theborderline.ca

Xander Axeton is a first-time writer and yet to publish. And his is no ordinary story.

Xander has always loved books. A girl he met, when they were in his teens, would later become his wife. The two of them have always shared a love for reading books and listening to audio books. At one point they struck on an idea for Xander to write a little something special as a gift to his wife.

There was never an intention of publishing a book. When the daily entries kept coming they suddenly found themselves with over 1,100 pages of manuscript – and a story. From there, the plot planning and editing began and ideas for books flowed – and are flowing – onto the page.

A stand alone book was created, Embracing A Monster. And a book series entitled, Fates Entwined, a six-part series of which three are written. Xander’s wife is a visual artist and contributes in that way as well.

The books are “dark romantasy” and geared to a 16+ audience.

Xander had yet to publish the books as of this interview.

Look for the books to be released in the summer of 2026.

Date:16 June 2026 .

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio)

s4.e10. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – On Michigan Shores

Preserved since antiquity, the 3,200 miles of coastline that graces the state of Michigan, land of great water, is now stirring emotions of those that live with the shorelands on these Great Lakes freshwater inland seas.

Chief and Elder, Dean Sayers, delivers a deep, knowledgeable dissertation on the long history of the ancestral fishing station to the Anishinaabek, Whitefish Island – Attikamek, on the St. Marys River.

Nick Barnes, singer/songwriter from Upper Sandusky, Ohio, penned and performed the music on Great Lakes, a love letter album to the Michigan shorelands of Leelanau in upper Lower Michigan.

Richard K. Norton, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Michigan, explains living with dynamic coastal shorelands and finding a best management process to meet the daunting challenges.

Featured Music: Nick Barnes. Peter White & Joel Syrette.
Music beds: Rusty McCarthy.
Theme music: Ray Bonneville. Rusty McCarthy.

Photo: Superior Ripple by Adriano

s4.e10. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – On Michigan Shores – MUSIC CREDITS

Title – Big Five Water
Artist – Ray Bonneville

Title – The First Anishinaabe Song
Artist – Joel Syrette & Peter White
Composer – Traditional

Title – Shore Leave
Album – Pandemos Volume Three: Great Lakes
Artist/ Composer – Nick Barnes

Title – St. Mary’s River Fantasy
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Ordre Offshore
Album – Pandemos Volume Three: Great Lakes
Artist/ Composer – Nick Barnes

Title – Leelanau
Album – Pandemos Volume Three: Great Lakes
Artist/ Composer – Nick Barnes

Title – The Histories Of Water
Album – Pandemos Volume Three: Great Lakes
Artist/ Composer – Nick Barnes

Title – The Great Lakes
Album – Pandemos Volume Three: Great Lakes
Artist/ Composer – Nick Barnes

Title – Michigan Twilight
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Esme On Lake St. Clair
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – The Great Manitou
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Night Voyage
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Visit: raybonneville.com

Visit: rustyandmaja.com

Visit: nickbarnes.bandcamp.com

Visit: thepeterwhitewebsite.com

Visit: shingwauku.org

This program produced by GLOW Radio Partners in venture with The Borderline Events Co.

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Great Lakes Odyssey World is a multi-national effort to strengthen and explore our relationship with the natural wonders known as the Great Lakes.

In this part of the project, we have created a multi-part audio series looking at the way the Great Lakes shape our lives, our livelihoods, our health and our culture.

50 years ago, folks in the media and elsewhere were ready to declare the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie “dead.”

The thought so appalled citizens in Canada and the United States, they forced their national governments to act.

Because, of course, the Great Lakes shape the life of both Canada and the United States. And, of course, the Great Lakes are a single system stretching from Duluth to Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence seaway. What happens to any of the Lakes will soon happen to the others.

So, the politicians of 50 years ago negotiated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, “for the purpose of restoring, protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes basin.”

50 years later, we can see the agreement worked. We see more fish, cleaner water, and less pollution. Unlike the early settlers and colonials, who mostly saw the Lakes as a resource to tap, we now recognize, like the First Nations, the Lakes are part of our identity. They shape our relationships, our songs and celebrations of place, the way we eat, how we play, and what we make, or sell, or harvest.

50 years since the wake-up call of a burning river, Great Lakes Odyssey wants to learn how we live and love, hurt and restore the incredible gift which is the Great Lakes.

We will explore Great Lakes art and artistic expression, and meet the artists, writers, musicians who make it. We will also dip into Great Lakes history and lore – and learn from the people who have been here the longest and know it the best: The People of the Three Fires, the Anishinaabek.

On our Odyssey around the Great Lakes, we will also hear from people working to prevent poisonous algal blooms or stop the spread of invasive species. We will meet visionaries undoing decades of development that hardened shorelines, emptied marshes and wetlands, and destroyed critical spawning grounds. We will talk to people working to ensure all beings have access to pure drinking water.

Because none of us can live without pure drinking water.

In this wondrous place we call the Great Lakes, we know we are blessed by these Sweet Water Seas. We claim them as our H.O.M.E.S. as the emotionally accurate mnemonic says. They are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, and they are our HOMES.

As long as humans have lived in, and of and through the Lakes, people have told stories about them, sung about them, and gloried in this great gift of the long departed Ice Age. Left by glaciers thousands of years ago, they are the World’s storehouse of fresh water. If they are drained… or ruined… or damaged, they can never be replaced.

So, as we travel around the Great Lakes basin, we want to see how we are doing – what we are doing – how we’re feeling and what we’re learning as we try to live as lovers and restorers – and children and family – of the being whom the Anishinaabek call Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin, the five freshwater seas.

We hope to galvanize, inspire, and motivate you to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future.

So please join us on this magical, dare we say “magical mystery tour” of the Great Lakes basin and Great Lakes culture.

Date:14 June 2026 .

The Speak Easy Podcast evokes the spirit of fearless conversation and honest debate. Like the hidden bars of the Prohibition era, this podcast creates a space for unfiltered political discourse – where ideas flow freely, perspectives clash respectfully, and nothing is off the table. With co-hosts Robert Peace and Josh Vierimaa offering both seasoned insight and fresh perspective, The Speak Easy invites listeners into a conversation that is as bold as it is accessible.

Episode 12 06/26 – The World Is On Fire!

On today’s Speak Easy, we tackle rising tensions with Iran, the situation in Cuba, separatism in Canada, and the political issues making headlines at home. Different perspectives, lively debate, and plenty of unscripted conversation.

#SpeakEasyPodcast #Iran #Cuba #CanadianPolitics #Separatism #CurrentEvents

Robert Peace is a longtime political strategist, media producer, and community advocate based in Sault Ste. Marie. With decades of experience advising leaders, running campaigns, and building grassroots initiatives, he brings sharp insights and a deep understanding of politics at every level.

Josh Vierimaa is a 19-year-old political consultant and rising voice in Canadian conservatism. As a strategist for both provincial and federal Conservative campaigns in Sault Ste. Marie, founder of the Conservative Youth at Algoma University and President of the Students’ Union, Josh brings sharp political instincts, a deep love of history, and a fresh generational perspective to The Speak Easy podcast.

Date:12 June 2026 .

Marianne Perry is a seasoned world traveler, optimist and family oriented Northern Ontario, Canadian author.

A second generation Canadian-Italian, Marianne’s interest in her Calabrian-Sicilian roots has fuelled her genealogical research to solve family mysteries. Along with researching family history, Marianne’s writing reflects her extensive traveling, a passion for adventure, an interest in establishing connections and a yearning to understand our world.

THE CHASE

What if Anna was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease? Or, were the nightmares simply the result of emotional and physical fatigue from juggling a demanding career, long-distance relationship with her adult children, and helping the family care for her increasingly frail mother?

But what if an ominous element was encircling Anna? How else had a startling holograph will from a beloved uncle who died twenty-five years ago suddenly surfaced? What explanation accounted for Anna receiving a 1900 land deed for an unidentified tract of land somewhere in Europe? And who had mailed Anna a letter revealing alarming family truths?

