Tag Archives: CBC

What if you were held accountable for every word you ever said?” Malcolm Guite on CBC’s Tapestry with Mary Hynes (Feature Friday)

I am part of a great session in Eastern Europe on imagination and the Inklings later today (7pm East Europe time; 12noon Eastern EST) with poet-theologian Malcolm Guite and George MacDonald scholar and life-rich resonator, Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson. You can … Continue reading

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

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

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

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

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My “Spin Time” Session as Guest DJ on CBC

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

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Nnedi Okorafor’s Deep Future Story for the Moment, Binti

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 , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

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

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

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In Memory of Stuart McLean (Friday Feature)

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

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sabbath unplugged

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

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

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

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

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments