirty years of volunteering in the national literary community across Canada. She founded and was the first director of both Antler River Poetry in London, Ontario, and Poetry Hornby Island, which she continues to lead. I’ll ask Cornelia why she has devoted much of her time to volunteering in service of writers in Canada. We’ll reflect on the various and varied literary communities in this country as well. Cornelia Hoogland is the author of eight books, including Cosmic Bowling (with Ted Goodden), Trailer Park Elegy, and Dressed in Only a Cardigan She Picks Up Her Tracks in the Snow. She is professor emeritus in the faculty of education at London, Ontario’s Western University. Visit www.corenliahoogland.com for more information. She joined me from Cortes Island, British Columbia earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Cornelia Hoogland; Ms. Hoogland, good morning. The post Cornelia Hoogland first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and writer Wayne Grady discusses his new book Pandexicon: How the Language of the Pandemic Defined Our New Cultural Reality (Greystone Books, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Pandexicon: How the Language of the Pandemic Defined Our New Cultural Reality by Wayne Grady (Greystone Books, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Pandexicon Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Wayne Grady joins me again. He’s just published a new book Pandexicon: How the Language of the Pandemic Defined Our New Cultural Reality. He has a collected all the new words and expressions that began to appear in the media, scientific journals and everyday speech. He reflects on them, and looks at their origin, some going back to previous pandemics, or even earlier, like say the Bible. It’s a fascinating book because it takes us back over the last three years, and all that we’ve seen around us, and around the world. We’ve been through a lot, a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of time in limbo. There was a lot of worrying, and some of it was just surreal. The book is a good way to look at how we were as a society, through the language we share. Wayne Grady is the author of more than a dozen books of nonfiction, and three novels, including Emancipation Day, which he was first on the program with in 2013. He lives in Kingston, Ontario, where he joined me from earlier this week, as well as San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This new book is published by Greystone Books. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Wayne Grady; Mr. Grady, good morning. The post Wayne Grady first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The artist and author Rosalie Wise Sharp discusses her memoir Me & Issy: A Four Seasons Romance (ECW Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Me & Issy: A Four Seasons Romance by Rosalie Wise Sharp (ECW Press, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Me & Issy Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the more fascinating and memorable memoirs from this past fall is the book by Rosalie Wise Sharp, Me & Issy: A Four Seasons Romance. In the book, with honesty and frankness, she recounts her troubled and deprived childhood, a marriage of over seventy years now to Isadore Sharp, the founder of the Four Seasons Hotels, and raising a family of four boys. It’s a life that has had great successes in business, family, as well art and design, but one not without tragedy; the loss of their son Chris, as well as family members killed during the Holocaust. The book also features a number of Rosalie’s paintings. There are stories about family, the kids, grandkids, and now great-grandkids; and the glittering, bold-faced names she found seated with at dinners. As well as her own success as an interior designer and painter. At the book’s heart though is this partnership with her husband Issy, and how their mutual love and respect has yielded a fantasy life of opulence and luxury, as well as generosity and devotion. Rosalie Wise Sharp is the editor of Growing Up Jewish, and the author of Rifke, Ceramics, Ethics and Scandal, and China to Light Up a House. Her website www.RosalieWiseSharp.com showcases over two hundred of her paintings. The book is published by ECW Press. We spoke this past weekend. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rosalie Wise Sharp; Mrs. Sharp, good morning. The post Rosalie Wise Sharp first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The playwright and performer Derek Chan discusses the world premiere of the rice & beans theatre co-production of Happy Valley at the Firehall Arts Centre (25 May-04 June 2023), with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Derek Chan joins me again. He is the playwright and performer of Happy Valley, a solo, interdisciplinary performance that opens this week, Thursday, 25 May 2023 at the Firehall Arts Centre, running to June 4th. The performance piece dissects the historic, political, and cultural context surrounding Hong Kong’s current democratic struggles. This is a follow-up to Derek’s theatrical installation yellow objects, which was also staged at the Firehall Arts Centre, and which Derek first appeared on the program with in 2021. We continue the conversation as it were, as he tells us about Happy Valley, and look at contemporary political situation with China and Hong Kong, and China with Canada as well. The show’s director is Anjela Magpantay, and Heidi Taylor, the dramturg. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information, and www.riceandbeanstheatre.com. We spoke about a week and a half ago. 