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The award-winning journalist and author Emily Urquhart discusses her new collection of essays Ordinary Wonder Tales (Biblioasis, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ordinary Wonder Tales

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Emily Urquhart joins me again. She has a new book of essays, Ordinary Wonder Tales. It’s a highly readable, fascinating collection of pieces that touch on a number of subjects like death and dying, radioactivity, plague, grief, pregnancy, prenatal genetics, trauma, as well as family, her father’s dementia, as well as family history. The pieces are thoughtful and provoke thoughts from the reader, they’re also enriching. The book is captivating, and as one critic has said, spellbinding. I’ll ask Emily about some of the pieces in the book, when she wrote them, and whatever wisdom she’s gleaned from her experiences and the experience of writing about herself and those around her. Emily Urquhart is a journalist with a doctorate from Memorial University of Newfoundland in folklore. Her work has appeared in a number of publications including Longreads, Guernica, and The Walrus. She first appeared on the program in 2015 when her book Beyond the Pale: Folklore, Family, and the Mystery of Our Hidden Genes was published. That book was a finalist for the BC National Award for Canadian Nonfiction, and shortlisted for the Kobo First Book Prize. Her most recent book The Age of Creativity: Art, Memory, my Father and Me was a top book of 2020 by the CBC, NOW Magazine, and Quill & Quire. She is a nonfiction editor for The New Quarterly, and joined me from her home in Kitchener, Ontario. The website for more is at www.emilyurquhart.ca. And this book is published by Biblioasis. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Emily Urquhart; Ms. Urquhart, good morning.

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The former NHL player (Vancouver Canucks, and Washington Capitals) Aaron Volpatti discusses his new memoir Fighter: Defying the NHL Odds (2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Fighter

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Aaron Volpatti joins me now. The former NHL player has just published a new book, Fighter: Defying the NHL Odds. The book begins with Mr. Volpatti recounting the horrific 2005 accident that resulted in second and third degree burns to over forty percent of his body. He narrates the journey from the Vancouver General Hospital Burn Unit, fighting as it were to get to the Brown University playing NCAA hockey and graduating there, to realising his dream to play in the National Hockey League. It’s a riveting book that I’ve started and can’t put down. We see an athlete overcome staggering odds to make it, and it’s thanks to visualization, a practice that Aaron used and now uses to help athletes all over the world. I’ll ask Aaron about his family, about Cinematic Visualization, and about how it’s helped him not just with his injuries, but with challenges on the ice in his career (he was a member of the Vancouver Canucks 2010-2011 season, when the Canucks lost to Boston in game seven of the Stanley Cup final), as well as off the ice contending with his friend Rick Rypien’s suicide in the summer of 2011, what to do after his professional hockey career, as well as the challenges of his father Tony’s ALS. The book is available now. And information on it as well as personal appearances that Aaron will be making for the book can be found on his website www.aaronvolpatti.com. A portion of profits for the book will be donated to the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. We taped this interview last week, with Aaron joining me from Lake Country, BC. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Aaron Volpatti; Mr. Volpatti, good morning.

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The comedian, writer and publisher James Mullinger discusses his memoir Brit Happens: Or Living the Canadian Dream (Goose Lane Editions, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Brit Happens

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

James Mullinger joins me now. The popular English comedian, who a few years ago, moved to Atlantic Canada, recently published a memoir Brit Happens: Or Living the Canadian Dream. It’s a fine book, funny, and full of insights about Eastern Canada, that make one want to go there. The book also features a fascinating look at comedy, from the early spark that young James encounters listening to comedy albums, then certain movies that interest him in the art and craft of stand-up comedy. I’ll ask James about how he arrived at his style of comedy, about performing, and the work he’s continuing to do not just with live performance but television as well. James Mullinger is a writer, comedian, filmmaker, and public speaker. He has over twenty years experience in publishing as well, having served as comedy and photographic editor for British GQ magazine. He moved to Canada in February 2014, and since his arrival has sold out comedy shows across the country, appeared on CBC Radio’s The Debaters, as well as specials of his own. He is also the co-founder of [EDIT] magazine, Atlantic Canada’s first-ever international magazine, an award-winning premium media brand. He’s also done remarkable work raising money for various charities as a comedian and keynote speaker. His website is at www.jamesmullinger.com. This book is published by Goose Lane Editions. He joined me from his home in Rothesay, New Brunswick last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, James Mullinger; Mr. Mullinger, good morning.

