Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Joshua Beamish joins me now. The inaugural performance of Ballet Vancouver, the city’s first professional ballet company is at the Vancouver Playhouse 23-25 April 2026. I’ll ask Mr. Beamish about After the Rain & Other Works, which features the Vancouver premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain, a work commissioned by New York City Ballet, and beloved by companies around the world. I’ll get Joshua to tell us about Ballet Vancouver and the vision they all have for creating a home for the classical art form, so that the many artists that have long come from Vancouver need not leave for other companies around the world. The performances will also feature a world premiere co-created by Mr. Beamish and Gitxsan Indigenous fashion designer Yolonda Skelton, with a score by Cree composer Cris Derksen. Visit www.balletvancouver.com for tickets and information. We taped this interview two weeks ago, with Joshua joining me from here in Vancouver. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Joshua Beamish; Mr. Beamish, good morning. 

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Opera Unbound has a world premiere this week of a chamber opera, The Fox. Based on the 1922 D.H. Lawrence novella, the opera is composed by Roan Shankaruk, who joins me now. I’ll ask Roan about what inspired her to write this piece, and the complexities depicted when it comes to relationships and power dynamics, as well as diverse sexualities. The operatic stage makes the Lawrence work ripe for an adaptation, and I’ll ask Roan why. The opera will be staged at The Annex starting this Friday, 17 April 2026, through to Sunday, 19 April 2026. Visit www.operaunbound.com for tickets and information. Roan Shankaruk is a composer, singer, instrumentalist, visual artist, and actor. Her website is at www.girl-in-boots.com. The production is directed by Christopher Lam. We spoke ten days ago, with Roan joining me from here in Vancouver. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Roan Shankaruk; Roan, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

The Royal City Musical Theatre is a tradition for so many not just in and around New Westminster, but throughout Metro Vancouver. Since 1989, their award-winning productions have been the highlight of the spring for theatregoers. It’s no different this year as they premiere Shrek: The Musical starting this Friday, 17 April and running until 03 May 2026 at the Massey Theatre. Making its Broadway debut in 2008, the show had a life before as an award-winning and critically acclaimed animated feature. On stage, the show has taken on a new life delighting audiences for nearly twenty years now. Chris Adams was recently named the permanent artistic director of the Royal City Musical Theatre; he’s been serving as the interim director for the last couple of seasons. He joins me now to preview the show, and to talk about the musical that features the beloved characters of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona, among others. I’ll ask Chris about the hilarity in the show and the themes of self-acceptance and inclusivity. And I’ll get Chris to tell us about the David Lindsay Abaire and Janine Tesori score. Chris is also involved with Raincity Theatre, and I’ll ask him about their upcoming production of Sunday in the Park with George. Visit www.royalcitymusicaltheatre.com for tickets and information. We spoke two weeks ago with Chris joining me from New Westminster. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris Adams; Mr. Adams, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Susan Aglukark joins me now. The legendary singer-songwriter will share the bill, Sunday evening, 12 April 2026 at the Chan Shun Concert Hall, with acclaimed throat-singing duo PIQSIQ. Part of the Chan Centre’s Made in Canada series, this evening featuring Inuit artists, who on their own have captivated Vancouver audiences previously. I’ll ask Susan, who I spoke to earlier this week, about coming to Vancouver, and her storied career. She was the first Inuk artist to ever win a JUNO Award, and last year, celebrated the 30^th anniversary of her album This Child, which featured the hit O Siem. I’ll ask her about her music, and about writing and performing. Last year, she also released her memoir Kihiani, co-written with our old friend Andrea Warner. That was released to great reviews. I’ll ask Ms. Aglukark about her activism as well. As the founder of the Arctic Rose Project, she’s worked to provide Inuit and Northern Indigenous youth safe spaces for arts and literacy programs. Visit www.chancentre.com for tickets and information. Since This Child, Susan Aglukark has gone on to write and record ten albums and win three more JUNOs. Other than her memoir, she’s authored two children’s books, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement. Visit www.susanaglukark.com for more. Again, the concert is Sunday, 12 April 2026 at 7.30pm. We spoke this past Monday, with Susan joining me from Oakville, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Susan Aglukark; Ms. Aglukark, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

There is no shortage of food influencers on social media as well as vloggers on food online on platforms like YouTube. But how many good ones are there? I found myself curious about what I felt are the good ones, you know the ones that actually know what good food is, likely because they know how to cook or at the very least their way around the kitchen; and aren’t just consumers for the sake of aesthetics or what’s trendy. An important thing for me in my viewing of the type of video, is whether the people reviewing actually pay for their own meals. We’ve all heard the stories of Instagram personalities shaking down restaurants, or exploiting their perceived influence in other ways. As I continued to watch the regulars I enjoy, I figured I should invite them on the program to find out why they do what they do, what places they enjoy eating at, how they navigate the waters of ethics when it comes to filming and paying, and how they’re able to find good places to eat that provide good value even in this economy. I reached out to seven longtime duos or personalities, but have only heard back from two, one which declined. Four haven’t even responded. I’ll give them the benefit of doubt that it’s likely an email issue like a spam filter. But if they’re listening, they’re welcome on the program in the coming weeks. Joining me now are Rob and Laurel Bailey of Global Feast. They’ve written and blogged about travels around the world, as well as experiences in their own kitchen in their home on Bowen Island, where I reached them last week. They’re often in Vancouver, especially on Kingsway in Vancouver and Burnaby, as well as in Richmond trying all sorts of cuisines, showcasing good food, often mom and pop operations, or holes-in-the-wall, eschewing chains. I ask them about what they’re looking for when they go out and eat, and their recent travels to Southeast Asia. See their weekly videos on YouTube. The channel’s called Global Feast, or Global_Feast. They’re funny, and you’ll often get great tips as to places to go. As well, visit their website atwww.real-food.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rob and Laurel Bailey; Mr. And Mrs. Bailey, good morning.  

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Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin by Sunny Dhillon (Wolsak and Wynn, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Hide and Sikh

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

I was a fan of Sunny Dhillon when he was a reporter at the Globe and Mail based out of the bureau here in Vancouver. In 2018, he leaves the paper, and in a public piece that got a lot of attention at the time, cites the difficulties of being a journalist of colour, and how that seemingly didn’t matter to his editors. The episode and its fallout are written about in his new book, Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin. It’s an often-touching memoir, that’s also funny. It’s a series of letters to his daughter where he recounts what it’s been like living in Canada as somebody who isn’t white. I could relate to a lot of the experiences Mr. Dhillon writes about growing up, and as he moves through life as an adult. The anecdotes about being a parent are moving, and more painful moments about experiencing prejudice or being stereotyped are important to read about, even if they seem bewildering. I remain a big fan of Sunny’s because he writes about tough subjects with an honesty that’s refreshing. There’s also some optimism, even if we’re finding it tough at times. Sunny Dhillon is a former news reporter, who has also appeared on television and radio, and spoken at conferences. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia. He is currently attending law school. The book is published by Wolsak and Wynn. He joined me from Ottawa ten days ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Sunny Dhillon; Mr. Dhillon, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, based on the Rick Riordan novels is one of the most popular musicals produced today. It is the top licensed musical in the Concord Theatricals catalog since its premiere in 2014. Since then, the show’s opened on Broadway, and has had productions throughout the world, including an Original London Cast Recording that’s out now from Center Stage Records. The new album features fifteen minutes of musical material not on the original cast recording, and it brings to life the record-breaking West End production. Rob Rokicki, who wrote the musical’s music and lyrics joins me now to talk about the album, writing the show’s score, and the life this show has had beyond the 2014 run off-Broadway, two US tours, another off-Broadway run in 2017, and a 16-week limited run on Broadway in 2019. I’ll ask about how he came to write the score, as well as how he writes. Visit www.robrokicki.com for more. We spoke ten days ago, with Rob joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rob Rokicki; Mr. Rokicki, good morning. 

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Jennifer Copping joins me now. She’s directing the new Mitch and Murray production of Harm, by the British playwright Pheobe Eclair-Powell. I’ll ask Ms. Copping about the play, which is having its North American premiere, a timely play that is described by its publisher as a “thrilling, twisted and razor-sharp comedy on the corrosive effects of social media and isolation.” The production features a solo performance by Kelli Ogmundson, who plays an estate agent who develops an unhealthy obsession with a social media influencer. I’ll ask Jennifer about working with her, and what audiences to Studio 16 at 1577 West 7^th Avenue, can expect when they see the show between 20-29 March 2026. Visit www.mitchandmurrayproductions.com for tickets and information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jennifer Copping; Ms. Copping, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

At the Museum of Anthropology, starting Thursday, 19 March 2026, and running through to 03 January 2027, is the world premiere exhibition of Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision. It’s an exhibit curated by Peruvian anthropology professor Luis Manuel González, who joins me now. I’ll ask him about teaching at the University of British Columbia, and going through the Museum’s collection of ancient Andean artifacts from ceramic, textile, bone, shell, and wood. There are items going back over 2,500 years. I’ll ask Luis about what this word from the Indigenous Andean language of Quechua, Tupananchiskama means, and what he hopes visitors to the Museum will get out of this exhibit. Visit the museum’s website for more information: www.moa.ubc.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Luis Manuel González; Professor González, good morning.

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Outspoken: A Journey from Olympic Athlete to Activist by Betty Baxter (Nightwood Editions, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Outspoken

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Betty Baxter joins me now. She’s just published a memoir, Outspoken: A Journey from Olympic Athlete to Activist. In the book she recounts her experiences growing up in a small town in Alberta, to finding sport, and going on to play volleyball representing Canada abroad, even playing in the 1976 Olympics. The book narrates the reality of sports then as now, and how there are inequities that still need addressing. In 1980, Baxter becomes the first woman to coach the Canadian women’s volleyball team. But in January 1982, at the age of twenty-nine, she was fired because of rumours about her sexual orientation. There was never a question of misconduct, which surrounded some of her male colleagues one should note. She talks about that and the devastating effect it had on her career, and even how she viewed sports themselves. I’ll ask Betty about why she wrote the book, and what she’s had to work through over the years. For a while, because of the firing, she couldn’t even set foot in a gymnasium, she felt so unmoored by the firing. I’ll ask Betty about leadership too, and about the 1990 Gay Games, which she played an important part in bringing to Vancouver. Betty Baxter also initiated the National Coaching School for Women, and founded Canadian Women & Sport. After her expulsion in 1982 as Canada’s national coach, she became an outspoken activist for 2SLGBTQIA+ community and human rights. In 1993, she was the first open lesbian to seek federal office in Vancouver Centre, and in 2011 she was elected to her local school board, serving two terms. This new book is published by Nightwood Editions. We spoke last week, with Betty joining me from Roberts Creek, British Columbia. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Betty Baxter; Betty, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Guillaume Côté joins me now. The celebrated ballet dancer and choreographer will be coming to town 18-21 March 2026 with the BC premiere of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, which he’s choreographed and will star in. Created by Côté and director Robert Lepage, the full-length production explores the Shakespeare work’s themes of power, betrayal and inner turmoil through movement, evocative lighting, and minimal set design. And the reviews have been quite good wherever the show’s played. A number have pointed out the timeliness of the piece, and I’ll ask Guillaume about the relevance of Hamlet today. This is a production of Ex Machina and Côté Danse, at the Vancouver Playhouse. Guillaume Côté retired from the National Ballet of Canada in the spring of 2025, after being a principal dancer there since 2004, and joining the company in 1998. He was educated at Canada’s National Ballet School, and in his long career has been a guest performer at various companies around the world including Teatro alla Scala, English National Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre, among many others. In 2021, he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec. Visit www.dancehouse.ca for tickets and information. We spoke one week ago, with Guillaume in between performances of Hamlet at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Guillaume Côté; Monsieur Côté, good morning.

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Other Endings: Organ Transplantation and the Burdens of Hope by Anita Slominska (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Other Endings

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

There’s a fascinating and engaging book out now on organ donation, but other than statistics or research, which the book has, it also is the personal story of the author, and her sister Shauna Saunders who was listed for a liver transplant, the only curative treatment for her end-stage liver disease, but who died waiting for a donor organ in 2003 at the age of 29. Joining me now is Anita Slominska, who has written Other Endings: Organ Transplantation and the Burdens of Hope. It honours Shauna’s life by telling her story, and narrates the agonising wait for a liver, and the precipitous decline as none turned up. The book began as part of Anita’s post-graduate work in an interdisciplinary health studies program that researched organ donation. And it’s not just the statistics of how many organs are donated, but the ethics of organ donation, and the realities of how organs get donated. The fact that somebody has to die, or be dying, and often in gruesome circumstances, gets overlooked when we’re hearing of a “gift of life” or a “second chance” or even “rebirth” when a new organ is found. Anita looks at how often organ transplantation fails as well, and the reality that there are lots of people year after year who die waiting. It’s a compelling memoir; raw and intimate. Anita Slominska is a postdoctoral fellow at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and the Institute of Health Sciences Education at McGill University. The book is published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. We spoke last week, with Anita joining me from Montreal. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Anita Slominska; Dr. Slominska, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

There’s a new way to buy books in Canada, www.Booksellers.ca. The e-commerce service allows Canadian consumers a chance to avoid multinational conglomerates like Amazon when buying books. And it’s not just tactile books, but e-books as well. Independent booksellers across Canada have pooled resources to create the website, which allows us to look up books we want to purchase, and how many might be available either at local stores or other stores across the country. That gives us the chance to weigh whether we’ll buy close to home, or that independent bookstore in the province next door or on the other side of the country. And with a collective agreement with Canada Post, free shipping can be had for orders over $49. Joining me now is Jean-Benoît Dumais. He’s the General Manager of the Independent Booksellers of Quebec, which has had the Quebec version of this site, www.leslibraires.ca up and running for fifteen years now. I’ll ask him about its success and why they’ve expanded across the country. We’ll reflect on the importance of the local independent booksellers, and the consumer’s desire to buy Canadian. This all comes at a critical time, and it’s a welcome addition to our options of buying books online. We spoke last week with Jean-Benoît joining me from Quebec City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jean-Benoît Dumais; Monseuir Dumais, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

The 19^th Annual Coastal Dance Festival starts tomorrow (03 March 2026), which in stories, song and dance, honours the Indigenous cultures along the Northwest Coast, as well as across Canada and around the world. Joining me now is Margaret Grenier, who is the festival director, and a member of the award-winning group Dancers of Damelahamid, who will be performing a mountain goat transformation mask dance. I’ll ask Margaret about the festival, and the performance she’ll be part of, and the other highlights Tuesday (03 March 2026) at New Westminster’s Anvil Centre, and 04-08 March 2026 at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. Among other highlights include a preview of Tasha Faye Evans’s full-length work Cedar Woman, as well as the Sámi singers Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska and Lawra Somby, who’ll present their traditional Sámi culture from Norway. The festival will also feature a film screening of the documentary So Surreal: Behind The Masks, a film by Neil Diamond and Joanne Robertson. Margaret Grenier has created and run the festival for 19 years now, and she continues the legacy of her mother, the late Elder Margaret Harris, who played an important role in the resurgence of traditional cultural practices among different Indigenous groups across the Northwest Coast. Visit www.damelahamid.ca for tickets and the full program. We taped this interview last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Margaret Grenier; Ms. Grenier, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

As I tell Adam Gwon, in the conversation that follows, it was the song “Fine” from his musical Ordinary Days that I likely first came across his work. It must have been one of the many performances that one can see on YouTube that introduced me to his music and lyrics. It’s an oft-covered song because it’s funny and it tells a story, like a lot of Mr. Gwon’s songs. Last spring, All the World’s A Stage had a run off-Broadway. It had been commissioned by Keen Company. Today, the full album of the Original Cast Recording is released by Joy Machine Records, and features songs from the show that the New York Times described as “disarmingly powerful,” and as “charming, specific and appealing.” I’ll ask Adam about the show that he also wrote the book for, that earned Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics, and Outstanding Orchestrations. The show is set in small-town America in the 1990s, where a gay high school teacher has to maneuver carefully depending on the wherever he finds himself at the moment. His carefully comparmentalised life starts to unravel, and the desire to make connections and yet be true to oneself in polarised times, makes the show timely and universal. Here’s part of one of the numbers in the show, “Saturday Night in a Small Auditorium,” that not only gives us a sense of Mr. Gwon’s work, but the scene that is set as the show begins. Adam Gwon is the acclaimed musical theatre writer whose works include Ordinary Days, The Boy Detective Fails, Cloudlands, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Cakeoff, String, Scotland, PA, and Witnesses. Visit www.adamgwon.com for more. We spoke earlier this week with Adam joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adam Gwon; Mr. Gwon, good morning.

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Balikbayan: A Revenant History of The Philippine Homeland by Adrian De Leon (University of Washington Press, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Balikbayan

Text of the 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 year, is the newest one from the academic Adrian De Leon, Balikbayan: A Revenant History of The Philippine Homeland. The title says a lot, but not all. The word ‘Balikbayan’ means to go back to one’s homeland. The word can also be used to describe the Filipino return migrant, and that’s taken different forms from the Illustrados, who were 19^th century Filipinos who left to be educated in Spain or other parts of Europe, to the migrant worker who leaves the Philippines to work abroad, while sending remittances back. And the homeland they leave gets shaped and influenced by the various colonisers that arrive in the country, from the Spanish to the Americans, to the Japanese, and the Americans again. And today, while the Filipino living elsewhere looks at their roots as a place to visit, support, or stare at, the idea of homeland is reshaped again through those same eyes that left it willingly or unwillingly, like say those who were born elsewhere thanks to their parents migrating away. The book is highly readable even though it was largely written for an academic audience, because Adrian, who joins me now, thinks critically about the waves of migration away, as well as the political and economic development in the Philippines that are affected or even inspired by that migration. The life and work of Jose Rizal is also looked at critically, as De Leon revisits and reassess his place in the Philippine consciousness. Adrian De Leon is an award-winning writer, poet, critic, public historian, and an Assistant Professor of History, and co-chair of Sulo: The Philippine Studies Initiative at New York University. His previous books include Bundok: A Hinterland History of Filipino America (University of North Carolina Press, 2024), and barangay: an offshore poem (Buckrider Books, 2021). This new book is published by University of Washington Press. The website for more is at www.adriandeleon.ca. We spoke one week ago with Adrian joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adrian De Leon; Professor De Leon, good morning.  

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Cheapskate in Lotusland: The Philosophy and Practice of Living Well on a Small Budget by Steve Burgess (Douglas & McIntyre, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Cheapskate in Lotusland

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Steve Burgess joins me again. He’s written a terrific new book, Cheapskate in Lotusland: The Philosophy and Practice of Living Well on a Small Budget. It looks at how we all view money and how we spend it. Some of us are spendthrifts, while admitting to wanting to be thriftier. Our habits are changing because of the inflation around us, but not quickly enough. Certainly not as fast as Steve, who seems to be ahead of a lot of this. He does some research in the book as to consumerism and our reaction to it. He’s looked at the price of things like food, and how manufacturers as well as the grocery outlets throughout the country make their money off of us.  Steve has lived well in his over three decades in Vancouver, without making a lot. And the book provides marvelous insight into how he’s lived, and sometimes it’s amusing, but there’s a lot of wisdom too. The hope as one reads the book is that readers will glean some practical advice that just might give us a little more financial security; and we certainly could use some nowadays. Steve Burgess is a writer and broadcaster, who has received two Canadian National Magazine Awards. He is a contributing editor at The Tyee, and an award-winning documentary director. His previous books include Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel, which was longlisted for the Leacock Medal, and Who Killed Mom? His work has appeared in such publications as Reader’s Digest, Maclean’s, and The Globe and Mail. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke nearly two weeks ago. 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.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Opening this Saturday, 14 February 2026 and running until Valentine’s Day 2027 is Every River Has a Mouth. It’s a major exhibition at the Bill Reid Gallery on Hornby Street, guest curated by my guest now, the Snuneymuxw artist Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun. Guided by the concept of the Fraser River as a physical and symbolic connector, the exhibit highlights the cultural, linguistic and artistic relationships between the Interior and Coast Salish peoples. The exhibit will feature sculpture, printmaking, textiles, painting, and mixed media. I’ll ask Kwulasultun about what’s to see at the gallery over the next year, and the different forms of art showcased. The work of leading Salish artists, such as Susan Point and Angela George will be featured, as well as eleven other established and emerging artists. I’ll also ask Kwulasultun about how Salish art has been regarded over the years. There was a time when it was largely marginalised and overlooked, especially when compared to the northern Indigenous art of the Haida and Tlingit. Visit www.billreidgallery.ca for tickets and information on Every River Has a Mouth, and visit www.Kwulasultun.com for more. We spoke three weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Eliot White-Hill; Kwulasultun, good morning.

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Two Songs: Selected Poems 2000-2025 by Russell Thornton (Harbour Publishing, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Two Songs

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Russell Thornton joins me again. He’s got a new collection out, Two Songs: Selected Poems, 2000-2025. It reflects a period of time in the writer’s life, as well as selections from poetry collections published over the last quarter century. You see the writer at his most perceptive, not just of places here and abroad, the sounds and smells that linger, as well as the memories of people past and present that evoke happy as well as sad memories. We see Russell write of Vancouver’s North Shore, where he lives, with a reverence that applies to other places he’s been, giving the reader new insights and new vistas to imagine themselves. I found the collection fascinating because it allowed me the chance to read between the lines, not just what Mr. Thornton has written, but oneself, one’s own memories; even people one hasn’t thought about in a while. I’ll ask Russell about writing, and whether he always wanted to write. I’ll ask him as to what growth he’s seen of himself as a writer and as a person. Russell Thornton is a Canadian poet with nine previously published collections. His 2013 collection Birds, Metals, Stones & Rain, which he first appeared on this program with, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry, the Raymond Souster Award, and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. This new collection is from Harbour Publishing. He joined me from his home in North Vancouver last week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Russell Thornton; Mr. Thornton, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Anjela Magpantay joins me now. She’s created and will be performing it is for when you meet me, a mainstage presentation for the Hold On Let Go Festival. The two performances are Wednesday, 04 and Saturday, 07 February 2026 at the Russian Hall on Campbell Street. I’ll ask Anjela about the show, which looks at the Filipino cultural phenomenon of gift giving, pasalubong, especially from Filipinos abroad to relatives and loved ones back home. Anjela also looks at the ubiquitous Balikbayan box, the large cardboard box that is packed to the brim with toiletries, canned goods, clothes, towels and other sundries and shipped to The Philippines. The piece is an audience-interactive show. Visit www.holdonletgo.ca for tickets and information. Anjela Magpantay is a first-generation Canadian originating from the Philippines, who graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BFA in Theatre Performance. She has worked internationally as a performer and collaborator, and has worked as an assistant director. She was interim artistic director of rice & beans theatre in 2025. We spoke last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Anjela Magpantay; Ms. Magpantay, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

David Pay joins me again. The artistic director of Music on Main is on to preview their Second Annual Big Bang Festival. It’s a great way to spend the Sunday on Family Day Weekend, 15 February 2026 in and around the Roundhouse Community Centre. I’ll ask David about what to expect, as there are free events, as well as ticketed events, those are $5. The turnout last year was good, and I’ll ask David to reflect on what there’s to do for kids and non-kids alike, all having to do with music and art. Visit www.musiconmain.ca for more. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, David Pay; Mr. Pay, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Opening tomorrow night, Wednesday, 28 January 2026 is the latest Arts Club Theatre Company production, The Golden Anniversaries. It’s the Western Canadian premiere of the comedy-drama by Canadian playwright Mark Crawford. He joins me now to preview the show, and the moving and humorous portrait of a couple celebrating fifty years of marriage, and what might he have wanted to impart to an audience as a result. In the show, starring Peter Anderson and Eileen Barrett, Glen and Sandy are about to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, but Sandy has cancelled the party at the cottage, and kicked him to the curb. He wants to talk and as the show unfolds we’re witness to laughter, reflection, regret, tenderness, and an honest reckoning. Mark Crawford is an actor and playwright whose work includes the plays Stag and Doe, The Birds and the Bees, The New Canadian Curling Club, The Gig, and Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures. The website for more is at www.markcrawfordplays.com. The show at the Granville Island Stage has been in previews since last week, opens tomorrow, and runs until 15 February 2026. Visit www.artsclub.com for tickets and information. We spoke this past Thursday, with Mark joining me from his home in Stratford, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Crawford; Mr. Crawford, good morning.  

