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The historian and bestselling author Derek Hayes discusses his new book Incredible Crossings: The History and Art of the Bridges, Tunnels and Inland Ferries That Connect British Columbia (Harbour Publishing, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Incredible Crossings: The History and Art of the Bridges, Tunnels and Inland Ferries That Connect British Columbia by Derek Hayes (Harbour Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Incredible Crossings Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Derek Hayes joins me again. The historian and bestselling author has recently published Incredible Crossings: The History and Art of the Bridges, Tunnels and Inland Ferries That Connect British Columbia. It’s a hefty book, beautifully illustrated with terrific photographs, some that Mr. Hayes took. They look at the remarkable infrastructure throughout the province that have allowed us to navigate the formidable terrain, rivers and waterways critical for our economy, as well as getting us to and from work. There’s some great archival material here, as well as a vivid narrative that illustrates the history of a lot of these crossings we take for granted, as well as the political imperatives to their building, maintenance, and some of their futures. Derek Hayes is a renowned historian and the author of the bestselling Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest. He’s been on the program twice previously for his books Canada: An Illustrate History, and Iron Road West. Trained as a cartographer at the University of Hull in England, and the University of British Columbia, he worked for a time as a planner with the Vancouver City Planning Department. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Derek Hayes; Mr. Hayes, good morning. The post Derek Hayes first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The poet and educator Shauna Paull discusses her poetry collection blue gait (Mother Tongue Publishing, 2021), with Joseph Planta. blue gait by Shauna Paull (Mother Tongue Publishing, 2021). Click to buy this book from Mother Tongue Publishing: blue gait Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Shauna Paull joins me now. We discuss her recent poetry collection blue gait, which was published in the fall of 2021, and was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize at the BC Book Prizes this past September. It’s the last book from Mother Tongue Publishing, and we talk about Paull’s publisher Mona Fertig and how they worked together editing this collection. It’s a collection of poetry that bears the author’s capacity and skill at observation and compassion. We see a writer constantly learning, and who is cognisant of what’s wrong with the world around us, but who also sees hope all over. It’s a book that’s rooted in recent years, but also timeless, and that’s for good or ill. I’ll ask Shauna about the poems in the book, how she views the world, birds, and poetry itself and how she writes. Shauna Paull is a poet, educator, and community advocate. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing at UBC. She spent some 23 years at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts leading creative writing workshops, and teaching, something she continues to do. She represented Canada at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2006. This is her second book of poetry. Her first roughened in undercurrent was published by Leaf Press in 2008. Her Twitter handle is @shauna_paull. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Shauna Paull; Ms. Paull, good morning. The post Shauna Paull first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning writer and food journalist David Joachim discusses the third edition of his bestselling The Food Substitutions Bible: 8,000 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment & Techniques (Robert Rose, 2022), with Joseph Planta. The Food Substitutions Bible: 8,000 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment & Techniques by David Joachim (Robert Rose, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Food Substitutions Bible Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. David Joachim joins me now. He’s got a new book out, it’s the third edition of his award-winning The Food Substitutions Bible: 8,000 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment & Techniques. The first edition was released in 2005 winning an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award in 2006. It had a second edition in 2010, and now a new, revised edition, that’s well made from the folks at Robert Rose. It’s a hardcover, handsome to look at, and easy to keep open on your kitchen counter as one will doubtless use all year long. It’s not just a great resource with quick tips on what ingredients to use when you haven’t got something on hand, but it teaches you a lot about what ingredients do. So yes, if you use something instead of an egg, you’ll learn what the egg actually does, and what might be different if you use something else. This gives all of us the room to experiment in the kitchen, adjust to our own tastes, and use up whatever we have in our pantries or fridges. The book is also beautifully illustrated with colourful depictions of all sorts of food by Emily Isabella. I’ll ask Mr. Joachim, who I talked to six days ago, about trends in food and cooking, not just because of the pandemic, but in the years since the first edition of this book. I’ll ask him about what we all need to have on hand, not just ingredients but equipment. He has written, edited or collaborated on more than 50 award-winning and bestselling cookbooks. Visit www.davejoachim.com for more information. He joined me from his home in Pennsylvania. