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The journalist and podcaster (The Bridge) Peter Mansbridge, former chief correspondent and anchor of CBC’s The National, discusses his new memoir Off the Record (Simon & Schuster, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Off the Record

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

His latest book Off the Record, is already a national bestseller, and one can see why. Peter Mansbridge collects stories from his childhood, his distinguished fifty-year career as a journalist, and the history of Canada itself in those years, and recounts them in his inimitable, accessible and engaging way that made him the news anchor of note in the country for over thirty years. A view onto his life and career is had in this new book, and he joins me now to look back. There were bad times too, and his calm and clear voice took us through those. Peter Mansbridge is the former chief correspondent and anchor of The National, the CBC’s flagship nightly newscast, which he anchored until 2017. He also hosted Mansbridge One on One, an interview program that expanded on his reporting of national and international stories that aired for many years on CBC Newsworld. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a distinguished fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He is the host of the daily Sirius XM podcast The Bridge, which you can get on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. His previous books were also bestsellers: Extraordinary Canadians (written with Mark Bulgutch), and Peter Mansbridge One on One: Favourite Conversations and the Stories Behind Them. This new book is published by Simon & Schuster. He joined me from his home in Stratford, Ontario. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Peter Mansbridge; Mr. Mansbridge, good morning.

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The writer Genevieve Chornenki discusses her memoir Don’t Lose Sight: Vanity, Incompetence, and My Ill-Fated Left Eye (Iguana Books, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Don’t Lose Sight

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

We often take our eyesight for granted, and we make concessions that test our eyesight out of convenience and/or vanity. A new memoir puts into focus our sight, as its author describes her experiences with her left eye. The book is called Don’t Lose Sight: Vanity, Incompetence, and My Ill-Fated Left Eye. A user of contact lenses, Genevieve Chornenki, feels something’s off with her left eye. She gets it checked, but is told it’s not what she thinks it is. We all get condescended to by medical professionals, but Genevieve is persistent and soon is told, by another medical professional that it’s serious and she’s to undergo a corrective procedure. She’s just had a child too. She describes in evocative detail the issues she was experiencing with her sight, as well as the process she initiated to address the medical mistake. It’s an often frustrating ordeal through the medical and legal bureaucracy. It’s instructive though, and is one part of the memoir that makes it compelling. It’s also beautiful when its author reflects on the power of our eyesight, and like the author, we can appreciate it just a little bit more. Genevieve Chornenki is a dispute resolution consultant and emerging writer, who joined me from Toronto, where she lives. She holds a Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School, and certificates of creative writing and publishing from the University of Toronto, and Ryerson, respectively. Visit www.genevievechornenki.com for more. This new book is published by Iguana Books. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Genevieve Chornenki; Ms. Chornenki, good morning.

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The storyteller and writer Ivan Coyote discusses their recent book Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures (McClelland & Stewart, 2021), a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-fiction, with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Care Of

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Ivan Coytote joins me again. The acclaimed writer and storyteller recently published a new book, Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures. It received good notices and is a finalist for this year’s Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-fiction. The winner will be revealed this Wednesday, 17 November 2021. Visit www.ggbooks.ca for the other shortlisted books in Ivan’s category as well as the other finalists in fiction, poetry, drama, and more. Ivan joined me a few days ago to reflect on Care Of, which is a collection of letters they’ve received over the years, some recently, all which Ivan has taken the time to reply to. You see the original letter from various fans, admirers, audience members, as well as friends, who’ve taken the time to write to Ivan after a performance, or on Facebook or email. The letters often share a story about the writer, or a question for Ivan, and Ivan’s responses are always heartfelt, intimate, gracious, generous, kind, and honest. Ivan shares a lot in this book, and if you’ve ever had a question about trans identity, being non-binary, family, Ivan’s work, life itself, you’ll find an answer, and often grace and sometimes wisdom. The connection that humans have with one another is throughout this book, and at a time when listening to one another is tough for a lot of us, this book is proof of the strength in listening and connecting. Ivan Coyote was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. They have authored thirteen books, four films, six stage shows, and three albums that combine storytelling and music. Ivan’s work has received the ReLit Award, a Stonewall Honor, as well as the Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes, the inaugural award from the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. Ivan’s book Tomboy Survival Guide, which they were first on the program with in 2016, was a finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Non-fiction. Visit www.ivancoyote.com for more. Care Of is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ivan Coyote; Ivan, good morning.

