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The Mount Royal University political science professor and commentator on politics Duane Bratt discusses the new collection he co-edited (with Richard Sutherland and David Taras) Blue Storm: The Rise and Fall of Jason Kenney (University of Calgary Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Blue Storm: The Rise and Fall of Jason Kenney edited by Duane Bratt, Richard Sutherland and David Taras (University of Calgary Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Blue Storm Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Duane Bratt joins me again. The academic and oft-cited political commentator has co-edited a new collection of scholarly articles, Blue Storm: The Rise and Fall of Jason Kenney. With his colleagues Richard Sutherland, and the late David Taras, this collection features analysis and insights from other academics, as well as former journalists as to what’s happened in the four years since Rachel Notley’s NDP government was defeated and Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party formed Alberta’s government. The pieces are highly readable despite being written by academics. One gets a sense reading this book of Kenney’s leadership skills (or lack thereof) in managing his caucus, his party’s policies on oil and gas, healthcare, and education, as well as the challenges he faced that led to his ouster. The COVID pandemic is an undercurrent throughout the book, even in essays that don’t specifically mention it, as it drives the agenda for the government from early 2020 onward to today, where Danielle Smith has succeeded Kenney, and will lead the UCP into an election later this year. Duane Bratt is a political science professor in the Department of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he joined me from one week ago. He is the co-editor of Orange Chinook: Politics in the New Alberta, which he was on this program with back in 2019. @duanebratt is the Twitter handle. This new book is published by University of Calgary Press. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Duane Bratt; Professor Bratt, good morning. The post Duane Bratt first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The comedian Joanne Tsung discusses her work as well as the new documentary series Killjoy Comedy, which features her and other queer and racialised comics (Lil Clitty, Ashlee Ferral, Sasha Mark, Sunee Dhaliwal, and Tin Lorica) airing now on OUTtvGo, 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 series out now called Killjoy Comedy. It features six comedians who discuss their comedy, what drew them to stand up, and the kind of humour they represent through their work. These are six queer and racialised comics: Lil Clitty, Ashlee Ferral, Sasha Mark, Sunee Dhaliwal, Tin Lorica, and Joanne Tsung, who joins me now. I’ll ask Joanne about her journey to stand up, the kind of stand up she and the others in this series would like to see on stages across the country and beyond, and what it’s like to be on stage and make audiences laugh. I’ll ask her about what makes her laugh, and more. This new series is created by Shana Myara, and is available on OUTtvGo (www.outtvgo.com). Visit www.killjoycomedy.com for more information. And Joanne’s own website is at www.joannetsung.com for dates to shows, links to videos and more. Joanne Tsung is a graduate of the University of Victoria, who immigrated to Vancouver in the late 1990s with her parents and siblings from Taiwan. She’s co-hosted Burnaby Pride, and has been featured on a number of outlets including CBC Vancouver, and the Pop This! podcast. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Joanne Tsung; Ms. Tsung, good morning. The post Joanne Tsung first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and novelist Stephen Marche discusses his new book, the sixth in the Field Notes series, On Writing and Failure: Or, the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer (Biblioasis, 2023), and more, with Joseph Planta. On Writing and Failure: Or, the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer by Stephen Marche (Biblioasis, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: On Writing and Failure Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Stephen Marche joins me again. He is the author of the sixth title of the Field Notes series from Biblioasis, On Writing and Failure: Or, the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer. It provides marvelous insight into that which a writer endures. Failure is something that a writer it seems has to relearn regularly. And this book provides examples from the author’s own writing career, as well as various insights into how writers have kept on going. No level of success seems to cure this idea of failure that plagues all sorts of writers. Stephen also provides a number of anecdotes, a collection of rejections from writers going back to Ovid, to Dostoevsky, to James Joyce, to Melville, and more. I’ll ask Stephen why it seems he is fascinated by the idea of failure, and remembering the failure of others. He looks too at the relationship between suffering and creativity. He points to David Foster Wallace among others who have had to suffer be it through mental illness or addiction or both, for their work. I’ll ask Stephen about writer’s block and how writers seem to contend with it, or not. It’s not all that bad. Stephen Marche is a novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator. He is the author of a half a dozen books, including the work of fiction, Shining at the Bottom of the Sea, which he was first on this program with in 2007 when it was published. He has written for sundry publications including the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Walrus, and Esquire, where he was a columnist for a number of years. The website for more is at www.stephenmarche.com. He joined me from Toronto earlier this week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Stephen Marche; Mr. Marche, good morning. The post Stephen Marche first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and poet P.W. Bridgman discusses his work in poetry and short fiction, and the man behind the pen name, Thomas S. Woods, and more, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. A few weeks ago, late last year, I got an email from the writer known as P.W. Bridgman. He wanted to put on my radar his work as a writer and a forthcoming book to be published in 2023. He graciously invited me to coffee, and a few weeks ago what was to be a short meeting where I would get my copy of his most recent book of poems Idiolect signed, ended up a good, long conversation, where we spoke at length on a wide variety of subjects of mutual interest: writers, writing, his time on the bench, jazz, and a lot more. It was early on in our conversation that I invited Tom to the podcast to talk, and he joins me now. That morning he also gave me a copy of his collection of fiction, The Four-Faced Liar. His two other books are Standing at an Angle to My Age, a collection of short fiction, and a book of poems, A Lamb. Three of his more recent books are available from their publisher, Ekstasis Editions (http://www.ekstasiseditions.com/). You can visit the website www.pwbridgman.ca for more information. Thomas S. Woods, the man sheltered by the pen name is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology, and law. He worked for ten years in the field of child behavioural therapy, and then after his law studies practiced as a barrister for twenty years, seventeen of those years as co-editor then editor of the legal journal The Advocate. Until his retirement four years ago, he served as a judge for twelve years. We’ll talk now about his writing, and more as time permits. