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The Globe and Mail’s Western Arts Correspondent Marsha Lederman discusses her new memoir Kiss The Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed (McClelland & Stewart, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Kiss the Red Stairs

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the more important books of the year is the memoir by Marsha Lederman, Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed. The book follows the last few years in Marsha’s life, she contends with moving to Vancouver for her job, writing for a national newspaper, getting married, and giving birth to a son. Then in the wake of a divorce, compounded with what’s going on politically in the United States and elsewhere, like the rise of antisemitism, Ms. Lederman, who joins me now, is drawn to her parents, both of whom have died. She needs their help, and she connects with them through family still living, like her two sisters, as well as a diary her father kept, and interviews that her mother gave. Marsha reads all she can about the Holocaust, as she comes to the realisation that her story is very much their story, that the effect of intergenerational trauma has shaped her own life. There’s a lot in this book that’s harrowing like when the author recounts the horrifying journey her parents suffered during the Holocaust. There’s a lot in the book that’s also amazing, as the author recounts their stories, her story, through the help of lore passed down through other family members. There’s beautiful writing, as well as humour, and resilience throughout. Marsha Lederman is the Western Arts Correspondent for the Globe and Mail. She worked in commercial radio as a reporter, newscaster, and host, as well was National Arts Reporter for CBC Radio. Her Twitter handle is @marshalederman. This book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marsha Lederman; Ms. Lederman, good morning.

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The podcast host, television historian and archivist Stu Shostak discusses the new C.J. Wallis documentary Stu’s Show, in which his life and loves are chronicled, 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 documentary out from the Vancouver-born filmmaker C.J. Wallis called Stu’s Show. And Stu himself joins me now. Stu Shostak’s life and times are chronicled in this film that looks at his work as a television historian and archivist. He grew up a fan of television, then breaks into show business as a wrangler of audiences for television sitcoms taping in Hollywood. He hands out tickets for shows, overbooking to ensure capacity, and it’s a foot in the door. He soon does audience warm-ups prior to tapings. He then gets into the orbit of Lucille Ball. He’s warned that she’s tough, and perhaps unfriendly, that whatever illusions he has as a fan might turn to disillusion once they meet. The Lucy that Stu encounters is motherly, supportive, and soon he’s entrusted by her and her husband Gary Morton with cataloguing her vast film archive. I’ll ask Stu about what Ball was like, and Gary Morton. Mr. Shostak ends up working as Morton’s assistant on Ball’s last sitcom, Life with Lucy in 1986. The second half of the documentary is about Stu’s meeting of Jeanine Kasun, a Lucille Ball super fan. They connect over a shared love of old television and nostalgia. Their relationship develops amidst the backdrop of Stu’s successful internet radio show, what would become podcasting which began in 2006. Stu attracts all sorts of guests on his programs and over the years develops close friendships, and it’s a who’s who as we see in the film: Wink Martindale, Tony Dow, Michael Cole, Ed Asner, Margaret O’Brien, and so many more. Jeanine suffers a brain aneurysm, and we see chronicled in the film the struggle with the medical system that Stu has to encounter to ensure Jeanine’s care. It’s a personal story, often harrowing, but one not to miss. You can visit Stu’s website at www.stusshow.com. This film is now available via streaming. C.J. Wallis’s Twitter handle is @fortyfps. We taped this interview last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Stu Shostak; Mr. Shostak, good morning.

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The writer and broadcaster Elamin Abdelmahmoud discusses his memoir Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces (McClelland & Stewart, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Son of Elsewhere

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Elamin Abdelmahmoud joins me now. The writer and broadcaster has just published Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces. It is one of the more remarkable books of the year. It is filled with the wit and charm that’s made Mr. Abdelmahmoud one of the more popular personalities in the media today. It also has the sort of thoughtfulness that we need when we consider the lot of people who come to this country who want and try to fit in, and who want to find a place to belong. Elamin narrates not just his story but the story of the country of his birth, Sudan, which he left at the age of 12 to come to Canada. He looks critically at what’s happened in his country, the effect of colonialism not just on the land and the people, but somebody like him who carries within himself that legacy. It affects how he sees himself in Canada, especially when for the first time he realises he’s Black, because that’s what people see of him. This follows a discussion of internalised racism, his own and others, as well as the stuff about growing up, and how challenging that is for everybody. He finds connection through fandom of professional wrestling, and he’s able to discover some skill at writing. His parents are throughout the book and are incredible characters themselves. We get a sense of Elamin’s tastes in culture which are varied and fascinating. He’s able to reflect on those popular interests a gleaned perspective on race, politics, history, culture, and everything else in between. It’s such a rich book, and an important read. Elamin Abdelmahmoud is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News, and host of CBC Radio’s pop culture program Pop Chat. He is a contributor on The National’s At Issue panel. His Twitter handle is @elamin88. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Elamin Abdelmahmoud; Mr. Abdelmahmoud, good morning.