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The writer, critic and podcaster (co-host of Pop This!) Andrea Warner previews the 2021 Vancouver Podcast Festival, which is online this Saturday, 20 November 2021, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. The 2021 Vancouver Podcast Festival is this Saturday, 20 November 2021. It’ll be an At Home version again, but it’ll be a full day of workshops, panels, roundtables, as well as two opportunities for social/networking. Andrea Warner joins me now. She is on the programming committee, and has been part of the festival since it was founded four years ago. And despite a pandemic it’ll be a busy Saturday for Andrea. She’ll be kicking things off with Hannah McGregor at 10am with the virtual welcome event, then at 12.30pm she’ll be hosting the Masterclass: Why We Started a Podcast Company in a Pandemic, with Media Girlfriends. Hannah Sung, Garvia Bailey, and Nana aba Duncan started a podcast production company working towards inclusion and diversity. I’ll ask Andrea about the event, podcasting’s place in the media discourse, and more. There are more events, including a Masterclass on building an audience for your indie podcast. As well, there’ll be two panels, one on the expanding universe of podcasting, with the folks at Kelly and Kelly; Paul Bae will be part of that panel. And then another panel on climate change. Visit www.vanpodfest.ca for tickets. A pass that will include access to all the events this Saturday is $25. Andrea Warner is the author of 2018’s Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography, and We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the ‘90s and Changed Canadian Music, that was published in 2015, both books she appeared on the program with. She is the co-host of the weekly feminist podcast Pop This! which began in 2015, and recently celebrated its 300th episode. Visit www.theandreawarner.com for more. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Andrea Warner; Ms. Warner, good morning.

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The artist David Wilson discusses his new collection Day Into Night, part of the Eastside Culture Crawl (18-21 November 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

David Wilson joins me again. The acclaimed artist is inviting visitors to his studio as part of this year’s Eastside Culture Crawl. Between 18-21 November 2021, a number of artists who have workspaces at the Parker Street Studios open their doors to the public. And people that go by David’s studio will get a first look at Day Into Night, it’s his latest collection, a meditation on time and place. I’ve long been a fan of David’s work, and the pieces in this new collection are terrific. They evoke the beautiful as well as the melancholy of this city, and this unique time, one suspended between the previous normal and the future. I’ll ask David about his work, the way he sees not just Vancouver, but New York City. I’ll ask him about the media in which he works, as well as what it’s been like for him as an artist in these pandemic times. Visit www.davidwilson.ca for a preview of Day Into Night, as well as his other works. Also visit www.culturecrawl.ca for information on the Eastside Culture Crawl. All current public health guidelines in British Columbia will be observed, so be prepared to show proof of vaccination, as well as identification for entry into the Parker Street Studios building. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, David Wilson; Mr. Wilson, good morning.

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The writer and poet Jane Munro discusses her memoir Open Every Window (Douglas & McIntyre, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Open Every Window

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Jane Munro joins me now. She recently published a memoir, Open Every Window. It’s an incredibly rich book, chronicling various aspects of her life that make up for an incredibly rich, eventful story. The book begins with an account of her husband Bob’s decline after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She has to navigate his care, while trying to keep sane. Yoga helps. It’s something she’s come to learn and study as yoga practitioner, travelling to India to even several times in the course of the book. She’s twenty years Bob’s junior, so she might have been expected to be the caregiver, but she felt there was more to life than that. And her life up to meeting Bob was a lot more. There was growing up in Vancouver, eventually ending up in North Vancouver with her parents and siblings. Those early years she writes about in the book are fascinating for her parents are interesting people. There’s a fire, but that’s later on. Before that there’s a marriage just as she leaves home and is about to start school. There are three children, then her own education getting graduate degrees in education, and a relationship with the artist Ranjan Sen that was not without difficulty due to difference in race. There’s obviously more, but the book defies summation here, and it’ll be just as well to hear me and Jane talk about the book as we did last week. Jane Munro is an award-winning poet, writer and educator. Her poetry collection Blue Sonoma received the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize. She taught creative writing at universities across British Columbia, and led workshops and given readings around the world. Visit www.janemunro.com for more. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jane Munro; Ms. Munro, good morning.

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The acclaimed stage and screen actress and musician Cheri Maracle discusses her starring role in the one-woman show on the life of Pauline Johnson Paddle Song at the Firehall Arts Centre starting tonight until 21 November 2021, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Starting tonight at the Firehall Arts Centre is a production of Paddle Song. It’s a show by Dinah Christie and Tom Hill, that stars Cheri Maracle as the Mohawk poet Pauline Johnson. It’s a one-woman musical the depicts the poet and performer of the late nineteenth century, who challenged the stereotypes of women and Native peoples within her work. She toured across Canada, the United States, and Great Britain during the late 1800s and early part of the twentieth century to great acclaim, emerging as a powerful female voice in a male-dominated literary world. I’ll ask Ms. Maracle who joined me this past weekend in the middle of rehearsals for the show, to talk about this new production, what Pauline Johnson’s legacy is, and why she should be known. Cheri Maracle is the acclaimed, award-winning actress and musician. She studied theatre at Capilano University, and the Spirit Song Native Indian Theatre School. She made her debut with at the Firehall Arts Centre. Since then her credits include Blackstone, Degrassi, Murdoch Mysteries, Dead Man’s Gun, Moccasin Flats, and Blackfly, among many others. She’s received awards and great acclaim for previous productions of Paddle Song, and has performed it throughout Canada and abroad. This production at the Firehall runs from tonight until 21 November 2021. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. A recording of this production will be available for viewing at a later date. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Cheri Maracle; Ms. Maracle, good morning.

