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The distinguished writer and poet Tom Wayman discusses his new memoir The Road to Appledore: Or How I Went to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta. The Road to Appledore: Or How I Went to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place by Tom Wayman (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Road to Appledore Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. A lot of people dream of wanting to ditch city life and move to the middle of nowhere. In a new memoir, Tom Wayman recounts his own move from Vancouver to southeastern BC deep in the Slocan Valley. With his candid introspection, and philosophical insight, Mr. Wayman, who joins me now, provides a moving, sometimes funny, always interesting narration of what rural life was and is like for him in The Road to Appledore: Or How I Went to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place. We get glimpses, in his perceptive writing as to what it’s like to live with others in a remote place, even if they’re not physically close. There’s a certain community that emerges amongst those who live close to nature, not to mention bears or other non-human species. We also see the satisfaction that Tom has in growing his own food, as well as flowers that make life itself a little more beautiful. Tom Wayman is the author of twenty poetry collections, three collections of critical and cultural essays, three books of short fiction, and a novel. He has edited six poetry collections as well. In 2022, he received the George Woodcock Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2015, he was named a Vancouver Literary Landmark, with a plaque on Commercial Drive commemorating his championing of people writing for themselves about their daily employment. He also spent many years teaching in both alternative and mainstream post-secondary institutions. Visit his website at www.tomwayman.com for more. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke three weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Tom Wayman; Mr. Wayman, good morning.The post Tom Wayman first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and broadcaster Steve Burgess discusses his new memoir Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel by Steve Burgess (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Reservations Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. I figured a new Steve Burgess book would be funny, full of the wry observations we’ve come to know him for throughout his many years as a feature writer and columnist. The book, Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel, is not just a funny book, but it’s also informative. He takes a serious look at the real cost of our holidaying, especially when a lot of us go someplace because it’s cheap, but it can be exploitative to those who live in the places where we go. Not to mention justifying using all that fuel whether by land, air, and sea, when we’re in the midst of a climate crisis. The book is also personal and introspective. We see through Mr. Burgess’s travels how much he learns about himself, especially when he finds himself elsewhere with somebody else. Steve takes us to all the places that have meant a lot to him over the years, whether it’s the month he spent in Japan, or his visits to Rome. Steve Burgess is a writer and broadcaster, who among other honours has received two Canadian National Magazine Awards. We’ll take some time to reflect on his broadcasting career. It was on CBC Newsworld that I remember him first from, when he hosted a talk show there. He is a contributing editor at The Tyee, and is an award-winning director of documentaries. His previous book, Who Killed Mom? was published in 2011, the first time he appeared on this program. His work has been featured in sundry publications including Reader’s Digest, Maclean’s, and The Globe and Mail. This new book is from Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke twelve days ago, with Steve joining me from here in Vancouver. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Steve Burgess; Mr. Burgess, good morning.The post Steve Burgess first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The acclaimed writer Sam Wiebe discusses his new novel Ocean Drive (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Ocean Drive by Sam Wiebe (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ocean Drive Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Sam Wiebe joins me again. He’s got a new novel out, and it’s terrific. Ocean Drive is set in White Rock, British Columbia, a seaside town close to the Canada-US border. The airport is not too far, and the City of Surrey is closer. And it’s a place ideal for criminal or nefarious elements. When the book begins, we meet Cameron Shaw, a paroled killer, who is offered a job infiltrating the League of Nations crime syndicate. He turns down the offer intending to go straight, but soon enough is drawn into this web after realising he has no job, no family or any prospects for either. While this is happening, we meet Meghan Quick, an RCMP officer who’s investigating a house fire where the body of Alexa Reed is found. As she delves into what happened, so begins Sam’s book, a taut novel that’s got criminals, the drug trade, brutal violence, all with this beautiful setting of White Rock. Sam Wiebe is the author of the Wakeland novels, one of the most acclaimed detective series in Canada. His books have won all sorts of awards, and gained loyal audiences here and abroad. As Nolan Chase, he has just published another novel A Lonesome Place for Dying. I’ll ask him about that book, and the taking on of a new persona.  The website for more is at www.samwiebe.com. Ocean Drive is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke two and a half weeks ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Sam Wiebe; Mr. Wiebe, good morning.The post Sam Wiebe first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The artist and filmmaker Cindy Mochizuki discusses her new documentary Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. I, like a lot of people in this town, have seen the photographs of Tamio Wakayama without realising who took the often stunning photos. He was the longtime photographer of the Powell Street Festival, helping found it, and doing many other works of service here in Vancouver, in and around the Japanese Canadian community, and other arts communities. A new documentary sheds some light on the life and times of Wakayama, who died in 2018. Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama is the title of the important film by the artist Cindy Mochizuki. In the film, she illuminates the work of Wakayama, whether it’s the midst of the Civil Rights movement in the United States in the 1960s, or in trips to Japan later on, or back in Vancouver when he returns to find his roots on the west coast. He was born in New Westminster in 1941, when he and his family are declared enemy aliens, and forced into an internment camp. This experience made him not just sympathetic but moved to action during the 1960s, when he goes to the United States to join SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was an important organisation in the Civil Rights movement. Wakayama arrives and does what he can like drive people or sweep up. He’s soon given a camera and told to document various events like protests and marches, and through SNCC’s publication The Student Voice, photography of what was going on was able to be circulated through the south and throughout the United States. As the film beautifully illustrates through interviews, animation, as well as the beautiful photographs Wakayama took, we see how Wakayama reconciles his early experiences with the internment, and his own cultural and political identity back in Canada. He’s such a unique and remarkable artist, that this journey to finding peace with his heritage and his family’s history, makes the film fascinating and visually stunning. Cindy Mochizuki is a multimedia Japanese Canadian artist, who works in various media like drawings, installations, performance, video works, and film. Visit www.cindymochizuki.com for more information. The first screening of this film is already sold out, but you know what it’s like in this town, if you show up Sunday afternoon at 5.00pm at The Cinematheque, there might be standby tickets. The next showing is next Thursday, 09 May 2024 at 12.30pm at SFU Downtown. Visit www.doxafestival.ca for tickets and information. We taped this interview one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Cindy Mochizuki; Ms. Mochizuki, good morning.The post Cindy Mochizuki first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning filmmaker Matt Finlin discusses his new documentary The Movie Man, a loving look at films as he captures cinema owner Keith Stata and his sprawling movie palace Highland Cinemas in Kinmount, Ontario, 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 terrific documentary that will screen at DOXA next week. The Movie Man is a fascinating film about films. And it’s told about a man in Kinmount, Ontario, Keith Stata, who many years ago sought to builds a movie theatre in the backwoods of cottage country Ontario. The town has only a few hundred residents, no longer has a gas station or a school, yet Stata’s Highland Cinemas is a movie palace with five screens. And it’s been a long running attraction especially in the summers when up to 50,000 people visit the area. Matt Finlin is the director of this new film, and I’ll ask him about the summers there, and the evenings he spent as a kid watching movies, surrounded by a fine collection of movie and pop culture memorabilia, not to mention Canada’s largest projector collection. As independent cinemas would close or switch to digital, Stata’s movie mecca would be the last stop for all sorts of projectors going back to the early days of cinema. Mr. Finlin, who joined me a couple of weeks ago, talks about the struggles of independent cinemas like Mr. Stata’s, what with the stranglehold the huge chains have on the moviegoing public, not to mention the surfeit of streaming offerings. And in the midst of filming this love letter to film, Matt captures Stata at his lowest, as the COVID-19 pandemic closes his cinema for at least a couple of seasons. Matt shows us how Keith copes, and how he continues to feed the many animals in and around the property, cats and racoons. The community steps up as you’ll see and brings over food donations for the menagerie he’s become responsible for. Visit www.themoviemanfilm.com for more information on the documentary. Matt Finlin has had a successful career in making award-winning documentaries, music videos, and commercials. His Twitter handle is @mattfinlin, and the website for more is at www.dkm.com; that’s for Door Knocker Media, the company at which he is partner and director. The Movie Man screens Tuesday, 07 May 2024 at The Cinematheque. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Matt Finlin; Mr. Finlin, good morning.The post Matt Finlin first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The filmmaker Rachel Epstein discusses her new documentary The Anarchist Lunch, playing at DOXA this week, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. There was a group of academics here in Vancouver, that four decades ago began a weekly lunch. They’re the subject of a new film, and as The Anarchist Lunch begins, we meet the group as it’s morphed, adapted and expanded dining at their regular spot, a favourite, Lin Chinese Cuisine on West Broadway. It’s 2018, and little did its filmmaker Rachel Epstein realise what would happen in the next few years to her father, Norman, one of the group’s founders, not leaders, and the various aging members. Most are of the left, representing various groups, like anti-war and anti-nuclear movements, advocates for climate justice, union organising, Palestinian liberation. We see members die off, but what happens in the spring of 2020, changes not just the arc of this film but group’s lives as we see them navigate the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom, and the inability to gather at their favourite Chinese restaurant. The film is a marvelous opportunity to reflect on activism, friendship, especially the male variety, and aging. Rachel Epstein is a long-time queer, Jewish activist, a mediator, fertility counsellor, and wedding officiant. Her Twitter handle is @RachelEpstein3. The film screens Friday, 03 May 2024 at 5.15pm at the VIFF Centre. For tickets and information visit www.doxafestival.