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Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies by Lindsay Wong (Penguin, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Lindsay Wong joins me again. She’s just published a new novel, Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies. It’s often funny, as well as horrifying in some parts. The book follows Locinda Lo, an MFA dropout living in Vancouver with six roommates and zero job prospects. She’s got a heavy debt load, and at the same time has to save her grandmother and sister. She might as well be dead, and to escape life, she’s signed up to be a corpse bride, to be sold to the highest bidder. She’s got training, which we follow her through, where she’s got to prepare for being a bride in the afterlife. The book looks at the ghosts, real and imagined. We can’t escape our past and that haunts a lot of the book, especially in how Locinda and the other characters comport themselves. I’ll ask Lindsay about the book, and the world of curses that she illuminates and illustrates throughout. It’s fascinating stuff to think one could curse somebody else, and what that could mean for oneself in the present and the afterlife. The burden on women especially is something that one reads about in the book, and it’s culturally imposed as well, which makes the writing of this novel subversive as well as engaging. Lindsay Wong is the author of the critically acclaimed, award-winning, and bestselling memoir The Woo-Woo, which was a finalist for Canada Reads 2019. It won the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize, which in full disclosure, I sat on the judging panel for. It was also longlisted for the Leacock Medal. In 2023, she published a short story collection Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality, which she first appeared on the program with, and was shortlisted for the Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. She’s also written a YA novel My Summer of Love and Misfortune. She holds a BFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, and an MFA in literary non-fiction from Columbia University. She teaches creative writing at the University of Winnipeg. Visit www.lindsaywongwriter.com for more. The new book is published by Penguin. We spoke one week ago, with Lindsay joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Lindsay Wong; Professor Wong, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

The Heat: An International Improv Comedy Showcase returns to Granville Island’s Improv Centre this week. Starting Tuesday, 27 January to 31 January 2026, five improvisation groups from here and around the world exhibit their talents. There’s Michelle Impro and Teresa & Folusho from Great Britain; Second Breakfast from New Zealand, Dumb John from Chicago, and a team from the Improv Centre here. It’s the third year, and it’s always fun to get a preview of what to expect during this week. Joining me now is Alan Pavlakovic, the artistic director of the Improv Centre, a job he’s had since September. I’ll ask Alan about The Heat, and these companies that come from elsewhere, and what it’s like for an improv artist from here to learn from these talents. I’ll also ask Alan about making improv accessible not just for artists but audiences. That’s what the Improv Centre, through The Heat has done, making improv something worth making a night out of. Visit www.theimprovcentre.ca for tickets and information. We taped this interview last Wednesday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alan Pavlakovic; Mr. Pavlakovic, good morning. 

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Greener Than Thou: Surviving the Toxic Sludge of Canadian Ecopolitics by Mark Leiren-Young (Sutherland House, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Greener Than Thou

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Mark Leiren-Young joins me again. He’s just published a new book, Greener Than Thou: Surviving the Toxic Sludge of Canadian Ecopolitics. It’s the latest in the Sutherland Quarterly series of essays on current affairs, which you can buy individually or as an annual subscription. Mark writes candidly and hilariously about the state of Green politics in Canada, with a fine precis of the NDP’s relationship with environmental policy over the last quarter century. We get a sense of what it was like within the Green Party of Canada as they worked to elect their first Member of Parliament, and subsequently a couple more, though there was a defeat and a defection. Through it all, the lead character in all the drama is Elizabeth May, the party’s leader, former leader, and current leader. It’s either like the party can’t quit her, or she can’t quit the party. You’ll have to read Mark’s book to decide. As well, you’ll have to read the book to figure out how the Green Party itself has become a sort of cult of personality, and whether that’s May herself personally, or it was always the Green Party to begin with. It’s easy to read the book and get cynical about politics, but it’s clear that Mark’s gone through the experience with his idealism intact. What has taken a hit though is environmental policy through the discourse of Canadian politics. It’s easy to dismiss the Green Party of Canada as a viable political party, but that shouldn’t mean environmental issues shouldn’t be discussed during election campaign periods as well as between. Mark Leiren-Young is an author, playwright, filmmaker, and host of the Skaana podcast. He received the Leacock Medal for humour for his memoir, Never Shoot a Stampede Queen, among many other accolades for his writing and filmmaking. His Substack is at www.leirenyoung.substack.com. He teaches writing at the University of Victoria, and makes his sixth appearance on the podcast.  He is always a welcome guest, as you’ll see there’s nothing we can’t talk about, including having a hit play running in New York off-Broadway, and the Vancouver Canucks. We spoke last Friday, with Mark joining me in person. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Leiren-Young; Mr. Leiren-Young, good morning.  

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Coastal Connections: A History of British Columbia Ferries and Passenger Ships by Derek Hayes (Harbour Publishing, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Coastal Connections

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Derek Hayes joins me again. The award-winning historian and photographer has recently released a new book Coastal Connections: A History of British Columbia Ferries and Passenger Ships. It’s an engaging overview of the ferries and ships that sail the coast, connecting the mainland to the island, as well as island to island in some cases. The book is replete with archival photographs as well as recent ones. There’s also artwork and ephemera that’s a wonderful view into BC Ferries and all the other companies that service and serviced this province. And it’s not just BC Ferries that’s covered in the book. There’s Union Steamships, Canadian Pacific, Black Ball Ferries, and Harbour, some that still exist. Derek Hayes is the renowned historian and author of multiple books including the bestselling Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest. Trained as a geographer at the University of Hull in England, and the University of British Columbia, he worked for a time as a planner with the Vancouver City Planning Department. He was also a columnist for Fine Books & Collections magazine for several years. Visit www.derekhayes.ca for more. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke just twelve days ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Derek Hayes; Mr. Hayes, good morning.

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Canada’s Main Street: The Epic Story of the Trans-Canada Highway by Craig Baird (Sutherland House, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Canada’s Main Street

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

 
Craig Baird joins me now. The creator and host of the Canadian History Ehx podcast, which can also be heard here on CKNW, has recently published Canada’s Main Street: The Epic Story of the Trans-Canada Highway. It’s his first book, and it’s an engaging book as to how the highway that crosses Canada came about. There were adventurers who set out to traverse Canada in the early part of the twentieth century, as well as politicians who were advocating for their respective provinces, or just playing politics. The book covers those as well as the visionaries, and how a sense of Canada came about from it. I’ll ask Craig about the book, the impetus to write it, and his work as a public historian. I’ll ask about the inspiration he derives from Pierre Berton and more. Visit www.canadaehx.com for more. This new book is from Sutherland House. We spoke last week, with Craig joining me from Edmonton. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Craig Baird; Mr. Baird, good morning.  

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The Prime Ministers: Canada’s Leaders and the Nation They Shaped by J.D.M. Stewart (Sutherland House, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Prime Ministers

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

The new book from J.D.M. Stewart, The Prime Ministers: Canada’s Leaders and the Nation They Shaped, is a very fine overview of the men and one woman who have served as Prime Minister of Canada. It’s a book that looks back, but it’s very much of today in that we can look back at the time and tenure of each of the twenty-four prime ministers through how decisions turned out or how we might have evolved as a country. The book doesn’t cancel out certain prime ministers, in fact it contextualises each as to their achievements and errors. The book follows in the great tradition of assessments of prime ministers, books written by historians like Jack Granatstein, Norman Hillmer, Michael Bliss, or Robert Bothwell, and in Mr. Stewart’s hands the history is far from boring. J.D.M. Stewart is a writer, historian, and one of the country’s foremost experts on Canadian prime ministers. He taught high school history over a thirty-year teaching career. His previous book Being Prime Minister is one of my favourite books, and one that makes for engaging, even fun reading about politics. He is also a commentator that appears regularly at The Hub, The Literary Review of Canada, and The Globe and Mail, where a lot of us first got to know his name from the letters to the editor page; I think other than the late Eugene Forsey, James is one of its most frequent correspondents. This book is published by Sutherland House. We spoke last Wednesday, with James joining me from Toronto. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, J.D.M. Stewart; Mr. Stewart, good morning.  

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Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend by Mark Malkoff with David Ritz (Dutton, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Love Johnny Carson

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Back in 2014, Mark Malkoff, who joins me now, took his interest, even obsession with Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show to another level, by starting The Carson Podcast, that delved into nearly every aspect of the late night television legend and how Carson and the show remade television and popular culture. With outstanding guests,known and unknown, over the next eight years, Mark brought an insider’s view into how the show was made, and what Carson was really like. He remains over twenty years after his death one of the more fascinating figures in show business, who leaned into stereotypes in the press as to his personality. For somebody so visible in the public eye, he remains so interesting, and Mark has captured so much of Carson and his legacy in a new book, Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend. It’s such a wonderful read, because if you’re a fan of Carson and his version of the Tonight Show, you get all the good stories about what made the show appointment television. And if you’re a fan of Mark’s podcast, it’s wonderful revisiting the stories of the colourful people, including those behind the scenes, who intersected with Carson’s. I’ve already gotten the book a couple of times as Christmas gifts for people I know, who still love Johnny Carson as much as Mark does. Mark Malkoff is a comedian, writer, and podcast host. He has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CNN, NPR’s Weekend Edition, and more. He wrote the book with the noted writer David Ritz. Visit www.markmalkoff.com for more, and of course www.carsonpodcast.com for all the episodes of his show. This new book is published by Dutton. We spoke last week, with Mark joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Malkoff; Mr. Malkoff, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Chelsea Haberlin joins me again. She’s directed this year’s East Van Panto: West Van Story. It’s already opened at the York Theatre and has already been held over, running until 11 January 2026. Veda Hille is back with the music, to a play by Marcus Youssef with Pedro Chamale. The rent is still too damn high, there’s a housing crisis, as well as a holiday romance, dancing, and all those wonderful panto traditions that have been a fixture for thirteen years now. I’ll ask Chelsea about the show, and the Vancouver of today that it represents. It’s always so timely. Visit www.thecultch.com for tickets and information. We spoke on Friday. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Lineprogram, Chelsea Haberlin; Ms. Haberlin, good morning.

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Anarchists In Love by Robert Hough (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Anarchists In Love

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the more captivating novels of the season is the latest from the acclaimed author Robert Hough, Anarchists in Love. The book takes us into the 1890’s Gilded Age, and amidst the political violence and revolutionary idealism, is the love affair of Emma Goldman and Sasha Berkman. There’s a lot known about Goldman and Berkman, but there’s a lot that a work of fiction can illustrate, and in Mr. Hough’s hands it’s fascinating to see how the times especially the injustice around them fuels their attraction and moves them to anarchism and a violent act. Which in fact was in response to the industrialist Henry C. Frick’s order to have striking steel-plant workers in Pennsylvania shot. That Goldman was a captivating speaker also comes through in the book, as the reader quickly understands what made her a figure many were drawn to, Berkman especially. Comparisons abound as to where we are in society and the Gilded Age itself, and the book is illustrative and instructive as to how all of this might turn out. Robert Hough is the celebrated author of The Final Confession of Mabel Stark, The Stowaway, Dr. Brinkley’s Tower, The Man Who Saved Henry Morgan, Diego’s Crossing, and The Marriage of Rose Camilleri. His books have been critically acclaimed, and shortlisted for major prizes across Canada and abroad. Visit www.roberthough.ca for more. This new novel is published by Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke earlier this month, with Robert joining me from Toronto. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Robert Hough; Mr. Hough, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Stevie Holland joins me now. The acclaimed jazz vocalist and songwriter has a new album out, Talk to Your Tomatoes. It’s a great collection of classics from the pop, jazz and American Songbook catalogues, as well as original songs penned by Holland and her longtime collaborator and arranger, the award-winning composer Gary William Friedman, who is also her husband. I’ll ask Stevie about some of the songs on the album and what went in to selecting which songs would be performed. I’ll ask her about the original music too, like the title song “Talk to Your Tomatoes,” which is not only fun and delightful but beautifully constructed. There are favourites of mine on this album like “East of the Sun” and “Pure Imagination” which is the song we all know and love, but in this new arrangement, all the more uplifting as you tap your fingers along to the jazz. I’ll ask Stevie about future projects and more. The album is available on CD and all the digital and streaming platforms. Visit www.stevieholland.com for more. We spoke two weeks ago, with Stevie joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Stevie Holland; Ms. Holland, good morning.  

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What Is Broken Binds Us by Lorne Daniel (University of Calgary Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: What Is Broken Binds Us

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Lorne Daniel makes a return to literature with a collection of poetry, What Is Broken Binds Us. It’s an engaging book as the author engages with growing older, especially how aging can take the ground from under us, whether it’s illness or a loved ones illness. Injury can alter a life too, and that’s something that’s worked through in a couple of the poems. Being a parent can also bring these realities closer than we’d like. Mr. Daniel, who joins me now, talks about estrangement with uncanny relatability. There are poems in the collection where the author writes about the literal ground causing upset in one’s life, like earthquakes. We try and prepare for disaster, but we can never truly know if we’re prepared until confronted, and I guess the hope is we rise to the occasion. Another fascinating subject matter tackled in the collection is Lorne’s excavation of family histories and contending with slavery in its heritage. Lorne Daniel is a Canadian poet and non-fiction writer. He has published four books of poetry, edited anthologies, and literary journals. He’s been published in dozens of publications here in Canada, as well as the United States and the United Kingdom. This new collection is published by University of Calgary Press. We spoke about ten days ago, with Lorne joining me from Victoria. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Lorne Daniel; Mr. Daniel, good morning. 

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Pursuing a Public Life: How to Succeed in the Political Arena by Hon. Sergio Marchi (Dundurn Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Pursuing a Public Life

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

There’s a new book out now that’s more than just a memoir, but one that provides fascinating insights into public service and politics. Pursuing a Public Life: How to Succeed in the Political Arena presents seventy-eight lessons, each illustrated with insider anecdotes or useful examples from the writer, Sergio Marchi, who has in a thirty-year career served as a city councillor, member of Parliament, Cabinet minister, and ambassador. Mr. Marchi joins me now to talk about how he sees the world of politics here in Canada and abroad, and this book which gives us a look at how decisions at the highest level are made, or arrived at, or negotiated. He addresses how the public generally sees our political system, it’s often cynically, what with declining voter turnout and general low participation. The book is replete with practical advice, and ideas as to what voters might seek from the political leaders that they elect. I’ll ask Sergio about the work of the MP, as well as the rigours of campaigning. I’ll ask about the role of the opposition and later what it’s like being called to join the cabinet, as Mr. Marchi was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984, and appointed to the cabinet of Jean Chretien, when the Liberals were returned to power in 1993. He served as the minister for international trade, the environment, and citizenship and immigration. He later left political life when he was appointed ambassador to the World Trade Organization and UN Agencies in Geneva. This new book is published by Dundurn Press and is part of the new The Hon. Henry N.R. Jackman Series on Canada and the World. We taped this interview last Thursday, with Mr. Marchi joining me from Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, the Honourable Sergio Marchi; Mr. Marchi, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Disney On Ice returns to Vancouver next week, with Let’s Dance! Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy are DJ’s and remix memorable Disney songs for a new show that’s full of dance, cutting-edge figure skating, high-flying acrobatics, stunts, special effects, dazzling costumes, and stunning set designs. Joining me now is a member of the company, Nelson Sanchez Leemet, who plays the character of King Magnifico from Wish, one of the Disney works represented in the show, along with Frozen 2, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Moana. I’ll ask Mr. Sanchez Leemet about being part of Disney On Ice; he joined Feld Entertainment at the age of 17, and has travelled the world as a performer for this company for nearly ten years now. I’ll ask him about what it’s like performing in front of audiences that love the world of Disney, who know all the songs and the characters. In fact, there’s Goofy’s Ho-Ho Holiday Sing Along before the show, a pre-show experience to get audiences into the holiday spirit. Visit www.ticketleader.ca for tickets and www.disneyonice.com for more information. Nelson joined me from Spokane, Washington, a week and a half ago, while on tour with the show. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nelson Sanchez Leemet; Mr. Sanchez Leemet, good morning.  

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Be A Good One: Words to Lead By by Dalton McGuinty (Dundurn Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Be A Good One

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

It’s easy for a lot of us to be cynical about politics and politicians. The people who run and are elected to office have always left much to be desired. Dalton McGuinty is somebody who has always retained the feeling that there’s something noble about politics, and that public service is a calling that aspires to higher purpose. You get that sense in reading his new book Be A Good One: Words to Lead By. It’s a collection of quotations from all sorts of philosophers, politicians, historical figures, writers, poets, that goes from the present back centuries. There’s a lot of wisdom, and it’s for politicians that this book is commended to, so that they can be good in public life, in the decisions they take for people they govern. As you’ll hear in this conversation, Dalton McGuinty was guided by principles that stayed with him while in office and which remain today, as he talks to those who might think about serving in elected office. They’re not always easy to adhere to, but they’ll serve a politician well, not to mention a reader who might want to vote for better representatives. Dalton McGuinty was Ontario’s premier from 2003 to 2013, and was the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 1996 to 2014. He ran to succeed his father as a Member of the Provincial Parliament in 1990, after his untimely death at just 63 years old. His younger brother is a Member of Parliament, andcurrently sits in the federal cabinet. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance. This new book is published by Dundurn Press. We spoke this past Monday, with Mr. McGuinty joining me from Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, the 24^th premier of the Province of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty; Mr. McGuinty, good morning. 

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If: Prey, Then: Huntress by Christina Shah (Nightwood Editions, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: If: Prey, Then: Huntress

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

If: Prey, Then: Huntress is the debut collection of Christina Shah, who works in heavy industry and whose poetry has appeared in numerous Canadian literary journals. The collection is full of thoughtful and evocative poems that provide searing observations as well as illuminating sketches. You get a sense of the workplace, and a traditionally male-dominated environment at that, where women and visible minorities are making entries in the workforce. We see the truth and beauty in hard work and long hours, as well as the passing of time what with co-workers getting fired or dying, or industries modernising thanks to technology. Ms. Shah, who joined me just over three weeks ago, also evokes memory so well, not just in sights and sounds that she translates to the page, but food and the attendant smells. I’ll ask Christina about the poems in the collection, as well as the literary community that she finds herself in with her previous award-winning poems, as well as chapbooks that’s she published heretofore. The book is from Nightwood Editions. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Christina Shah; Ms. Shah, good morning.

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Rufous and Calliope by Sarah Louise Butler (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Rufous and Calliope

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Sarah Louise Butler joins me again. She’s just published a new novel, her second, Rufous and Calliope. I’ve been reading it, and I’m finding it fascinating on a number of fronts. As an only child, I’m just a little curious about what life is like for somebody who has a twin, let alone who has a number of siblings altogether. I’m not wishing it for myself, but I’ve always been fascinated by the connection that these family members seem to have. I’m not an outdoorsy person, but the vast expanses of the outdoors that Sarah evokes in this book, as well as how isolating it might be for a person venturing outside alone, a reader can’t help but be full of wonder altogether. We see the world through young Rufous’s eyes as a child in the late 1970s with his siblings, as they seemingly fend for themselves. Calliope is his twin sister, and while they’re close it appears as the book moves into when Rufous is older, there’s a bond there that distance and time can’t seem to diminish, even though Rufous’s own memory seems to dim as he contends with early onset dementia. I’ll ask Sarah about the book, and get her to tell us as much as she’d like about this world’s she’s created and what she’s brought into it as she’s shaped these rich characters amidst a sometimes overwhelming setting. Sarah joined me from Nelson, British Columbia nearly one month ago, and it’s a part of the world that gets cut off on a regular basis now because of smoke and fires. Sarah was first on the program in 2020 when her debut novel The Wild Heavens was released to good notices and critical acclaim. That book and this new one is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Visit www.sarahlouisebutler.com for more. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Sarah Louise Butler; Ms. Butler, good morning.  

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The Next One: Hockey Scouts, Remote Rinks and Hidden Talent by Ken Reid (Simon & Schuster, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Next One

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Ken Reid joins me again. He’s got a new book out, The Next One: Hockey Scouts, Remote Rinks and Hidden Talent. It’s full of stories of the scouts who find the superstars like Borje Salming as well as the players of grit and drive, who might not even make it to the big leagues. The scouts that Mr. Reid talks to seek and find the teenage prodigies and the might-never-bes. It’s easy to find the next superstar, the next Connor McDavid or Connor Bedard, but scouts also have to find players that will fill all the parts of a team’s roster. It’s the clutch scorer, the goalie who can contort themselves in front of a net or stand on their head. It’s the character player, character in all senses of the word, the one who’s a thoughtful teammate or outright unforgettable. And it’s not just NHLers that the scouts in this book that are sought after and found. Ken also looks at scouting at the PWHL too. There’s something fascinating about how these scouts see. It’s like they not only see the talent in front of them, but also have the foresight to see beyond, like how a teenager might look on the ice when they actually break out, or even ten years down the line, what with how much longer players are playing nowadays. I’ll get Ken to tell us about the book, and the memorable scouts he’s encountered along the way. Ken Reid has been with Sportsnet since 2011, where he co-anchors (with Evanka Osmak) their primetime broadcast Sportsnet Central. We’ve seen a lot of Ken and Evanka not just during hockey season (I see them after a Canucks broadcast when it’s usually after midnight in Toronto), but also those recent really late nights when the Blue Jays were playing late into the morning. In over twenty years of broadcasting, Ken Reid has covered the Olympics, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Grey Cup, and the Super Bowl. He is the bestselling author of six other books, including Ken Reid’s Hometown Hockey Heroes, which he was on with last year. This new book is published by Simon & Schuster. The Pictou, Nova Scotia native joined me from Toronto ten days ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ken Reid; Mr. Reid, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Opening tonight at the Firehall Arts Centre is the Western Canadian premiere of Robert Chafe’s Between Breaths. It’s inspired by a true story, the extraordinary life of Dr. Jon Lien, the “Whale Man” who devoted his career to saving over 500 whales who were trapped in fishing nets off the coast of Newfoundland. I spoke to Robert Chafe earlier this week about this show, which debuted in 2018 produced by Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, of which Mr. Chafe is its artistic director. I’ll ask Robert about his awareness of Lien and what he’s gleaned from writing the play, producing it and the interceding years since. It’s a story rooted in science and art, and particularly moving as it depicts Lien’s motivation and empathy, as well as his battle with dementia. I’ll ask Robert about the music in the show, which is written by The Once. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. The show runs until 23 November 2025. Robert Chafe is a writer, educator, actor, and arts administrator based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he joined me from. His plays include Oil and Water, Tempting Providence, Afterimage, Under Wraps, Between Breaths, Everybody Just C@lm the F#ck Down, and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (adapted from the novel by Wayne Johnston.) He has been shortlisted three times for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama and he won the award for Afterimage in 2010. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Robert Chafe; Mr. Chafe, good morning.