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, David Joachim; Mr. Joachim, good morning. The post David Joachim first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and creative director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation David Leopold discusses the new collection of Hirschfeld’s work that he edited, The American Theatre As Seen By Hirschfeld, 1962-2002 (2022), with Joseph Planta. The American Theatre As Seen By Hirschfeld, 1962-2002 edited by David Leopold (2022). Click to buy this book from the Al Hirschfeld Foundation: The American Theatre As Seen By Hirschfeld, 1962-2002 Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. If you’re in New York City anytime between now and mid-March 2023, check out the Al Hirschfeld installation, the inaugural exhibition at the new Museum of Broadway, there on 45th Street & 7th Avenue, not too far Times Square. Hirschfeld, the timeless and talented chronicler of the Great White Way, through his legendary cartoons, was a prodigious, prolific artist who appeared in the New York Times chronicling most of the Twentieth Century of Broadway and beyond. If you’re nowhere near Manhattan, then there’s the new book, The American Theatre As Seen By Hirschfeld, 1962-2002. It’s a remarkable, outstanding book featuring some of Hirschfeld’s art for the last half of his life, a remarkable fifty years until his death at 99, in 2003. He’d published a similar book in 1961, so this follow-up has been awaited for more than sixty years. And what a second half. There are recognisable depictions of Zero Mostel, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Elaine Stritch, and Ben Vereen, to all the beloved characters in shows from Funny Girl, Cabaret, Annie, Sweeney Todd, Les Misérables, Fences, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Rent, Angels in America, and Hairspray. They are wrongly described as caricatures, as they’re more than simply that. They’re also editorial cartoons, they’re depictions by a real master, an equally creative force in the theatre capturing the personality of these theatrical figures as they were on or off the stage. Hirschfeld is somebody who has shaped popular culture, and I’ll talk now to David Leopold, creative director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, who edited this very fine book, about the Hirschfeld he knew. He was archivist for Hirschfeld, and a close colleague for many years. Visit www.alhirschfeldfoundationshop.org for information on the book and more. The website also has a place where you can search Hirschfeld’s work from 1914 to 2003. I’ll ask Mr. Leopold, who joined me from Bucks County, Pennsylvania one week ago, about what Hirschfeld was like, how he worked, and those famous Ninas, the name of his daughter, who he’d incorporate in his work. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, David Leopold; Mr. Leopold, good morning. The post David Leopold first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning cabaret and jazz vocalist Celia Berk discusses her new album Now That I Have Everything (Gramercy Nightingale, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Celia Berk joins me now. The award-winning cabaret and jazz vocalist has a new album out, Now That I Have Everything. It’s 13 songs of the Great American Songbook, songs that we know and love, and other gems that we might not have been familiar with. And in Ms. Berk’s hands, or voice really, they’re rendered inviting, charming, delightful, and often beautiful and powerful, and that’s not just in the changes of keys. The author and journalist Will Friedwald says of Celia Berk’s artistry on this album: “It’s less a performance than an intimate dialogue between two close friends.” And that it is with this conversation with Celia that we taped one week ago. I’ll ask her about the song selections, the process working with the musicians that directed and arranged the music, and the craftsmanship and artistry of the music and lyrics. There are songs on the album written by Sammy Cahn, Hoagy Carmichael, Ervin Drake, Hugh Martin, Carly Simon, Billy Strayhorn, James Van Huesen, and Stevie Wonder. From Gramercy Nightingale, this is her third album. Her first two albums were Manhattan Serenade, and You Can’t Rush Spring. She’s made memorable appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland Theater, The Town Hall, and the National Arts Club. For more information visit www.CeliaBerk.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Celia Berk; Ms. Berk, good morning. The post Celia Berk first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The former politician and bureaucrat Bob Williams discusses his new book, written with Benjamin Isitt and Thomas Bevan, Using Power Well: Bob Williams and the Making of British Columbia (Harbour Publishing, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Using Power Well: Bob Williams and the Making of British Columbia by Bob Williams (Harbour Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Using Power Well Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. It was fifty years ago this past September that Dave Barrett’s NDP government took office in British Columbia. Bob Williams was there, one of Barrett’s closest confidantes, and soon to be a sort of super minister. You read about those thirty-nine months in office, and more, in the new book Using Power Well: Bob Williams and the Making of British Columbia. It’s a highly readable book that charts the life of Williams, from his birth at the Salvation Army Home for Unwed Mothers in South Vancouver, to growing up near the then city dump, around Still Creek, where the Italian Cultural Centre is now. He comes from working class, East Vancouver roots. He later finds out who his father is, the son and grandson of good socialist stock, Bob’s grandfather was Bill Pritchard, who was reeve of Burnaby, BC during the depression years, and was one of the leaders of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. Bob’s great grandfather, James Pritchard, was a founder of the Socialist Party of British Columbia, and Socialist Party of Canada near the turn of the twentieth century. Bob narrates his compelling life story in the book becoming a city planner in Delta, BC, to elected as an alderman on Vancouver City Council, then the BC legislature in 1966. The Williams legacy once in office as a cabinet minister include Whistler Town Centre, Robson Square, the Agricultural Land Reserve, the Insurance Corporation of BC, and many other projects. I’ll get Bob, who joins me now to reflect on some of his notable achievements in his career, and more. His work later as a bureaucrat when the NDP was returned to office in 1991 is written about in the book, as were his times on the Vancity board, and even owning the fabled Railway Club. The book is written with Benjamin Isitt and Thomas Bevan and is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bob Williams; Mr. Williams, good morning. The post Bob Williams first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The poet and writer Jane Munro discusses her new collection of poetry False Creek (Harbour Publishing, 2022), and more, with Joseph Planta. False Creek by Jane Munro (Harbour Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: False Creek Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Jane Munro joins me again. The distinguished poet, writer and educator has