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The author Carol Marie Newall discusses her book Outside the Gate: The True Story of a British Home Child in Canada (Barlow Books, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Outside the Gate

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

The story of one of the more than 100,000 “home children” Britain sent here between 1869 and 1948 is told in a new book, Outside the Gate: The True Story of a British Home Child in Canada. Carol Marie Newall is the author, and she is the granddaughter of Winnie Cooper, one of these children born in the slums of England, and sent to Canada to work as indentured farmers and domestics. There was the promise of opportunity, and while some managed to make a good life, a lot were abused and neglected. In Winnie’s case, she was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, and sent at 12 to Barnardo’s Village Home for Girls. Three years later she was shipped off to a farm in rural Ontario. Carol narrates Winnie’s rough life, as well as the starting of a family, the one Carol is born into. What Carol has yielded from Winnie’s troubled life is a marvelous family history, as well as insight into herself. I’ll ask Carol about the impetus to write this book, as well as how she went about it. Carol Newall is a mother of three, and a grandmother of four. She is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Business. Visit www.carolnewall.com for more information especially on the complex socio-economic conditions in Britain and Canada that led to this immigration program, as well as resources to help others find their roots. This book is from Barlow Books. We taped this interview fifteen days ago, with Carol joining me from her home in Muskoka Lakes District, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Carol Newall; Ms. Newall, good morning.

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The artist Liz Magor discusses the new collection Subject to Change: Writings and Interviews (Concordia University Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Subject to Change

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Liz Magor joins me now. The sculptor, considered one of the most important contemporary artists of the last fifty years, and I’ll ask her about that distinction given her by others, has just published Subject to Change: Writings and Interviews. The book brings together catalogue statements, essays, conversations, lecture notes, correspondence, and unpublished writing over her distinguished career. It’s often fascinating to see how she views her own work, and how her ideas evolve over the years. We see an artist who says she doesn’t enjoy writing, write so evocatively about art, about making art, and about how it might be received by a wider audience. We see a feminist artist in a settler-colonial society think deeply about her place where she lives, and what she is contributing to society itself. Liz Magor is the recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, the Audain Prize, and the Gershon Iskowitz Prize. Her work has been exhibited all over the world, and in 2019 she was named chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of the French Republic. The book is published by Concordia University Press. She joined me from where she works at the Parker Street Studios here in Vancouver, less than two weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Liz Magor; Ms. Magor, good morning.

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The academic and podcaster Kate Graham discusses her book No Second Chances: Women and Political Power in Canada (Second Story Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: No Second Chances

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. An important book out now is called No Second Chances: Women and Political Power in Canada. Its author Kate Graham joins me now. As the title says, of the women who have managed to reach high political office in this country, either elected or appointed premier or prime minister, none have won re-election. I’ll ask Kate as to why there aren’t second chances in politics. She has marvelous insight, as she conducted interviews with those women, only thirteen as of September of 2021, for the Canada 2020 No Second Chances podcast. The book features transcripts of those conversations with Kim Campbell, Christy Clark, Kathleen Wynne, Pauline Marois, Eva Aariak, Kathy Dunderdale, Nellie Cournoyea, Pat Duncan, Rachel Notley, Alison Redford, Caroline Cochrane, and Catherine Callbeck. These are women who have served over the last three decades, of various political stripe, and from coast to coast to coast. The conversations don’t shy away from controversial parts of one’s political career. Former premiers Redford, Clark, Wynne, and Marois are particularly candid about the reasons for their defeats, as well as the unpleasantness that each encountered as they sought and served in high office. The book also features analysis as to what’s happened in the country over the years, and where much more can be done to encourage not just gender diversity in our politics. Kate Graham teaches political science at Western, and Huron University College. She is the creator and host of the podcast No Second Chances, which can be found at www.NoSecondChances.ca. She was also the Liberal Party of Ontario candidate in the riding of London North Centre in the 2018 and 2022 provincial elections. This book is published by Second Story Press. She joined me from London, Ontario, nearly two weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kate Graham; Dr. Graham, good morning.

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The historian, author, and inaugural Story Laureate of Yukon Michael Gates discusses his new book Hollywood in the Klondike: Dawson City’s Great Film Find (Lost Moose, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Hollywood in the Klondike

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

I sat up with Michael Gates’s new book Hollywood in the Klondike riveted by the unexpected archaeological find in 1978 of a hoard of silent films buried under the permafrost in the Arctic gold rush town of Dawson City. Michael, who joins me now, recounts his first hand experience with the film, and provides marvelous context about the so-called “Paris of the North,” and the role it played during the Klondike Gold Rush some 125 years ago. He looks at Hollywood’s own connection to the North, and how it depicted the North. He provides film history recounting the exploits of many Hollywood figures who went from the Klondike to Hollywood, like Robert Service, Jack London, Sid Grauman, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Marjorie Rambeau, and more. It’s really interesting to see what Dawson City was like during the gold rush, as Mr. Gates takes us through the streets of where prospectors found entertainment, first through vaudeville, then with the advent of moving pictures, the cinema. It’s terrific Canadian history too, and amazing really when you read about Michael’s role as some of these lost films were found. Michael Gates is Story Laureate of Yukon, and the author of several historical books, including From the Klondike to Berlin, and Dublin Gulch: The History of the Eagle Gold Mine. He was formerly the curator of collections for Klondike National Historical Sites in Dawson City. He also pens the popular column History Hunter for the Yukon News. The full title of the book is Hollywood in the Klondike: Dawson City’s Great Film Find, and is from Harbour Publishing. He joined me from Whitehorse, nearly two weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michael Gates; Mr. Gates, good morning.