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Just Call Me Andi: Sports Stories from a Trailblazer by Andria Petrillo (ECW Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Just Call Me Andi

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Andi Petrillo joins me now. She’s just published a memoir, Just Call Me Andi: Sports Stories from a Trailblazer. It’s a terrific read because it’s engaging and full of stories from Ms. Petrillo’s career in broadcasting, covering hockey, soccer, and the Olympics. It’s insightful because there are lessons of character and determination, as Andi has had to contend with criticism, scrutiny, and being sexualised throughout her career. And it’s not just from bosses in her business, or the audience, it’s colleagues, even athletes she’s covered. She’s experienced the ridiculous and unacceptable as a woman, stuff she talks about that men in her business would never be asked of. Her love of sport though, her own ability to tell stories about the games she’s covered comes through the book as well. And of course, the story of a second-generation Canadian, child of immigrants will resonate with readers. A CBC Sports host, she’s also great on the Thursday night NHL Coast to Coast broadcasts on Prime. It’s her second season helming the whiparound studio show that looks in on all of Thursday’s games with analysis in studio as well as interviews. She also appears on Prime’s Monday broadcasts as well. She’ll be back anchoring coverage of the Olympic Games in February; I think it’ll be her seventh Olympic Games. She was the first full-time female in studio personality on Hockey Night in Canada, and she hosted Leafs Lunch on TSN Radio, becoming the first woman in Canada to host her own daily sports talk radio program. She’s won multiple Canadian Screen Awards for her work as a host.  This new book is published by ECW Press. We spoke two and a half weeks ago, with Andi joining me from Secaucus, New Jersey. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Andi Petrillo; Ms. Petrillo, good morning.

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Fallosophy: My Trip Through Life with MS by Ardra Shephard (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Fallosophy

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. There are over one million people in North America who live with Multiple Sclerosis. It’s a disease that we hear about, we might even know a person who has it, but we know little about what it’s like living with it. Ardra Shephard has just written a memoir about getting diagnosed with MS at twenty-three years old, and now, having lived with it for twenty years. She’s candid and revealing, but she’s also hilarious and engaging. The book is called Fallosophy: My Trip Through Life with MS. She talks about struggling to see, and then her diagnosis, which terrifies her. Despite how bleak it might appear; she presses through with help from loved ones and soon appreciates that life doesn’t have to be joyless. She faces the challenges, the physical limitations, not necessarily with enthusiasm but necessity, and manages to adjust with every new challenge to lead a highly productive life, including becoming an award-winning blogger and podcaster and the creator and host of AMI-TV’s Fashion Dis. I spoke to Ms. Shephard three weeks ago about the book and more. Visit www.trippingonair.com for more. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ardra Shephard; Ms. Shephard, good morning.

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A Perfect Day for a Walk By the Water: Exploring Vancouver’s Shores by Bill Arnott (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Perfect Day for a Walk By the Water

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. When one lives in Vancouver, it’s easy to take living on the west coast for granted, especially the proximity to the water. Bill Arnott, who joins me again, has just published a new book, A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water: Exploring Vancouver’s Shores. The book, like some of Bill’s previous books, make for a nice, needed meditation on why the coastline around Vancouver is not just easily accessible but endlessly fascinating and worth getting out to see and walk amongst. The book looks at how history has shaped Vancouver’s shores, like the ways the waterways have been used by commerce and trade. Bill’s gift is his ability to illustrate with words how bucolic it all is, and why one should get out to walk near or even go underwater. The interesting people, cultures, as well as history and various narratives, in Bill’s hands, bring the book to life. Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of A Perfect Day for a Walk, A Season in the Okanagan Valley, and the Gone Viking travelogues. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. The website for more is at www.billarnottaps.wordpress.com. This new book is published by Arsenal Pulp Press. We spoke just over two weeks ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Bill Arnott; Mr. Arnott, good morning.

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Sisters of the Jungle: The Trailblazing Women Who Shaped the Study of Wild Primates by Keriann McGoogan (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Sisters of the Jungle

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the more important and timely books of the season is Sisters of the Jungle: The Trailblazing Women Who Shaped the Study of Wild Primates. Its author Keriann McGoogan joins me now to talk about the remarkable women, and one man that she writes about in the book. She illustrates why people became interested in studying primates, and not to learn more about them per se, but to understand humans more. We see how Jane Goodall, who died recently, Dian Fossey, Biruté Galadikas, and Alison Jolly got into the field of study, as well as why women were considered ideal to pursue primatology, not to mention what these women have added to the knowledge we have. The book is timely in that we remember Jane Goodall and the lessons we can derive from her life, but it’s another example as to why we as a culture need to encourage more young women to take up STEM. Women are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Keriann McGoogan holds a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Toronto, and her Master’s from the University of Calgary. Her memoir, Chasing Lemurs: My Journey Into the Heart of Madagascar was published in 2020. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke two and half weeks ago, with Keriann joining me from Guelph, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Keriann McGoogan; Dr. McGoogan, good morning.

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Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media by Mark Hebscher (ECW Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Madness

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Mark Hebscher joins me now. He’s got a new book out, Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media. It’s such an engaging book, there’s so much to talk to Mark about. He chronicles his work in radio and television, and the world of broadcasting around Canada and United States before and after. It’s a great primer on the personalities that brought the sports we all love and watch, as well as the big business that sports telecasts have become. These colourful, unforgettable people, Hebscher included, augmented the sports viewing experience for generations. Something Mark does in the book is chronicle how our viewing habits have changed, and how programs like Wide World of Sports, Hockey Night in Canada, and Monday Night Football have changed with it. In the book, he reflects on the cultural phenomenon that made Sportsline a hit in Central Canada, a show he co-hosted for many years. And Hebscher’s memorable encounters with Wayne Gretzky, MC Hammer, Youppi!, Doug Flutie, and Howard Cosell, make for such an enjoyable book. Mark Hebscher was co-anchor of the wildly popular Sportsline on Global TV, and helped revolutionise the way sports is presented on television. He spent forty-five years in sports media, and joined me from Toronto, Ontario last week. This new book is published by ECW Press. @hebsyman is his Instagram handle. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Hebscher; Mr. Hebscher, good morning.  

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Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Earlier this year, the composer and conductor Bryan Perri celebrated his debut album Few Words with a performance at Carnegie Hall. The concert featured a 13-piece orchestra, and noted Broadway vocalists including special guest Aaron Tveit. There will be concerts including in Palm Beach as part of the Glazer Hall Performing Arts Center’s inaugural 2026 season. Mr. Perri joins me now to talk about Few Words. I’ll get him to talk about this album and the compositions on it. There are a few words, but through the variety of music, like neoclassical, rock, electronic music, ambient music, there is a reverence for the instruments. I’ll ask about the sounds on this album and the feelings that the music he’s composed has evoked in him and listeners. Bryan Perri is an award-winning music supervisor, orchestrator, arranger, music director, and conductor. He’s worked on some of the most widely recognised Broadway musicals of the twenty-first century: Jagged Little Pill, Wicked, Chaplin, Next to Normal, among many others. He was most recently music supervisor and conductor of Almost Famous. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for the world premiere cast recording of Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots. He holds a Bachelor of Music from NYU in Vocal Performance, as well as a Master’s Degree in Music from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Orchestral Conducting. He is a founding member of ACT of CT, where his husband Daniel C. Levine is its artistic director, and serves as Resident Musical Supervisor. Visit www.bperri.com for more. The album is available on Apple Music and Spotify. We taped this interview two weeks ago, with Bryan joining me from Ridgefield, Connecticut. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bryan Perri; Mr. Perri, good morning. 

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The Eh Team: A Celebration of Canadianism from Elbows Up to Poutine by Charles Demers (Greystone Books, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Eh Team

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Charlie Demers joins me again. He’s got a new book out, The Eh Team: A Celebration of Canadianisms from Elbows Up to Poutine. It’s a celebration of being Canadian through the unique phrases, words, and expressions that define a lot of the country and its people, culturally, politically, and linguistically. It highlights the quirky and the hilarious, in a time when we perhaps need it most. I’ll ask Mr. Demers about the book, why he wrote it, and what he hopes Canadians from coast to coast to coast might glean, or perhaps find useful as we wrestle with the feelings we have about Canada. Charlie Demers is a stand-up comedian, author, playwright, speechwriter, and voice actor. He has appeared on CBC Radio’s The Debaters over sixty times in over twenty years. His first stand-up album Fatherland (604 Records) was nominated for the 2018 Juno for Best Comedy Album. He is the author of three plays and six books, including Property Values, which was optioned by Pioneer Pictures. His recent comedy special, Fish From the Jar is out now. This new book has a foreword by Dakota Ray Hebert, and is published by Greystone Books. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Charlie Demers; Mr. Demers, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Bif Naked joins me now. The Platinum recording artist, bestselling author, activist and actor is in Vancouver for a special evening at the Rio Theatre, Tuesday night, 04 November 2025. The new documentary on her life aptly titled, Bif Naked directed by Pollyanna Harwicke-Brown, will be screened, followed by a Q&A and an acoustic set. I talked to Bif yesterday, about the film, her life and career, and the qualities that have endeared her to fans for three decades now, her honesty, candour, courage, sense of humour, generosity, and positivity. From the underground punk scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, she rose to prominence with her raw and empowering lyrics and captivating stage presence. Her life isn’t just about music and fame, but it’s about advocacy and survival. Whether it’s cancer, sexual assault, addiction, or a brutal music industry, Bif Naked has seemingly triumphed. Tuesday’s event at The Rio is sold out, but I’m sure if you call down or visit the box office the night of, you might be able to get in thanks to a cancellation or no show; it is Vancouver after all. Visit www.bifnaked.com for more. The film will be available for streaming and on demand later in November. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bif Naked; Dr. Allen, good morning.

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John Horgan: In His Own Words by John Horgan with Rod Mickleburgh (Harbour Publishing, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: John Horgan

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Rod Mickleburgh joins me again. After John Horgan resigned as premier of British Columbia in 2022, Mr. Mickleburgh began interviewing him for posterity at Royal Roads University. The conversations about Horgan’s life and times, as well as his political career, began again in 2024, when Horgan, by now Canada’s ambassador to Germany, was diagnosed with cancer for a third time. By then, a book would be put together using Horgan’s recollections prodded on by Rod, and later organised and shaped into the new book John Horgan: In His Own Words. It’s a compelling read, as Horgan is candid, honest, and leaves very little as to how he feels on various issues, as well as the variety of people he encountered in his years in public life, culminating in serving as premier from 2017 to 2022. Rarely in British Columbia’s political history has a politician been so conversational. There are marvelous insights into how to organise and run for political office, as well as how to be a member of the Legislature, and caucus member, loyal to one’s leader. The anecdotes about how to form a cabinet and manage people in the civil service are fascinating. And the inside stories of successes in the consequential Horgan government, as well as the missteps and miscues, like the Royal BC Museum or his famous temper, are invaluable. Rod Mickleburgh was a former labour reporter for the Vancouver Sun and Province, and China correspondent and senior writer at the Globe and Mail. He’s been on the program in the past with his two previous books On the Line: A History of the British Columbia Labour Movement, and The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power 1972-1975, which he co-authored with Geoff Meggs. Those books, as this new one are from Harbour Publishing. I spoke to Rod last Tuesday. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Rod Mickleburgh; Mr. Mickleburgh, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Music on Main’s Modulus Festival is on later this week, 07-10 November 2025. The biennial celebration of new and experimental music has many highlights including Klavierklang, a film directed by Nettie Wild, of a cinematic tone poem written by Hildegard Westerkamp, and performed by Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa. Rachel joins me now to talk about this piece that blends piano performance, spoken text, and environmental soundscapes that illustrate the piano, and the complex relationships that its players have. A lot of Westerkamp’s experiences, as well as Iwaasa’s contribute to the piece, as you’ll hear Rachel shortly describe the process that went into the writing of the text she performs in the film. For example, learning music at a high level can be difficult, and the structure around learning it can often be rigid. It’s a visually stunning piece, and the craftsmanship of piano, the wood, the wires, and the sounds that emanate from it are presented reverentially as well as in admiration of the instrument itself. Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa is recognised as one of Canada’s foremost contemporary pianists. She is also an interdisciplinary artist. Visit www.iwaasa.com for more. Unfortunately, tickets to the opening night concert of Modulus Festival on Friday night, November 7^th are already sold out. However, check with the Music on Main office in case there are cancellations. Their website is at www.musiconmain.ca. I recorded this interview with Rachel a couple of weeks ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa; Ms. Iwaasa, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Glitch Theatre: Different By Design is a new theatre company, formerly known as Realwheels Theatre, and they’ve got their first show and the first mainstage production since the pandemic opening later this week, Faye’s Room by the playwright Alex K. Masse. Joining me now is Adam Grant Warren, co-artistic director of Glitch, who’ll tell us about the play, and what’s next for this new company. Faye’s Room previews Friday night, 07 November 2025, and opens the next night, Saturday, 08 November 2025 through to 23 November 2025 at the Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables Street. The show is the story of Faye Murphy, an autistic lesbian who works at a queer cafe. Faye has the power to summon and hide in a magical sensory room at will, but in the course of the play gets trapped with her least favourite co-worker, the son of the founder, and the token heterosexual. I’ll ask Adam about the Masse play, the neurodivergent experience depicted therein, and what’s next for Glitch. Faye’s Room stars Hailey Conner, Mason Temple, Sabrina Symington, and Marlee Michael Pearl. The show is directed by Mily Mumford and Angelica Schwartz. Visit www.glitchtheatre.ca for tickets and more information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adam Grant Warren; Mr. Warren, good morning. 

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Sophie B. Hawkins joins me now. The singer-songwriter is on tour through Western Canada with Paula Cole. They’re due into Vancouver Wednesday night, 29 October 2025 at the Playhouse, and Thursday, 30 October 2025 at Victoria’s McPherson Playhouse. Sophie joined me earlier this week from Brandon, Manitoba. I asked her about this tour, performing with Paula Cole, and her new album Whaler: Re-Emerging, which is a reimagined take on her iconic 1994 album. On the album she covers “As I Lay Me Down,” one of her bestselling records. I’ll ask her about writing that, and her other memorable music including the platinum-selling hit “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover.” Visit www.sophiebhawkins.com for more. And for tickets to Wednesday night’s show at the Playhouse, go to the Ticketmaster website. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Sophie B. Hawkins; Ms. Hawkins, good morning. 

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Leading from the Heart: The Battles of a Feminist, Union Leader and Politician by Judy Darcy (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Leading from the Heart

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Judy Darcy joins me now. Her memoir has just been published, Leading from the Heart: The Battles of a Feminist, Union Leader and Politician. It’s an engaging book about her life and careers. She was born in Denmark and immigrated to Canada as a young child. She recounts the stories of her parents, her mother and her father, who came to Canada with the traumas of their individual experiences during the Second World War. The hatred and violence they each encountered would go on to shape their children’s lives, and in Judy’s case, though she didn’t know all of it right away. As she unravels threads of her parents lives, we as readers see as the book unfolds, the characters of her parents are fully revealed. Though Judy’s mother took her own life nearly fifty years ago, the meaning of her life is something that Judy contends with and honours in the book. Even their family name was something that her father had changed. The book also chronicles Judy’s college life in the late 1960s, through her labour activism which culminated in her being president of Canada’s largest union, CUPE, the Canadian Union of Public Employees. When she moved to British Columbia later on, she led the Hospital Employees’ Union starting in 2003. She recounts in the book labour negotiations at the highest level, and reflects on the importance of labour unions today. The book also looks at moving into the world of politics. She was elected an NDP MLA in 2013, serving through to 2020 as British Columbia’s first minister of mental health and addictions. This new book is from Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke one week ago, with Judy joining me from New Westminster. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Judy Darcy; Ms. Darcy, good morning. 

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Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging by Rachel Phan (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Restaurant Kid

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the best books I’ve read this year is Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging by Rachel Phan. There’s a lot in the book. Rachel is born in Canada to Chinese-Vietnamese parents who had fled China during the Japanese occupation, and Vietnam during the American war, to come to Canada and open a restaurant in small town Ontario. Rachel has two older siblings, a sister and a brother, who have long, complicated relationships with the restaurant. Too many weekends spent at the restaurant that keep them away from their friends and extra circular activities. Rachel, as the baby is largely isolated from the hard work but nevertheless finds the restaurant taking up too much of her parent’s time that she finds that she doesn’t really know them. It’s hard work for her parents, and it provides for their family, but it’s also tenuous; the margins are thin, and the work is long and hard. In a way, Rachel raises herself from navigating what being a real Canadian might be, to sexuality. As the only Chinese girl at school, she alternates from being the sidekick, geek, or Asian fetish, depending on whose gaze was on her. Through the book, Ms. Phan, who joined me from Toronto two weeks ago, has to work through what she’s missing, what she wants, and what she’s needed from her family. She learns to appreciate the place the restaurant itself has in her upbringing. Rachel Phan is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Master of Journalism Program. Her work has appeared on the CBC, HuffPost, the National Post, and Maclean’s. You can find more at www.rachelphan.com. The book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rachel Phan; Ms. Phan, good morning.

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Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s Longest Running Residential School edited by Richard W. Hill Sr., Alison Norman, Thomas Reace, and Jennifer Pettit (University of Calgary Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Behind the Bricks

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

A new book provides insight into Canada’s oldest residential school, The Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario. One of the editors and contributors to the book, Richard W. Hill, Sr joins me now to talk about the history in the book, the often-harrowing accounts of students who were abused, and who witnessed abuse. The book is called Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s Longest Running Residential School. I’ll ask Mr. Hill about how the book came together, as it’s a big book, rich with insight about the history and context of the residential school system, the architecture itself, religion, the model there that was used in other residential schools across Canada, as well as the impact to the wider community, and the path towards truth and reconciliation. Rick Hill is a citizen of the Beaver Clan of the Tuscarora Nation of the Haudenosaunee, and is a community-based historian at Six Nations of Grand River. He was recently appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, who with Alison Norman, Thomas Reace, and Jennifer Pettit edited this book which is published by University of Calgary Press. The list of contributors to the book vary from Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, and from a variety of disciplines. We spoke in late September, with Mr. Hill joining me from Brantford. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rick Hill; Mr. Hill, good morning.

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Children Like Us: A Metis Woman’s Memoir of Family, Identity and Walking Herself Home by Brittany Penner (Doublday, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Children Like Us

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the more compelling books of the year is the one from Brittany Penner, Children Like Us: A Métis Woman’s Memoir of Family, Identity and Walking Herself Home. I spoke to Dr. Penner two and a half weeks ago about the bestselling book. In the book, she talks about growing up in a Mennoite family, and the feelings she contended with growing up. By the time she was seven, she has loved and lost twenty-one foster siblings, who like her were all Indigenous. There’s a loneliness that she feels at a young age, that she works through the book identifying and dealing with. It’s a lot for a child to contend with, especially later, when she’s born in 1989, near the end of the Sixties Scoop, and she seeks her birth parents. The book is a marvelous exploration of family, identity and belonging. As the author seeks home, in all its forms, the reader is enveloped in a generosity and hope that might belie the tough subjects in the book. I’ll ask Brittany about racism, and not just in reaction to her writing, but through her life. Brittany Penner is an author and practicing physician. She is also a lecturer with the University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine. She is currently completing a Master’s of Liberal Arts at Harvard. The book is published by Doubleday. She joined me from Winnipeg. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brittany Penner; Dr. Penner, good morning.

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Hired Gun: Uncovering Buried Secrets by Bill Koch (FriesenPress, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Hired Gun

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. 

Bill Koch joins me now. He’s recently published a novel, his first, Hired Gun: Uncovering Buried Secrets. The central character in the book David Lipman is a psychologist, who practices in Vancouver and lives part-time on Gabriola Island. Setting it close to home, makes it compelling reading as Bill sets the mood so well with descriptions of Downtown locales so evocatively, especially when he describes the weather. We taped this interview last month, in mid-September coming off several weeks, if not months where it was relatively dry. Starting the book as I did then, made me nostalgic for the grey, wet weather for which Vancouver is celebrated and derided. David is also contending with the recent death of his wife Katherine. This grief lives with him, as do some of the patients that he sees in his practice. Two patients in his care die, and in succession making the circumstances of their deaths even more intriguing. Part of David’s work is appearing in court as an expert witness. This all comes together as he’s pondering the ethical issues surrounding seeking the killer of his patients, as well as revealing something about his work. I’ll ask Bill to tell us as much as he’d like about this character of David, and the surrounding events in his life that make Hired Gun such a compelling read. I’m nearly halfway through the book, and it’s tough to put down. Bill Koch is a clinical professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. In his career as a psychologist, he conducted research in anxiety disorders and trauma, and was a highly credentialed cognitive-behaviour therapist. In his career, he also investigated and adjudicated ethical violations for the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. All this naturally, informs the writing of this novel, and possibly other works that I’ll ask Bill about. The book is published by FriesenPress. Visit www.billkochwrites.com for more information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bill Koch; Dr. Koch, good morning. 

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Self Care by Russell Smith (Biblioasis, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Self Care

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Russell Smith’s new novel Self Care is described as an examination of women and men, self-loathing and twenty-first century loneliness. I spoke to Mr. Smith recently about the new book, and its characters. There’s Gloria, a writer for an online publication that might belie her education in creative writing or journalism. It’s a reflection of the current state of media, news consumption, and literacy perhaps. She’s navigating the dating scene making questionable choices like seeing married or random men on apps. She’s fascinated by a stranger, somebody younger than her named Daryn, who is a protesting immigration, and as she soon discovers, somebody part of the incel movement. This leads to inviting him back to her apartment and dominating him sexually. This is all heading into dangerous territory, and Gloria knows this, but proceeds. This tension is what drives the book, just as it reflects life in a big city, you know, it’s full of people, yet isolating for a lot of them. Russell Smith is the author of twelve previous books of fiction, nonfiction, and translation. His fiction has been nominated for every major Canadian award, including the Giller Prize, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Amazon First Novel Award. He is a journalist and cultural commentator, whose writing has appeared in the New York Review of Books, The Walrus, and elsewhere. He was a columnist in the Globe and Mail for many years. He is also an acquiring editor at Dundurn Press. Self Care is published by Biblioasis. He joined me from Toronto, three and a half weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Russell Smith; Mr. Smith, good morning.

