thecommentary.ca

The writer and poet Theresa Kishkan discusses her new memoir Blue Portugal and Other Essays (University of Alberta Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Blue Portugal and Other Essays by Theresa Kishkan (University of Alberta Press, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Blue Portugal Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Theresa Kishkan joins me now. The acclaimed writer and poet has just published a new book Blue Portugal and Other Essays. The form these pieces take on is what’s described as “braided essays.” They show the writer as she thins deeply about the natural world, the aging body, genealogy, history, textiles, music and Ms. Kishkan’s many intellectual pursuits. We get a sense of her home on the Sechelt Peninsula, from where she joined me from last week. I’ll ask her about the house, where she works and what it means to her. I’ll also ask Theresa about the trip she made to The Ukraine, something she writes about in the book, as she seeks information about her family; her roots. That was in 2019, just before the pandemic, and before the invasion by Russia. Theresa Kishkan is the author of more than a dozen books, including poetry, fiction, and collections of essays. Visit her website at www.theresakishkan.com, where she blogs regularly. This new book is published by the University of Alberta Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Theresa Kishkan; Ms. Kishkan, good morning. The post Theresa Kishkan first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The bestselling author and CBC broadcaster Grant Lawrence discusses his new memoir Return to Solitude: More Desolation Sound Adventures with the Cougar Lady, Russell the Hermit, the Spaghetti Bandit and Others (Harbour Publishing, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Return to Solitude: More Desolation Sound Adventures with the Cougar Lady, Russell the Hermit, the Spaghetti Bandit and Others by Grant Lawrence (Harbour Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Return to Solitude Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Grant Lawrence joins me again. The award-winning author and broadcaster has just published a new memoir Return to Solitude: More Desolation Sound Adventures with the Cougar Lady, Russell the Hermit, the Spaghetti Bandit and Others. It’s a followup to his bestselling and acclaimed book Adventures in Solitude, which he was first on the program with in 2010. He brings us back to Desolation Sound in British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. We’re introduced once again to colourful, unforgettable characters that Grant knew growing up spending time with his family there summers. It’s an isolated place, one you can reach only by boat, so it attracts unique personalities. People who are wanting solace from the big city or escape from the law. People like the Cougar Lady was brought up there, and lived and worked off the land. Another character we meet again is Russell the Hermit, who had a profound effect on Grant’s life. We also meet Bernard the German, and a phantom-like squatter known as the Spaghetti Bandit. I’ll ask Grant about them, and writing their lives as it were in his books and broadcasting them on the radio. I’ll also get Grant to reflect on what Desolation Sound has meant to him in the decade or so since the first book, as he’s since gotten married and become a father of two children. Grant Lawrence’s previous books include The Lonely End of the Rink, Dirty Windshields, and a children’s book Bailey the Bat and the Tangled Moose. He is the winner of two BC Book Prizes, the first author who’s received the Bill Duthie Booksellers Choice award twice. The website for more is at www.grantlawrence.ca. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Grant Lawrence; Mr. Lawrence, good morning. The post Grant Lawrence first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The scholar and activist Susan Boyd discusses her new book Heroin: An Illustrated History (Fernwood Publishing, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Heroin: An Illustrated History by Susan Boyd (Fernwood Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Heroin Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the more readable and engaging books is Heroin: An Illustrated History. Its author Susan Boyd joins me now. In the book, she takes a historical look at heroin regulation over two centuries, from when the opioid was discovered in 1898 to today. She looks at the political policies that criminalise and pathologise drug users, leading to a failure today of addressing the overdose death epidemic. She looks critically at the evidence as to the harm of heroin, and how its prohibition has been tied up with colonisation and systemic racism, as well as class and gender injustice. Susan also looks at the cultural history of heroin, from its early use to its depiction in popular culture, like films, going back to 1930s movies like Narcotic and Reefer Madness to later films like Sinatra in The Man with the Golden Arm, and Panic in Needle