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The Globe and Mail’s architecture critic Alex Bozikovic discusses the new book he’s co-authored with the artist Raymond Biesinger 305 Lost Buildings of Canada (Goose Lane Editions, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: 305 Lost Buildings of Canada

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the more fascinating books of the season is 305 Lost Buildings of Canada by Raymond Biesinger and Alex Bozikovic. Mr. Biesinger is the acclaimed Montreal artist who renders illustrations of these 305 buildings lost to demolition, fire, neglect, changing mores, even mystery. They’re evocative illustrations that make the buildings come alive once more. Alex Bozikovic joins me now to talk about working with Mr. Biesinger, and how they collaborated on this book that captures the historical import and legacy of a lot of these buildings, and at times provide cautionary advice with regards to what’s saved or what sort of buildings should be built in our cities in the future. The book spans the country, and it’s easy to get nostalgic even for places one couldn’t have possibly seen. There are buildings that have outlived their usefulness, such as buildings that housed residential schools or traumatic structures like that. I’ll ask Mr. Bozikovic about the sort of Canada they represent in the book, and what buildings fascinated him. He is the architecture critic for the Globe and Mail, and the co-author of Toronto Architecture: A City Guide. I’ll ask him about his thoughts on heritage as well as development in our cities when affordability seems to be foremost on a lot of people’s minds. This new book is published by Goose Lane. The Twitter handle is @alexbozikovic. We taped this interview earlier this week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alex Bozikovic; Mr. Bozikovic, good morning.

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The award-winning and bestselling author Shyam Selvadurai discusses his new novel Mansions of the Moon (Knopf, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Mansions of the Moon

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Shyam Selvadurai joins me again. The bestselling and award-winning author has just published a new novel, Mansions of the Moon. It’s getting great notices for its immersive, sweeping, yet intimate story of Yasodhara, the woman who married the Buddha. The book traces the couple’s early love and life together, and then we see Siddhartha, who would later become the Buddha, as he becomes enlightened and how he abandons Yasodhara. The ramifications of that, a woman whose husband has abandoned her, are stark, and looked at as Mr. Selvadurai weaves his tale with insight and empathy. Shyam Selvadurai is the author of the 1994 Giller Prize shortlisted Funny Boy, which was a national bestseller, and winner of the W. H. Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. It was made into a 2020 film directed by Deepa Mehta. His second book Cinnamon Gardens was shortlisted for the Trillium Award, and his third, The Hungry Ghosts, which he was first on this program with in 2013, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. His acclaimed novel for young adults, Swimming in the Monsoon Sea was also shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Visit www.shyamselvadurai.com for more information. This new book is published by Knopf Canada. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Shyam Selvadurai; Mr. Selvadurai, good morning.

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The writer, musician and theatre artist Brendan McLeod discusses his debut poetry collection Friends Without Bodies (Write Bloody North, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Friends Without Bodies

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

A new poetry collection, Friends Without Bodies is a sharp, sometimes amusing, always perceptive record of one writer’s Covid-19 pandemic experience. Brendan McLeod is a performing artist, and when gigs got cancelled in March 2020, he started writing. The pieces in the book are poetry that look at the experience a lot of us had with isolation, fear, loneliness, hysteria, and emotional upheaval. They’re a great capsule of what happened to its author, and the world around him, us essentially, riding through the waves of the virus. Mr. McLeod, who joins me now, navigates the angst he and so many of us felt, as well as chronicles the trauma of not just the pandemic, but the former president of the United States, the mass shooting in the spring of 2020 in Nova Scotia, the George Floyd killing, and so many other shared experiences that ran parallel to the pandemic. I’ll ask Brendan about his experience dating, as well as whether we’re better as a society, culture talking about mental health. Brendan McLeod is a writer, theatre artist, and musician. He is the founder of The Fugitives, the acclaimed folk group signed by Borealis Records. Visit his website at www.brendanmcleod.ca where you can read about his work and career. This new book, his debut poetry collection, is published by Write Bloody North. He joined me from Toronto last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brendan McLeod; Mr. McLeod, good morning.