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Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick by Patrick Johnston and Peter Leech (Greystone, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Gino

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Patrick Johnston joins me now. He’s co-written a new biography, a highlight of the season, Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick, with Peter Leech, who was also on the program recently. It’s an engaging book on the life of the beloved Vancouver Canucks player Gino Odjick. The book chronicles his early life in Quebec, through to making it in the NHL becoming one of the league’s most feared players, and one of the few Indigenous players. The book also looks at the larger-than-life persona of Odjick, who led a fascinating and fun life on and off the ice. The book looks at the friendships he developed with players, like Pavel Bure, as well as the sort of memorable qualities he brought to the locker room, as well as the team itself within the community, especially with Indigenous youth. The book is also revealing and honest. We read about Odjick’s family life as a son and as a parent and partner. The authors also provide insight as to the various struggles Odjick contended with throughout his life, especially the physical and mental ailments in the last years of his life, which came to an end in 2023 at the age of 52. I’ll ask Patrick about writing the book with Peter, who was one of Odjick’s closest and loyal friends. As well, I’ll ask him about covering the Canucks today. He’s a fixture in The Province, and Postmedia with his reporting and analysis. This new book is published by Greystone Books. We spoke last Monday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Patrick Johnston; Mr. Johnston, good morning.  

The post Patrick Johnston first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Having its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival is A Welcome Distraction, the debut feature of director and writer Brian Daniel Johnson. We spoke two weeks ago about the film that’s set in Vancouver. The film stars Simon Farrell, Madison Isolina, Adriana Marchand, and Liam McCulley, among others. In the film, Ernest played by Farrell, is a wayward twenty-something living in Vancouver, having come here from elsewhere. Despite a family tragedy, he tries to avoid family. He goes hiking and is captivated by Mallory, played by Isolina, and soon falls into her friend group, which might be a cult. We see Ernest navigate the seasons in Vancouver, in beautifully shot scenes of Metro Vancouver covered in snow amidst the backdrop of the mountains, as well as in the warmth of those days when it doesn’t rain as much. I’ll ask Mr. Johnson about shooting in Vancouver, setting the story here, and the feelings the film evokes in visitors or transients or lifelong Vancouverites. Brian Johnson is an American writer and director, known for his music video work with Vancouver artist Haley Blais, as well as his short films After Dinner (2020) and Side Walks (2022), the latter of which received a nomination for the Best of BC award at the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival. He is also a film editor and short story writer. Visit www.briandanieljohnson.com for more information. And visit www.viff.org for tickets to the film which debuts Thursday night (06 October 2025) at The Cinematheque, with additional screenings Saturday and Sunday (11, 12 October 2025). Mr. Johnson joined me from California. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brian Johnson; Mr. Johnson, good morning.  

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Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick by Patrick Johnston and Peter Leech (Greystone, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Gino

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the highlights of the fall season is the new biography of beloved NHL player Gino Odjick. Written by Patrick Johnston and Peter Leech, it’s a frank, revelatory, and entertaining book about the late Vancouver Canucks player, who when he emerged in the early 1990s was one of the few Indigenous players at the time. As you read in Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick, he was a larger-than-life figure on and off the ice, who was one of the league’s most feared enforcers, who was also revered by teammates. The book chronicles the on-ice career of Odjick, these remarkable friendships he develops on the team, chiefly Pavel Bure, as well as the reverence he has for the game, and some of the coaching and team leadership like Pat Quinn. You get a sense of how Odjick makes it to the NHL, and the persona he cultivated. What the Messer’s. Johnston and Leech have also done is reveal the loving household he came from, as well as the struggles with alcohol abuse, and personal health challenges in later years. Joining me now is one of the authors of the book, Peter Leech. (Patrick will be on the program tomorrow.) Peter is himself a former professional athlete, and a former amateur boxing champion. He was close friends with Gino Odjick for more than twenty-five years, and for the last ten years of Odjick’s life, he and his wife Charlene were host to Odjick in their home. It’s a unique and close relationship, and I’ll ask Peter to give us some insight into what it was like navigating through the health issues that Odjick contended with, which led to his death at the age of 52 in 2013. A member of the T’it’q’et Community Village of the St’at’imc Tribal Nation, he has worked for many years with Indigenous Nation communities and organisations, including mentoring Indigenous youth, which he and Gino Odjick worked on for many years. This new book is published by Greystone Books. We taped this interview one week ago, with Peter joining me from his home in Burnaby. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Peter Leech; Mr. Leech, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Alvin Erasga Tolentino joins me again. Co.Erasga is presenting the world premiere of Eternal Gestures, a trilogy of evocative solo works commissioned from Indigenous Coast Salish based choreographers: Starr Muranko, Michelle Olson, and Margaret Grenier. I’ll ask Alvin about performing these pieces, and how he’s put himself in the hands of these choreographers. We’ll also reflect on the timely, urgent themes that this production speak to like connecting to land, decolonialisation, truth, healing and knowledge sharing. As this is Co.Erasga’s twenty-fifth season, I’ll ask Alvin about his creativity, and how Eternal Gestures might say something about maturity and the company’s place in this place. Visit www.companyerasgadance.ca for tickets and information. Eternal Gestures is at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street, Thursday, 09 and Friday, 10 October 2025. We spoke one week ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Alvin Erasga Tolentino; Mr. Tolentino, good morning.  

The post Alvin Erasga Tolentino first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Brishkay Ahmed joins me again. Her new documentary In the Room has its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival next week (Tuesday, 07 October and Friday, 10 October 2025). It’s a timely, and necessary film about the heroism of Afghan women that Brishkay had encountered in the past, either professionally or as a young fan or observer. She follows the tumultuous history of Afghanistan through the stories of these women Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, Vida Samadzai, Sahar Parniyan, Mozhdah Jamalzadeh, and Shogofa Sediqi, through their heritage, as well as the often harrowing circumstances that they have encountered over the years. What Brishkay and her team have done in the film is create a thoughtful space in which she and each of these women are able to have heartfelt, important conversations. The spaces themselves, as I’ll remark are thoughtfully and lovingly curated and designed, and allow for conversations that bring to the viewer sometimes a harrowing plight or tragedy, but in the end hope, especially for Afghanistan, and more importantly, the young women who are the country’s future. Brishkay Ahmed was first on the program in 2012 when her documentary Story of Burqa: Case of a Confused Afghan debuted. She’s since produced the award-winning documentary In the Rumbling Belly of Motherland, and created and co-directed the Afghan prime-time drama Between You and Me. Visit her website at https://www.brishkayahmed.com/ for more. And visit www.viff.org for tickets and information for In the Room, which is a production of the National Film Board of Canada. We spoke earlier this week, with Brishkay joining me from here in Vancouver. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Brishkay Ahmed; Ms. Ahmed, good morning.

The post Brishkay Ahmed first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Kent Donguines joins me again. The filmmaker has a documentary that will debut at the 44^th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival, this Sunday, 05 October 2025 with another screening on Monday, 06 October 2025. Treasure of the Rice Terraces has several journeys for Kent. First, he travels from Canada to Buscalan, a secluded mountain community in The Philippines. He’s also travelling home to the country of his birth, and at the same time tries to reconcile his roots with his identity. The film is also a journey through several hundreds of years of Philippine history with tattooing. Indigenous Filipinos hundreds of years ago got tattooed to signify rank or status in society. With the arrival of colonisers, especially the Spanish who also brought their Roman Catholic mores, tattooing was frowned upon even banned. This continues into the twentieth century with more recent ideas that a tattoo suggests immorality or criminality. Kent unpacks all of this with historians and contemporary cultural figures in The Philippines and elsewhere, including the tattoo anthropologist Lars Krutak. We also meet Apo-Whang od, who at 108 still practices the art of Kalinga tattooing, which involves tapping. I’ll ask Kent about what that involves, as we see him get tattooed in the film. What’s also fascinating is how Kent finds his own identity through the tattoos he has and adds to. We see him find connection with the Butbut people, especially the apprentices of Apo-Whang od, like Grace Palicas, who is her grandniece, and one of the now many in their village taking up the ancient art. The film is presented by Telefilm Canada, and supported by BC’s Knowledge Network. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information on the screenings. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Kent Donguines; Mr. Donguines, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Between 1957 and 1958, two young men, Bristol Foster and Robert Bateman, decided to go on an adventure of a lifetime. They purchased a Land Rover that they called The Grizzly Torque, and set about travelling some 14,000 kilometers through Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Foster, felt his family’s upbringing a little constraining in Toronto, while Bateman was a little restless as he started his career as a high school teacher. Both men were interested in nature and the outdoors, and as we see with the distinguished lives they led after this adventure, they’re certainly shaped by the landscape, creatures, and people they encountered. This is all the subject of a new documentary having its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival, The Art of Adventure. There’s a screening Sunday afternoon, 05 October 2025 at the Vancouver Playhouse. There are other screenings Tuesday, 07 October, and Sunday, 12 October, and probably more. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. The film’s director and producer Alison Reid joins me now to talk about this film, and highlighting the adventure, showcasing the vivid film and photography that both Foster and Bateman shot on the trip, as well as illustrating how this adventure influenced their later work; Foster as an academic, filmmaker, and naturalist and conservationist, and Bateman as an activist and artist of world renown. They’re the stars of the film, but so’s the Grizzly Torque itself. It goes with them on this journey, houses them throughout, and makes its way back to Canada. Alison Reid’s career in film began as a stunt performer and coordinator. She’s gone on to produce and direct the comedy The Baby Formula, and the documentary The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. She’s also directed episodes of Beyond Black Beauty, Hudson & Rex, and Murdoch Mysteries. We spoke earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alison Reid; Alison, good morning.

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The Race to the Starting Line: What You Need to Know About the Accessible Canada Act for Making a Barrier-Free Society by Max L. Brault (Initiate, 2025). Click to buy the book: Race to the Starting Line

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Earlier this year, Max Brault published a new book, The Race to the Starting Line: What You Need to Know About the Accessible Canada Act for Making a Barrier-Free Society. It’s a fascinating book about how starting in 2015, soon after the Justin Trudeau Liberals came to office, a new act of Parliament would be created from the ground up to look at the obstacles that over eight million Canadians with disabilities face, be they physical, architectural, technological, or attitudinal. With the goal of creating a barrier-free Canada by 2040, I’ll ask Mr. Brault who joined me a couple of weeks ago, about the progress, as well as look back at the effort to craft an act that though imperfect, worked to address concerns since the passage of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms over forty years ago now. But as the book’s title suggests, it’s just the starting line, and there’s more to accomplish. Max L. Brault is a recognised leader in accessibility and disability advocacy, with many years in the public service and consulting. Visit https://maxbraultsmafoundation.ca/ for more information. This book is published by Initiate. We spoke two weeks ago, with Max joining me from Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Max Brault; Mr. Brault, good morning.

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Procession by katherena vermette (House of Anansi Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Procession

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

katherena vermette joins me now. The award-winning writer and poet is out today with her third collection of poetry, Procession. The poems are heartfelt, cognisant of the past and the present, with an eye to the future. She explores the connections we have with one another, whether they’re friends, families or Nations. She lovingly remembers those she loved and those that loved her. The collection also focuses the reader on how finite our time is, and ours aren’t the only lives; for example, we’re part of something bigger, something that’s gone on long before, and hopefully will go on long after we’ve left. I found the collection thoughtful as well as fun. When she looks back at thoughts or writing from when she was a child, there’s often a laugh, a lot of wisdom and something thought provoking. She’s taken that insightful disposition into her more contemporary works as we think about what we see when we see photographs, especially how they shape memory more often than we’d like to concede. I enjoyed being amongst her poetry in Procession, because I was seeing the parade of memories as I read, of all the people I’ve encountered, good and bad, but mainly good. Though as you’ll hear us discuss, there are some people who might even warrant a good, “fuck you.” katherena vermette received the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry for her first book, North End Love Songs. Her novel The Break won many awards and was a bestseller. She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia. She is a Red River Métis (Michif) writer from Treaty 1 territory. Her father’s roots run deep in this land, dating back over two centuries, and her mother’s side is Mennonite. This new collection is from House of Anansi Press. She joined me from Winnipeg two and a half weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, katherena vermette; Dr. vermette, good morning.

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A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing byScott McIntyre (ECW Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Precarious Enterprise

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

I’ve had a unique perch these last twenty-one years doing the program, seeing the various books that have published in this country, and the publishers themselves. A new memoir sheds more light on the process and the experience of being a publisher. In A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing, Scott McIntyre recounts the heady days of publishing books when he started working in books in the late 1960s. As he chronicles the rise of independent Canadian publishers like Jack McClelland’s McClelland & Stewart, where he worked early in his career, to the founding of his own house Douglas & McIntyre, he chronicles the fall of the independents, as well as booksellers. In his nearly forty years at Douglas & McIntyre, they published some two thousand books, becoming one of Canada’s largest and most respected houses. And as one reads, the author was always at the heart of the enterprise. You read about how a publisher obtains a book, and the sort of money involved, and the interpersonal relationships that invariably need to be cultivated; and in some cases, personal friendships that develop. You get insights as to the process of publishing something of high quality, and how one goes about promoting and selling the thing. Mr. McIntyre, who joins me now, highlights the memorable bestsellers, some that were even at the centre of the national conversation soon after they were released. This book is full of great stories, and is published by ECW Press. Scott McIntyre is a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. For over forty years, he has worked in publishing, and fought for more supportive publishing policy, even shaping a groundbreaking UNESCO treaty that enshrines the principle of cultural diversity within international law. He joined me from here in Vancouver earlier this month. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Scott McIntyre; Mr. McIntyre, good morning. 

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An Accidental Villain: A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile by Linden MacIntyre (Random House Canada, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: An Accidental Villain

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Linden MacIntyre joins me again. He’s just released a new biography, An Accidental Villain: A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile. It’s a compelling and fascinating biography of the little-known Sir Hugh Tudor. He was a junior officer in the Boer War, and went on to  distinguish himself in the First World War as a senior officer, rising to the rank of Major-General. In 1920, old friend Winston Churchill calls on Tudor to serve in Ireland. As Minister of War in Lloyd George’s cabinet, Churchill thinks Tudor could resist the threat to British colonial authority posed by the Irish rebels. Soon, Tudor’s police force, the Black and Tans employ death squads and inflict brutal reprisals against the IRA, as well as Sinn Fein politicians. This all culminates on 21 November 1920, Bloody Sunday, when the Black and Tans slaughter Irish football spectators. Tudor didn’t have a diary or letters that might explain his actions or suggest his motives. That’s what makes Mr. MacIntyre’s new book so compelling. He goes through the archives and the diaries and letters of Tudor’s contemporaries to try and piece through this consequential life. Later in Tudor’s life, he makes his way to Newfoundland. This third act, if you will, provides more intrigue, not to mention family drama. I’ll get Linden to tell us more, about getting to know Tudor, finding out about his life and times, and answering some of the questions as to why Tudor ended up in Newfoundland. Was it to leave his wife and children behind? Was it for other love? Was it simply for business? Was it to dodge assassination attempts? And what happened when it was rumoured assassins might have sought Tudor in his later years in St. John’s. Linden MacIntyre is the award-winning and bestselling author of multiple novels including the Giller Prize winning The Bishop’s Man. He’s won many awards for his distinguished career as a broadcast journalist. He spent twenty-four years as a co-host of the fifth estate. The book is already a Number One bestseller, published by Random House Canada. We taped this interview in late August. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Linden MacIntyre; Mr. MacIntyre, good morning.

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Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now by George M. Abbott (Purich Books, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Unceded

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. 

A compelling and important book of the year is the newest from George Abbott. Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now is a well-researched, highly readable narrative of the relationship that the government has had with Indigenous peoples. Mr. Abbott, who joins me now, chronicles over 150 years of BC-Indigenous relations, providing necessary history as well as his own perspective after many years as a member of the Legislative Assembly, and a cabinet minister in the Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark governments. The book provides the background on landmark Supreme Court decisions, as well as the land claims process, whether it’s the Nisga’a or Tsawwassen treaties. George Abbott is a BC treaty commissioner, and a former BC Liberal MLA and cabinet minister. He is an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Victoria, and the author of Big Promises, Small Government: Doing Less with Less in the BC Liberal New Era. I’ll ask George about his work on the BC Treaty Commission, as well as its future, what with various criticism about its usefulness. And though he’s been part of the commission for several months now, he had been proposed as chief commissioner over a decade ago by the last BC Liberal government, only to have the appointment yanked from under him shortly before assuming his seat. I’ll ask about that, and why the treaty process is ideal compared to going to courts. This new book is published by Purich Books, which is an imprint of UBC Press. We spoke last Friday, with George joining me from Victoria, BC. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, George Abbott; Mr. Abbott, good morning.  

The post George Abbott first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

For the Love of a Son: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Hope by Scott Oake (Simon & Schuster, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: For the Love of a Son

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the more moving and inspiring books of the year is the Number One bestseller For the Love of a Son: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Hope. It was released to great notices this past spring. In the book, the popular broadcaster Scott Oake writes honestly and candidly about his son Bruce’s struggle with opioid abuse. It’s a battle that Bruce lost in 2011 at the age of twenty-five, but it’s one that has since inspired Scott, his late wife Anne, and their son Darcy, the celebrated illusionist, to do what they can to help others. In the wake of their grief, they launched the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, where in Winnipeg, they’ve been lauded for their revolutionary treatment facility staffed by peers, addicts and alcoholics in recovery. The book discusses the challenges at finding the land, raising the money, and breaking ground for this facility, challenges that also include political ones. The book does a tremendous job in chronicling the cycles of addiction. What Bruce, as well as Anne and Scott go through as a family is a struggle, one that has successes but also failures. You see how those with addictions struggle with wanting or asking for help, and when you add the epidemic of addiction throughout the country, not to mention the world, very often getting help is a struggle, least of all financially. The lesson in this book is that, Bruce, even with a family where they had the means to get detoxed and treatment, it wasn’t always a guarantee. Throughout the book you get to know Bruce, he’s not a statistic, but he’s somebody who was a funny, charismatic kid, who found community growing up in boxing and rap music. I’ll ask Scott about what all this has been like for his family, and what sustains him today despite the grief of mourning Bruce, and losing the family’s matriarch, Anne, who died in 2021. Scott Oake is the award-winning CBC Sports, Sportsnet, and Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster. His weekly After Hours, after the late hockey game on Saturday night, is a popular must-view show not just for hockey fans, but for folks like me who enjoy a good interview. Scott’s skill at storytelling is great to watch throughout the NHL season. He has covered Canada’s biggest sports moments, including the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, and the CFL. He is on the Media Roll of Honour of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, and is a Member of the Order of Manitoba, and Order of Canada, which he was invested with in Ottawa this past Canada Day. 100% of the after-tax royalties of this book, co-written with Michael Hingston, will be donated to the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre. The book is published by Simon & Schuster. I spoke to Scott in mid-August. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Scott Oake; Mr. Oake, good morning.

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In Search of Puffins: Stories of Loss, Light and Flight by Marjorie Simmins (Pottersfield Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: In Search of Puffins

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

I first encountered Marjorie Simmins in 2016, when she emailed me after it had been suggested by mutual friends that she be in touch. She and her beloved Silver Donald Cameron were making their way west in late 2016 to winter in the milder climes of Metro Vancouver from where they made their home in the east, in Nova Scotia. Both Don and Marjorie are originally from Vancouver. I was delighted to have both Marjorie and Don on the program, as soon as they motored their way across the country. They both came into the office at home to chat, first Marjorie on a book of hers, and Don on one of his, and then we did one with the two of them. I saw firsthand their affection and respect for one another, not just as married people but as writers. And it was lovely seeing how they supported one another. I look up from my desk now at a photograph from that sunny November day, a selfie of the three of us. It’s with the warmth of that memory that I sat at my desk recently, looking up at that photo on the wall from time to time, as I read Marjorie’s latest book In Search of Puffins: Stories of Loss, Light and Flight. The book looks at Marjorie and Don’s story, their love, their life together, and the loss after Don’s death at the height of COVID in June 2020. Don’s still around, as you’ll read, certainly throughout the book, he’s like a character, a voice through the book, guiding Marjorie, or giving her a laugh. The book is also great at illustrating grief and how hard it is to navigate. Marjorie during Don’s final days, and how she goes about to a new chapter in her life is damn near heroic. Marjorie joins me again, and I’ll ask her about how she finally got writing again, especially finishing this book. I’ll ask her about wanting to move back to Vancouver, but how she found that unfeasible. There’s a lot in this book, a lot that’s useful, but a lot that’s just worthwhile as Marjorie is a great writer; in some parts of the book, it reads as poetic. The website for more is at www.marjoriesimmins.ca. This new book is from Pottersfield Press. We taped this interview nearly two weeks ago, with Marjorie joining me from Truro, Nova Scotia. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Marjorie Simmins; Ms. Simmins, good morning.

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Night Moves: The Street Photography of Rodney DeCroo by Rodney DeCroo (Anvil Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Anvil Press: Night Moves

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Rodney DeCroo joins me now. The author, poet, singer-songwriter has just published a new collection of photographs. It’s a collection that largely reflects the world that Mr. DeCroo sees in East Vancouver. It’s often ironic, whimsical, serious, tense, but always real. The images he captures with his camera, largely self-taught, evoke a Vancouver that’s not what people immediately see when they Google for images of Vancouver. This is the Vancouver that’s on Commercial Drive, or Main Street. This isn’t Kerrisdale or Kits, Yaletown or Champlain Heights. It’s a Vancouver that’s trying or barely trying to make ends meet, that’s crushed by the world around us. The evocative photographs feature people as they go about trying to get to work in the heat, in the snow, and since it’s Vancouver, the rain. Sometimes there are photographs of people just taking a rest on the curb or the bus stop bench, or guys shooting the shit at a coffee shop on The Drive. I’ll ask Mr. DeCroo about this collection, how he goes about taking pictures, and more. Rodney DeCroo is the author of two previous books of poetry Allegheny, BC, and Next Door to the Butcher Shop. Also, a well-known, touring singer-songwriter with eight albums to his credit. His solo plays Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town and Didn’t Hurt have toured across Canada and the US. The full title of the book is Night Moves: The Street Photography of Rodney DeCroo. It’s published by Anvil Press. The foreword is written by Mike Usinger. I talked to Rodney nearly two weeks ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Rodney DeCroo; Mr. DeCroo, good morning.  

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Play Ball! The Amazing Stories and Captivating Characters Who Have Made Baseball a Winning Ticket in Vancouver for Over 100 Years by Tom Hawthorn (2025). Click to buy this book from The BC Sports Hall of Fame: Play Ball!

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Tom Hawthorn joins me again. He’s just published a new book, Play Ball! The Amazing Stories and Captivating Characters Who Have Made Baseball a Winning Ticket in Vancouver for Over 100 Years. It is a tough book to put down, because Tom with his ability to weave together great stories about colourful characters on and off the field, terrific archival photos, along with his skill at providing the reader with the historical and cultural context within which the baseball he writes about take place, make for not just a beautiful book for the coffee table, but a splendid resource for the sports fan, or a Vancouver history buff. With a foreword by Jim Robson, we get a sense of baseball’s endurance in Vancouver, and this is all despite the popularity of lacrosse, the BC Lions, and then the Vancouver Canucks throughout the twentieth century and now. The book also charts baseball’s development, relationships with leagues higher up in the pecking order through to Major League Baseball. Also, we see Vancouver’s own growth and development. I found particularly poignant, Tom’s recounting of the various ballparks that once stood throughout Vancouver. And of course, Nat Bailey Stadium, Capilano Stadium before that, plays a central role in the book. It’s a ballpark that Tom loves, and a lot of people, who’ve played here or visited here, or live near, just love. As Tom says, the book was commissioned by Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney, the former owners of the Vancouver Canadians, and it also chronicles how baseball has continued to play a major part as a brand in the community. And that’s largely thanks to Kerr and Mooney and all their efforts not just with the club and their relationship with the Toronto Blue Jays, but with the upgrading of the facilities at Nat Bailey Stadium. Tom Hawthorn is a Victoria-based journalist and author. He is a regular contributor to The Globe and Mail. He has written several acclaimed books, including Deadlines, and The Year Canadians Lost Their Minds and Found Their Country, which he’s appeared with on the program when they came out. The book is available at Nat Bailey Stadium, another good reason to go to a Canadians game, as well as at the BC Sports Hall of Fame, where they do mail orders as well. We taped this interview earlier this week, with Tom joining me from Victoria, BC. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Tom Hawthorn; Mr. Hawthorn, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

It was in August 2004 that I started the show. The word podcasting hadn’t come into vogue just yet. I taped the interviews over the phone and put the recording on the website, and people had to stream them. Just over twenty years later, I’m still at it, and though I might sometimes, rarely, complain about the work that goes into the show, I can’t think of anything as fulfilling an endeavour as this. To get to talk to very worthwhile people about their lives, their work, their experiences, their ideas, their ruminations on nearly every sort of topic imaginable has often been fun, as well at times an incredible privilege.  

