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The broadcaster and author Carol Off discusses her new book At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage (Random House Canada, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: At a Loss for Words

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Carol Off joins me again. She’s just published, At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage, and it’s already a bestseller. In the book, she looks at six words that have lost their meaning in recent years: freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice, and taxes. These are words that have been distorted and weaponised, to the point where their meaning today is often discounted or meant to be derogatory. These are words that were associated with civil rights and social justice, and she works through the book a way to reclaim them. Along the way she looks at how so many people are falling for conspiracy theories, getting hoodwinked by autocrats, and buying into the rage. And Carol noticed this as she was wrapping up her decade and a half as co-host of CBC Radio’s As It Happens. She noticed in the conversations she was having with guests, how polarised the conversations were getting. It’s an engaging book, one that’s informative like when she talks about the Hungarian influence on politics outside of its country, like Canada, as well as how Facebook has been weaponised, using The Philippines as an example, as she shares conversations with Maria Ressa. Carol Off is an award-winning journalist, who before her over fifteen years at As It Happens, covered Canadian and international affairs. Her first bestselling book The Lion, The Fox and The Eagle, was a bestseller and critically acclaimed. She’s written three more award-winning books of narrative nonfiction, including her most recent, which she was on the program with in 2017, All We Leave Behind: A Reporter’s Journey Into the Lives of Others. This new book is published by Random House Canada. We spoke three weeks ago, with Carol joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Carol Off; Ms. Off, good morning.

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The bestselling author Marion McKinnon Crook discusses her recent memoir Always On Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living (Heritage House, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Always on Call

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Marion McKinnon Crook is the author of Always On Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living. It was published this past spring, and has remained on the bestsellers list since. It’s a sequel to Always Pack A Candle, and they’re marvelous insights into the life of a public health nurse in rural British Columbia in the 1970s. Marion joins me now to talk about this book, and about what it was like for her and her family in the Cariboo, a vast rural territory that quickly becomes home to her husband Carl, their three young children, and the many farm animals they have. It’s not without its challenges as we read in the book, as Marion also has to oversee a small staff of rural public health nurses. She encounters runaway patients, needle-phobic hockey players, and stories of abuse and neglect. It’s also the 1970s and we see some social progress, especially for women. Marion McKinnon Crook is a nurse, educator, and author of over twenty-five books. Along with her nursing degree, she has a master’s in liberal arts, and a PhD in education. She is also the author of the British Book Tour mystery series under the name of Emma Dakin. Visit www.marioncrookauthor.com for more. The book is published by Heritage House. We taped this interview in mid June 2024, with Marion joining me from Gibsons, British Columbia. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marion McKinnon Crook; Dr. Crook, good morning.

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The award-winning writer and academic Jenny Heijun Wills discusses her new collection of essays Everything and Nothing At All (Knopf, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Everything and Nothing At All

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the important books of the year is the new collection of essays by Jenny Heijun Wills, Everything and Nothing at All. She writes of herself in the context of the world around her and within her. As a transnational adoptee, she writes of race and ethnicity not only from her perspective, but she looks critically at how others might see her then as now. In her discussions of mental illness, self-harm, queerness, polyamory, and eating disorder, she is frank and honest. Her ability to convey her own feelings as well as invite the reader to think critically of their own on a variety of subjects is so necessary in today’s culture. Take for example how she contends with how she perceived abuse, and how she might have tolerated or rationalised it in the past, and how her view changes because of a myriad of issues, like maturing or being a parent. The wisdom brims in the book, as it’s more than personal history but also literary criticism. Her ability to provide cultural context on a variety of issues is often informative and surprising. Jenny Heijun Wills was born in Seoul, South Korea, and was adopted and raised in a white family in Southern Ontario. She wrote about a lot of her experiences in her critically acclaimed and prize-winning Older Sister, Not Necessarily Related. It was the recipient of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Nonfiction Prize in 2019, and the Manitoba Book Awards Best First Book Prize in 2020. This new book, from Knopf, is already a 2024 finalist for the Weston Writers’ Trust Nonfiction Prize. She is a Fulbright Alum (Harvard), and in 2015 was a visiting Scholar at Stanford University. She holds two BA-Hons degrees, an MA, and a PhD. She currently teaches at the University of Winnipeg. We taped this interview in late August, with Jenny joining me from Toronto. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jenny Heijun Wills; Professor Wills,  good morning.