The Chase is a thrilling tale of deceit and treachery that unfolds in North America, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, and South America. It confronts our deepest fears and raises the possibility of beginning anew.

Marianne Perry’s first novel, The Inheritance, is a historical fiction set in Calabria, southern Italy, during the early 1900s. Her second novel, The Chase, is a thrilling tale of deceit and treachery that unfolds in North America, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, and South America. It confronts our deepest fears and raises the possibility of beginning anew. Marianne’s genealogical research articles have been published by North American magazines and the Ontario Genealogical Society. She blogs about genealogy, writing, and travel.

Contributors
Author : Marianne Perry
Cover Design by Cassie Amond

“What matters the most in life are the people you love and the adventures you have.”

Date:9 June 2026 .

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio)

s4.e9. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – The Artist Inspired

The Great Lakes soul is what the poet and the artist aspire to capture, that the landscape is alive and pulsing with an energy, beauty and spirit that touches the very core of human existence.

Michigan-I-O, a band and a collection of forgotten folk songs from the Alan Lomax compilation, from Michigan and the Great Lakes region, re-imagined in a contemporary style.

Paul Walde swam the length of Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park on the 100th Anniversary of Canadian painter Tom Thomson’s death, a swim performed as a site-specific and temporally specific event.

Michael Burtch, Artist, Sculptor, Musician and Art Historian, aided in discovering several sites of iconic paintings done by the famed Group of Seven, for a documentary film titled, A Painted Land.

Featured Music: John Bottomley. Don Charbonneau. Michigan I-O.
Music beds: Paul Walde. Michael Burtch. Andree-Ann Deschenes.
Theme music: Ray Bonneville. Rusty McCarthy.

Artwork: The Forest by Ken Hagerman

s4.e9. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – The Artist Inspired – MUSIC CREDITS

Title – Big Five Water
Artist – Ray Bonneville

Title – Klee Wyck
Album – Blackberry
Artist/Composer – John Bottomley

Title – Storm Of Love
Album – River Of Song
Artist – Guy Smith (feat. Sheldon Jaskalainen)
Composer – Guy Smith

Title – St. Mary’s River Fantasy
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Warp Bay Sky
Album – Riding The Rails In Paradise
Artist/ Composer – Don Charbonneau

Title – Michigan I-O
Album – A Michigan Folk History
Artist – Michigan I-O
Composer – Traditional

Title – The Ballad Of Tom Thomson
Album – Wildwood Through Tom’s Eyes
Artist /Composer – Don Charbonneau

Title – TT July 19
Album – Tom Thomson Centennial Swim
Artist /Composer – Paul Walde

Title – A Painter’s Country
Album – Riding The Rails In Paradise
Artist/ Composer – Don Charbonneau

Title – Hinterbrane
Artist /Composer – Michael Burtch

Visit: raybonneville.com

Visit: rustyandmaja.com

Visit: doncharbonneau.com/tom-thomson

Visit: aadpiano.com

Visit: michaelburtch.org

Visit: michiganio.com

Visit: paulwalde.com/artworks/tom-thomson-centennial-swim

This program produced by GLOW Radio Partners in venture with The Borderline Events Co.

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Great Lakes Odyssey World is a multi-national effort to strengthen and explore our relationship with the natural wonders known as the Great Lakes.

In this part of the project, we have created a multi-part audio series looking at the way the Great Lakes shape our lives, our livelihoods, our health and our culture.

50 years ago, folks in the media and elsewhere were ready to declare the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie “dead.”

The thought so appalled citizens in Canada and the United States, they forced their national governments to act.

Because, of course, the Great Lakes shape the life of both Canada and the United States. And, of course, the Great Lakes are a single system stretching from Duluth to Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence seaway. What happens to any of the Lakes will soon happen to the others.

So, the politicians of 50 years ago negotiated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, “for the purpose of restoring, protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes basin.”