When I hit ten years doing the show, I said I’d had more years behind me than ahead of me. I just kept on doing it, and every season brought about something new, something I probably couldn’t have imagined twenty years ago. I was going to do a clip show, you know, take a bunch of clips from some of the boldfaced names that have been on the show over the years. I may do just that another year, another anniversary. When I came back from summer break last fall, I went into taping shows from practically the week after signing off last May. I like pre-taping interviews, which is also a great privilege especially when a book’s weeks or even months away from being in stores. So, I really didn’t have time to assemble clips for a best-of show. And frankly, how could I choose from twenty years and over two thousand, three hundred shows. How do you choose between the multiple Pulitzer Prize winners, Emmy and Oscar winners, Tony winners, and members of the Order of Canada? And how do you have enough time to give a plausible overview of what’s gone on from my desk the last, what’ll be twenty-one years in August. 

I will take my usual summer break, and return for the 22^nd year of the show in late September. I’ve already got half a dozen names in the hopper for the fall, and that’s encouraging. I’m still a little surprised that there are those willing, sometimes wanting to talk to me. And then there are those that don’t. I’m not particularly upset about those but I’m furious about those that don’t even take the time to say no. Life has a way of sorting things out, because there’s been more than a couple of people who’ve ended up asking to come on the show years later. 

I didn’t want to sign off for the year, and let the anniversary pass without expressing my thanks to all those who’ve deigned to appear on the program. Having been interviewed, I can’t imagine why people would subject themselves to my questioning. Nevertheless, I figured I owe a few answers, and put out a call on social media last week soliciting questions. I’ve got them printed off and I’ll begin to answer them shortly. But I should note, other than the guests themselves, there’s a group of people who are instrumental in getting guests on the show that require acknowledgement. The great publicists over twenty years I’ve encountered outnumber the not-so-great ones. They’re often the person I talk to before and after I speak to the guest, and they’re practically saintly for reassuring me that the interview will go well, especially if I might have a doubt or two. And there are publicists I talk to on a regular basis that they’re in touch more frequently than most relatives or friends at this point. I’d like to name them all, but I’m afraid I’ll forget somebody. The good publicists will know before I do that a guest will be good on the show. For that discerning judgment, I am grateful, as listeners should. 

Now, to the questions: 

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Raincoast Chronicles 25: m̓am̓aɫa Goes Fishing by Alan Haig-Brown (Harbour Publishing, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: m̓am̓aɫa Goes Fishing

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Alan Haig-Brown joins me again. In a new book, he takes us to when he was a teenager in the 1960’s. He hadn’t quite finished high school, but found himself married into a fishing family. The Assu family had been fishing for generations, and since Alan was married to Herb and Mitzi Assu’s daughter Vicki, he found himself working on a fishing boat. It’s often tough work, and Alan recounts it all in Raincoast Chronicles 25: m̓am̓aɫa Goes Fishing. He’s got marvelous stories that provides insight as to what it’s like to make a living as the Assu’s did on the water. You get a sense of what it’s like navigating British Columbia’s west coast; and Herb did that without radar, the fishery resource as it was, and the challenges of life on a fishing boat in such close quarters. It really is a loving look at this formative time in Alan’s life, as he’d go on to work as an educator and then editor of the Westcoast Fisherman, and founding Westcoast Mariner and the Westcoast Logger. The book comes alive with Alan’s stories of adventure, and the occasional misadventure aboard the Assu boat. We also get a sense of the times, the relations that Indigenous peoples had with the commercial fishing industry, as well as how Alan found his way into this family, being a white guy. The book also comes alive with the photographs of Alan’s former wife Vicki Assu Robbins. Taken aboard and from the boat, you see what life was like on the coast over fifty years ago now. Alan Haig-Brown seined salmon and herring until 1973, and served for eleven years as coordinator of Indigenous education in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. A noted international marine journalist, Alan’s award-winning books for Harbour Publishing, which publishes Raincoast Chronicles 25, include Fishing for a Living, The Fraser River, and Still Fishin’, which he was on this program with in 2010. He divides his time between Bangkok, Thailand, and New Westminster, BC where he joined me from last week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Alan Haig-Brown; Mr. Haig-Brown, good morning.

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The Vinyl Diaries: Sex, Deep Cuts, and My Soundtrack to Queer Joy by Pete Crighton (Random House Canada, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Vinyl Diaries

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

When Pete Crighton came of age in the 1980s, he lived in fear of being found out by friends and schoolmates. Being gay then felt like a death sentence, and living in the shadow of HIV/AIDS could have meant death as well. The balm to his pain was and remains music. In his new memoir The Vinyl Diaries: Sex, Deep Cuts, and My Soundtrack to Queer Joy, Mr. Crighton, who joins me now, talks about the music that meant a lot to him growing up, that he revisits regularly, and looks for meaning in from time to time. That’s a great lesson in the book, that anything worth its salt, music, literature, art itself, relationships, need to be cared for, listened to rigorously. It’s music that he’s shared with lovers and other strangers, and he does so in this book that often reads as a curated playlist. The book also chronicles how he struggles to make sense of his sexuality, how he entered two long-term monogamous relationships, and how they eventually failed. In his early forties, as hook up culture’s rise thanks to apps on one’s phone surrounds our society, Pete goes through a mid-life sexual awakening. He writes about that with great candour in the book. Frankly, his honesty in the book is refreshing, and the unapologetic way he finds love in all its forms could be seen as inspiring. It’s worked for him. Pete Crighton has worked as a marketing executive in the arts for many years. He’s studied comedy at Second City, graduating from their Conservatory Program in improv, scene writing, and performance. He sings in the Dolly Parton choir, The Tennessee Mountain Homos. This new book is published by Random House Canada. He joined me from Toronto last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Pete Crighton; Mr. Crighton, good morning. 

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Off the Map: Vancouver Writers with Lived Experience of Mental Health Issues edited by Betsy Warland, Seema Shah, and Kate Bird (Bell Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Off the Map

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

There’s a new collection of writing out now that illuminates what it’s like for writers and creative people to contend with mental health issues. Off the Map: Vancouver Writers with Lived Experience of Mental Health Issues is the title of the collection and it features thirty-three writers who showcase their writing be it memoir, non-fiction, fiction, or poetry. Some bare themselves to varying degrees, while they all navigate their writing with an honesty that is refreshing. The collection is edited by Betsy Warland, Seema Shah, and Kate Bird. Seema Shah joins me now, and I’ll ask her about how the collection came about, what about the process of editing the collection did she find interesting and informative, and what she hopes the collection will yield for a reader. Seema Shah is a self-taught visual artist and writer with lived experience of mental health issues. Her creative nonfiction has been published in literary journals and anthologies, shortlisted for the Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives’ Narrative Essay Contest and twice for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference Contest, and longlisted for the Susan Crean Award for Nonfiction 2023. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries in Canada, the US, and the UK, and she was a recipient of The Beaumont Studios’ Artist to Watch Award 2022. Visit www.seemashahart.com for more. This new collection is published by Bell Press. We spoke last Wednesday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Seema Shah; Seema, good morning.  

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Curse of The Savoy by Ron Base and Prudence Emery (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Curse of The Savoy

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Ron Base joins me again. The former newspaper and magazine journalist and movie critic has just released the fourth book in the Priscilla Tempest Mystery Series, Curse of The Savoy. His co-author Prudence Emery inspired this series as the central character Priscilla Tempest, like Emery worked in the publicity department at London’s famed Savoy Hotel. The luxurious hotel is again the setting of this book, as Prudence finds herself an invited guest to a dinner hosted by filmmaker Orson Welles. It’s a Who’s Who of British society, culture and politics at this dinner: Hitchcock, Mountbatten, Noel Coward, Cary Grant, and the infamous Christine Keeler are amongst the attendees. They number thirteen, and it just so happens there’s an old curse that looms the proceedings, as the first guest who departs a party of thirteen is said to have brought doom to their existence. Well that’s what happens, and soon Priscilla Tempest finds herself at the heart of the intrigue, even drawing the attention of Queen Elizabeth II. I’ll get Ron to tell us about this book and the storied people that find themselves wrapped up in the mystery. A lot of these famed folks are perhaps ones that Ron interviewed, or that Prudence Emery wrangled for journalists like Ron in her heady days working on film sets or at the Savoy. Prudence Emery died last April at the age of 88. She leaves behind a colourful life that she wrote about in her memoir Nanaimo Girl, and which inspired this series with Ron, who I’ll get to reflect on his fabulous friend. Ron Base has written twenty novels, two novellas, and four works of non-fiction. Visit www.ronbase.wordpress.com where he also blogs. I’ll ask him about a recent remembrance I read off there. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke a week and a half ago with Ron joining me from Milton, Ontario. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ron Base; Mr. Base, good morning.  

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A Season in the Okanagan by Bill Arnott (Rocky Mountain Books, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Season in the Okanagan

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Bill Arnott joins me again. He’s just published a new book A Season in the Okanagan. In the book he takes the reader into the Okanagan region of British Columbia. It’s a part of the province he knows, having grown up there. It’s bucolic, and a tourist attraction for those who appreciate the outdoors, wine and bountiful fruits and vegetables. Bill doesn’t just narrate his travels, and the people he encounters, not to mention wildlife, he depicts what he sees through artistic renderings that illustrate how bright and vast the land is. Bill also shares conversations he’s had with people who live in the region. He gets a great understanding of what draws people to the Okanagan, despite the ever-thickening smoke every fire season, or just the weather that’s different there than here in Metro Vancouver, for example if it’s hot here, it’s likely warmer there, or colder there in the winter. Bill also looks at how history is depicted in public institutions like museums. He also takes the time to look at the land, history, and people through how the Indigeous view the land. Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, On Foot, which he was on this show with back in the fall. He’s also written A Season on Vancouver Island, as well as the Gone Viking series. This new book is published by Rocky Mountain Books. We spoke a week and a half ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Bill Arnott; Mr. Arnott, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

The award-winning Cree artist of stage and screen Michelle Thrush joins me now. Opening this Thursday, 22 May 2025 and running until Saturday, 31 May 2025 is her solo show Inner Elder. She’s written and will perform the piece, which highlights the power of imagination in survival. I’ll ask Michelle about the show, how it was developed in Calgary, and taking the show to the stage of the Firehall Arts Centre, where she acted in the 1992 production of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. I’ll ask Ms. Thrush about the role of elders and the wisdom they bestow on us all. The piece is about healing, from substance abuse and aliens, and features a superhero that lights the way forward. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. We spoke earlier this week, with Michelle joining me from here in Vancouver. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michelle Thrush; Ms. Thrush, good morning.  

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Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History by Donna Seto (House of Anansi Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Chinatown Vancouver

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Donna Seto’s art has gained quite a following online in recent years. The artist’s vivid illustrations of Vancouver’s Chinatown shared on Instagram and other social media made her a popular follow, and now the author of a new collection Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History. It’s a must-have for any Vancouverite’s bookshelf or coffee table, as it has important history of Chinatown, coloured by stories of the lives of proprietors of businesses there, as well as those various groups who erected buildings some over a hundred years ago that still stand, and that are not just the living history of a community. Donna’s illustrations make history come alive as we see buildings as they are, as well as they once were. For example, a lively nightclub or watering hole when Chinatown was known for its neon up and down Pender or Hastings streets, comes alive once more as Donna fills in the gaps in memory as to places that are important to Vancouver’s cultural and social history. The book also has wonderfully researched archival photos that add to an important history not just of Chinatown but Vancouver itself. Donna Seto is a writer, self-taught artist, and occasional academic. She grew up accompanying her parents on regular ventures through Vancouver’s Chinatown when it was different, perhaps a little more livelier or busier. They’d buy groceries, ate dim sum, purchased newspapers, and visited her grandmother. Donna has a PhD in politics and international relations. There are events this weekend: Saturday afternoon, 24 May 2025 at the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, where Donna will be in conversation with Andy Yan, and Sunday afternoon, 25 May 2025 at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre. The website for more is at www.donnaseto.ca. The book is published by House of Anansi Press. We spoke this past Friday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Donna Seto; Dr. Seto, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Chelsea Haberlin joins me again. She’s directing the world premiere of Katherine Gauthier’s Meeting. From ITSAZOO and Pacific Theatre, this play invites the audience into a meeting of a support group, taking place in a room at the Chalmers Heritage Building, which is home to Pacific Theatre, that often hosts meetings like this. The play offers a look into wwhat happens in a Co-Dependents, Love and Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting. And the conversations are often frank, challenging, nuanced, and personal. I’ll ask Chelsea about what happens in the piece, and what we might take out of the peer group experience. There’s a lot of trust as well as navigating of trauma at meetings like this, not to mention the contending of stigma. There are explicit discussions of trauma, abuse, sex and sexual behaviour. Visit www.itsazoo.org for tickets and information. The show begins Wednesday, 14 May 2025 and runs until 07 June 2025. Meeting stars Marcus Youssef, Carmela Sison, Chris Lam, Kaitlin Williams, and Sebastien Archibald. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Chelsea Haberlin; Ms. Haberlin, good morning.   

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Alone Together: A Curious Exploration of Loneliness by Petti Fong (Orca Books, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Alone Together

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Petti Fong joins me now. Last year, she published a book for young readers, Alone Together: A Curious Exploration of Loneliness. It’s a great book for any reader, of any age, because it provides an overview of how pervasive loneliness is in our society, as well as solutions to combat it. And naming it for younger readers is important, because it’s something we’ve all felt thanks to the pandemic, or even living in big cities, yet it’s not something that’s talked about. A lot of literature for younger readers likes to scare them into thinking being alone isn’t normal or dangerous even. Getting away from that, framing it in the modern context, is considerably useful. I’ll ask Peg about the book, and about the podcast that inspired it. The show of the same name looked at superheroes, as well as real-life heroes in the Civil Rights Movement that are all instructive as to how to deal with loneliness. And the goal is that yes, we can be alone, yet we can be alone together. Petti Fong is a journalist, educator, and author. She is the Vancouver correspondent for The Economist. She was a staff reporter at the Vancouver Sun, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and the CBC. She teaches journalism, ethics and business communications at Kwantlen University, Langara College, and the University of British Columbia. This book is published by Orca Books. We spoke last Friday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Petti Fong; Ms. Fong, good morning. 

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Existing Music by Nick Thran (Nightwood Editions, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Existing Music

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Nick Thran joins me now. The poet has just published a new collection of poetry, his fourth, Existing Music. I’ll ask him about poems in the book that look at memory, music, and how music affects the memories that we hold, good or bad; painful or happy. He’s a talented writer who evokes melancholy and longing, just as well as he deploys a love of language and whimsy as he uses words as he intends, painting images or summoning in the reader certain sounds as one reads. He takes us to the world of a bookstore, something he knows well as he makes his living as a bookseller, as well as a writer and editor. Nick Thran’s previous books include the mixed-genre collection If It Gets Quiet Later On, I Will Make a Display, and three previous poetry collections. Earworm won the 2012 Trillium Book Award for Poetry. This new book is published by Nightwood Editions. Nick will be part of an event this Thursday, 08 May 2025 at Iron Dog Books. It’s a double launch of this book, as well as Tom Wayman’s Out of the Ordinary. The event is free, and doors open at 6.30pm. You can register at www.irondogbooks.com. We taped this interview two and a half weeks ago, with Nick joining me from Fredericton, New Brunswick. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nick Thran; Mr. Thran, good morning.

The post Nick Thran first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

At the Granville Island Stage, beginning Thursday, 08 May 2025 through to 24 May 2025 is the newest production from CTORA Theatre, West Side Story. The epic and beloved musical, inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet features the music of Leonard Bernstein, the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. This production also recreates the show’s original 1957 choreography by Jerome Robbins. The tale of two young lovers, Tony and Maria, who are at the heart of a conflict between two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, amidst the backdrop of a gentrifying New York City in the 1950s, has been produced on the stage countless times since its debut in the 1950s, and has been made into two major motion pictures, 1961’s Best Picture Oscar winner, and the recent Steven Spielberg remake that was also well received. Joining me now is Chris Adams, this production’s director. I’ll ask him about the large cast, the large set, and the 14-piece live orchestra. We’ll also touch on the themes of this timeless classic, as it remains relevant now just as it did with it first premiered. Visit www.ctora.ca for tickets and information. Chris Adams is also the interim artistic director of the Royal City Musical Theatre. We spoke two and a half weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris Adams; Mr. Adams, good morning.  

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No Judgment: And Other Busking Stories by Philip Seagram (Caitlin Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Caitlin Press: No Judgment

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

I really enjoyed reading the new book by Philip Seagram, No Judgment: And Other Busking Stories. In the book, he chronicles leaving his job as a judge, to hit the road, going across Canada busking. This is in 2022, just as we’re coming out of the pandemic. He’s able to see the country in his travels in a unique way, seeing divisions over politics and vaccines. As he plays, he’s got the guitar case open and people are allowed to leave money or take money. Anything extra is donated to Ukrainian humanitarian relief. I’ll ask Philip about the experience of meeting a variety of people on the street, about why people donated or why they took money. Philip Seagram is a former criminal lawyer and provincial court judge who has lived and worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the Okanagan/Similkameen, and the West Kootenay. He is a late-blooming singer-songwriter, writer, and cross-country ski instructor. He lives with his wife, two horses, a dog and a cat on a small acreage near Nelson, BC, though he joined me from Victoria just over three weeks ago. The website for more is at www.philipseagram.com. This new book is published by Caitlin Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Philip Seagram; Mr. Seagram, good morning.

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Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep by Mark Leiren-Young (Orca Books, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Octopus Ocean

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mark Leiren-Young joins me again. He’s just published a new book Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep. Mark has taken a deep dive into the world of octopuses. And what a book has come as a result. In it, the reader learns about how magnificent these animals are, known for their brilliant minds and unique personalities. You’ll learn about how they prefer to be alone, how they can manipulate others including other species. They’re able to distract as well as collapse their bodies to fit in small spaces or better yet, escape. They’re intelligent beings and just fascinating to behold. They’re also creatures who seem to always make news, as research reveals something new all the time. I’ll ask Mark about what it’s like to see them up close. We’ll talk about writing for younger readers, as well as hockey. It’s such an enjoyable book. You’ll learn lots and there’s enough here to make you an expert at octopuses. Mark Leiren-Young is an award-winning author, screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker. He has written television shows for young viewers, and wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning documentary The Hundred-Year-Old Whale. He is the host of the Skaana podcast. Visit www.leiren-young.com for more. This new book is published by Orca Books. We spoke a week and a half ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Leiren-Young; Mr. Leiren-Young, good morning.

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Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck by Eve Lazarus (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Beneath Dark Waters

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Eve Lazarus joins me again. She’s got a new book out, Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck; and it’s a terrific read. What Eve has done is taken a forgotten maritime disaster, one that took more lives than the Titanic, and looked at the narratives in the press of the day that contributed to the sinking’s misinterpretation then. She draws on historical documents, as well as personal letters and weaves a fascinating tale that brings to life those lives lost, as well as survivors. Largely thanks to fog, in the early hours of 29 May 1914, the RMS Empress of Ireland, en route to Liverpool, England from Quebec City, was rammed by a Norwegian coal ship, Storstad, in the St. Lawrence River. It takes fourteen minutes for the Empress of Ireland to sink, and by then only four of the forty lifeboats had been launched. I spoke to Eve earlier this month, about the book, how she came to learn of the Empress of Ireland, and the process she undertook to write it. As a fan of Eve’s terrific history books largely on true crime, this new book might be a departure, but it’s dazzling one at that. We’re transported to a time of liner travel, a time when myths are created out of various press accounts, as well as how just how different life was then as now, thanks to technology. Eve Lazarus is a reporter, author, and the host and producer of the Cold Case Canada true crime podcast. She first appeared on the program eighteen years ago, and has been on six previous times for six previous books of hers. All her books seem to be acclaimed and bestsellers. This new one is from Arsenal Pulp Press. She joined me from her home in North Vancouver. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Eve Lazarus; Ms. Lazarus, good morning.

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Out of the Ordinary by Tom Wayman (Harbour Publishing, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Out of the Ordinary

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Tom Wayman joins me again. He’s recently published a new collection of poetry, Out of the Ordinary. He’s a marvelous writer, and this new collection showcases Wayman’s skill at putting words together in poetry that’s playful and challenging, as well as illustrative and opaque. There are poems that are amusing as well as deeply profound as Tom dismantles misuse of language, especially when wilfully mendacious. Tom has the ability to observe life and the things around us so carefully, sometimes admiringly and lovingly that it’s a perspective that’s not only welcome, but inspiring. There are poems in this collection that describe what it might be like to get into a seed or a raindrop that make the reader want to see the world as Tom does. There are poems in this collection that also examine grief and friendship, and the poems that contend with the loss of a friend are instructive as to how to work through grief, but also present his late friend honestly. Tom Wayman is the author of more than twenty previous collections of poetry, three collections of critical and cultural essays, three books of short fiction, and a novel. He was the 2022 recipient of the George Woodcock Award for Lifetime Achievement in the literary arts. 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 first appeared on the program last year when his memoir The Road to Appledore (or How I Went Back to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place) was published. There is an event Thursday evening, 08 May 2025, at Iron Dog Books. Tom and Nick Thran will be reading from their books. Visit www.tomwayman.com for more. This new collection is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke two weeks ago, with Tom joining me from his home in Winlaw, British Columbia. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Tom Wayman; Mr. Wayman, good morning.

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Storm the Ballot Box: An Insider’s Guide to a Voting Revolution by Jo-Ann Roberts (Nimbus Publishing, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Storm the Ballot Box

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Jo-Ann Roberts joins me now. She’s written a new book that’s especially timely Storm the Ballot Box: An Insider’s Guide to a Voting Revolution. It’s an engaging book that offers solutions to combat the apathy, ignorance and frustration a lot of citizens feel about democracy itself. And it’s written with the experience of a forty-year reporter who left journalism to run for political office. She was a candidate in the 2015 federal election in Victoria, BC, running for the Green Party, and then in the elections of 2019 and 2021 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She shares her experiences as a candidate in those elections, showing the reader what it’s like financially personally, but more importantly for the campaign. She takes aim in the book at strategic voting. It seems to be what most of the parties are urging voters to do in this election. Jo-Ann’s view is that voters should vote for who they think would best represent them, rather than against a candidate or a party or a particular leader. We’ll talk about fixed election dates, as well as polling and misinformation emanating from political parties. There’s a lot in the book that’s worthwhile to consider, and doable. Jo-Ann Roberts is an award-winning journalist, who spent twenty years as a CBC Radio host. She is the former interim leader of the Green Party of Canada, and in sum was a candidate in four elections. She has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King’s College. This new book is from Nimbus Publishing. We spoke yesterday afternoon, with Jo-Ann joining me from Halifax. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jo-Ann Roberts; Jo-Ann, good afternoon.