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The retired fisherman and boat builder Jon Taylor discusses his memoir Fried Eggs and Fish Scales: Tales from a Sointula Troller (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Fried Eggs and Fish Scales

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

We go to Sointula, for this next conversation. I reached Jon Taylor back in June to talk about his memoir, Fried Eggs and Fish Scales: Tales from a Sointula Troller. As you’ll hear, I begin the interview by placing where Sointula is; it’s a place at the northeastern end of Vancouver Island. It’s on Malcolm Island, and Jon’s own family history there extends back to the early part of the twentieth century. His Finnish grandparents had planned to join the other Finns who’d moved there to found their own “workers paradise,” however on seeing the island, they moved back to Cuba. Jon moved there in 1976, and it’s fascinating to read of the lifestyle and what he did to make a living. We read about the rollicking commercial fishery, island life, Jon’s years as a fisherman and boat builder, as well the memorable people that he tells us about throughout the book. It’s a memorable book, as is Jon, whose ability to tell a good story on the page or over the phone are joys to behold. Jon Taylor is a retired fisherman and boat builder. He is a lifelong writer of poetry, memoir, essays and fiction, and he is an avid musician. We taped this interview in early June. The book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jon Taylor; Mr. Taylor, good morning.

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The playwright Davey Calderon discusses UNSCRIPTED: Deep Fried, a new musical in progress that is having a special performance at PL 1422 (1422 William Street) on Sunday, 09 June 2024 at 6pm, with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Upcoming on Sunday, 09 June 2024, at PL 1422, that’s at 1422 William Street, will be an exciting event from Playwrights Theatre Centre, UNSCRIPTED: Deep Fried. It’s a new musical in progress. It’s timely as it’s Filipino Heritage Month, and will showcase Filipinx Canadian artists in the community. Its author Davey Calderon joins me now to talk about Deep Fried, and how he was inspired to write the piece. I’ll ask him about the central character Toni, their dreams of a music career, and how the show’s setting, a fast-food establishment in the heart of Vancouver’s Joyce Collingwood neighbourhood fosters community and the realisation of one’s aspirations. The neighbourhood, long a central location for members of the Philippine community, is also facing the challenge of gentrification, and that comes into focus in this piece, and the discussion after the show. Davey Calderon is a playwright and the Dramaturg for Playwrights Theatre Centre. He has a BFA in Theatre Performance and Communication from Simon Fraser University, and is the co-founder of New(to)Town Collective. His first written solo show, Big Queer Filipino Karaoke Night! premiered at the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. Visit www.playwrightstheatre.com for more information. Tickets to Deep Fried can be had at www.bit.ly/unscriptedDFtix. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Davey Calderon; Davey, good morning.

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The writer and a member of the organizing team for the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival Nathalie De Los Santos discusses the 12-14 July 2024 events, her bookstagram PilipinxPages, and more, with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

I’ve been a big fan of Nathalie De Los Santos for a while now. She’s an internet influencer in the best sense of the word. She uses her popular Instagram account, PilipinxPages to showcase books by authors of Philippine heritage. As I mention in the interview, I’ve bought many books because of her posts, and I enjoy it a great deal. But Nathalie, who joins me now, is more than her Instagram handle. Among the many things she does in the community, she is part of the organising team for the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival, which is taking place 12-14 July 2024. As I’ll be on hiatus on the podcast, I’m happy to talk to Nathalie about the impetus of this important event, the planning involved, and what we’ll expect that weekend in July. It’s early days, and even though we taped this interview last week, there are already a number of events planned, and Nathalie will tell us about those shortly. The events will take place at the Joyce Collingwood Neighbourhood House, and Massy Arts Society. It’ll be a great chance to celebrate and amplify the voices of Filipino Canadian authors, artists and creators. Visit their website at https://filcanbookfest.squarespace.com for more information. Between now and July 12th, they’ll be updating it with information. Nathalie De Los Santos is a writer and creative based here in Vancouver. She is also the creator of the podcast Filipino Fairy Tales, Mythology and Folklore, and the author of Hasta Mañana, Alice’s Order; and is working on a Filipino folklore inspired fantasy novel called Diyosa Mata. Visit her own website at www.natdls.com for more. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nathalie De Los Santos; Ms. De Los Santos, good morning.  