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rachel Epstein; Rachel, good morning.The post Rachel Epstein first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The playwright Kamila Sediego discusses her new play Homecoming, which is having its world premiere at The Cultch (02-12 May 2024), with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Starting Thursday at the Historic Theatre at The Cultch is the world premiere of Homecoming, a play by Kamila Sediego. She joins me now to talk about the show, that features three generations of Filipino women, who hop between an ocean and time, memory and dreams. The show is part of The Cultch’s seventh annual Femme Festival. I’ll ask Ms. Sediego, who joins me now about the show that reflects on cultural identity and familial duty, and in that important context of being from The Philippines, and coming to a place like Canada. It’s a personal story, and universal at the same time. I’ll ask Kamila about its genesis, and the place she writes from as somebody being born here, and finding her way to her roots. It’s a journey that not all of us take, and certainly not at the same time. Kamila Sediego is a playwright and dramaturg, who is a Playwrights Theatre Centre Associate, and a resident dramaturg of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s Creation Lab. She is also the creator of Engkanto. Homecoming begins in previews Thursday, 02 May 2024, and runs until Sunday, 12 May 2024. Visit www.thecultch.com for tickets and information. It will also run 14-18 May 2024 at the Evergreen Centre in Coquitlam. Homecoming is directed by Hazel Venzon, and its cast includes Rhea Casido, Lissa Neptuno, Lisa Goebel, Carmela Sison, and Aura Carcueva. We taped this interview one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kamila Sediego; Ms. Sediego, good morning.The post Kamila Sediego first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The playwright and novelist John MacLachlan Gray discusses his new novel Mr. Good-Evening (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Mr. Good-Evening by John MacLachlan Gray (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Mr. Good-Evening Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. John MacLachlan Gray joins me again. The distinguished playwright and novelist joins me to talk about the latest in Raincoast Noir series of books set in Vancouver in the 1920s. Mr. Good-Evening begins with a gruesome murder. Dora Decker is accused of stabbing her stockbroker employer to death twenty-five times with a high-heeled shoe. The book evokes the press of the day so well as newspapers shape and influence public opinion as the sensational murder case makes the news. Decker is arrested, and details of her, her employer, the murder itself are plastered on the newspapers not just here but around the world. The media itself is evolving as the book begins, as the advent of radio ushers in a new way to communicate, not to mention capture the public’s imagination. Ed McCurdy, a former muckraking journalist, is lured to the airwaves becoming one of the first radio personalities, not just in Vancouver but across the country. His nightly broadcasts make him a draw for audiences, and possibly a target of murder. Inspector Calvin Hook is another character, who pieces together the mystery of the murder at the start of the book, to the wet, boozy streets of 1920s Vancouver being somehow connected to Al Capone, Churchill, and a mystical cult on De Courcy Island. And it’s not stretch, considering the there was a cult at that time, on that island. I’ll get Mr. Gray, who joined me earlier this month, to tell us as much as he’d like about this book, the characters, and the Vancouver that all of this is set in. It’s such an eventful period in Vancouver’s history, and great inspiration for this book and the previous two, 2021’s Vile Sprits, and 2017’s The White Angel, which he first appeared on the program with. John MacLachlan Gray is a writer-composer-performer for stage, film, television, radio, and print. He is best known for his stage musicals, including the phenomenon Billy Bishop Goes to War. He is the recipient of the Governor General’s Medal, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, John MacLachlan Gray; Mr. Gray, good morning.The post John MacLachlan Gray first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning poet and educator Matt Rader discusses his new collection of poetry Fine (Nightwood Editions, 2024), with Joseph Planta. Fine by Matt Rader (Nightwood Editions, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Fine Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Matt Rader joins me again. The award-winning poet and educator has a new collection out, Fine. It’s a collection that is largely set in the Kelowna area of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. And it’s set in recent times, over the summer of 2021 to June of 2022. It’s a time of the ongoing pandemic, there was the heat dome of June 2021, the atmospheric river of November 2021, the announcement of hundreds of unmarked residential school graves across Canada, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more. I’ll ask Matt about the existential dread that seems to follow poems in this collection. I’ll ask about what the future might look like, and whether there might be hope for us, the planet, and even within Matt’s own sense of the present. There are poems in this collection that grapple with questions of disability, illness, trans identity, and healing, as well as Matt’s remarkable gift at looking closely at the world just outside our door. As he evokes the Okanagan Valley in poems in this collection, you feel as though you’re there even if you’ve never been there with the attentive wonderment that Matt displays in his work and life. Matt Rader is the author of six volumes of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a book of nonfiction. His previous book Ghosthawk was shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. He teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, where he joined me from three weeks ago. This new collection is from Nightwood Editions. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Matt Rader; Professor Rader, good morning.The post Matt Rader first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and poet Shō Yamagushiku discusses his debut poetry collection shima (McClelland & Stewart, 2024), with Joseph Planta. shima by Shō Yamagushiku (McClelland & Stewart, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: shima Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. In the midst of Poetry Month, I’m joined now by Shō Yamagushiku. He’s just published a new collection of poetry, shima. I’ll ask him about what the word shima means, and how the poems in this book relate to that idea of community, and where one comes from and how one belongs, despite the distance between generations. We’ll talk about his poetry, and how the idea of home, whether his own, or his ancestors is reachable or even understood. We’ll also talk about the idea of roots, dreaming, and how he writes. Shō Yamagushiku is an independent writer and researcher. He joined me from Victoria, BC last month. This is his first poetry collection, and it’s published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Shō Yamagushiku; Mr. Yamagushiku, good morning.The post Shō Yamagushiku first appeared on thecommentary.ca.