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The Dissident Club: Chronicle of a Pakistani Journalist in Exile by Taha Siddiqui and Hubert Maury (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Dissident Club

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Taha Siddiqui joins me now. He’s just published a graphic novel in English that if one were to say was action-packed, would be an understatement. His life thus far has been one best told in a graphic novel as he’s survived an assassination attempt in Islamabad, he came of age in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the years between the Gulf War and 9/11. He grew up in a family that included a stern fundamentalist Islamic father. And even though Taha, who joined me one month ago, rebelled against religion, it was still very much a part of his life intersecting with personal relations and professional pursuits especially after his father joins a jihadi mosque. Taha chronicles in the book all that, as well as going to university and finding journalism. His reporting runs afoul of Pakistani military, and soon he finds himself exiled in France. He joined me from Paris last month, where he had founded the Dissident Club, a bar dedicated to helping political dissidents from around the world. Taha Siddiqui is an award-winning journalist. He’s worked for the New York Times, The Guardian, France 24, the Christian Science Monitor, Al Jazeera, and many other international and local media organisations. The full title of the book is The Dissident Club: Chronicle of a Pakistani Journalist in Exile. Written and illustrated with Hubert Maury, with the English translation by David Homel, it’s published by Arsenal Pulp Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Taha Siddiqui; Mr. Siddiqui, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Western Canada’s largest documentary film festival returns for its twenty-fourth edition, 01-11 May 2025. This year’s lineup showcases 39 features, 30 short and mid-length films, as well as industry events. Visit www.doxafestival.ca for tickets and information. The line up is there, and not to sound trite, but there’s something for everybody. Joining me now is Marianne Thodas, the Programming and Industry Manager at DOXA. I’ll ask Marianne about the work that goes into programming and planning a festival like DOXA, and about the films to expect. DOXA has had a commitment to feature local filmmakers, and that’s no different this year. New films by Lyana Patrick and Baljit Sangra will have their world premieres, and there will be events associated with the screenings of Nechako—It Will Be a Big River Again, and Have You Heard Judi Singh? featuring each of the filmmakers in attendance. And like most years with DOXA, there’ll be screenings that’ll be sold out, but additional screenings are usually added for popular films, so it’ll do you well to check the website regularly. Once again, that’s www.doxafestival.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marianne Thodas; Marianne, good morning.

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Field Work: On Baseball and Making a Living by Andrew Forbes (Assembly Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Field Work

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Andrew Forbes joins me now. He’s just published a new book, Field Work: On Baseball and Making a Living. It’s a great collection of essays on baseball that reflect not just the rich history of the sport, but look at how it works on a variety of levels from the Major and Minor leagues, to the Little League field that Mr. Forbes tends to as he coaches his kids season in and season out. The value of labour, not just on the field measured in statistics is observed in the book, but the idea of what’s work and what’s play, as the game itself is played is reflected upon, making for such a worthwhile read. We talk about money and gambling too. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this collection, because there are some memorable, larger than life characters that also play a part through the stories in the book. Andrew Forbes is the author of two previous collections of baseball writing, The Utility of Boredom, and The Only Way Is the Steady Way. He’s also authored two short story collections, a novel, and a novella. Visit www.andrewgforbes.com for more. This new book is published by Assembly Press. We spoke nearly three weeks ago, with Andrew joining me from Peterborough, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Andrew Forbes; Mr. Forbes, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Some Assembly Theatre celebrates its 25th anniversary season with it’s new and original theatre production, Our Last Tree. It’s written and directed by Valerie Methot, who joins me now to talk about the show and the company, which has been celebrated for the collaboration between youth and professional artists. The show looks at the important subject of climate change, and how people care about existential issues. The show is at the Roundhouse Performance Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, from Wednesday, 30 April to May 3^rd 2025. Some Assembly has long had a commitment to keeping the barrier low for audiences, where admission is free, though you have to make reservations. Visit www.someassembly.ca for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Valerie Methot; Ms. Methot, good morning.

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Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre by Mark Bourrie (Biblioasis, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ripper

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mark Bourrie joins me again. His latest book, Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre was recently published to good reviews and it’s already on the bestseller list. As I admit to Mark in the interview that we taped on Friday morning, I’ve never found Poilievre an interesting person because he has always seemed to be a glib fighter prone to theatrics and quips rather than ideals and policy. Yet, I have found Mark’s book highly readable; an indispensable chronicle of Canadian political culture in the last twenty to twenty-five years, as well as an indictment of the qualities that Poilievre has that make him less than ideal to become prime minister of Canada, which he could very well be in week’s time. The title of the book comes from David Brooks, who said that there were two types of politicians: rippers and weavers. Rippers, whether they’re of the left or the right, see politics as war. They’ll seek power and destroy whatever is in their way for it. And the portrait of Poilievre is that, he’s got little practical experience outside of politics, seemingly angry all the time, and somebody who sees little value in consensus. Poilievre is seemingly the right and wrong person for the moment. He evokes in his supporters, victimhood in a country that they’ll claim is broken. They’re tired with the Liberal decade in power, because it frustrates them that they’re not in power. Poilievre has never changed, the country has, that’s why so many people in this country will vote for him. At the same time, as the book points out, he’s wrong for this moment because of the existential crisis that the country finds itself in what with Donald Trump and his various pronouncements. It might be said that had Trump not come to power again, Poilievre might have better poll numbers. And as Bourrie warns, he might not be the best sort of leader to deal with Trump, because the evidence through his political record suggests he’ll just knuckle under to get along. Mark Bourrie is an Ottawa-based author, lawyer, and journalist. He holds a master’s in Journalism from Carleton, and a PhD in history from the University of Ottawa. His Juris Doctor degree was awarded in 2017, and he was called to the bar in 2018. He’s won numerous awards for his journalism, including a National Magazine Award, as well as the RBC Charles Taylor Prize in 2020 for his book Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson. He’s appeared on the program with that book, as well as last year’s bestseller Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia. This new book is published by Biblioasis. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Bourrie; Dr. Bourrie, good morning.

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Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War on Drugs by Garth Mullins (Doubleday Canada, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Crackdown

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

One of the best things I’ve read this season is the memoir by Garth Mullins. In Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War on Drugs, Mr. Mullins who joins me now, recounts his life story, amidst the backdrop of the frontline of a toxic drug supply in Vancouver. In the thirty years he’s lived in Vancouver, Garth has been a tireless activist known for leading protests as well as performing punk rock. He’s also become an activist for drug users, and in the book bares his experience as a heroin user, and as a user of safer alternatives. In the book, he talks candidly about dopesickness, incarceration, and overdose. He also talks about darker experiences in his own life candidly and with an honesty that is not just admirable, but I’m sure many will find inspiring. What also comes through in the book is the community that he’s witnessed formed by drug users in Vancouver. It’s often frustrating to see how the community is viewed especially by those that want to use a moral lens. And he’s helped to try and give drug users a voice, especially with his work as host and executive producer of the Crackdown podcast. Like in the podcast, in this book Garth gives voice to a number of fallen comrades, close friends he’s lost over the years. And as you’ll hear, he carries their memory with him in all of his work. Garth’s early years, born with albinism and increasing blindness over the years, which he’s been on this program to discuss in the past, is also recounted in the book. You see how an activist is shaped, and how he’s continued over the years whether it’s in politics, labour or safe supply. Garth Mullins is a harm-reduction activist, award-winning journalist, writer, broadcaster, and musician. He is an organiser with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. There’s an event this Wednesday, 16 April 2025 at the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, with Garth in conversation with Andrea Woo. That’s at 7.00 pm. Visit www.writersfest.bc.ca for free tickets and information. This new book is published by Doubleday Canada. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Garth Mullins; Mr. Mullins, good morning.

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The Erotics of Cutting Grass: Reflections of a Well-Loved Life by Kate Braid (Caitlin Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Erotics of Cutting Grass

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Kate Braid joins me now. She’s just published a new collection of essays, The Erotics of Cutting Grass: Reflections on a Well-Loved Life. It’s an engaging, heartfelt, often witty collection that looks at various subjects of interest: parenting, grandparenting, aging, health, travel, wisdom, spirituality, writing, singing, among other fascinating points of entry into her thoughtful life. Ms. Braid, who joined me last week, has previously written about her work in the male-dominated world of construction in her memoirs Journeywoman: Swinging a Hammer in a Man’s World, and Nail: Notes of a Journeywoman. She touches on the years she spent in construction, but also looks at how it’s affected how she sees herself and how others might view her. She’s often candid, frank, and so inviting to the reader to ponder their own thoughts, feelings and existence. Kate Braid is an award-winning writer and poet. Among her many accolades include the Remarkable Woman of the Arts, and Pandora’s Collective BC Mentor’s awards, and the Pat Lowther and Vancity Book prizes. She was writer-in-residence at Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. Visit www.katebraid.com for more. She joined me from Pender Island, where she’ll be launching the book Wednesday, 30 April 2025 at 1.00 pm. That’s at the North Pender Island Library. There are events later this summer; those are listed on her website. This new book is published by Cailin Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kate Braid; Ms. Braid, good morning.  

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Dirty Little War: A Crime Novel by Dietrich Kalteis (ECW Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Dirty Little War

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Dietrich Kalteis joins me now. The award-winning author has just published a new book, Dirty Little War: A Crime Novel. Set in 1920’s, the main character Huck finds himself in Prohibition-era Chicago, amidst tensions of rival gangs, while he throws his lot in with the North Side Gang. He gets involved in bare-knuckled fighting, bootlegging, even gaining the attention of Al Capone. I’ll ask Mr. Kalteis about Huck Waller and what brought him to Chicago and to this lifestyle. I’ll ask him about what makes Chicago such a rich setting for an author, and how he writes. Dietrich Kalteis won the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award for Excellence Best Crime Novel for Under an Outlaw Moon. He is the author of thirteen novels, an blogs regularly at his website www.dietrichkalteis.com. This new book is published by ECW Press. We spoke just over three weeks ago, with Dietrich joining me from North Vancouver. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Dietrich Kalteis; Mr. Kalteis, good morning.  

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Women Who Woke Up the Law: Inside the Cases That Changed Women’s Rights in Canada by Karin Wells (Second Story Press, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Women Who Woke Up the Law

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Karin Wells joins me now. She’s just published a new book, Women Who Woke Up the Law: Inside the Cases That Changed Women’s Rights in Canada. In the book, you read some gripping stories about women integral to advancing rights in the country. Irene Florence Murdoch, Chantale Daigle, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, are just some of the women in the book who faced injustice and sought remedy through the legal system. And what did the women in the book seek? Abortion rights, the right for half of matrimonial assets, whether a woman was a person, maternity leave benefits, are among just a few of the landmark decisions kicked off by women in this book. Unfortunately, for some the cases don’t go the way of those who initialised them, however a lot of them ended up cited in landmark decisions because the jurisprudence catches up. Karin, who joined me from Port Hope, Ontario nearly one month ago, also focuses on the future. She looks at the requirement and enforcement of Non-Disclosure Agreements, and the protracted dispute between Jan Wong and her former employer, the Globe and Mail, (which Jan writes about in her bestselling memoir Out of the Blue, which she appeared on the program with in 2012), as well as the Nygard situation, where thanks to NDA’s he managed to insulate himself, for a while at least. I’ll also get Karin to reflect on how we should not get so comfortable with rights we might have in our society, which are not always guaranteed, and which could be taken away with a change of government, like we’re seeing in the United States. Karin Wells is a lawyer and well-known for her work on CBC Radio. She’s one of the finest documentarians in the history of the public broadcaster. Her previous books include The Abortion Caravan: When Women Shut Down Government in the Battle for the Right to Choose, and More Than a Footnote: Canadian Women You Should Know. This new book, published by Second Story Press, is not just an important book, it makes for a terrific read, because Karin’s writing makes these stories come alive to great effect. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Karin Wells; Karin, good morning. 

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LoveNotes! Real Stories. Real People. Real Love. edited by Heather Christie (71st Street Books, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: LoveNotes!

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Heather Christie joins me now. The writer, producer and educator has recently published LoveNotes! Real Stories. Real People. Real Love. It’s a terrific collection of stories she sought from those seeking love, finding love, losing love, and experiencing love at various points in one’s life. Heather has raised two daughters, divorced, and experienced dating disappointment. She sought these stories and presented them in the live storytelling event LoveNotes!, which debuted in 2024 and sold out Off-Broadway, and expanded elsewhere. I’ll ask Heather if she gleaned any wisdom from the stories presented in the show and in this book. The book is hardly an instruction manual, as not everything works for everybody. For example, you’ll read stories about love at first sight, and there are a number of examples in the book. But there are also stories where people who’ve known each other for a while, even disliked one another, and yet eventually find there’s something between them. There are prompts and puzzles between the stories that make for breaks in the collection that also get the reader involved. You can write down your own thoughts, and or draw. I’ll ask Heather about the upcoming podcast that will involve LoveNotes! Heather Christie is the award-winning author of the Young Adult novels What the Valley Knows, and The Lying Season, and the producer/director of the storytelling show Listen to Your Mother NYC. Visit www.HeatherChristieBooks.com for more. The book is published by 71^st Street Books. We spoke in February, with Heather joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Heather Christie; Ms. Christie, good morning.

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One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (McClelland & Stewart, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Omar El Akkad joins me again. The bestselling author and reporter has just published a new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. It’s a powerful book, where the author chronicles how his own life fits within the narratives of the worlds he inhabits, as a son of immigrants, as a father, as a citizen, and whether it’s journalism in Canada, living in the United States, being a writer; he speaks truth to power. This book is described as a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in the heart of an empire that doesn’t consider you fully human. The title of the book is adapted from a tweet Omar put out in October 2023, three weeks after the bombardment of Gaza. Going back from then he reflects on his work as a journalist, a career he began in university just after September 11, 2001. He takes the timeline of then and now, and provides examples of how he views the West as no longer to be trusted to police the world, morally or otherwise. I’ll ask Omar about the writing of the book, and the conclusions he comes to, deeply personal ones that calls into question home, as well as electoral politics, the media, and what it means to be an artist. Omar El Akkad has reported from Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He’s been on the program in the past for his previous novels, American War, and What Strange Paradise. Both were bestsellers and critically acclaimed. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. We spoke one week ago, with Omar joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Omar El Akkad; Mr. El Akkad, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Sam Champagne joins me now. He will be starring in a unique concert experience, Twilight in Concert. It’s this Friday night, 14 March 2025 at the Orpheum Theatre. The film-to-concert experience will feature the original Twilight movie, a live 12-piece band on stage, candles, and Mr. Champagne performing the iconic score. You’ve got the live music in perfect synchronisation with the full-length film, on a big screen in the legendary Orpheum. I’ll ask Sam about the Twilight movies, and the music, as well as how nostalgic everything is considering it’s been fifteen years since the original film was released. And I forgot that a number of keys scenes in the picture were shot in and around British Columbia. Visit https://www.twilightinconcert.com for tickets and information. Sam Champagne is a Canadian tenor and concert producer. His voice has been described as having “impeccable intonation, correct diction, expression and musicality.” He’s been touring the country in Twilight in Concert since 2024, and later in the year, he’ll headline the Symphonic Bond tour, as well as Frozen in Concert. Visit www.samchampagne.com for more. We spoke last week with Sam joining me from Montreal. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Sam Champagne; Mr. Champagne, good morning. 

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Derek Chan joins me again. He is starring in the world premiere of A Taste of Hong Kong, a new production from Pi Theatre in association with Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre. The play is written by Anonymous. I’ll ask Derek about why the playwright has chosen anonymity, which is especially interesting considering the politics in and around Hong Kong, and frankly, around the world at the moment. As the production’s director Richard Wolfe says, the show indirectly shines a light on the reality of self-censorship in Canada. I’ll also get Derek to reflect on the timeliness of this show, in light of the rise of authoritarianism not just around the world but next door. In the show, Derek’s character Jackie Z provides insight as to the history of Hong Kong from the colonial era to the present, and through food. We’ll discuss the tasty samples to be had at the show, and just how resilient the people of Hong Kong are, and have been throughout its history. The show begins in previews Thursday, 06 March 2025, opening the next evening, and runs until March 15^th at the Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables Street. Visit www.thecultch.com for tickets and information. Before we get to the interview that we taped ten days ago, I should like to note that Derek’s been on the program before about a show he’s performing in or one that he’s conceived. His work has always dealt with the personal and the political, and invariably the two are inseparable. In the past, in 2023 and 2021, we’ve talked about contemporary challenges that the people in Hong Kong face amidst a larger superpower right next door with other designs. The conversations are always timely with Derek, and unfortunately today, the talk about how to contend with questions of sovereignty and self-determination are not only timely but urgent. A Taste of Hong Kong also has a lot of heart and joy, as you’ll hear from Derek. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Derek Chan; Mr. Chan, good morning.

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On Book Banning by Ira Wells (Biblioasis, 2025). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: On Book Banning

The text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The history of book banning is interesting enough, but in his new book, out today, Ira Wells takes a fascinating survey of literary censorship through the ages, and looks at the current efforts to ban books both emanating from the right, as well as the left. Libraries are seen by a lot of people as sites of contagion and exposure, and the front line as to what affects children’s minds, and so activists want to suppress opposing viewpoints in the pursuit of their ideological agenda. The arguments range from certain books causing harm because they promote social deviance, or harm can be had through racist language or non-inclusive narratives. The book opens with Mr. Wells, who joins me now, attending a public meeting regarding the books in his children’s school library. The librarian there wanted to do away with books that were written prior to 2008. I’ll ask Ira about the survey that happened, and why a greater role for parents should be played in the schools and libraries where their children learn. Ira Wells is a critic, essayist, and an associate professor at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, where he teaches in the Northrop Frye stream in literature and the humanities. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the Globe and Mail, Guardian, and The New Republic, among many other publications. He was first on the program back in 2021 when his acclaimed biography Norman Jewison: A Director’s Life was published. On Book Banning is published by Biblioasis. We spoke in late January. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ira Wells; Professor Wells, good morning.

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Can’t Stop Dancing by James E. Hibbard (BearManor Media, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Can’t Stop Dancing

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

For over sixty-five years now, James Hibbard has worked as professional dancer, singer, actor, director, writer and teacher. He can add writer to his many personal and professional achievements as he’s just published a new memoir, Can’t Stop Dancing. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and fell in love with the movies, especially the dancing. His parents notice his talent and skill, and nurture it with lessons two and a half hours away in Boise, Idaho. Soon, his mother takes him to Los Angeles for further study, and seeing Hollywood as he writes about it in the book, provides for a charming view into a company town in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Soon he gets his start in movies, dancing in the film version of Gypsy, starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. That’s followed by Bye Bye Birdie with Ann-Margret, a number of films with Elvis Presley, and Hello, Dolly! directed by his childhood idol Gene Kelly. Throughout there’s television work, as well as theatre and nightclubs. But he moves permanently to Vancouver in the 1970s, and soon a whole new life as well as professional vistas open for Jim and his family. Jim, who joins me now has worked with everybody, and it’s very tempting to just throw out a name and get his reaction or experience with some famed show business personality. But the book is more than just name-dropping. You get as sense of the hard work artisans like Jim go through when working in the glamourous business of show, in Hollywood especially at the height and the decline of the movie musical. We see in Canada how he rises with the increase in film and television production in Vancouver. In the book, we get that very Vancouver story of somebody who falls in love with the city the first time they arrive. That happened for Jim in the mid-1960s when he came to do a production of West Side Story produced by Hugh Pickett and directed by Aida Broadbent. On that run, he met his wife, Charlene Brandolini, who herself has deep roots in Vancouver history. I spoke to Jim last week, who joined me from his home in the Okanagan. This new memoir is published by BearManor Media. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jim Hibbard; Mr. Hibbard, good morning.  