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The reporter, author, and podcaster Eve Lazarus discusses her new book Cold Case BC: The Stories Behind the Province’s Most Intriguing Murder and Missing Person Cases (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Cold Case BC

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Eve Lazarus is back and with a new book, Cold Case BC: The Stories Behind the Province’s Most Intriguing Murder and Missing Person Cases. It’s a gripping read, and it’s not all doom and gloom either. Eve, with her engaging and thorough investigation, showcases some important, notable, and fascinating cases. She also features a couple of cases where a little more information has resulted in a little more closure. One case, the famous Babes in the Woods case, through Eve’s reporting earlier this year, finally revealed the names of the two tiny skeletons found in Stanley Park in 1953. I’ll get Eve to tell us more about that case, as well as the other cases in the book. She writes about the notorious judge David Ramsey, in Prince George, who preyed on, and sexually assaulted teenage girls; girls who were vulnerable, some who even appeared before him in court. I’ll also ask Eve to reflect on her work, the great library of books she’s published over the last fifteen years, as well as what motivates her to look at these often-dark cases. We’ll hear too, how she approaches her work, the care she takes talking to family members of victims, those affected by often horrific crimes. Eve Lazarus is a reporter, author, and the host and producer of the true crime podcast Cold Case Canada. Her previous books include Cold Case Vancouver, Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance, Murder by Milkshake, and Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History. Her website is at www.evelazarus.com, where she maintains a popular blog, Every Place Has a Story. This new book is published by Arsenal Pulp Press. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Eve Lazarus; Ms. Lazarus, good morning.

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The academic and podcaster Hannah McGregor discusses her new memoir A Sentimental Education (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Sentimental Journey

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the more fascinating reads of the season is the new memoir from Hannah McGregor. A Sentimental Education looks at that word sentimental and what it means to her and how it shaped her life, her academic career, and her feminism. She looks critically and carefully at the works that inform her thinking then as now. The reader is invited to think critically about their own education as it were, in all its forms, sentimental or otherwise, which is an added experience to reading Hannah’s own thinking about education, feminism, and culture itself. I’ll ask Hannah about change in her own trajectory, as well as change in others. I’ll ask her about how she works to dismantle barriers to academia, as well as the vital work she does in tearing down hierarchies not just with regards to culture, but everything else. The book is engaging and thoughtful. She shares stories about her mother, as well as her work as an academic. She thinks critically about her role as a public intellectual, and examines her work in recent years as a podcaster. She is the host of the podcasts Secret Feminist Agenda, and the SpokenWeb Podcast, and co-host of Witch, Please. Hannah McGregor is an Assistant Professor of Publishing at Simon Fraser University, and co-edited the book Refuse: CanLit in Ruins. Her website is at www.hannahmcgregor.com. This new book is from Wilfrid Laurier University Press. We spoke nearly two weeks ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Hannah McGregor; Dr. McGregor, good morning.

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The creative producer of Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, Mark Lach discusses the exhibition set to open in Vancouver (as well as New York City) next week, 04 November 2022, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

The majesty and mystery of Tutankhamun has captivated the world over the past one hundred years since his tomb was opened. National Geographic has been there ever since, and with Paquin Entertainment Group and Immersive Experiences, bring to Vancouver, Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience. It opens here in Vancouver next week, Friday, 04 November 2022, which has special significance as that’s the date one hundred years ago when the first stair leading to King Tut’s intact tomb was discovered. Joining me now is Mark Lach, whose own vast experience includes touring around the world with artifacts between 2004 and 2012. Those have since been returned to Egypt, but this new spectacle allows audiences a chance to walk through what is considered one of the greatest discoveries of all time. We get a sense of the myth and imagery, the riches buried inside, the mummification process, as well as cinematic storytelling that takes us into the tomb and the context of the wider world during Tut’s time. Tickets for Beyond King Tut are timed and dated, and advance purchases are strong encouraged. They start at $31.99 for adults, $23.99 for children 5-15, plus ticketing fees. There are package rates, and VIP tickets which include flex entry, merchandise, and entry into the VR companion, Tutankhamun: Enter the Tomb, voiced by the actor Hugh Bonneville. I’ll ask Mark about all this and more. I reached him last week in New York City, as he was installing the exhibit there. There’ll be other cities and dates. Visit www.beyondkingtut.com for all the information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Lach; Mr. Lach, good morning.

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