Park which co-stars Al Pacino. There’s remarkable cartoons and art that’s showcased in the book that shows how the public was influenced. Susan C. Boyd is a scholar and activist and distinguished professor emerita at the University of Victoria. Her previous book was Busted: An Illustrated History of Drug Prohibition in Canada. This book is from Fernwood Publishing. We spoke last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Susan Boyd; Professor Boyd, good morning. The post Susan Boyd first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and editor Jen Sookfong Lee discusses the new collection she’s co-edited with Stacey May Fowles, Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood (Book*hug Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood edited by Stacey May Fowles and Jen Sookfong Lee (Book*hug Press, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Good Mom on Paper Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Jen Sookfong Lee joins me now. The acclaimed author is the co-editor with Stacey May Fowles, of a new collection of essays, Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood. The pieces look at whether a devotion to literary life can co-exist with parenthood. Does the artist have to sacrifice art for love, or vice versa? I’ll ask Jen about working with Stacey May, and about the work they did as co-editors working with the authors they did who are: Heather O’Neill, Lee Maracle, Jael Richardson, Carrie Snyder, Alison Pick, Meaghan Strimas, Sofia Mostaghimi, Rachel Giese, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, Erin Wunker, Jónína Kirton, Jennifer Whiteford, Teresa Wong, Nikkya Hargrove, S. Lesley Buxton, Amber Riaz, Adelle Purdham, Harriet Alida Lye, and Kellee Ngan. The essays in the book are enlightening, enraging at times, and almost always engrossing. They provide insights that everybody needs to read about, whether one is a guy, a fellow parent, or just a reader. A portion of sales will be donated to the Mothers Matter Centre, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering isolated, at-risk mothers. Jen Sookfong Lee is the author of critically acclaimed books The Conjoined, The Better Mother, The End of East, The Shadow List, and Finding Home. She acquires and edits for ECW Press, and is the cohost of the literary podcast Can’t Lit. Ms. Fowles and Ms. Lee co-edited the anthology Whatever Gets You Through: Twelve Survivors on Life After Sexual Assault. Visit www.sookfong.com for more information. This new book is published by Book*hug Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jen Sookfong Lee; Ms. Lee, good morning. The post Jen Sookfong Lee first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The bestselling author Iona Whishaw discusses the success of her Lane Winslow Mystery series, and the latest Framed in Fire (TouchWood Editions, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Framed in Fire: A Lane Winslow Mystery by Iona Whishaw (Touchwood Editions, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Framed in Fire Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Iona Whishaw joins me now. She is the popular and critically acclaimed author of the Lane Winslow Mystery series. The books, they’re up to nine now, are bestsellers and have garnered a devoted following. At the centre of the books, is Lane Winslow, a woman who in the mid-20th century leaves England for a fresh start. She ends up in the British Columbia interior, in a small town called King’s Cove. It’s a fictional place, but it feels like it’s in the Kootenays. Lane, a war-weary young intelligence officer hopes to put her past behind her, but when there’s a murder, she works alongside the town’s inspectors. One of them is Inspector Darling, and by the ninth book, out just this past month, Framed In Fire, they are married. I’ll ask Ms. Whishaw about writing these books, about readers and their interest in mystery and crime. I’ll ask her about how she conceives of her characters, and what about Lane Winslow keeps her interested. Iona Whishaw is a former educator and social worker. Her mother and grandfather were both spies. Iona was also a school administrator, and was principal at my old high school Sir Charles Tupper Secondary, though in the years after I was there. Visit www.ionawhishaw.ca for more information. The eighth book in the series A Lethal Lesson was recently shortlisted for a BC Book Prize, the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award. These books are published by TouchWood Editions. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Iona Whishaw; Ms. Whishaw, good morning. The post Iona Whishaw first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The acclaimed writer Eugene Marten discusses his new novel Pure Life (Strange Life, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Pure Life by Eugene Marten (Strange Light, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Pure Life Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Eugene Marten joins me now. The acclaimed novelist has just published a new book, Pure Life. It’s described as a sports saga and sprawling thriller. Its central character is called Nineteen. He makes his way to the pros, becomes the quarterback, and takes on mythic proportions. He marries the owner’s daughter, and reaches the sort of greatness that aspiring athletes aspire to. He retires, and assumes he’ll be playing golf, with celebrity endorsements and real estate investments. But as the market tanks and his family disintegrates, he’s contending with a brain that he feels isn’t all there. He ends up going to the Mosquito Coast of Honduras in search of restoration. It’s a miracle brain damage treatment that’s forbidden in the United States, and it soon plunges him into darkness, violence and a lot of horror he couldn’t have imagined. I’ll talk to Mr. Marten about our hero, and what he depicts in the book, like the world of professional sport, capitalism, fame, and myths. Eugene Marten was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and at the age of two, emigrated with his parents to the United States. His works include the novella Waste, and the novels In the Blind, Firework, and Layman’s Report. This new book is published by Strange Light, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Mr. Marten joined me from Cleveland, Ohio two and a half weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Eugene Marten; Mr. Marten, good morning. The post Eugene Marten first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The Globe and Mail’s Western Arts Correspondent Marsha Lederman discusses her new memoir Kiss The Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed (McClelland & Stewart, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed by Marsha Lederman (McClelland & Stewart, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Kiss the Red Stairs Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the more important books of the year is the memoir by Marsha Lederman, Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed. The book follows the last few years in Marsha’s life, she contends with moving to Vancouver for her job, writing for a national newspaper, getting married, and giving birth to a son. Then in the wake of a divorce, compounded with what’s going on politically in the United States and elsewhere, like the rise of antisemitism, Ms. Lederman, who joins me now, is drawn to her parents, both of whom have died. She needs their help, and she connects with them through family still living, like her two sisters, as well as a diary her father kept, and interviews that her mother gave. Marsha reads all she can about the Holocaust, as she comes to the realisation that her story is very much their story, that the effect of intergenerational trauma has shaped her own life. There’s a lot in this book that’s harrowing like when the author recounts the horrifying journey her parents suffered during the Holocaust. There’s a lot in the book that’s also amazing, as the author recounts their stories, her story, through the help of lore passed down through other family members. There’s beautiful writing, as well as humour, and resilience throughout. Marsha Lederman is the Western Arts Correspondent for the Globe and Mail. She worked in commercial radio as a reporter, newscaster, and host, as well was National Arts Reporter for CBC Radio. Her Twitter handle is @marshalederman. This book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marsha Lederman; Ms. Lederman, good morning. The post Marsha Lederman first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The podcast host, television historian and archivist Stu Shostak discusses the new C.J. Wallis documentary Stu’s Show, in which his life and loves are chronicled, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. There’s a new documentary out from the Vancouver-born filmmaker C.J. Wallis called Stu’s Show. And Stu himself joins me now. Stu Shostak’s life and times are chronicled in this film that looks at his work as a television historian and archivist. He grew up a fan of television, then breaks into show business as a wrangler of audiences for television sitcoms taping in Hollywood. He hands out tickets for shows, overbooking to ensure capacity, and it’s a foot in the door. He soon does audience warm-ups prior to tapings. He then gets into the orbit of Lucille Ball. He’s warned that she’s tough, and perhaps unfriendly, that whatever illusions he has as a fan might turn to disillusion once they meet. The Lucy that Stu encounters is motherly, supportive, and soon he’s entrusted by her and her husband Gary Morton with cataloguing her vast film archive. I’ll ask Stu about what Ball was like, and Gary Morton. Mr. Shostak ends up working as Morton’s assistant on Ball’s last sitcom, Life with Lucy in 1986. The second half of the documentary is about Stu’s meeting of Jeanine Kasun, a Lucille Ball super fan. They connect over a shared love of old television and nostalgia. Their relationship develops amidst the backdrop of Stu’s successful internet radio show, what would become podcasting which began in 2006. Stu attracts all