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The writer Michel Drouin discusses his memoir Past the End of the Road: A North Island Boyhood (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Past the End of the Road

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

I’ve never been to Port Hardy, which is a coastal village at the north end of Vancouver Island. But a new book takes us to this place surrounded by rugged land and raging seas, and to the mid-twentieth century at that, as it’s a memoir of the writer Michel Drouin’s boyhood in this wilderness that shapes his life. You see a coastal village on the brink of an industrial boom, what with the forestry industry, not to mention fishing, and later mining. It’s a unique childhood, and it’s BC history. The full title of the book is Past the End of the Road: A North Island Boyhood. Michel Drouin was a high school correspondent for the North Island Gazette. After graduation he worked in the forestry and fishing industries, until he was hired in 1990 as an assistant editor of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union newspaper, The Fisherman. He joined me last week from his home here in Vancouver. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michel Drouin; Mr. Drouin, good morning. 

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The comedian and writer Deborah Kimmett discusses her new book Window Shopping for God: A Comedian’s Search for Meaning (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Window Shopping for God

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Deborah Kimmett joins me now. She’s just published Window Shopping for God: A Comedian’s Search for Meaning. In a frank, often funny book, she answers questions she’s had for herself about family and faith, as well as the meaning of life. But just as much as she’s shed light or insight, she’s got just as many questions. It was a sidewalk preacher that she encountered ten years ago, that set her on a path to mend her relationship with her estranged brother. His terminal cancer diagnosis poses an imperative on forging their bond anew. She’s also got to confront her addictions, and revisits aspects of her Catholic upbringing. As a lapsed Catholic, a nominal one at that, I found the book fascinating, as she looks for meaning in her life and the world around her. Deborah Kimmett is a trailblazer in Canadian comedy. She’s been a guest on CBC’s The Debaters for seventeen years, and has a regular spot in the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and Laugh Out Loud. Her previous comedy album, Downward Facing Broad reached number five on iTunes. She’s the author of Reality Is Over Rated, Outrunning Crazy, and That Which Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funnier, and the play Miracle Mother, which was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. This new book is from Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke nearly two weeks ago, with Deborah joining me from Toronto. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Deborah Kimmett; Ms. Kimmett, good morning. 

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The writer Deepa Rajagopalan discusses her debut short story collection Peacocks of Instagram (House of Anansi Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Peacocks of Instagram

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

I’ve been reading the debut short story collection of Deepa Rajagopalan, Peacocks of Instagram, and though it has moments which it’s tough to read, it’s incredibly engaging, and often funny. Deepa joins me now to talk about this short story collection that features characters who are diasporic Indians, who contend with ideas of what it’s like to be safe, how to survive, and what to consider home. We have different characters who exemplify strength and ingenuity in the face of racism, overt or casual, and ones who have to weigh decisions for themselves considering family. I’ll ask Ms. Rajagopalan about the characters in this book, as well as what it was like to write them amid the situations they find themselves in. Deepa Rajagopalan won the 2021 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies such as Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, the New Quarterly, Room, the Malahat Review, Event, and Arc Poetry Magazine. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Guelph. Born to Indian parents in Saudi Arabia, she has lived in many cities across India, the United States, and Canada. The website for more is at www.deeparajagopalan.com. This new book is published by House of Anansi Press. We spoke this past Friday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Deepa Rajagopalan; Ms. Rajagopalan, good morning.

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The noted motivational speaker and performer David Roche discusses his new book Standing at the Back Door of Happiness: And How I Unlocked It (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Standing at the Back Door of Happiness

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

David Roche joins me now. He’s just published a new essay collection Standing at the Back Door of Happiness: And How I Unlocked It. The book discusses his upbringing, the vascular malformation that he was born with, his “seriously Catholic” childhood, and his devotion to the Democratic Workers Party. Readers will find out about the journey he took to better understanding how his facial difference is viewed by others, and how he’s coped with everything that life has thrown at him. The book is often funny, and it’s instructive in how Mr. Roche has treated others: with compassion, love, and acceptance. One of the better lessons in the book is how one’s mere presence can do so much. David Roche is a popular motivational speaker and performer. He’s taken his one-man show The Church of 80% Sincerity on tour around the world. He’s had several roles in film and documentaries, and in 2021, he was named to the Order of Canada. He is a volunteer for the Sunshine Coast Hospice, and with his partner Marlena, leads storytelling and writing workshops. The website for more is at www.davidroche.com. He joined me from his home in Roberts Creek, British Columbia last week. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, David Roche; Mr. Roche, good morning.

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