just published a new collection of poetry, False Creek. It’s a gathering of poems that will move, enlighten, allow space for contemplation, and will evoke anxiousness and joy, sometimes in the same poem. Among the themes she reflects on in this new book include residential schools, False Creek itself, this inlet in the heart of Vancouver, reality, as well as the beauty of the natural world, and the horror of our carelessness with it. The visual arts offer inspiration to several poems in the book, as does reality. I’ll touch on a few of the poems in the book, ones that moved me, that have lingered long after I finished reading, and the ones that we’re thinking about when we taped this interview late last week. Jane Munro received the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize, and she was first on this program last year when her memoir Open Every Window was published. Other poetry collections, this is her 8th by the way, include Glass Float, Blue Sonoma, and Active Pass. The website for more is at www.janemunro.com. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Jane Munro; Ms. Munro, good morning. The post Jane Munro first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The activist and writer Jamal Saeed discusses his memoir My Road from Damascus (ECW Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta. My Road From Damascus by Jamal Saeed (ECW Press, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: My Road from Damascus Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the best reads of the year is the memoir from Jamal Saeed, My Road from Damascus. It’s a stirring, moving, sometimes harrowing account of Mr. Saeed’s life in Syria, years he spent on the run from the al-Assad regimes, as well his imprisonments, including at one of the country’s most notorious military detention centres. We see in the book a chronicle of modern Syria, from the 1950s through to his escape to Canada in 2016. We see how a young man is politicised in a country where that sort of rebellious Marxism and then free thinking isn’t encouraged, and where it garners the attention of the secret police. Jamal’s story is one of survival and courage, as it is of brutality and beauty. He evokes an outlook in life that we can only wish for ourselves, a depth of grace which moves as well as inspires through the book. We also meet his wife Rufaida, their two sons, and read of their journey to Canada, where they arrived six years ago as refugees. I’ll begin the interview by asking Jamal about the late Ray Argyle, a long-time friend of this program, who was one of the people who helped bring Jamal and his family to Kingston, Ontario, where Jamal joined me from last week. Jamal Saeed is an activist, editor, visual artist, and author. This book is published by ECW Press, and was translated by Catherine Cobham. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jamal Saeed; Mr. Saeed, good morning. The post Jamal Saeed first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The journalist and former BC finance minister Carole Taylor discusses her new CHEK television program BC Legends, her career in public service, and more, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Carole Taylor is one of those guests who needs no introduction. She’s well-known in this city, this province, and perhaps across the country too, serving with a number of organisations and institutions (BC’s minister of finance 2005-2008, chancellor of Simon Fraser University, and Victoria College, the University of Toronto), and was elected to Vancouver’s City Council twice, and to the British Columbia Legislature. All this, and the number of boards she’s chaired (Vancouver’s Port Authority, Vancouver Board of Trade, the CBC/Radio Canada, BC Business Council, the Federal Economic Advisory Council, the Trilateral Commission), she’s chaired have yielded a C.V. that anybody would want for themselves. All this after a successful career at the CBC and CTV, where she was one of the first hosts of Canada AM. She’s returned to broadcasting this fall with a new series on CHEK, BC Legends. It’s a 26-part series of interviews she’s conducted with notable, memorable, and important figures in the province. Among them, Rick Hansen, the late Joe Segal, Iona Campagnolo, Shushma Datt, and Beverly McLachlin. It was while watching on a Thursday night a few weeks back that I wondered aloud on the Twitter, why she should be interviewed, being a legend herself. And thanks to her son Chris Taylor, senior correspondent with Reuters, he helped get us together for this interview we taped last week. We talk about the new show, interviewing, and just a few of the aspects of her storied life and career, and more. BC Legends is on Thursday nights at 9.30 pm, and it’s available on the CHEK+ app. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Carole Taylor; Ms. Taylor, good morning. The post Carole Taylor first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and film historian Mary Graham discusses her new book A Stunning Backdrop: Alberta in the Movies, 1917-1960 (Bighorn Books, 2022), with Joseph Planta. A Stunning Backdrop: Alberta in the Movies, 1917-1960 by Mary Graham (Bighorn Books, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Stunning Backdrop Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. A new book, a stunning one really (it’s actually in the title), A Stunning Backdrop: Alberta in the Movies, 1917-1960 was recently published, and tells the story of movie production in Alberta. It started with American filmmakers seeking the bucolic and breathtaking scenery of the Wildrose Province, which embodied the myth of the Great Northwest, mountains and the last frontier. The book is well researched, and a beautifully illustrated one with great photographs, stills from productions, as well as more recent photos showcasing where some memorable movies were shot. The book’s author Mary Graham joins me now. I’ll ask her about what made Alberta an ideal place to shoot movies, about the industry that’s grown there over the years, as well as touch on some of the films shot there up to 1960, their legendary directors and their unforgettable stars. I’ll ask Mary too about the relationship the Stoney Nakoda had with film producers, and their participation in productions. Mary Graham is a writer, documentary journalist, and film historian. This new book is from Bighorn Books, which is an imprint of University of Calgary Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mary Graham; Ms. Graham, good morning. The post Mary Graham first appeared on thecommentary.ca.