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 infectious diseases doctor, academic, and broadcaster Dr Chris van Tulleken discusses his bestselling book Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Food That Isn’t Food (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Food That Isn’t Food by Chris van Tulleken (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ultra-Processed People Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Already a #1 international bestseller, the new book by Dr. Chris van Tulleken, Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Food That Isn’t Food, is an engaging book that might turn you off the ultra-processed food that make up more than half of a typical diet in Canada and the United States. In the book, Dr. van Tulleken who joins me now, looks at his own habits, as he embarks on a scientific, medical, culinary, and cultural journey into the systems that supply our food, how it’s processed, and how we consume it. For one month, he purposefully consumes a diet that is 80% UPF, and as part of the experiment, his health is monitored. I’ll ask him about how he felt during this time, and if he noticed any differences physically, and emotionally. I’ll ask him what he felt like after the month, and what he’s come away with in terms of his habits at home and at work when it comes to what he eats. We’ll also discuss the addictive nature of ultra processed food, and what we might do, and what we might ask policymakers to do as to how food is advertised and marketed to us. Chris van Tulleken has a medical degree from Oxford, and a PhD in molecular virology. He is an associate professor at University College London, and a practicing infectious diseases doctor. He is also a broadcaster for children and adults on BBC television and radio, and has won two BAFTAs. His Instagram and Twitter handles are @DoctorChrisVT. This new book is published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada. He joined me from his home in London, England earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris van Tulleken; Dr. van Tulleken, good morning. The post Chris van Tulleken first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The director Mark Carter discusses the new CTORA Theatre production on now at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre (950 West 41st Ave.) until 28 May 2023, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Opening tonight at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre at the Jewish Community Centre, 950 West 41st Avenue, is a new production The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. The show’s director Mark Carter joins me now to preview the show, which is based on the bestselling novel by Rick Riordan. The show follows the story of Percy Jackson, a half-blood son of a Greek god, who discovers he has extraordinary powers he cannot control. I’ll ask Mark to tell us as much as he’d like about what to expect. The show’s music and lyrics are written by Rob Rokicki, and I’ll ask Mark about what they sound like. It’s a big show, with nine cast members. It’s a production of CTORA Theatre, formerly known as Children’s Theatre of Richmond. Visit www.ctora.ca for tickets and information. The show runs until 28 May 2023. We spoke one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Carter; Mr. Carter, good morning. The post Mark Carter first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The historian Ron Verzuh discusses his new book Printer’s Devils: How a Feisty Pioneer Newspaper Shaped the History of British Columbia’s Smelter City, 1895-1925 (Caitlin Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Printer’s Devils: How a Feisty Pioneer Newspaper Shaped the History of British Columbia’s Smelter City, 1895-1925 by Ron Verzuh (Caitlin Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Printer’s Devils Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. A new book takes us to Trail, British Columbia, at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The book not only looks at a pioneering newspaper but the social history of Trail as it grows into a small but prosperous community. The book is called Printer’s Devils: How a Feisty Pioneer Newspaper Shaped the History of British Columbia’s Smelter City, 1895-1925. It’s a thoroughly engaging book full of fascinating history as seen through the pages of what was called the Trail Creek News, a weekly publication, that continues today as the Trail Daily Times. The book’s author Ron Verzuh, who joins me now, has done a splendid job at gathering the interesting events as we see this town in the southeastern part of the province grow thanks to industry. We read the book seeing how these pioneers experience the reality of life, death, a World War, a flu pandemic, smallpox outbreaks, as well the conflict between business and labour, friction between the white majority and the Chinese, East Indian, and Doukhobors. The people, and they were mainly men, who owned the paper, and edited it, cast a giant shadow over its contents, and its history. Ron Verzuh is a writer, historian, and documentary filmmaker. His most recent book, Smelter Wars: A Rebellious Red Trade Union Fights for Its Life in Wartime Western Canada was published in 2022. His other books include Radical Rag, and Underground Times. His work has appeared in academic journals, newspapers, and magazines, including the Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, BC History, and Canada’s History. This new book is published by Caitlin Press. Ron will be in Rossland and Grand Forks next week. Visit www.caitlinpress.com for information on those events. He joined me from his home in Victoria, British Columbia earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ron Verzuh; Mr. Verzuh, good morning. The post Ron Verzuh first appeared on thecommentary.ca.