Tag Archives: CBC

The Thieves of Time and Waking Wonder: Writing as Discovery and the Stone-Carver’s Art

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

After weeks of too little sleep, I have had two terrible half-nights awake. These torturous midnight hours of hazy, half-insomniac puzzles and quandaries and obsessions, the darkness that infuses weariness into the bone-soul of life… I would purchase a single … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged academic writing, C.S. Lewis, CBC, Dymer, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, JP Saxe, L.M. Montgomery, Q, The Screwtape Letters, Till We Have Faces, writing | 8 Comments

Canadian Authors the Prime Minister Forgot to Read (a #canadareads post)

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Narcity did this little piece last week: “Justin Trudeau Wants Everyone To Read More Canadian Books & Here Are Some Options.” The Prime Minister mentions: Margaret Atwood L.M. Montgomery Douglas Coupland Robertson Davies Heather O’Neill This is all in celebration … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Afrofuturism, apocalyptic literature, Canada Reads, CBC, dystopia, Emily St. John Mandel, Guy Gavriel Kay, L.M. Montgomery, Louise Bernice Halfe, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Margaret Atwood, Mark Sampson, Michael Crummey, Miriam Toews, Nalo Hopkins, The Fionavar Tapestry, Trudeau, Yann Martel | 16 Comments

My “Spin Time” Session as Guest DJ on CBC

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Here is a super local moment on this global blog: I have recently been the Spin Time DJ on our local afternoon CBC radio show, Mainstreet. That means that on the Friday drive home, I got to choose 3 songs … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged Bad Day, Blue Like Jazz, C.S. Lewis, CBC, Chagall Guevara, Dan Fogelberg, Daniel Powter, Kiss Me, L.M. Montgomery, Leader of the Band, Sarah MacLaughlan, Sixpence None the Richer, Steve Taylor, The Screwtape Letters, Walt Whitman | 8 Comments

Nnedi Okorafor Deep Future Story for the Moment, Binti

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

What a discovery Binti has been for me! In Binti (2015), Home (2017), and The Night Masquerade (2018), Dr. Nnedi Okorafor has given us a living, vibrant, complex character in literary SF prose. Binti is the award-winning novella of a young African woman … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged Afrofuturism, Binti, CBC, Deep Futurism, Lagoon, Neil Gaiman, Nnedi Okorafor, The Night Masquerade, Transhumanism | 10 Comments

The Beardmore Sword: How a Viking sword ended up in Northern Ontario (Friday Feature)

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

In 1931, the so-called “Beardmore sword” was reportedly discovered in Thunder Bay, Ontario, alongside several other Norse artifacts. James Edward Dodd claimed he found them while prospecting for gold in the area. The objects appear to be Norwegian in manufacture with estimated … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday | Tagged aboriginal, Canada, CBC, L'Anse aux Meadows, medieval times, Newfoundland, Vikings | 10 Comments

In Memory of Stuart McLean (Friday Feature)

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

My family was saddened to learn of the passing of Stuart McLean. You probably don’t know him. Canadian actors and comedians do well in New York and Hollywood. We, like the Brits, enjoy dry wit and satire, but our radio … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Guest Blogs, News & Links | Tagged Canada, CBC, humour, Stuart McLean, Vinyl Cafe | 3 Comments

sabbath unplugged

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Author Doug Coupland argued that when we reach a certain level of technological connectivity we can’t go back. We are lost when we leave our cell phone at home. When we get our new Smart Phone platform or the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged CBC, Douglas Coupland, evangelicalism, Geez, Generation X, Kurt Cobain, Leonard Sweet, pop culture, sabbath, tech sabbath, technology, The Matrix, theology, Theology of Culture | 22 Comments

H.G. Wells Was Right: The Martians are Coming!

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Well, maybe. According to scientists, there are mysterious plumes of gas on the surface of Mars. On Feb 19, 2015, CBC reported: The plumes were first spotted in March and April 2012 by more than a dozen amateur astronomers using … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged aliens, CBC, H.G. Wells, Hubble Telescope, Mars, science, Science Fiction, The War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise | 6 Comments

The Crash of Heart and Flesh, or Culture’s Confusion of Intimacy in 50 Shades of Grey

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Behind the hazy waves of light, distilled and fragmented with reds and blues and yellows and flashes of street and skin, one of the many storied voices of the 2004 film Crash says these words: “It’s the sense of touch. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged 50 Shades of Grey, BDSM, CBC, Crash (2004), Fifty Shades of Grey, Friends, intimacy, Jian Ghomeshi, pop culture, sex, social media, Theology of Culture, violence | 18 Comments

Storytelling and Art

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This morning I was listening to the CBC radio show “Q” with Jian Gomeshi. This is a Canadian arts and culture radio magazine that we do really well, and the secret is slowly getting out as the show has gone … Continue reading →