50 years later, we can see the agreement worked. We see more fish, cleaner water, and less pollution. Unlike the early settlers and colonials, who mostly saw the Lakes as a resource to tap, we now recognize, like the First Nations, the Lakes are part of our identity. They shape our relationships, our songs and celebrations of place, the way we eat, how we play, and what we make, or sell, or harvest.

50 years since the wake-up call of a burning river, Great Lakes Odyssey wants to learn how we live and love, hurt and restore the incredible gift which is the Great Lakes.

We will explore Great Lakes art and artistic expression, and meet the artists, writers, musicians who make it. We will also dip into Great Lakes history and lore – and learn from the people who have been here the longest and know it the best: The People of the Three Fires, the Anishinaabek.

On our Odyssey around the Great Lakes, we will also hear from people working to prevent poisonous algal blooms or stop the spread of invasive species. We will meet visionaries undoing decades of development that hardened shorelines, emptied marshes and wetlands, and destroyed critical spawning grounds. We will talk to people working to ensure all beings have access to pure drinking water.

Because none of us can live without pure drinking water.

In this wondrous place we call the Great Lakes, we know we are blessed by these Sweet Water Seas. We claim them as our H.O.M.E.S. as the emotionally accurate mnemonic says. They are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, and they are our HOMES.

As long as humans have lived in, and of and through the Lakes, people have told stories about them, sung about them, and gloried in this great gift of the long departed Ice Age. Left by glaciers thousands of years ago, they are the World’s storehouse of fresh water. If they are drained… or ruined… or damaged, they can never be replaced.

So, as we travel around the Great Lakes basin, we want to see how we are doing – what we are doing – how we’re feeling and what we’re learning as we try to live as lovers and restorers – and children and family – of the being whom the Anishinaabek call Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin, the five freshwater seas.

We hope to galvanize, inspire, and motivate you to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future.

So please join us on this magical, dare we say “magical mystery tour” of the Great Lakes basin and Great Lakes culture.

Date:7 June 2026 .

SOYA is a non-profit corporation.  We are a grassroots local organization created May 7th, 2011.  SOYA invites members of the community who are interested in taking a stand against the substance use crisis at hand. We are here to provide education, awareness, advocacy, information, and support to all those who require help and knowledge. SOYA has formed partnerships with other agencies, non‑profit organizations, and businesses. By working together, we can offer the best support, referrals, and services needed in our community.

At the Depot we provide a welcoming environment for people. We offer a FREE meal and a conversation.  We provide FREE clothing, footwear, hygiene products, books and so much more.  We also have information about other agencies and housing lists. We also provide harm reduction supplies, and Naloxone.

EVERYONE IS SOMEONE’S CHILD – WE ARE HERE TO HELP. 

With SOYA you are Never Alone!

Date:5 June 2026 .

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio)

s4.e8. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – Ode To The Lighthouse Keeper

A centuries-old history of the lighthouse as beacon tells of lightkeepers that braved harsh conditions, isolation, and challenging circumstances in carrying out hard duties to guide navigating ships to safety.

Patricia Majher, Editor, and Author of Ladies of the Lights, pays a richly deserved homage to an inspiring group of women that overcame gender expectations and shone bright as Great Lakes lightkeepers.

Bob Cailor, President of the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, on the MLHS helping the State of Ohio to accept ownership of the lighthouse and its grounds and designate it Ohio’s 73rd State Park.

Bruce Lynn, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, on the historic Whitefish Point Light Station in continuous operation since 1861, as the oldest working lighthouse on Lake Superior.

Featured Music: Guy Smith (feat. Sheldon Jaskalainen). Denielle Bassels. Tough Old Bird.
Music beds: Doug Wilde. Rusty McCarthy. Craig West.
Theme music: Ray Bonneville. Rusty McCarthy.

