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The artistic director of the Vancouver Writers Fest Leslie Hurtig previews this year’s festival, which starts Monday, 17 October (through to 23 October) 2022, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Leslie Hurtig joins me again. The artistic director of the Vancouver Writers Fest, the 35th annual one, calls in the weekend before it all starts this Monday, 17 October 2022, running to Sunday, 23 October 2022. There are some 80 events, with over 115 authors from across the country and around the world. There’ll be events in person on and around Granville Island, as well as virtual events, ones where you pay what you can, and as we say every year, events for everybody. I’ll get Leslie to give us some insight into her job as artistic director, her collaborators this year (guest curator Omar El Akkad, and Spoken Word Curator Jillian Christmas), as well as the events she’s looking forward to. The website for more is at www.writersfest.bc.ca. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Leslie Hurtig; Ms. Hurtig, good morning.

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The acclaimed broadcaster, host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks, and science journalist Bob McDonald discusses his new book The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technologies (Viking, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Future is Now

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Bob McDonald joins me again. He’s just published a new book, The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technologies. The book is a lot more optimistic than most books on the climate emergency. Mr. McDonald lays out the myriad sources of energy that could wean us off fossil fuels. A lot of these alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal have been available for years now. And because they’re not enough, we need to look at other forms such as nuclear, biofuels, hydrogen and carbon capture. And such sources like wind and solar, they can take up less space, and can be cheaper. Nuclear, for example, is much safer today than it was forty or fifty years ago. The technology is there, and is developing rapidly. A lot of political will is needed too, and Bob addresses that in his engaging and highly readable book. As I tell him in our conversation from last week, you can’t help read the book without hearing his inimitable voice. Since 1992, Bob McDonald has hosted CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks. He celebrates his thirtieth anniversary as host later this month. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has received countless honors and awards for his distinguished work as a print and broadcast journalist covering science and space. This new book is published by Viking. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Bob McDonald; Mr. McDonald, good morning.

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The former NHL goaltender, Olympic silver medalist, and now public speaker and mental health and wellness advocate Corey Hirsch discusses his new memoir The Save of My Life: My Journey Out of the Dark (Collins, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Save of My Life

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the more riveting reads of the season is the new memoir, out today, by Corey Hirsch. In The Save of My Life: My Journey Out of the Dark, he offers remarkable insight into contending with mental illness. As he writes in the book, he was realising his childhood dream of playing in the NHL, winning an Olympic medal, and drinking out of the Stanley Cup. He was plagued with dark thoughts, and ceaseless anxiety. He narrates so vividly what this loop in his head would be like, providing a harrowing glimpse into how he tried to drown it out. Sometimes being on the ice, playing hockey worked. But after a while the cycle would continue anew. He’s able to confide in a team trainer, and his mother, but as we read in the book, though it’s a step, in Mr. Hirsch’s case, it took a number of years for him to get properly diagnosed and treated. He is diagnosed with OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and as he’ll tell us now, it’s been rocky, but he’s on the road to recovery. I’ll also ask Corey about what it’s like to be on the ice, especially as a goalie, with pucks coming at you. Some might think having OCD might have helped him focus. The lesson in the book is that there shouldn’t be any hesitancy in seeking help, especially for guys. Corey Hirsch won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, the same year he won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics. He played for many years with the Vancouver Canucks, and since his retirement, he’s been a coach in the NHL for elite goaltenders and prospects, and more recently was an analyst with Sportsnet, and was the colour commentator on the Canucks broadcasts on Sportsnet Radio here. He is National Youth Ambassador for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the co-host of the Players’ Tribune’s podcast Blindsided. Visit www.coreyhirsch.com. This new book (written with Sean Patrick Conboy) is published by HarperCollins. He joined me from Vancouver last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Corey Hirsch; Mr. Hirsch, good morning.

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The acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Bujalski discusses his latest film There There, which he wrote and directed, and which has its Canadian premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival this week (07 & 09 October 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

The filmmaker Andrew Bujalski joins me now. His latest, There There, screens this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It’s the Canadian premiere of a film described as an ingeniously conceived series of wry conversation pieces. The film’s cast includes Jason Schwartzman, Lili Taylor, Molly Gordon, Lennie James, Avi Nash, and Annie LaGanga. It’s often funny, and it reveals a lot about two people seeking a connection through conversation. The film was shot during the pandemic, where each actor is shot separately. I’ll ask Mr. Bujalski about the technicalities of that, and what it was like for him to direct, remotely as it were. And I’ll talk about the ideas that he explores in this film. This is the seventh feature length film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski, who has been described by some as the “godfather of mumblecore.” His previous films include Support the Girls, Computer Chess, Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax, and Results. He wrote the screenplay to the 2019 Lady and the Tramp remake as well. Among his many awards is the Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The first screening is Friday night, 07 October 2022, 6.15pm at the International Village cinema; and Sunday evening, 6.30pm at the Rio Theatre. There will be a Q&A with Mr. Bujalski at both screenings. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. Andrew Bujalski joined me from Austin, Texas late last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Andrew Bujalski; Mr. Bujalski, good morning.

