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The distinguished editor John Metcalf discusses the six Canadian writers (Caroline Adderson, Kristyn Dunnion, Cynthia Flood, Shaena Lambert, Elise Levine, and Kathy Page) he’s in conversation with in the new collection he’s edited Off the Record (Biblioasis, 2023), with Joseph Planta. We Need Everyone edited by John Metcalf (Biblioasis, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Off the Record Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. John Metcalf joins me now. The distinguished editor recently published Off the Record, a book that features conversations between Mr. Metcalf and six noted Canadian writers, Caroline Adderson, Kristyn Dunnion, Cynthia Flood, Shaena Lambert, Elise Levine, and Kathy Page. The conversations are about how each of these writers arrived at writing, and they’re candid and revelatory about the work of a writer, or family life, or the process of working with John Metcalf himself. These are rich conversations yielding relatable advice and inspiration for the writer or non-writer alike. Accompanying the conversations edited by Mr. Metcalf, is a short story written by each writer providing further insight into the craft. John Metcalf has been one of the leading editors in Canada for more than five decades editing over two hundred books, including eighteen volumes of the Best Canadian Stories anthology. He is also the author of more than a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction including Finding Again in the World, Vital Signs, and An Aesthetic Underground, among others. In 2004, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. He is the senior fiction editor at Biblioasis, who also publish this new book. We taped this interview three weeks ago, with Mr. Metcalf joining me from his home in Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, John Metcalf; Mr. Metcalf, good morning.The post John Metcalf first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The artistic director of Mitch and Murray Productions Aaron Craven discusses their new production that he’s directing, Mike Bartlett’s An Intervention, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Aaron Craven joins me again. The artistic director of Mitch and Murray Productions, actor and playwright is at the helm of another production of a Mike Bartlett play, the Canadian premiere of An Intervention. It’s at Performance Works on Granville Island starting this Friday, 08 March 2024 running until 17 March 2024. We spoke two weeks ago, just as rehearsals were to start with the play’s two actors: Kate Craven and Christiaan Westerveld. The play is a look at the friendship of two people as they navigate personal divisions over a war in the Middle East. The dilemma as to whether one friend should intervene in a friend’s personal conflict is where the title of the work comes from. I’ll ask Mr. Craven about the show, the wit and intellect that the playwright deploys therein, and timeliness of the work and this production. Visit www.mitchandmurrayproductions.com for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Aaron Craven; Mr. Craven, good morning.The post Aaron Craven first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Melissa Manchester discusses her new album RE:VIEW (2024), her versatile career, 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. Melissa Manchester joins me now. Her twenty-fifth album RE:VIEW will be released tomorrow, featuring ten songs, fresh takes on her Billboard-charted classic hits; she’s had nineteen of them. Right now, she’s playing the role of Mrs. Brice in the national tour of Funny Girl, but we spoke in early December about the songs on this new album, writing music, singing, her friends, and her fifty-year career which includes a Grammy Award for 1982’s “You Should Hear How She Talks About You,” and nominations for “Don’t Cry Out Loud” in 1980, which are redone on this new album, alongside other hits “Come in From the Rain,” “Confide in Me,” and her first hit in 1975, “Midnight Blue.” The new recording on this album is a duet with Dolly Parton. Another duet partner on RE:VIEW is Kenny Loggins, who with Dave Koz, sing with Ms. Manchester on the album’s opening track, “Whenever I Call You Friend.” Melissa Manchester’s website is at www.melissamanchester.com, where you can read more about her long and versatile career as a songwriter, singer and actress on both stage and screen. In 2021, she was inducted into the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Hall of Fame. She is also the recipient of the Governor’s Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This new album is from Green Hill, which is a subsidiary of Primary Wave Music. You can get the album tomorrow, Friday, 23 February 2024 everywhere including Apple Music and Spotify. She joined me from Los Angeles. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Melissa Manchester; Ms. Manchester, good morning.The post Melissa Manchester first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The celebrated jazz pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton discusses her work, upcoming performances in Vancouver at Frankie’s Jazz Club (01, 02 March 2024), and her new album Cory Weeds Meets Champian Fulton Every Now and Then (release date: 12 April 2024), with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Champian Fulton joins me now. The acclaimed jazz pianist and vocalist is in British Columbia this week, tonight in Nanaimo, Thursday in Victoria, and Friday in Maple Ridge. She’s on tour with Vancouver’s Cory Weeds, a longtime collaborator, as they perform songs off their upcoming album, Cory Weeds Meets Champian Fulton Every Now and Then. It comes out in April, but there’s a track off the album available now on Apple Music. I caught up with Ms. Fulton last week, and we talked about working with Weeds, this new album, performing, and the timeless music from the Great American Songbook and beyond that she sings and plays so well. Next week, there are dates in the Southwest, in San Antonio and Phoenix, before two nights at Frankie’s Jazz Club here in Vancouver, March 1st and 2nd, 2024. Visit www.frankiesjazzclub.ca for reservations. Champian Fulton is considered one of her generation’s most gifted pure jazz musicians. She’s a mainstay in New York City’s jazz scene, taking the town by storm ever since she left Oklahoma, her state of birth. Visit www.champian.net for more information. The new album will be released April 12th. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Champian Fulton; Ms. Fulton, good morning.The post Champian Fulton first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The community leader and author Michael Redhead Champagne discusses his new book for young readers We Need Everyone (Highwater Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta. We Need Everyone by Michael Redhead Champagne (Highwater Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: We Need Everyone Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Michael Redhead Champagne joins me now. He’s just published a children’s book, his first, We Need Everyone. I’ll ask him about it, and the important lessons therein. Michael’s life’s work is building community through justice, equity, and love. Empowering children with the realisation that they have gifts that are useful and needed in our world today is the key to this book. Some young people, hell even adults don’t think they have any discernable gifts. This book outlines a number of traits and habits that are indeed necessary for a better world. I’ll ask Michael about some of them, and just how important they are to foster and encourage in young people. Michael Redhead Champagne is a community leader from Winnipeg’s North End with family roots in the Shamattawa First Nation. He’s also a noted public speaker, host, and storyteller. Visit www.michaelredheadchampagne.com for more. This new book is published by Highwater Press. We spoke two weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michael Redhead Champagne; Michael, good morning.The post Michael Redhead Champagne first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The distinguished thinker and philanthropist Yosef Wosk discusses his memoir Naked in a Pyramid: Travels & Observations (Anvil Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Naked in a Pyramid: Travels & Observations by Yosef Wosk (Anvil Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Naked in a Pyramid Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Yosef Wosk joins me now. He has been described as somebody who frequently helps others but remains a stranger. In a new memoir, Naked in a Pyramid: Travels & Observations we catch glimpses of the man, his thoughts, and his many adventures around the world. The title of the book describes an episode when the day after Wosk climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza at midnight, he returned alone to meditate, spoiler alert: en déshabillé. We read his inner most thoughts as he travels to the South Pole, and the North Pole. We follow his journeys of thought and higher learning. He is an ordained rabbi, who holds Ph.Ds in Religion & Literature (Boston University), as well as in Psychology, and masters degrees in Education (Yeshiva University), and Theology (Harvard). He writes generously of his teachers and the influence that great thinkers and artists have had on his life, such as Leonard Cohen, Elie Wiesel, and many others who he’s learned from in various fields of thought and endeavour. The book is meditative as well as generously allows for the reader to wander through their own thoughts, to one’s own travels, experiences, and remember their own teachers. Yosef, who joined me earlier this week, writes of his family, their arrival to Canada, their endeavours in the community as well as their philanthropy. I’ll ask about the roots of his and his family’s generosity, as well as the existential questions one might have about life and death itself, themes that Yosef thoughtfully and fascinatingly discusses in the book. Yosef Wosk is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of British Columbia, and a recipient of the City of Vancouver’s Freedom of the City. He has founded hundreds of libraries on all seven continents, supported museums worldwide, and endowed Vancouver’s Poet Laureate program, among many other philatrophic endeavours. You can read more at his website www.yosefwosk.org. This new book is published by Anvil Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Yosef Wosk; Dr. Wosk, good morning.The post Yosef Wosk first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The journalist and writer Morgan Campbell discusses his new memoir My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines That Made Us (McClelland & Stewart, 2024), with Joseph Planta. My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines That Made Us by Morgan Campbell (McClelland & Stewart, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: My Fighting Family Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Morgan Campbell joins me now. He’s just published a memoir, My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines That Made Us. It’s a book about his family that fought a lot. It’s also about his family’s migration from the United States to Canada. It’s about race, racism, and coming-of-age as somebody who is Black. It’s also about music. It’s about family, family relations, and grudges. Two unforgettable characters in the book, Morgan’s maternal grandfather, Claude Jones, a noted pianist and jazz contemporary and friend of Oscar Peterson and George Shearing, was a legendary grudge holder, as was his paternal grandmother, Mary. She lived in Chicago, but despite the geographical distance, she cast a shadow on the family; there were resentments and betrayals. The growth of Morgan, a noted writer and award-winning journalist is throughout the book. We see that in the music he likes, and the popular culture he consumes. The way he watches television or listens to radio would be somewhat foreign to somebody coming of age today, and he lovingly chronicles that in the book. In his search for identity, Morgan also writes about the touchstones that shaped his life like sport, football in particular, as well as James Baldwin. It’s exciting to read Morgan as a young man encounter Baldwin’s writing, and what that changes in Morgan’s mind and outlook. For over eighteen years, Morgan Campbell worked at the Toronto Star establishing himself as one of Canada’s eminent sports writers. He is currently a senior contributor at CBC Sports, and a contributor to the New York Times. His noted writing has highlighted the intersections of sport with race, culture, politics, and business. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. We spoke this past Friday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Morgan Campbell; Mr. Campbell, good morning.The post Morgan Campbell first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and educator Beth Kaplan discusses her new collection of essays MidLife Solo: Writing Through Chaos to Find My Way in the World (Mosaic Books, 2023), with Joseph Planta. MidLife Solo: Writing Through Chaos to Find My Way in the World by Beth Kaplan (Mosaic Books, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Midlife Solo Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Beth Kaplan joins me again. She’s just published a new collection of essays, MidLife Solo: Writing Through Chaos to Find My Way in the World. It follows Beth, who at forty with two young children, divorces from their father. There are essays here about therapy, about raising two kids as a single parent, how to make ends meet as a creative, writing and getting published for the first time, as well as growing older. Beth is in her seventies now, and there’s no stopping her. She teaches, and she continues to write. The book is relatable in many ways, and there’ll be something in the book that will tug at a heartstring, or prompt you to do something in your own life. Throughout the book, family members grow, as well as others flow in and out of Beth’s life. And we see Beth in these twenty-five years or so grow not just as a parent and writer, but as a person. I’ll talk to Beth about the book and more. A teacher for over thirty years now at Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Toronto, Beth Kaplan, spent her twenties as an actress, before taking on motherhood raising two children. Her essays, some of which appear in this book, have appeared in sundry publications including the Globe and Mail. She’s also broadcast some of them on CBC Radio. Her website is at www.bethkaplan.ca. Beth was first on the program in December 2020, when her previous book, Loose Woman was published. This new book is from Mosaic Books. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Beth Kaplan; Ms. Kaplan, good morning.The post Beth Kaplan first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The director of the 39th Annual Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival Dana Camil Hewitt previews this year’s festival (10-15 February 2024), with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. The 39th Annual Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival begins Saturday, 10 February 2024 and joining me to preview the events is the festival’s director Dana Camil Hewitt. They actually had an event yesterday afternoon, with Bernard Pinsky in honour of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a prologue to this year’s program of events showcasing Jewish writers and non-Jewish writers with Jewish interest subject matter. I’ll ask Dana to preview the events she’s looking forward to, authors she’s programmed in the interest of important discussions amid our challenging times. The opening event features Michael Posner and his landmark biography of Leonard Cohen. Yosef Wosk, a great supporter of the festival, will appear with his memoir, Naked in a Pyramid, which I’m reading right now, and is a terrific read. I’ll ask Dana about Rudolf Vrba, the subject of a new book by Jonathan Freedland, as well as the events for young readers such as an appearance by Eric Kimmel. Allen Levine, who’s been on the program in the past, will be in town to talk about his novel Details are Unprintable. Another previous guest on the program, actually he’s been on twice, Sean Michaels, will also be appearing this year. And I’ll get Dana to talk about the epilogue event, later in the month, 25 February 2024 with Israeli author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. You can visit www.jccgv.com for tickets and more information on the festival. We taped this interview one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Dana Camil Hewitt; Ms. Hewitt, good morning.The post Dana Camil Hewitt first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The actress and singer Eleanora Owen discusses Being Piaf, which she stars in and is coming to the PAL Studio Theatre, 08-11 February 2024, with Joseph Planta. Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. If you’re a Vancouverite of a certain age, the name Famous Artists will remind you of the late Hugh Pickett’s storied promotion company that brought all manner of show business personalities to town, as Pickett put it, “from Lillian Gish to Elvis Presley.” Famous Artists is the name, with Pickett’s blessing, of the production company run by Bill Allman, that’s bringing Being Piaf to town, 08-11 February 2024 at the PAL Studio Theatre. It’s a unique solo performance starring Eleanora Owen, who takes on the persona and character of the legendary Edith Piaf in a show that examines The Little Sparrow’s artistry and life itself. Ms. Owen, who’s performed the show in Los Angeles, and New York City, and who joins me now, will take the show to London, England later this year, but not before coming to Vancouver. I’ll ask Eleanora about coming to town, about this show, and what it is about Piaf’s life and music that makes her one of the more captivating and memorable performers ever. Eleanora’s Instagram handle is @eleanoraowen3. She is an actress, singer, writer, and dancer. She is a graduate of Hollywood High School, and UCLA, where she studied drama. Visit www.famousartists.ca for tickets and information on the show. We taped this interview ten days ago, with Eleanora joining me from Los Angeles. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Eleanora Owen; Ms. Owen, good morning.The post Eleanora Owen first appeared on thecommentary.ca.