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The HBC Brigades: Culture, Conflict and Perilous Journeys of the Fur Trade by Nancy Marguerite Anderson (Ronsdale Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The HBC Brigades

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more interesting books of last year was The HBC Brigades: Culture, Conflict and Perilous Journeys of the Fur Trade. It’s author Nancy Marguerite Anderson joins me now to talk about the book which is a lively recounting of the thousand-mile trails encountered by the brigades of the Hudson’s Bay Company. They would travel over mountains and through river crossings to reach isolated fur-trading posts. Ms. Anderson writes of the size of these brigades, and the challenges they would encounter amongst themselves and naturally, along the way. And Nancy’s book illustrates how formative these trails are to the shaping of the British Columbia we know today; as a lot of the highways or roads we know now follow a lot of these paths. Nancy Anderson is Métis and an accepted member of Métis Nation British Columbia. She is, as we’ll hear in the interview, descended from a North West Company voyageur. Visit her website at www.nancymargueriteanderson.com for more. This book is published by Ronsdale Press. We spoke in late December 2024. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nancy Marguerite Anderson; Ms. Anderson, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Kellylee Evans joins me now. The JUNO Award winning singer and songwriter will be at New Westminster’s Anvil Theatre this Saturday, 15 February 2023. In fact, tomorrow night, she’ll be in Victoria Thursday night (13 February 2025), as part of nearly a dozen dates between now and late spring across Canada. Visit www.kellyleeevans.com for more. Whether she’s performing jazz or R&B or pop, Ms. Evans manages to perform widely and with such ease. I went on a deep dive through her discography on Apple Music the last week, and she brings energy and verve to every song she performs. She had to put her burgeoning career on hold in 2013 after experiencing a life altering lightning strike. Then concussions a couple of years later impeded her recovery and her return to the concert stage. Hers is a story of recovery that’s inspiring and helpful as she shares her path on the journey of self-care. I’ll ask her about her work, the music, these upcoming dates, and more. We spoke earlier this week, with Kellylee joining me from Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kellylee Evans; Ms. Evans, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

David Pay joins me again. The artistic director of Music on Main previews their Big Bang Festival, an adventurous music event for young audiences. It’s Sunday, 16 February 2025.  That’s Family Day weekend, and it’ll be a good time to get children aged five and up to The Roundhouse, where there’ll be all sorts of free activities like face painting, origami, and a bounce house that I’ll get David to tell us about. There’ll be concerts as well, with a ticket fee of only $5. Visit www.musiconmain.ca for information on the festival which stresses the importance of music for all ages, but especially for the young people in our lives. I’ll ask David about how important music was to his own upbringing, and how running an arts organisation like Music on Main has fared as we’ve come out of the pandemic. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, David Pay; Mr. Pay, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s a new documentary that tells the story of how the music scene in Toronto, predominantly in the genres of Caribbean, Jamaican and reggae took off in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul. Joining me now is the legendary Jay Douglas, the lead singer of The Cougars, he’s the subject of the film and through his story brings us into this era. Whether it’s the vibrant clubs on Yonge Street in Toronto or finding audiences as they toured small towns through Northern Ontario and Quebec, we see what it’s like for Jamaica-born artists like Douglas, born Clive Pinnock, or other performers of his era: Jackie Mittoo, Leory Sibbles, and Wayne McGhie among others. So even though they all developed a following, the lack of label support or airplay prevented performers like Douglas to make it bigger. The film also narrates the reality of a lot of Canadian artists who seem to get more appreciation outside of the country. As we see in the film, nearly twenty years ago, Seattle label Light in the Attic put out a compilation album that shone a light on the Jamaican music scene with the release of Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974. Another shining moment that’s recounted in the film is Caribana ‘67, a remarkable event in Toronto during Canada’s centenary which seems a flash point in the music scene in Toronto. I talked to Jay last week, and we talked about this film, his own life story which is not uncommon for a lot of Canadians. Jay was born and grew up in Montego Bay, and he joined his mother, who came to Canada to work when he was a child. You’ll hear in the interview Jay talk about his mother and what his upbringing was like. The film opens Friday, 07 February at the VIFF Centre, with Jay in attendance. The film will have a run there through next week, and then will begin airing across British Columbia on the Knowledge Network, February 27^th. The film is funded by TVO among others, so I’m sure it’ll play there as well. The film is directed by Graeme Mathieson, and produced by Andrew Munger. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jay Douglas; Mr. Douglas, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

An adaptation of Jovanni Sy’s A Taste of Empire has been playing as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival this past week. There are five more performances of Lasa Ng Imperyo, evening performances tonight, tomorrow and Thursday and Friday, with a matinee on Saturday. Visit www.pushfestival.ca for tickets and information. Joining me now is Carmela Sison, the star of the rice & beans theatre production, who was also instrumental in this adaptation and translation. The show is Tagalog with English surtitles. I’ll ask Carmela about the show, and the themes explored like globalisation and colonialism, along with how the food we consume is shaped by the world around us, and how tastes, even identity are formed as a result. During the show, Ms. Sison’s character, Sous-Chef Mela prepares and cooks a stuffed milkfish, rellenong bangus. It’s a complicated dish to prepare, as the fish is deboned, and then stuffed usually with tomatoes, onions and other aromatics. Carmela Sison is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA in Acting program, who has been working in the theatre and film for fifteen years. As well as acting, she’s produced, worked in arts administration, and coaching for young actors. The show’s on at The Nest on Granville Island. The production is directed by Marcus Youssef. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Carmela Sison; Ms. Sison, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Ronnie Burkett joins me now. The acclaimed theatre artist and puppeteer is about to open his latest show, Wonderful Joe at The Cultch. In the show, Joe and his dog Mister lose their home, and there’s the possibility of the two of them being separated. I’ll ask Mr. Burkett about the adventures that soon happen for Joe and Mister as they encounter Mother Nature, Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Tooth Fairy. It’s a show about community and empathy, and full of the warmth, imagination and hope that Burkett is known for, alongside a new score by John Alcorn. Ronnie Burkett is a lifelong puppeteer who received the 2009 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, the Herbert Whittaker Drama Bench Award for Outstanding Contribution to Canadian Theatre, four Citations of Excellence from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionenette, among many other honours. In 2019, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and last year received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. Wonderful Joe begins its run at the Historic Theatre at The Cultch tomorrow night, and runs until February 23^rd. Visit www.thecultch.com for tickets and information. We taped this interview a couple of weeks ago with Ronnie joining me from Toronto. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ronnie Burkett; Mr. Burkett, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Tomorrow, Friday, 31 January 2025, in Toronto, Ottawa, and here in Vancouver, the documentary Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story has its Canadian premiere. The life and times of Liza Minnelli are examined by Minnelli herself, and a collection of family and friends. It’s one of the first times the lifelong entertainer of stage and screen has consented to talk at length and candidly about her work, her life in the public eye and the persona that she’s created. The film looks at certain individuals who helped craft the image, people like Kay Thompson, Fred Ebb, Charles Aznavour, Halston, and Bob Fosse. Their mentorship, as well as professional and personal friendship, guide Minnelli from being just another singer or actress, the daughter of Hollywood royalty Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland, to the incomparable legend that she’s become. The film features interviews with Minnelli, Michael Feinstein, Chita Rivera, Mia Farrow, Ben Vereen, and Joel Grey. There’s also never-before-seen footage from Minnelli’s home movie collection, some behind-the-scenes videos of touring around the world as well as backstage, whether on a film set, Broadway house, or concert hall. The film is written, produced and directed by Bruce David Klein, who joins me now. I’ll ask him about what it was like to gain Minnelli’s trust in the project, as well as what she’s like. For somebody so much in the public eye, the real Minnelli is revealed. Minnelli talks candidly about life and love, as well as addiction. The film starts tomorrow here at the VIFF Centre, as well as the Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto, and the Mayfair Theatre in Ottawa. There will be further screenings here as well as across Canada. Visit www.zeitgeistfilms.com for more information on tickets, dates and times. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bruce Klein; Mr. Klein, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Starting tomorrow night (31 January 2025) and running until 09 February 2025, is the latest from Mitch and Murray Productions, the Western Canadian premiere of Heroes of the Fourth Turning. The award-winning play, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, takes place just after the 2017 Charlottesville riots. It’s a reunion of four young conservatives, who’ve gathered to toast the newly inducted president of their Catholic college. What’s borne out in the play is a look at generational politics, as well as the conversations that we need to have in our political discourse, even in some of our families, but can’t because of how polarised everything is. Joining me now is John Murphy, the director of the production which stars Elizabeth Barrett, Jennifer Clement, Aaron Craven, Nyiri Karakas, and David Kaye. I’ll ask Mr. Murphy about the Will Arbery play, about Arbery’s own upbringing and background that might be useful to understand from where he writes. Arbery wrote on the HBO series Succession. The production is at Studio 16 at 1551 West 7^th Avenue. Visit www.mitchandmurrayproductions.com for tickets and information. We taped this interview December 31^st (2024). Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, John Murphy; Mr. Murphy, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The Improv Centre presents their second annual improv comedy festival THE HEAT. The improv comedy showcase, which starts tomorrow, will feature troupes from around the world. The talented teams include: Second Breakfast from New Zealand, Ruutu10 from Estonia, The Impro Show from Zimbabwe, and last year’s festival favourite SPIT Manila, from The Philippines. I spoke to two members of SPIT Manila last year, Aih Mendoza and Karl Echaluse. Aih talked about having Stage 4 cancer, and performing through it all. She died in May of 2024, mere weeks after returning home from Vancouver. Karl joins me now to talk about last year’s experience with THE HEAT, as well as visiting Vancouver for the first time. We’ll talk about improv, as well as performing. There are events at The Improv Centre on Granville Island starting tomorrow, Tuesday, 28 January through to Saturday, 01 February 2025. Visit www.theimprovcentre.ca for tickets and information. You can find information on SPIT Manila at www.thirdworldimprov.com. Their Instagram handle is @spitmanila. We taped this interview earlier this month, with Karl joining me from Manila. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Karl Echaluse; Mr. Echaluse, good morning.

The post Karl Echaluse first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s a new album that celebrates the contributions of Jewish songwriters to the sound and ethos of the Broadway musical, A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway. Ari Axelrod, the acclaimed, award-winning musical storyteller joins me now to talk about this album that features his vocals, a thirteen-piece orchestra, and very fine orchestrations by Mike Stapleton of songs by a myriad of composers: Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Mary Rodgers, Bock & Harnick, Jerry Herman, Stephen Schwartz, the Gershwins, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, among others. The music covered in the album range from memorable showtunes we can all hum to lesser-known works; there are also contemporary works, as well as songs that go back to the earlier parts of the twentieth century, even folk and traditional music. It’s such a rich legacy and Mr. Axelrod, who joined me last week, lauds the source material, as well as notes the Jewish influence in the words and music that’s presented so lovingly on the album, which is available this Friday from PS Classics. There’ll be a release concert this Saturday night at New York’s famed 54 Below. And if you’re not able to make it to Manhattan, the event will be available for streaming. Visit www.54below.org for tickets and information. Ari Axelrod’s award-winning show A Place for Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway, which is the basis of this album, has been performed to sold-out audiences around the world. He is the recipient of a 36 to Watch award from Jewish Week, a 2022 Bistro Award, and the Julie Wilson Award from the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Visit www.ariaxelrod.com for more information. We had done a version of interview you’re about to hear in late December, but because of technical issues at my end, the tape was lost. I thank Ari and his publicist Dan Fortune for making the time to do it again as it were. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ari Axelrod; Mr. Axelrod, good morning.

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The Franchise: The Business of Building Winning Teams by Craig Custance (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Franchise

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more readable books of this past fall is the latest by Craig Custance. In The Franchise: The Business of Building Winning Teams, he talks to several notable general managers, a couple of owners, and an Olympic medalist (Meghan Duggan), who all play senior roles in various NHL franchises. What Mr. Custance, who joins me now, gleans from his frank, personal conversations is how each one dealt with the various problems that teams encounter on the road to winning the Stanley Cup. Whether it’s juggling a salary cap, or trading a player, or how to deal with the interpersonal issues of professional athletes, the book is full of great stories. In his conversations with Jim Rutherford, currently the Canucks President of Hockey Operations, who for many years headed up the Pittsburgh NHL team leading it to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, Rutherford is revealed to be successful at listening to everybody he encounters, especially a team’s ownership. In conversations with Tampa Bay’s Julian BriseBois or the Penguins’s Kyle Dubas, we learn about how the path to managing in the NHL may not have come from having played the game. Brad Treliving, Jim Nill, and Lou Lamoriello, among others, each provide great insights in their interviews with Craig for this book. All have principles that have guided them to success and sustained them through losses. There’s no one formula to get to a winning team, but taken as a whole the book provides an appreciation on how to manage an operation as complex as a professional hockey team, or anything else for that matter. And all of them read a lot. It’s fun seeing all the various books that people in the book recommend as necessary reading. If you go to Craig’s website at www.CraigCustance.com you can get a PDF checklist. Craig Custance is an acclaimed writer, who has covered hockey at ESPN and The Athletic. His previous book is Behind the Bench: Inside the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches. He also hosted the interview podcast The Full 60. Currently he is the head of creative development at The Athletic, a New York Times company. The book is published by Simon and Schuster. Craig joined me from Detroit earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Craig Custance; Mr. Custance, good morning.

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Mad Sisters by Susan Grundy (Ronsdale Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Mad Sisters

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mad Sisters is one of those books that will make you laugh, break your heart, as well as frustrate and fascinate, sometimes all at the same time. Its author Susan Grundy joins me now. She’s written a book that captures her journey as a sister and caregiver to a sibling who has mental illness. It’s honest, raw, as well as heart-wrenching in some parts. Susan’s sister Nancy is often funny, but her circumstances often make it challenging for those around her, like Susan who has had to bear the brunt of it since they were children. What’s frustrating in the book is where we see how difficult it might be for a family contending with mental illness. The Grundys are not without some privilege, which makes it all the more frustrating to think of other families who might be less fortunate, or when considering there are a lot people with mental health challenges who have no family, no advocates. Susan is a great storyteller and somebody who talks candidly about having to be there for her sister and her mother and father. She talks about the challenges of being one’s advocate, while at the same time, offers a lot of insight in how to make giving care a little easier. Susan Grundy veered from a 30-year career in marketing to write. Her short fiction has appeared in the Danforth Review and Montreal Writes. She has completed a second novel. Visit www.susanfgrundy.com for more. This new book is published by Ronsdale Press. We spoke earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Susan Grundy; Ms. Grundy, good morning.

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The Coincidence Problem: Selected Dispatches 1999-2022 by Stephen Osborne (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Coincidence Problem

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the great collections this year has been the latest from Stephen Osborne, The Coincidence Problem: Selected Dispatches 1999-2022. In the book he’s collected a variety of essays and pieces from the last quarter century that reflect what’s been on his mind. He’s by no means an expert on coincidence, but throughout the collection are essays that look at how coincidence touches on a variety of issues: world politics, the changing city, and family history, among many others. There are forays into history like the lynching of Indigenous youth Louie Sam, as well as the death of C.F. Keiss, who was struck down and killed by the first ambulance in the City of Vancouver in 1909. We get marvelous insight into what interests Mr. Osborne, who joins me now, and how his interesting and interested mind works. We’ll talk about photographs, memory, and the collective memory of a city, and the future of where we live. The founder of Arsenal Pulp Press, who publishes this new collection, and co-founder of Geist magazine, Stephen Osborne is an award-winning writer. Among his many awards include: the CBC Literary Award, the Vancouver Arts Award for Writing and Publishing, the National Magazine Foundation Special Achievement Award, and the Event Creative Non-fiction Prize. We spoke earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program Stephen Osborne; Mr. Osborne, good morning.

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Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism by Christopher Cheung (Purich Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Under the White Gaze

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the best books of the year is the new book from Christopher Cheung: Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism. A lot of us would like to think that the newsrooms in Canada are reflective of the country’s multiculturalism, or at the very least hip to representing the country’s population in the news that the media covers. Mr. Cheung, who joins me now, points out that a lot of the journalism in this country seems to present people of colour as clichés, and rarely as complex individuals. There’s the painting with broad brushes as to what communities there are in this country, what they look like, what they eat, what they celebrate, and what concerns them. Chris dismantles a lot of that thinking, and provides great examples of recent, as well as some local stories that perhaps missed the mark. There are some stories he cites that I thought were reflective of a group or community, but got me thinking about how they weren’t necessarily accurate, and how some might have been done better. Chris is not immune from his critical and probing eye. He looks at stories he’s framed in the past and looked back at how different they might be with the skills he also shares in the book. One will find ways in which we, who consume the media, might read, watch and listen to the journalism around us better, and even critically. The idea that intersectionality is critical to combatting stereotypes is one of the important aspects of the book. And whether you’re an aspiring or seasoned journalist, you’ll want to read this book for perhaps a new perspective. I’ll also ask Chris about how he’s handled criticism he’s received for his work, some of it not so constructive, even nasty. Christopher Cheung is a staff reporter at The Tyee, who previously wrote for Metro and the Vancouver Courier. He is highly acclaimed for his reporting on urban culture, inequality, and life in Metro Vancouver’s diasporas. He’s received two Jack Webster Awards, and holds as Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia. This new book is published by Purich Books, which is an imprint of UBC Press. We spoke last week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris Cheung; Mr. Cheung, good morning.

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Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm by Adam Dodek (UBC Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Heenan Blaikie

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the fall’s highly readable books is Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm. It tells the story of how three idealistic young lawyers in Montreal established the firm that would become Heenan Blaikie: Donald Johnston, Roy Heenan, and Peter Blaikie. Eventually Johnston leaves the firm for a career in politics, but from 1973 through to the firm’s demise in 2014, the firm attracts a high profile with former prime ministers, premiers, cabinet ministers, and Supreme Court justices in its ranks. The book features great research, and telling interviews with the firm’s lawyers, as well as legal industry insiders, providing an often-gripping account of law firm culture, not just in Heenan Blaikie’s lifespan, but even today. We get insights into the work-life culture at the firm, as well as the stories of workplace bullying, and the challenges for women and visible minority lawyers. What’s also fascinating is how the growth of the firm mirrors the changes of Canada, and how often history intersects with the firm’s life: the 1970’s oil shock, Quebec nationalism, the flight of business from Montreal to Toronto, the growth of film production, economic expansion in the 1980’s and 1990’s, as well as the financial crisis of 2008. We see colourful characters amongst the firm, like its first big star, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, as he joins the firm once he leaves federal politics in 1984. Norman Bacal is another notable name in the firm’s history, as are some other larger than life figures like Joe Groia, Bob Donaldson, and Marcel Aubut. The book’s author Adam Dodek joins me now. And I’ll ask him about the book and more. He is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, and among his numerous publications include In Search of the Ethical Lawyer, The Canadian Constitution, Third Edition, and Solicitor-Client Privilege. He is the recipient of many awards including the Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing, and the Law Society Medal from the Law Society of Ontario. Visit www.adamdodek.ca for more. This new book is published by UBC Press. He joined me last week from Ottawa. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adam Dodek; Professor Dodek, good morning.

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Permission to Settle by Holly Flauto (Anvil Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Permission to Settle

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Holly Flauto joins me now. As we read in Holly’s debut poetry collection, Permission to Settle, she chronicles the travails of applying for Permanent Residency in Canada, and takes all the anxieties, hopes, memories of the past, interrogations of identity, as well as reflections of home, family, history, and memory, and a lot more, and works them out as responses to otherwise mundane or objective forms or questions on forms. It’s a marvelous way to reflect what’s deeply personal amidst questions that are impersonal. The collection is a gift as Holly bares a great deal, some that’s deeply personal, and allows the reader to reflect on their own questions of self between the poems in the book. The collection also offers insights into Holly’s love of language. Holly Flauto is a poet, storyteller, learner, and instructor. Her fiction and creative writing has previously been published in The Ex-Puritan, Joyland, and The Rusty Toque. They also perform as Stella Palermo on local story and poetry slam stages. Visit www.hollyflauto.com for more. The collection is published by Anvil Press. We spoke last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Holly Flauto; Holly, good morning.

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Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence by andrea bennett (ECW Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Hearty

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

andrea bennett joins me now. They’ve just published a terrific book, Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence. andrea’s essays are not just on food, but they’re also marvelous entry points to other areas of investigation, whether it’s the people who harvest and keep seeds, or who grow sustainably in our communities, the food media we consume on television and now online, as well as andrea’s own life, their family and their history. For example, andrea looks at food that they’ve grown up with and wonders how it came to be, like their grandmother’s chutney. It’s fascinating to see andrea figure out how it might have come to the palates of either their grandmother or even earlier. There’s a lot of food for thought in the book, like how our habits are shaped by structural effects around us, how much waste there is, as well as what we might be able to grow wherever we live. I’ll ask andrea about cooking too. andrea bennett is a National Magazine Award-winning writer, and a senior editor at The Tyee. Their writing has been published by The Walrus, Chatelaine, The Atlantic, and the Globe and Mail, among other outlets. Their first book of essays Like a Boy but Not a Boy was one of CBC Books’s 2020 picks for the top Canadian nonfiction of the year. Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, andrea lives in Powell River, BC, where they joined me from last week. This new book is published by ECW Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, andrea bennett; andrea, good morning.

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Dream House by Cathy Stonehouse (Nightwood Editions, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Dream House

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Cathy Stonehouse joins me now. The poet, writer, teacher, and visual artist discusses their 2023 book Dream House, which was a recent finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. I’ll ask Cathy about the long poem in six sections. We’ll talk about home, as well as the seasons of the year that are particularly affecting. We’ll talk about words, and about loss and grief. There’s a lot in this collection. Cathy migrated as a young adult from Margaret Thatcher’s England to Vancouver, the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Among Cathy’s other works include a novel, The Causes, a collection of short fiction Something About the Animal, and two previous collections of poetry, Grace Shiver, and The Words I Know. Cathy is a previous editor of EVENT magazine, and currently teaches creative writing and interdisciplinary arts at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Visit www.cathystonehouse.com for more. Dream House is published by Nightwood Editions. We taped this interview in early October. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Cathy Stonehouse; Ms. Stonehouse, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Paul McAllister had a lifelong dream to publish a children’s story. He shopped it around to publishers in and around Atlantic Canada, but he soon realised he could do it himself. There and Back Again, A Herman Tale, which was illustrated with Emily Brown, was published in 2014, and soon other authors and illustrators sought to realise their own dreams, and Monster House Publishing was born. Paul joins me now, and I’ll get him to tell us his story about creating this publishing house, and what he wants to accomplish. He also shares his personal story of growing up with ADHD and Dysgraphia. I’ll also ask Paul about publishing from that side of the country, and what young readers want. The website for more is at www.monsterhousepublishing.com. We talked last month, with Paul joining me from Fredericton, New Brunswick. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Paul McAllister; Mr. McAllister, good morning.  

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The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era by Aaron Williams (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Last Logging Show

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

A terrific book published this year is the memoir from Aaron Williams, The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era. A few years ago, just out of university, Aaron takes a job in the logging industry, where both his father and grandfather worked. His great-grandfather built trestles in the 1920s. So perhaps it was inevitable that Aaron would get into forestry, but he was getting into it at a time when there were a lot of changes thanks to forest practices, as well as technology. I’ll ask Aaron about what he’s chronicled in this book, not just his time, but the end of his father’s time in the industry. The book takes us to Haida Gwaii and illustrates how spectacular a place it is. As well we meet some memorable characters, people that Mr. Williams hasn’t forgotten and which colour his memories of the hard, often dangerous work. He’s a terrific storyteller as you’ll read in the book, and hear shortly. Aaron Williams has been published in newspapers like the Globe and Mail and the Halifax Chronicle Herald. He has an MFA in creative non-fiction writing from King’s College. His first book, Chasing Smoke, was based on his experience fighting forest fires through the Pacific Northwest, as well as Idaho, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The Last Logging Show is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke in June, with Aaron joining me from Halifax, where he now lives. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Aaron Williams; Mr. Williams, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Disney On Ice returns to the Pacific Coliseum next week, Wednesday, 27 November 2024 through to December 1^st. Fifty-six favourite Disney stars shine in Disney On Ice presents Magic in the Stars. There’s high-flying acrobatics, stunts, lighting and special effects, not to mention, costumes, set design, and of course figure skating. One of the production’s principal skaters, Matthew King joins me now. I’ll get him to tell us about working with Feld Entertainment on these shows, the reaction from audiences, kids of all ages, and the memorable music and characters we all know from timeless Disney works. I’ll also ask him about skating, how long he’s done it and what benefits one might derive from taking it up. Visit www.disneyonice.com for tickets and information. We spoke two weeks ago, with Matthew joining me from Portland, Oregon, while on tour with the show. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Matthew King; Mr. King, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Jens Lindemann joins me now. The world-renowned trumpet virtuoso is part of the Kay Meek Arts Centre 20^th anniversary gala, this Saturday, 23 November 2024. As the cornerstone for arts and community events in West Vancouver celebrates bringing world-class arts as it has, it’ll do the same this Saturday with a dinner and concert. There are two events, a concert at 8pm headlined by the Trans-Canada Highwaymen, hosted by Lisa Christiansen and Grant Lawrence. But earlier in the evening, Jens Lindeman and pianist, also a Kay Meek Arts Centre advisor Ian Parker, will entertain guests at an elegant dinner. Visit www.kaymeek.com for tickets and information. I talked to Jens last week about his storied career as a musician, how he approaches performing, as well as a new album, Live @ Larry’s. It’s a terrific album of jazz and pop standards featuring Jens and his trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as Robi Botos, Mike Downes, and Kristan Alexandrov. It’s available everywhere you get your tunes, like Apple Music. Jens Lindemann has played jazz and classical in every major concert venue in the world, not to mention sporting events like the 2010 Olympics, the Rose Bowl, as well as Madison Square Garden for a New York Rangers game, among many others. He’s recorded with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as performed at a solo command performance for Queen Elizabeth II. He played lead trumpet with the Canadian Brass, as well as won accolades like the Grammy, Juno nominations, the Echo Klassik, and International Brass Personality of the Year from Brass Herald. He’s received several honorary doctorates, and is a Member of the Order of Canada. Visit www.trumpetsolo.com for more information. He joined me while on vacation in Maui last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jens Lindemann; Mr. Lindemann, good morning.  