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The writer and teacher Betsy Warland discusses her book Bloodroot: Tracing the Untelling of Motherloss (Inanna Publications, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Inanna Publications: Bloodroot

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Betsy Warland joins me again. Twenty-one years ago she published a groundbreaking book, Bloodroot: Tracing the Untelling of Motherloss. It is a book that is riveting and has resonated with readers not just when it was published but all these years later. So much so the book has been reissued, and this new edition has a terrific foreword by Susan Olding, and an essay by Betsy reflecting on the book, its publication, her memory and more. We’ll talk about that and more. At the heart of the book is Betsy’s relationship with family members, her mother in particular, and how that has shaped aspects of her life. There’s a lot that’s said, and just as much unsaid. What we have here is prose, prose poems, poetry, memoir, and blank spaces. It’s as much a reflective book for the reader as much as it’s been for its writer. The book has defied definition as Warland has been hailed as a trailblazer in creating works that are not just in one genre. This point is underscored by the recent establishment of the Vancouver Manuscript Intensive Betsy Warland Between Genre Award. Its intent is to honour books that disrupt convention, as Betsy’s fourteen other books have. The prize was handed out recently at the Vancouver Writers Fest, with Wayde Compton as its judge and Betsy in attendance. The inaugural recipient is Jordan Abel for his book Nishga. I’ll ask Betsy about this prize in her honour, as well as Bloodroot, and how she’s reflected on family, memory, duty, aging, truth, imagination then, and twenty-one years later. Visit Betsy’s website at www.betsywarland.com. This new edition is published by Inanna Publications. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Betsy Warland; Ms. Warland, good morning.

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The television personality, satirist and bestselling author Rick Mercer discusses his new memoir Talking to Canadians (Doubleday, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Talking to Canadians

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Rick Mercer joins me now. The beloved comedian has just published a memoir, Talking to Canadians. After fifteen seasons on television, he hit the stage as a stand-up comedian making appearances across the country. However once Covid-19 struck, he spent his time writing this book. He mines his memory for stories about his childhood in Newfoundland, and his less than stellar career as a student. He then found purpose on stage, first behind the scenes, then performing comedy in a troupe, to performing on stage in his satirical one-man show Show Me the Button, I’ll Push It, Or, Charles Lynch Must Die, which made him a national sensation. He reflects on his years in comedy, then his work on television at the CBC co-creating This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He provides marvelous insight to the creation of that landmark series, as well as stories about his fellow performers. We follow his career as he leaves to create and star in Made in Canada, as well his own show, which would become The Rick Mercer Report. He also talks about the personal life, like his regret at not finishing school, to his personal and professional relationship with partner Gerald Lunz. Visit www.rickmercer.com for more. This new book is published by Doubleday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Rick Mercer; Mr. Mercer, good morning.

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The writer and bookseller Barry Singer discusses the new edition of his book Ever After: Forty Years of Musical Theater and Beyond, 1977-2020 (Applause Books, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ever After

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the more engaging, and in-depth histories of Broadway is out now, Ever After: Forty Years of Musical Theater and Beyond, 1977-2020. It features over one hundred interviews from luminaries of Broadway like Stephen Sondheim, Julie Taymor, Billy Porter, Laura Benanti, and more. Its author Barry Singer, joins me now. In his work as a journalist and critic, as well as a fan of the artform, he has attended almost all of the musicals that debuted in the over forty years covered in the book. He writes too about the pause on Broadway due to COVID-19 and I asked him when we spoke last week about what’s happening now on the Great White Way. One of the major themes in the book is chronicle of theatre and the evolution of musicals in these years. Whether it’s Sondheim and his work or the appearance of Disney’s mega musicals, or those of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the book covers the creative triumphs and landmarks, as well as the flops. He takes us through the birth of Wicked, and the emergence of shows like Fun Home, Dear Evan Hansen, The Band’s Visit, Hadestown, and Hamilton. Mr. Singer’s own view of the theatre can be followed in the book, as he describes his thoughts on various kinds of shows, and with the growing up of his own daughters and their own perspectives, we see Barry’s own opinion change. He dedicates this new edition of the book to them, as well as Jonathan Larson, whose tragic triumph with Rent is written about. I’ll ask Barry about when he met Larson for the first time, and their own friendship. I’ll ask him about Larson’s influence on the musical genre over these past twenty-five years even though he died in 1996. This book was originally published seventeen years ago, and this new edition is from Applause Books. Barry Singer has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, New York magazine, as well as the Huffington Post, and Playbill. He is the author of Black and Blue: The Life and Lyrics of Andy Razaf, Alive at the Village Vanguard, and most recently Churchill Style: The Art of Being Winston Churchill. He is the proprietor of Chartwell Booksellers, one of the last independent bookstores in New York City. Visit www.barrysinger.net for more. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Barry Singer; Mr. Singer, good morning.

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