sorts of guests on his programs and over the years develops close friendships, and it’s a who’s who as we see in the film: Wink Martindale, Tony Dow, Michael Cole, Ed Asner, Margaret O’Brien, and so many more. Jeanine suffers a brain aneurysm, and we see chronicled in the film the struggle with the medical system that Stu has to encounter to ensure Jeanine’s care. It’s a personal story, often harrowing, but one not to miss. You can visit Stu’s website at www.stusshow.com. This film is now available via streaming. C.J. Wallis’s Twitter handle is @fortyfps. We taped this interview last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Stu Shostak; Mr. Shostak, good morning. The post Stu Shostak first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and broadcaster Elamin Abdelmahmoud discusses his memoir Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces (McClelland & Stewart, 2022), with Joseph Planta. Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces by Elamin Abdelmahmoud (McClelland & Stewart, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Son of Elsewhere Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Elamin Abdelmahmoud joins me now. The writer and broadcaster has just published Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces. It is one of the more remarkable books of the year. It is filled with the wit and charm that’s made Mr. Abdelmahmoud one of the more popular personalities in the media today. It also has the sort of thoughtfulness that we need when we consider the lot of people who come to this country who want and try to fit in, and who want to find a place to belong. Elamin narrates not just his story but the story of the country of his birth, Sudan, which he left at the age of 12 to come to Canada. He looks critically at what’s happened in his country, the effect of colonialism not just on the land and the people, but somebody like him who carries within himself that legacy. It affects how he sees himself in Canada, especially when for the first time he realises he’s Black, because that’s what people see of him. This follows a discussion of internalised racism, his own and others, as well as the stuff about growing up, and how challenging that is for everybody. He finds connection through fandom of professional wrestling, and he’s able to discover some skill at writing. His parents are throughout the book and are incredible characters themselves. We get a sense of Elamin’s tastes in culture which are varied and fascinating. He’s able to reflect on those popular interests a gleaned perspective on race, politics, history, culture, and everything else in between. It’s such a rich book, and an important read. Elamin Abdelmahmoud is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News, and host of CBC Radio’s pop culture program Pop Chat. He is a contributor on The National’s At Issue panel. His Twitter handle is @elamin88. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Elamin Abdelmahmoud; Mr. Abdelmahmoud, good morning. The post Elamin Abdelmahmoud first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The Globe and Mail’s architecture critic Alex Bozikovic discusses the new book he’s co-authored with the artist Raymond Biesinger 305 Lost Buildings of Canada (Goose Lane Editions, 2022), with Joseph Planta. 305 Lost Buildings of Canada by Raymond Biesinger and Alex Bozikovic (Goose Lane Editions, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: 305 Lost Buildings of Canada Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the more fascinating books of the season is 305 Lost Buildings of Canada by Raymond Biesinger and Alex Bozikovic. Mr. Biesinger is the acclaimed Montreal artist who renders illustrations of these 305 buildings lost to demolition, fire, neglect, changing mores, even mystery. They’re evocative illustrations that make the buildings come alive once more. Alex Bozikovic joins me now to talk about working with Mr. Biesinger, and how they collaborated on this book that captures the historical import and legacy of a lot of these buildings, and at times provide cautionary advice with regards to what’s saved or what sort of buildings should be built in our cities in the future. The book spans the country, and it’s easy to get nostalgic even for places one couldn’t have possibly seen. There are buildings that have outlived their usefulness, such as buildings that housed residential schools or traumatic structures like that. I’ll ask Mr. Bozikovic about the sort of Canada they represent in the book, and what buildings fascinated him. He is the architecture critic for the Globe and Mail, and the co-author of Toronto Architecture: A City Guide. I’ll ask him about his thoughts on heritage as well as development in our cities when affordability seems to be foremost on a lot of people’s minds. This new book is published by Goose Lane. The Twitter handle is @alexbozikovic. We taped this interview earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alex Bozikovic; Mr. Bozikovic, good morning. The post Alex Bozikovic first appeared on thecommentary.ca.