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The writer Tsering Yangzom Lama discusses her debut novel We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies (McClelland & Stewart, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

A new book, the debut of writer Tsering Yangzom Lama will be published this week. It’s called We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies. It’s a sweeping novel that brings us the lives of Lhamo and her sister Tenkyi. They traverse the Himalayas as China invades Tibet in 1959. Lhamo is haunted by the loss of her homeland, and her mother, the village oracle. They try to rebuild their life in Nepal, and as the book moves on, we’re taken to Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood years later, as Tenkyi lives with Lhamo’s daughter Dolma. Throughout the book, Tsering, who joins me now examines the connection with home, and how the trauma of its loss can affect future generations. She looks at survival, not who as much as why. I’ll ask her about what it was like to write the book, and how. Tsering Lama was born and raised in Nepal, where her family settled after fleeing Tibet in the early 1960s. She has since lived in Vancouver, Toronto, and New York City. She has a BA in Creative Writing and International Relations from the University of British Columbia, and an MFA from Columbia University. She is a lifelong activist, and serves as a storytelling advisor for Greenpeace International. She will be appearing as part of Incite, put on by our friends at the Vancouver Writers Fest, this Wednesday, 18 May 2022 at 7.00 pm at the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch. The event is in person and online. Visit www.writersfest.bc.ca for more information. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Tsering Yangzom Lama; Ms. Lama, good morning.

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The writer and broadcaster Britt Wray discusses her new book Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis (Knopf, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Generation Dread

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

A lot of people are suffering from climate and environment-related fears and anxieties. A new book from Britt Wray confronts eco-anxiety, providing scientific knowledge and emotional insight, showing that it can be a healthy response to the state of the world. Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis is an engaging book that looks at ways to mourn, as well as addressing critical issues like inequality in the world. That’s key because the ill-effects of the climate crisis aren’t felt equally. It’s usually the poorest and more marginalised that suffer the most. And the book gets personal. When Britt talks about discussions she had in her family with her partner about whether to have children, we see how the world’s future can impact what’s happening at home. Britt Wray is a writer and broadcaster. She is a post doctoral fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She holds a PhD in science communication from the University of Copenhagen. Her work has been featured in sundry publications like the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, and Globe and Mail. Her newsletter, Gen Dread can be found at http://gendread.substack.com. This new book is published by Knopf. She joined me from Toronto last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Britt Wray; Dr. Wray, good morning.

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The filmmaker Teresa Alfeld discusses her new documentary Doug and the Slugs and Me, debuting this weekend at DOXA: Documentary Film Festival, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Teresa Alfeld joins me again. The acclaimed filmmaker has new documentary, Doug and the Slugs and Me. It’s such a terrific movie that showcases the late Doug Bennett, his music and his collaborators. The movie features interviews with a lot of the important players in Bennett’s life personally and professionally. It’s the closing night film at DOXA: Documentary Film Festival this Sunday evening, though there’s a screening Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, and if you can’t make it downtown, you can stream it beginning Saturday night after 8.00 pm. I’ll ask Teresa about her connection to the Bennett family, as well as what if anything did the Doug and the Slugs music mean to her. I’ll ask her about how she pieced together the life and times of Bennett, what drove him and what he was thinking about as he worked to get his career off the ground, and as he and the Slugs made it as a success. Teresa was able to use diaries that Bennett kept, and they provide such a marvelous insight into his creativity, and his commitment to family. Visit www.slugumentary.com for more information; and visit www.doxafestival.ca for tickets. Teresa Alfeld was first on the program in 2018 when her documentary The Rankin File, on Harry Rankin debuted. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Teresa Alfeld; Ms. Alfeld, good morning.

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The acclaimed singer, actress and author Melissa Errico discusses her new album Out of the Dark: The Film Noir Project (Ghostlight Records, 2022), movies, music and more, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Melissa Errico joins me now. The renowned singer, actress and author has just released a new album, Out of the Dark: The Film Noir Project. It’s a marvelous collection of songs, like “Laura,” and “The Bad and the Beautiful,” memorable songs from classic noir pictures. These are songs of love, of hope, despair, and hope renewed. The album also features classic French chansons from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as some modern noir takes like Cy Coleman and David Zippel’s “With Every Breath I Take,” from their musical City of Angels. Other classics include Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin’s “The Man That Got Away,” Lionel Newman’s “Again,” and Harry Warren and Leo Robin’s “Checkin’ My Heart.” There are four brand new songs on the album composed by Michel Legrand, David Shire, the late Peter Foley (to whom this album is dedicated), with lyrics by Melissa’s friend and frequent collaborator Adam Gopnik. The music on this album is arranged by musical director and pianist Tedd Firth. Melissa Errico is a graduate of Yale, and has appeared on Broadway in productions of My Fair Lady, High Society, Call Me Madam, and Amour, for which she received a 2003 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. I’ll ask Melissa about the films and music she likes, as well as working with greats like Michel Legrand, and Stephen Sondheim. The late critic Terry Teachout said of her 2018 album, Sondheim Sublime, that it was “the best all-Sondheim album ever recorded.” The album is from Ghostlight Records and is available as a disc online and elsewhere, and through digital download by way of all the various platforms. Visit www.TheFilmNoirProject.com for more. She joined me from New York City one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Melissa Errico; Ms. Errico, good morning.

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