Artwork: St. Joe by Adriano

s4.e8. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – Ode To The Lighthouse Keeper – MUSIC CREDITS

Title – Big Five Water
Artist – Ray Bonneville

Title – The Storm (pt. 1)
Album – Back In The Bottle
Artist/Composer – The Billy Bastards

Title – Storm Of Love
Album – River Of Song
Artist – Guy Smith (feat. Sheldon Jaskalainen)
Composer – Guy Smith

Title – St. Mary’s River Fantasy
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Lighthouse
Album – It Goes Like This
Artist/ Composer – Denielle Bassels

Title – Blue Sky Day
Album – The Sixth Dimension
Artist /Composer – Doug Wilde

Title – Water Music
Album – The Sixth Dimension
Artist /Composer – Doug Wilde

Title – Zephyr
Album – The Sixth Dimension
Artist /Composer – Doug Wilde

Title – A Conversation
Album – The Sixth Dimension
Artist /Composer – Doug Wilde

Title – Sketches Of Tomorrow
Album – The Sixth Dimension
Artist /Composer – Doug Wilde

Title – Summer Calling
Album – The Sixth Dimension
Artist /Composer – Doug Wilde

Title – You Can’t Take The Boogie
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Whole Lot Of Trouble
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – City Blues
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Comfort
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Let’s Fool Around
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – What Makes Her Happy
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Soldier
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Detroit
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Come And Gone
Album – Rusty Blues
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – Song For The Lighthouse Keeper
Album – The Old Great Lakes
Artist – Tough Old Bird

Title – End Credits
Artist /Composer – Craig West

Visit: raybonneville.com

Visit: rustyandmaja.com

Visit: guysmith.ca

Visit: dougwilde.com

Visit: press.umich.edu/Books/L/Ladies-of-the-Lights2

Visit: deniellebassels.com

Visit: marbleheadhistory.org

Visit: shipwreckmuseum.com

Visit: tougholdbirdmusic.com

This program produced by GLOW Radio Partners in venture with The Borderline Events Co.

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Great Lakes Odyssey World is a multi-national effort to strengthen and explore our relationship with the natural wonders known as the Great Lakes.

In this part of the project, we have created a multi-part audio series looking at the way the Great Lakes shape our lives, our livelihoods, our health and our culture.

50 years ago, folks in the media and elsewhere were ready to declare the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie “dead.”

The thought so appalled citizens in Canada and the United States, they forced their national governments to act.

Because, of course, the Great Lakes shape the life of both Canada and the United States. And, of course, the Great Lakes are a single system stretching from Duluth to Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence seaway. What happens to any of the Lakes will soon happen to the others.

So, the politicians of 50 years ago negotiated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, “for the purpose of restoring, protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes basin.”

50 years later, we can see the agreement worked. We see more fish, cleaner water, and less pollution. Unlike the early settlers and colonials, who mostly saw the Lakes as a resource to tap, we now recognize, like the First Nations, the Lakes are part of our identity. They shape our relationships, our songs and celebrations of place, the way we eat, how we play, and what we make, or sell, or harvest.

50 years since the wake-up call of a burning river, Great Lakes Odyssey wants to learn how we live and love, hurt and restore the incredible gift which is the Great Lakes.

We will explore Great Lakes art and artistic expression, and meet the artists, writers, musicians who make it. We will also dip into Great Lakes history and lore – and learn from the people who have been here the longest and know it the best: The People of the Three Fires, the Anishinaabek.

On our Odyssey around the Great Lakes, we will also hear from people working to prevent poisonous algal blooms or stop the spread of invasive species. We will meet visionaries undoing decades of development that hardened shorelines, emptied marshes and wetlands, and destroyed critical spawning grounds. We will talk to people working to ensure all beings have access to pure drinking water.

Because none of us can live without pure drinking water.

In this wondrous place we call the Great Lakes, we know we are blessed by these Sweet Water Seas. We claim them as our H.O.M.E.S. as the emotionally accurate mnemonic says. They are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, and they are our HOMES.