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Kaitlin Williams joins me now. The Artistic Director of Pacific Theatre previews their latest production, the world premiere of The Hobbit. Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, this production adapted by playwright Kim Selody, with additional dialogue by Tim Carlson and Peter Carlone, brings theatregoers to Middle Earth with the rich settings, adventures and unforgettable characters from Tolkien’s imagination. Mr. Carlson and Mr. Carlone star in this show, and I’ll ask Kaitlin about what to expect on the Pacific Theatre’s stage between tomorrow night, (Wednesday, 13 November 2024) when the show opens, through to December 21^st. Visit www.pacifictheatre.org for tickets and information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kaitlin Williams; Ms. Williams, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more robust cultural touchstones is making its way to Vancouver next week. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue is a stage show bringing back the unforgettable characters from the 1980s hit sitcom to 2024. It’s got an all-male cast: Ryan Bernier as Dorothy, Adam Graber as Rose, Christopher Kamm as Sophia, and Vince Kelley, who joins me now, as Blanche. This show has been travelling across the United States, with sold out performances and rave reviews, making for a fine tribute to the beloved sitcom. I’ll get Vince to preview the show, to tell us where the girls find themselves in 2024’s Miami, and hilarity that ensues as there’s a drug ring, and a dating app. Vince Kelley is a Detroit native, who joined me from his hometown last week. He attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and The New School. I’ll ask him about portraying this southerner, Blanche, and what it’s like to pay tribute to Rue McLanahan nightly. I’ll also ask Vince about his own experience watching The Golden Girls growing up. Visit www.goldengirlstour.com for tickets and information. It’ll be at the Vancouver Playhouse starting next Tuesday, 12 November 2024, running until November 16^th. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Vince Kelley; Mr. Kelley, good morning.

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Vantage Points: On Media as Trans Memoir by Chase Joynt (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Vantage Points

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Chase Joynt has just published a provocative, fascinating book, Vantage Points: On Media as Trans Memoir. As you’ll hear, a box of family mementos arrives and a heretofore unknown connection to Marshall McLuhan comes up. Joynt finds out all he can about distant relations, and using McLuhan’s seminal Understanding Media as an inciting framework, writes this book that looks at the legacy of childhood sexual abuse, masculinity, family, creativity, film, art, transition, gender, and more. It’s a rich book of vignettes, an often exciting tapestry of montage-like essays and illustrations. Chase joins me now, and I’ll ask him about what it was like looking back at abuse at the hands of an uncle and neglect from his father, among other traumas, and finding a way through media to understand what happened, or glean some explanation of the experiences. And as you’ll hear, the experience of the book, not just reading, but thinking about it, and looking at it, will likely glean, for the reader, some wisdom or even connection or reflection. Chase Joynt is a director and writer whose films have won a number of awards internationally. His latest documentary feature, Framing Agnes, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Innovator Award, and the NEXT Audience Award. He is the co-author of the Lambda Literary Award finalist You Only Live Twice, and Boys Don’t Cry. This new book is from Arsenal Pulp Press. We spoke one week ago, with Chase joining me from Los Angeles, California. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Chase Joynt; Chase, good morning.

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Adventures in Desolation Sound by Grant Lawrence (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Adventures in Desolation Sound

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Grant Lawrence joins me again. He’s just published a new children’s book, Adventures in Desolation Sound. He’s bringing to young readers the unforgettable characters, and the remote and bucolic part of British Columbia that we’ve read about in his memoirs 2010’s Adventures in Solitude and 2022’s Return to Solitude. And with illustrations by Ginger Ngo, the book is a delight. We see what Desolation Sound was like for young Grant and his sister Heather, probably not as interesting as the television they were addicted to watching in the 1970s and 1980s. And there were the all-too long car trips and ferry rides that would make them sick, only to arrive to little artificial light, weird neighbours, and no television. But as happened with Grant, in the book, the Grant character learns the magic of Desolation Sound, and meets those remarkable, fascinating people like Cougar Nancy and Russell the Hermit. I’ll ask Grant about this new picture book, and all the adventures depicted therein. I’ll ask him about the place itself, and what it’s meant to him growing up and growing older, and to his own kids now. Grant Lawrence is the award-winning writer, musician, and broadcaster. Other than the two previous books I mentioned, he’s written two other bestsellers, The Lonely End of the Rink, and Dirty Windshields. His first children’s picture book, Bailey the Bat and the Tangled Moose was released in 2021. He is a longtime personality on CBC Music, and the lead singer of The Smugglers. He is a Canadian Screen Award winner, and the goalie for the Vancouver Flying Vees beer league hockey team. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. We spoke two weeks ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Grant Lawrence; Mr. Lawrence, good morning.

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No Credit River by Zoe Whittall (Book*hug Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: No Credit River

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Zoe Whittall joins me now. She’s just published a new collection, No Credit River. Through prose poetry, she looks back at abandoned love, trauma, the loss of a pregnancy, the complexity of queer relationships, and isolation. It’s a recent six-year period that she looks back on, that she’s come out of. I’ll ask her about the wisdom that she might have gleaned from the experience, and the understanding that she hopefully obtained having thoughtfully reflected on it all. There are pieces in the book that are personal, and it’s remarkable to see the insight she shares, as well as the growth of a person that comes with the passage of time. I’ll ask Zoe about the process of writing prose poetry, and how different it might be from other forms of writing that she does. I’ll ask her about the writing community in this country, which is something she discusses throughout the collection. Zoe Whittall is the author of the short story collection Wild Failure, and five bestselling novels including The Fake, The Spectacular, The Best Kind of People, Holding Still for as Long as Possible, and Bottle Rocket Hearts. Her previous poetry collections include Pre-cordial Thump, The Emily Valentine Poems, and The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life. Her work has won a Lambda Literary Award, the Writers’ Trust Dayne Ogilvie Award, and been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. She has worked as a TV writer on the Emmy-Award winning comedy show Schitt’s Creek and The Baroness Von Sketch Show for which she won a 2018 Canadian Screen Award. This new collection is published by Book*hug Press. She was born in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and now lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario, where she joined me from one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Zoe Whittall; Ms. Whittall, good morning.

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[non]disclosure by Renée D. Bondy (Second Story Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: [non]disclosur

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

I started reading a novel recently [non]disclosure. It’s an engaging, well-plotted read. The book opens with a young girl whose family’s life is quite involved in their Catholic church. As the story continues, she is abused by her parish priest. She doesn’t tell anybody for a long time, but when she does, it’s because she’s read in the paper that the priest involved was in the news because he was accused of other abuses. She tells her parents, who tell the Archdiocese. As she goes into adulthood, we can see how this abuse affects her. And as she finds herself working in an underground hospice for men dying from the still-taboo AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, she comes to realise how much damage the silence enveloping her life has wrought. The book’s author, Renée D. Bondy joins me now to talk about the book, the impetus to write it, and the voice she gives her central character, and more. She taught Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Windsor, and her writing has appeared in Herizons, Bitch, Bearings Online, and the Humber Literary Review. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. This new novel is published by Second Story Press. She joined me two weeks ago from her home in Chatham, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Renée Bondy; Dr. Bondy, good morning.

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Hockey Rants and Raves by Steve “Dangle” Glynn (HarperCollins, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Hockey Rants and Raves

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more engaging books of the season is the latest from Steve “Dangle” Glynn. The popular broadcaster, podcaster, and YouTube star delivers his signature enthusiasm and frankness in Hockey Rants and Raves. He is both humorous and honest as he takes on some of the greatest arguments amongst hockey fans, as well as starts new ones. Take coming up with a Mount Rushmore for goalies, the greatest goalies, he comes up with his four and then another four, and whether you agree with his case or not, the reader then thinks of their own, making for a fun experience reading the book. And as a casual hockey observer, the book is immediately accessible and one can see why so many are drawn to the game. Steve is a long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fan and he examines the joys and traumas of being a strident supporter of the team. He looks critically at the fan bases of not just his team but others through the league. He speaks for the fan experience too, critical of the cost of seeing the game, but lovingly painting the experience of going to a game in a way that makes it aspirational despite the price of admission. We’ll talk about all of this and more, including where the name Dangle came from. Steve Glynn spent nine seasons with Sportsnet, and co-founded SDPN, a sports podcast network with the motto Sports Are Fun. You can find him throughout the world of social media @stevedangle is the usual handle. This new book is published by HarperCollins. We spoke last Thursday, with Steve joining me from Ajax, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Steve Glynn; Mr. Glynn, good morning.

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A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream by Marc Garneau (Signal, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Most Extraordinary Ride

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Forty years ago this month, Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to fly to outer space. It was one of the country’s proudest moments, and inspired a nation into a new era of space exploration. Garneau would return to space two more times, and after a career as a naval officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as leading the Canadian Space Agency, he entered the world of politics, winning election to the House of Commons in 2008. When the Liberal Party was elected the government in 2015, he was appointed Minister of Transport, and later on in 2021, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He recounts all that and more in a new memoir A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream. I’ll ask him about space, what it’s like to experience space physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. As well, I’ll ask about the future of space travel and exploration. We’ll talk about his time in politics. He was Transport Minister, as well as Foreign Minister through a tumultuous time in Canadian politics, the pandemic, the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor; among many other notable events over the last decade. And I’ll get him to reflect on whatever his relationship was with Justin Trudeau. This new book is published by Signal. We spoke last Wednesday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, the Honourable Marc Garneau; Mr. Garneau, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mark Carter joins me again. The director and designer is on to preview the latest CTORA Theatre production, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starting this Friday, 11 October 2024. It’ll be at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre through to 27 October 2024. We all know those classic songs “Candy Man,” and “Pure Imagination.” This new musical blends those favourites with fresh numbers. And whether you remember the 1971 film or the original novel by Roald Dahl, there’ll be something familiar and welcome. I’ll ask Mark about the piece, as well as this production. It’s a big cast and a live 8-piece orchestra. You can visit www.ctora.ca for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Carter; Mr. Carter, good morning.

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Just Say Yes by Bob McDonald (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Just Say Yes

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

For over four decades now, Bob McDonald has devoted his working life to reporting on science. And in his inimitable way, he’s brought the study of the world and the world around us closer to audiences on television, through his writing, and of course, over thirty years on CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks. In his new memoir Just Say Yes, he tells the story of not just of how he ended up one of the preeminent science correspondents in the country, but his beginnings in Orilla, Ontario. It was a blue-collar experience for Bob and his family. He writes of the challenges of living in a small town, and the childhood abuse he suffered. He writes about all of his life candidly and captivatingly. It’s, as I tell him in our interview we taped about ten days ago, as though we can hear his voice as we read. Bob McDonald has hosted Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC News Network, and science correspondent for CBC’s The National. Before that he was the host and one of the producers of the television program Wonderstruck. He has received the 2001 Michael Smith Award for science promotion from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council, as well as the 2002 Sandford Fleming medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for Science. He also received the 2005 McNeil Medal from the Royal Society of Canada. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and the recipient of thirteen honorary doctorates. In 2014, asteroid 332324 was officially named BOBMCDONALD. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. He joined me from his home in Victoria, BC. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Bob McDonald; Mr. McDonald, good morning.

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Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks by Ed Willes (Harbour Publishing, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Never Boring

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Ed Willes joins me now. He’s just published a great read, Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks. He takes the reader beginning in the 1960s when Vancouver desperate for an NHL franchise is left out thanks to the various machinations of people here and elsewhere, Central Canada specifically. It might be a conspiracy of sorts or not. The book looks at the various ownership groups over the last fifty-four years, from those early days in the 1970s, through to the Frank Griffiths era, McCaw, and now the Aquilinis. We see the challenges of owning an NHL franchise, and how the owners are regarded by fan and foe alike. We are regaled with stories of unforgettable players, characters through the highs and lows of wins and losses; players who dazzle fans with skill or personality or both. As Mr. Willes tells me in this interview we taped a couple of weeks ago, this book from Harbour Publishing was to have come out last fall but because of a delay turned fortuitous, the book is out now with a hell of a last chapter. He narrates just how the Canucks seem to have gotten out of that funk from the time of the management of Jim Benning, through to the coaching of Bruce Boudreau through today’s management group of Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin, and award-winning head coach Rick Tocchet. The excitement surrounding the team during that playoff run comes through the page, and it either bodes well for the season ahead, or perhaps signifies an aberration. I’ll ask Ed about all that and more. The book is also a great tribute to daily sports journalism. We see once more glimpses of the writing of Jim Kearney, Jim Coleman, Jim Taylor, and even Allan Fotheringham, among many others. There’s also a lot of Mr. Willes’s own work as he spent some forty years covering sports at newspapers across Canada, including many years at The Province here in Vancouver. Ed Willes is also the author of The Rebel League, Gretzky to Lemieux, and End Zones and Border Wars. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ed Willes; Mr. Willes, good morning.

The post Ed Willes first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Gillian McKercher joins me now. She’s a written and directed a new film, Lucky Star. It’s a terrific movie set in Calgary, where Lucky played by Terry Chen, once a gambler, has since settled down with a wife, two daughters, a business and a mortgage. He falls for a tax scam, and after losing a good chunk of money, and saddled with more bills that pile up, he realises he might have to go back to his gambling ways to recover his losses and keep afloat. His wife Noel, played by Olivia Cheng, and daughter Grace, played by Conni Miu, also have moral dilemmas of their own. Naturally, they’re opposed to his gambling. The film is a great look at familial bonds, deceit, and sacrifice. It’s wonderfully paced, and gripping to watch. It’s a marvelous addition to the Asian-Canadian film genre. Gillian joins me now to talk about this film, identity and more. She is a writer, director and producer based out of Calgary. Her first feature Circle of Steel was critically acclaimed and the winner of the Audience Award at the 2018 Calgary International Film Festival. Visit www.gillianmckercher.com for more. The film screens 6.30pm Thursday, 03 October 2024 at the International Village Cinema. There’s another screening Saturday, 05 October 2024 at 12.30pm. Gillian is scheduled to attend both screenings for Q&A’s. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Gillian McKercher; Ms. McKercher, good morning.

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Another great documentary screening this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival is Curl Power. In the film, director Josephine Anderson follows a teenage curling team from Maple Ridge, 4KGirl$. They’re a hardworking group of friends who strive to be curling champions, who are coached by three of their mothers who happen to be former Olympians. In the film, we see them curl, but we also see them grow up, and contend with all those issues that young people have to deal with, self-esteem, body image, anxiety, depression, breakups and all the other transitions that people in high school go through. And as they go through them together curling is both incidental, as well as what keeps them together. The film captures these young women often in vulnerable ways, and through Josephine’s well-placed camera, we see how they grow up throughout the film. The films quiet nature allows the viewer to think about their own formative years and how they’ve been leavened by the friendships formed in those all-too important years. Curl Power is Josephine Anderson’s debut feature. She previously appeared on the program in 2020 when her short On Falling premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. This new film screens 03 October 2024 at 6.00pm and Saturday, 05 October 2024 at 3.45pm at SFU Woodwards. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program Josephine Anderson; Ms. Anderson, good morning.

The post Josephine Anderson first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

For nearly forty years now, Tojo’s has been a popular mainstay in Vancouver’s food scene. One of the more anticipated documentaries of the year, The Chef and the Daruma had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival last night. And just before the screening, I talked to the film’s director Mads K. Baekkevold about this movie and what it was like working with Hidekazu Tojo as reveals so much about his life and work. The film retraces in a trip to Japan, what sort of upbringing it was, and how from early on to today, family was so important to Chef Tojo. We see the influence on his work and artistry as he narrates jobs he had in Japan in various kitchens before he immigrated to Canada in the early 1970s. Even in contemporary sequences, where Tojo dines throughout Japan, we see the clever inventor at work, taking in the tastes that might find its way back to Vancouver and his menus at the West Broadway location where he holds court nightly. I’ll also ask Mads about what it was like to make the movie, and the various pieces of advice that Tojo deploys throughout. One of the things we don’t talk about, and I purposely didn’t talk about it in our conversation is the Daruma, these dolls that appear throughout the film that are central in the goalsetting that Chef Tojo does through the year. They’re such a special part of Tojo’s outlook in life and how the film unfolds, that I’ll leave it to viewers to find out more about them. Mads K. Baekkevold is a freelance director, creative, writer, and editor. He has created content for various clients, including television commercials that have earned him two Cannes Lions awards, and a Clio. Visit https://www.madskarlsenb.com/ for more. The film screens at least three more times, and though they might be sold out by the time this runs, visit www.viff.org for updates on additional screenings. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mads Baekkevold; Mr. Baekkevold, good morning.

The post Mads K. Baekkevold first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Inay (Mama) (Filipino for Mama), is a new documentary that is having its Canadian premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival tomorrow night. It’s a moving film that looks at the impact of the Live-In Caregiver Program that from the 1990s on has brought thousands of women from The Philippines as migrant workers rearing the children or elderly family members of Canadians, enabling them to send their earnings back home, where many of their children were left behind. After a certain period of time, these women were able to gain permanent residency and then bring their children to Canada. It’s an often-harrowing journey, as there are issues of abandonment, as well as cultural and psychological shock once these children build a new life in a new country, and try and rebuild a relationship with a missing parent. Thea Loo is the film’s director and she joins me now to talk about the film. Early in the movie, she and her husband, cinematographer Jeremiah Reyes talk about the depression that Reyes contends with. And soon, he and her friend Shirley, are interviewed on camera about the intergenerational trauma and lack of belonging that they seemingly have each had to navigate through. In Jeremiah’s case, addressing a lot of this might just help he and Thea adjust better to their recent marriage. Both he and Shirley have to deal with secrets that they grew up with, and by the end of the film, each of them sit down with their respective mothers and talk, often frankly, always emotionally, and hopefully charting a new path. The repercussions of governmental policies, and its effect on generations of Filipino Canadians is something this documentary sheds light on and it’s enlightening and enlightened in its approach. Thea Loo is a graduate of Simon Fraser University. Other than filmmaking, she has worked in other disciplines like photography, music, and theatre. The film screens tomorrow (October 2^nd at 7.00pm) and Friday (October 4^th at 4.00pm) at International Village. Thea and Jeremiah will participate at Q&As at both screenings. We taped this interview a couple of weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Thea Loo; Ms. Loo, good morning.

The post Thea Loo first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, On Foot by Bill Arnott (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Perfect Day for a Walk

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Bill Arnott joins me now. He’s recently published a new book, A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, On Foot. It’s part travelogue, and part history. In his observant, inimitable way, he walks parts of the city bringing the reader the sights and even sound, as well as points us to things we might have missed or overlooked, or taken for granted. He offers up hidden gems, as well as fascinating stories and histories of the neighbourhoods he walks through. Whether it’s Kitsilano, where he lives, or Granville Island, or False Creek or the West End, there’s all sorts of things we need to know about and remember. And even places like Yaletown or Chinatown or the Downtown Eastside, where we might have misconceptions about; are seen in a new light through Bill’s gaze. The book is a celebration of an ever-changing city, and there’s no better way to chart the city’s progress than on foot. I’ll ask Bill about why set out to document his walks, the various people he encounters on the way, that he canvasses for their thoughts about the direction of the city. I’ll also ask him about why he kept the journeys within the months of October to March. The book also has archival photos, as well as contemporary ones taken by Mr. Arnott, who joined me from here in Vancouver when we taped this interview nearly a month ago. Bill Arnott is the author of A Season on Vancouver Island, and the award-winning Gone Viking books. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. This new book is published by Arsenal Pulp Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bill Arnott; Mr. Arnott, good morning.

The post Bill Arnott first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Arash Khakpour joins me now. The co-artistic director of The Biting School, he is the choreographer, and one of the performers of Empty-Handed, which begins tomorrow night, 02 October 2024 at the Firehall Arts Centre. The world premiere runs until Saturday (05 October 2024). I’ll ask Arash about the piece, and the themes explored therein: darkness, deception, and greed, all timely themes. It’s a contemporary dance piece. I’ll get Arash to tell us about the music, as well as the way this piece views the world. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. And visit www.bitingschool.com for more as well. Arash is joined onstage by the performers Juolin Lee, Marisa Gold, Hayley Gawthorp, and Antonio Somera Jr. We taped this interview last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Arash Khakpour; Mr. Khakpour, good morning.

The post Arash Khakpour first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Christopher Auchter joins me again. The acclaimed filmmaker has a new film, a full-length feature that will debut this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival. In The Stand, Christopher with archival film and audio, takes the audience back to the fall of 1985 when a small group of Haida blockaded a dirt road on Lyell Island to demand that clear-cut logging stop as it’s been destroying salmon habitat and ravaging the old growth forests. There’s a lot of pressure exerted by the provincial and federal governments, as well as private logging interests, as the RCMP is called in to keep the peace and at times enforce various court orders. We see the court of public opinion form against the Haida, most vocally in the form of talk show host Jack Webster, who talks about the issue regularly on his highly rated BCTV morning program. I’ll ask Christopher about all the archival material he was able to draw upon. There’s radio interviews as well as high quality film shot from the perspective of the Haida, as well as the private logging firm contracted to work the forest. We see what it was like for the RCMP too, as the various points-of-view are featured throughout, almost-moment-to-moment. We see their conversations with the elders who take up the blockade, who also have to arrest them later on. We see Guujaaw on the front line, and how he communicates with others over a radio. Miles Richardson is featured in the film through his appearances with Webster and their vigorous debates, as is then-NDP MP Svend Robinson, also a lawyer, who’s on the front line. As the complex legal process plays out, the obtaining and enforcing of injunctions and the sort, we see what it’s like on the front lines and how with such dignity and grace what compels the Haida to take a stand. There’s a great character in the film, used as a sort of narrator that I’ll ask Chris about, Mouse Woman. Voiced by Delores Churchill, she adds some levity but also poignancy as we see throughout the film, as well as narrative information that provides further context to the events. It’s a powerful film, and one that tells necessary history considering what this critical moment provided as an inflection point for the future of land claims and Indigenous sovereignty. Christopher Auchter has appeared on the program twice to talk about his previous short films 2017’s The Mountains of SGaana, and 2019’s Now is the Time. Christopher Auchter wrote and directed, as well as animated The Stand, which is produced in association with Knowledge Network and the National Film Board of Canada. The film screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival this Thursday, 03 October 2024 at 8.45pm at SFU Woodwards, and Saturday, 05 October 2024 at International Village; at 3.15pm. Chris will be at both screenings. We taped this interview eleven days ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Christopher Auchter; Mr. Auchter, good morning.

The post Christopher Auchter first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The Kay Meek Arts Centre is kicking off its 20^th anniversary season. A gala dinner is planned for November 23^rd, but this Saturday their Resonate Series begins with a performance by the acclaimed pianist Kevin Chen. Mr. Chen joins me now to talk about his program of Chopin and Liszt, what their music means to him, and what performing them will be like. At 19 years old, Mr. Chen is already a Canadian superstar in the making. The CBC has named him one of the Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30, while Maclean’s Magazine had him on a list of 100 Remarkable Canadians. He debuted at the age of seven with the Abbotsford Symphony and has already performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Hungarian National Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Taipei Symphony, and the Edmonton Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic. It was in Calgary where he joined me from last week, but he spends most of his time in Hanover, where he studies full time. You can visit https://www.kevinchenpiano.com/ for more information. Tickets for Saturday’s performance at the Kay Meek’s Grosvenor Stage can be had at www.kaymeek.com. Showtime is at 7.30pm, but there’s a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kevin Chen; Mr. Chen, good morning.

The post Kevin Chen first appeared on thecommentary.ca.