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The filmmakers Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok discuss their new documentary Unarchived, having its world premiere as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival this week, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Unarchived is a new documentary having its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival this week. It’s chronicles this shift in consciousness when it comes to appreciating history from multiple points of view. The dominant white colonial power structure is around us, and even more so in institutions like archives. Community archives as it were, across British Columbia, have been filling the need, or uncovering the blind spots of the institutionalised archives. We see a number of them throughout the province, like the BC Gay and Lesbian Archives, now housed at the City of Vancouver’s Archives, which began when Ron Dutton, collected material he’d encounter that would have otherwise been lost. We see the importance of collecting ephemera not just of communities and groups, but families as well. Joan Mayo, who we see in the film, did a lot of work saving film and photos of people from the community of Paldi, British Columbia, a mill town near Duncan, that saw an exodus of families once the local school closed as the mill closed. It’s a fascinating place that between the 1920s and the late 1960s had families of various groups, Sikh, Japanese, Chinese, white, all live in relative racial harmony. It might have been all lost to history if people didn’t save photos and simply write the names of the people therein on the back. We also see in Unarchived the work of reconciliation and decolonisation, and I’ll ask the filmmakers, who join me in person, what their experience was like capturing these recent moments in our history. There are two screenings, tomorrow, Friday evening, 30 September 2022 at SFU Woodwards at 6.15pm, and Sunday, 02 October 2022 at the International Village cinemas at noon. It’s also available on VIFF Connect. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. Joining me now are Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok, they directed Unarchived. She is a graduate of Dalhousie University, and Vancouver Film School. Her previous work has been shown at various film festivals around the world, as well as Telus Optik, the Knowledge Network, the CBC, and Air Canada. He was born and raised in Israel, and moved to Vancouver, where he graduated from the Film Production Program at UBC. He co-founded Scopitone Films, and he’s produced, directed and edited music videos, commercials, narrative films, and documentaries. Unarchived is a National Film Board of Canada production. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Hayley Gray, and Elan Tzadok. Mr. Tzadok, good morning; and Ms. Gray, good morning.  

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The writer and journalist Harrison Mooney discusses his new book Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self Discovery (Patrick Crean Editions, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Invisible Boy

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Harrison Mooney joins me now. His book Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self Discovery has just been published. It is a powerful, unforgettable book that recounts his upbringing as an adopted infant by a white evangelical family. This takes place in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where Harrison is made to participate in his family’s revivalist church, while at home his racial identity is mocked and derided. He’s gaslit, and abused, and it seems for being Black. As he grows up, he contends with racism, overt and internalised, and begins recognising and understanding his story. He seeks his birth parents, and while the outcome in meeting both his mother and father are different, he begins to understand what was kept from him by his adopted family, and begins to understand the meaning of his life. And while the book is serious talking about identity, racism, transracial adoption, history, religion, and paranoia, the book is inflected with Mr. Mooney’s humour. It is a well-worth experience; necessary, urgent, as well as important. Harrison Mooney is a writer and journalist. He worked at the Vancouver Sun for nearly a decade as a reporter, editor and columnist. His writing has also appeared in the National Post, the Guardian, Yahoo, and Maclean’s. @HarrisonMooney is his Twitter handle. This new book is from Patrick Crean Editions, which is an imprint of HarperCollins. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in person as it were, Harrison Mooney; Mr. Mooney, good morning.

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The writer and former broadcaster Tara McGuire discusses her debut memoir Holden After and Before: Love Letter for a Son Lost to Overdose (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Holden After and Before

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

A rich, necessary read this season is the debut memoir from Tara McGuire, who joins me now. She has written Holden After and Before: Love Letter for a Son Lost to Overdose. It’s a reflection on grief, and a fascinating navigation and documentation of her son Holden Courage’s life. She retraces his last months, investigating the confluence of events leading to his death at twenty-one of an accidental opioid overdose. The sorrow of a parent is evident throughout the book, but the reader is also uplifted by learning about Holden and what kind of person he was to so many people. It is a beautiful life, and one that is reflected in the work he did as a graffiti artist. There’s also a lot of blank space in Tara’s excavation, and she employs some embroidery in her narrative, making for a conversation of sorts between her and her son. It’s a moving dialogue, and one that is informed by whatever fact Ms. McGuire could collect. The book is also a reminder that the opioid crisis is still with us, and needs addressing quickly. The lives lost that we see reflected in stark numbers monthly are more than that, they’re lives like Holden’s cut short needlessly. Tara McGuire is a former broadcaster turned writer, who is a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University, and the University of British Columbia’s School of Creative Writing. This new book is published by Arsenal Pulp Press, and will be launched tomorrow night, Wednesday, 28 September 2022. Visit Tara’s website at www.taramcguire.com for more information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Tara McGuire; Ms. McGuire, good morning.