As long as humans have lived in, and of and through the Lakes, people have told stories about them, sung about them, and gloried in this great gift of the long departed Ice Age. Left by glaciers thousands of years ago, they are the World’s storehouse of fresh water. If they are drained… or ruined… or damaged, they can never be replaced.

So, as we travel around the Great Lakes basin, we want to see how we are doing – what we are doing – how we’re feeling and what we’re learning as we try to live as lovers and restorers – and children and family – of the being whom the Anishinaabek call Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin, the five freshwater seas.

We hope to galvanize, inspire, and motivate you to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future.

So please join us on this magical, dare we say “magical mystery tour” of the Great Lakes basin and Great Lakes culture.

Date:31 May 2026 .

Sacred Hearth is fervently devoted to breaking down barriers to mental health accessibility for everyone. We believe that every individual deserves the chance to flourish within our community, to embark on a journey of self-discovery, and to revel in the warmth of acceptance as we evolve together, hand in hand. The Sacred Hearth is a free, community-based program on St. Joseph Island, Ontario, designed to support mental, emotional, and physical well-being through structured monthly gatherings.

A couple of the ladies gather with co-founder, River Noble, to deep dive discuss.

Visit: sacredhearth.ca

Date:28 May 2026 .

A New Way Forward now has 6 books – the series is complete, some thick and some thin, depending on subject.

Book 1. A Spiritual Approach to Old Ideas

Book 2. Understanding Spiritual Concepts

Book 3. Manifestation – How to Change Your Life

Book 4. Reincarnation – Your Spiritual Gift

Book 5. From Darkness into Light

Book 6. Your Energy Systems – Auras, Chakras, and Meridians

These books present new ideas on many spiritual concepts, and perhaps the most startling, for some readers, is most of these subjects are physical functions of the body and not spiritual events. However, how they are used can be spiritual.

“I am a new writer who stepped out and went well beyond my comfort zone when writing my first published book. I kept hearing a voice saying it was something I had to do.”

I am an older man and have led a life, that I now look back on, as quite an adventure. I had to struggle in my early days, but when I met the love of my life I never looked back. Now we have been married to for 55 years. We have been enriched with two exceptional children and three grandsons. I served for 29 years as a Military Officer living all over Canada and the world. On retirement we opened the Family Wellness Centre and the British Columbia Institute of Holistic Studies, an accredited holistic school, and we had many other life-altering experiences that have influenced my writing. I was blessed to have a guide who helped me and a wife who supported and loved me. Everything included in these books reflect our experiences.

Date:26 May 2026 .

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio)

s4.e7. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – Changing Time & Space & Climate

The human journey chronicled tells only part of the story; the air, land, water and non-human life offer clues of an altered climate shift impacting significant changes in Great Lakes ecosystems.

Richard Edwards, Great Lakes/Midwest anthropological archaeologist and author, Indigenous Life Around the Great Lakes: War, Climate, and Culture, focuses on precontact agriculture and adaptations to climate.

Chris Lee, Curator/Director at Entomica Insectarium, details how regional insects and their habitat have been adapting in recent times and what it says about man’s relationship to natural history.

Rodney Brown, folk singer/songwriter of Fort William, Ontario, tells Lake Superior Northwest early stories of his hometown’s namesake, William McGillivray, with songs about the Canadian fur trade.

Featured Music: Peter Mayer. Ray Bonneville. Rodney Brown.
Music beds: Chase James Wigmore. Matt Warnock.
Theme music: Ray Bonneville. Rusty McCarthy.

Cloche/Dome ‘In Still Waters’ by Chris Lee

s4.e7. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – Changing Time & Space & Climate – MUSIC CREDITS

Title – Big Five Water
Artist – Ray Bonneville

Title – Down In The Ground
Artist/ Composer – Peter Mayer

Title – St. Mary’s River Fantasy
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – What Really Matters
Album – We Are All Going To Die
Artist /Composer – Chase James Wigmore

Title – The End Of The Season
Album – Dragon Coaster Mix
Artist /Composer – Chase James Wigmore

Title – Six Four Time
Album – Dragon Coaster Mix
Artist /Composer – Chase James Wigmore