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The filmmaker Nisha Platzer discusses her new feature length documentary back home, having its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival (30 September & 02 October 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

There’s a new feature length documentary having its world premiere this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival, back home. Its director Nisha Platzer joins me now. The film is a moving meditation on loss and healing, as Nisha gets to know her older brother Josh some twenty years after he took his own life. She was not yet a teen when he died, and so she navigates his friends, his chosen family, as well as others around to get to know him, and heal. The film says a lot about family, and the people we choose to be around us, as well as the need for community at a time of loss. The grieving process, as we see in the film, takes form in different ways for different people, and the loss can also be visceral and manifest itself physically. The film is also visually fascinating and arresting. I’ll ask Ms. Platzer about how she made the film, and the various media that she uses like 16mm and Super8. Nisha Platzer is a queer artist and filmmaker from Vancouver. Her last short film Vaivén won the best film award at aluCine Latin Film & Media Arts Festival. She studied at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television in Cuba. This film, her first feature, is supported by Telefilm Talent to Watch, and recently presented at the Cannes Docs 2022 – Docs-in-Progress Canadian Showcase. Nisha Platzer produced the film with Joella Cabalu, and wrote it with Jenn Strom. The film screens this Friday evening at 6pm, 30 September 2022 at the Vancity Theatre, and Sunday afternoon, 02 October 2022 at 3.45pm at the Cinematheque. It appears sold out as of this morning, so you might have to just show up and get into a standby lineup for a chance to get in. Visit www.viff.org for more information. And visit www.melodiousimage.com for Nisha’s site. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nisha Platzer; Ms. Platzer, good morning.

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The award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar discusses her new memoir Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family and the Stew That Saved My Soul (Hardie Grant Books, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Cassoulet Confessions

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Sylvie Bigar joins me now. The award-winning food and travel writer has just published a new memoir Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family and the Stew That Saved My Soul. It begins with an assignment to write about the slow-simmered concoction known as cassoulet. Along the way, and over the years, Ms. Bigar learns about the dish’s history, its devotees, its guardians, and the southern French countryside from which it originated, chiefly the Occitanie region. Sylvie writes so reverently of the meat and bean stew, getting her hands into the mix as it were, butchering meat, gathering the local ingredients needed for the cooking. As she does this, she’s transported to a dramatic childhood in Geneva, Switzerland. She reflects on her parents and their remarkable lives, and the uniqueness of their family. She also confronts her own heritage, her own ancestry, and her idea of home. It’s such a rich book, as everything comes together for Sylvie, and yields a very satisfying book. I defy anybody to read this book and not want to try making cassoulet. And in the appendices at the end of the book, she includes recipes for cassoulet and they each make allowances for one’s aptitude and or ambition in the kitchen. Sylvie Bigar’s writing has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Food & Wine, Forbes.com, Saveur, Bon Appetit, Edible, Departures, Travel & Leisure, and National Geographic Traveller. That’s just in English. In French, she’s contributed to Le Figaro, Historie Magazine, Le Temps, and French Morning.com. Her website is at www.sbigar.com. This new book is published by Hardie Grant Books. She joins me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Sylvie Bigar; Ms. Bigar, good morning.

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The public speaker and bestselling author Dr. Gabor Maté discusses the new book (written with Daniel Maté) The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture (Avery, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Myth of Normal

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Dr. Gabor Maté joins me again. He’s just published a new book The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture. It looks at the causes of illness, and how our society and culture breeds disease. We seem obsessed with health, yet our collective health isn’t great. We’re concerned about living better, healthier lives, but they’re really not that ideal; 70% of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, while one in five Canadians has high blood pressure. I’ll ask Dr. Maté about his work as a physician and how he approached treating a physical illness presented by a patient. Very often he looked at the larger story of the patient. We talk about trauma, namely his own. It’s a big book, his magnum opus as it were. Dr. Gabor Maté is the noted public speaker and bestselling author. He has written many books including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Dr. Maté first appeared on this program in 2018, on the tenth anniversary of that book’s publication. This new book is from Avery, and written with his son, Daniel Maté, who also has been on the program before, and who I hope to have on shortly. The website for more is at www.drgabormate.com. We taped this interview nearly three weeks ago.

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