Title – Ambient
Album – Dragon Coaster Mix
Artist /Composer – Chase James Wigmore

Title – Tiptoe Spider
Album – Roll It Down
Artist /Composer – Ray Bonneville

Title – Lonely Pines
Album – Homecoming
Artist /Composer – Matt Warnock

Title – Interlude
Album – Homecoming
Artist /Composer – Matt Warnock

Title – Heatwave
Album – Homecoming
Artist /Composer – Matt Warnock

Title – Prelude
Album – Homecoming
Artist /Composer – Matt Warnock

Title – Goin’ Wes
Album – Homecoming
Artist /Composer – Matt Warnock

Title – Kaministiquia
Album – Freedom In Me
Artist /Composer – Rodney Brown

Title – The Big Lonely
Album – The Big Lonely
Artist /Composer – Rodney Brown

Title – What Would Susan Say
Album – North Land
Artist /Composer – Rodney Brown

Visit: raybonneville.com

Visit: rustyandmaja.com

Visit: mwgcourses.com

Visit: entomica.com

Visit: insectopia.ca

Visit: chasejameswigmore.bandcamp.com

Visit: rodneybrown.ca

This program produced by GLOW Radio Partners in venture with The Borderline Events Co.

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Great Lakes Odyssey World is a multi-national effort to strengthen and explore our relationship with the natural wonders known as the Great Lakes.

In this part of the project, we have created a multi-part audio series looking at the way the Great Lakes shape our lives, our livelihoods, our health and our culture.

50 years ago, folks in the media and elsewhere were ready to declare the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie “dead.”

The thought so appalled citizens in Canada and the United States, they forced their national governments to act.

Because, of course, the Great Lakes shape the life of both Canada and the United States. And, of course, the Great Lakes are a single system stretching from Duluth to Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence seaway. What happens to any of the Lakes will soon happen to the others.

So, the politicians of 50 years ago negotiated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, “for the purpose of restoring, protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes basin.”

50 years later, we can see the agreement worked. We see more fish, cleaner water, and less pollution. Unlike the early settlers and colonials, who mostly saw the Lakes as a resource to tap, we now recognize, like the First Nations, the Lakes are part of our identity. They shape our relationships, our songs and celebrations of place, the way we eat, how we play, and what we make, or sell, or harvest.

50 years since the wake-up call of a burning river, Great Lakes Odyssey wants to learn how we live and love, hurt and restore the incredible gift which is the Great Lakes.

We will explore Great Lakes art and artistic expression, and meet the artists, writers, musicians who make it. We will also dip into Great Lakes history and lore – and learn from the people who have been here the longest and know it the best: The People of the Three Fires, the Anishinaabek.

On our Odyssey around the Great Lakes, we will also hear from people working to prevent poisonous algal blooms or stop the spread of invasive species. We will meet visionaries undoing decades of development that hardened shorelines, emptied marshes and wetlands, and destroyed critical spawning grounds. We will talk to people working to ensure all beings have access to pure drinking water.

Because none of us can live without pure drinking water.

In this wondrous place we call the Great Lakes, we know we are blessed by these Sweet Water Seas. We claim them as our H.O.M.E.S. as the emotionally accurate mnemonic says. They are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, and they are our HOMES.

As long as humans have lived in, and of and through the Lakes, people have told stories about them, sung about them, and gloried in this great gift of the long departed Ice Age. Left by glaciers thousands of years ago, they are the World’s storehouse of fresh water. If they are drained… or ruined… or damaged, they can never be replaced.

So, as we travel around the Great Lakes basin, we want to see how we are doing – what we are doing – how we’re feeling and what we’re learning as we try to live as lovers and restorers – and children and family – of the being whom the Anishinaabek call Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin, the five freshwater seas.

We hope to galvanize, inspire, and motivate you to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future.

So please join us on this magical, dare we say “magical mystery tour” of the Great Lakes basin and Great Lakes culture.

Date:24 May 2026 .