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, P.W. Bridgman; Mr. Woods, good morning. The post P.W. Bridgman first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and researcher Carolyn Whitzman discusses her new book Clara at the Door with a Revolver: The Scandalous Black Suspect, the Exemplary White Son, and the Murder That Shocked Toronto (On Point Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Clara at the Door with a Revolver: The Scandalous Black Suspect, the Exemplary White Son, and the Murder That Shocked Toronto by Carolyn Whitzman (On Point Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Clara at the Door with a Revolver Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. There’s a new book out that is such a fascinating tale of murder, mores, class, racism, rumor, sex, and history. It takes place in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto in 1894. Clara Ford, a seamstress, also Black, queer, and a single mother, is accused of murdering her wealthy white former neighbour. Toronto then had seven daily newspapers, and they soon took on an oversized role in the investigation and trial. A media frenzy visited up on Ford, and soon there was all sorts of suspicion about her motive, and character, and it went on all through the publicised trial where she was the first woman to successfully defend herself in court. The book is called Clara at the Door with a Revolver: The Scandalous Black Suspect, the Exemplary White Son, and the Murder That Shocked Toronto. Its author Carolyn Whitzman joins me now. She paints such a captivating portrait of Toronto of this late Victorian era, and illuminates the hypocrisy that would come to illustrate Toronto the Good, and how society hasn’t that much changed in over one hundred and twenty-five years. Carolyn Whitzman is a professor of Urban Planning, and a housing policy researcher, who lives in Ottawa, where I reached her one week ago. She is the author of Suburb, Slum, Urban Village: Transformations in Parkdale, Toronto 1875-2000. I’ll ask her about what sparked her interest in this story, and the research process. The book is published by On Point Press, which is an imprint of UBC Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Carolyn Whitzman; Professor Whitzman, good morning. The post Carolyn Whitzman first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The former journalist and former chair of the Canadian Polar Commision Whit Fraser discusses his memoir True North Rising: My Fifty Year Journey with the Inuit and Dene Leaders Who Transformed Canada’s North (Random House Canada, 2023), with Joseph Planta. True North Rising: My Fifty Year Journey with the Inuit and Dene Leaders Who Transformed Canada’s North by Whit Fraser (Random House Canada, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: True North Rising Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. In 2018, Whit Fraser published a memoir on Canada’s North. The book has just been republished, and it’s been updated with what’s happened in Mr. Fraser’s life since 2018, including becoming the viceregal consort to his spouse Mary Simon, Canada’s thirtieth Governor General. The book is full of engaging stories of his experiences in the north, first as a journalist with the CBC, covering among other stories, the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, perhaps better known as the Berger Inquiry. We get a sense of the climate, not to mention the urgency of climate change, but the people as well through Mr. Fraser’s book. There are a lot of incredibly important and fascinating people that he recounts in this book, people he met as a reporter, fellow reporters, as well through his work as chair of the Canadian Polar Commission, and later executive director of national Inuit organisation, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. We also get a sense of history as Mr. Fraser was close to the negotiations that enshrined Indigenous rights in the Canadian constitution, the progress of land claims, to the new territory of Nunavut in 1999. The full title of the book is True North Rising: My Fifty Year Journey with the Inuit and Dene Leaders Who Transformed Canada’s North. It’s published by Random House. He’s also recently published a novel, Cold Edge of Heaven. Visit www.whitfraser.ca for more information. He joined me from Rideau Hall in Ottawa last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Whit Fraser; Your Excellency, good morning. The post Whit Fraser first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The acclaimed and celebrated guitarist, musician, and composer Ken Hatfield discusses his new album, a guitar and vocal duet album with the vocalist Eric Hoffman, Stirrings Still (Arthur Circle Music, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Ken Hatfield joins me now. The acclaimed and celebrated musician has a new album out, Stirrings Still. It features Ken on the guitar, and the vocalist Eric Hoffman in a new vocal and guitar duet album. It’s intimate in that his playing and Mr. Hoffman’s vocals are so well matched, and it’s just them. They’re colleagues and friends, and you feel as though you’re amongst friends. And it’s personal too, as there are songs on this album that Mr. Hatfield wrote the music and lyrics to, some he co-wrote, and some that Mr. Hoffman contributed to. You have original compositions, and I’ll ask Ken about from where he gleans inspiration, and you have standards, like “Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home,” and “Answer Me, My Love.” I’ll ask Ken about his work as a composer, as well as how he views the music business. Ken Hatfield received the 2006 ASCAP Foundation Jazz Vanguard Award for “innovative and distinctive music that is charting new directions in jazz.” He is considered the leading proponent of jazz played on the classical guitar, and also described as a “veritable Picasso of the jazz guitar world.” He has performed and or recorded with a diverse list of international artists including Charlie Byrd, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Chico Hamilton, Melissa Manchester, Stephanie Mills, Pat Benatar, Charles Aznavour, Ben E. King, and Toni Braxton, among many others. He has published six books of his compositions, as well as numerous instructional books. Arthur Circle Music, the label that releases Stirrings Still, has released ten of his previous albums. Visit www.kenhatfield.com for more information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ken Hatfield; Mr. Hatfield, good morning. The post Ken Hatfield first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and editor Jen Sookfong Lee discusses her new memoir Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart (McClelland & Stewart, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee (McClelland & Stewart, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Superfan Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Jen Sookfong Lee joins me again. She’s just published a memoir, Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart. It’s a thoroughly engaging, fun and funny book, where we get to know Jen in her formative years through the popular culture she consumes and loves. And as she gets older, or better yet, grows, we see how that relationship to certain books, music, film and television might evolve or change altogether. The book is also urgent, wise, and necessary as it addresses important subjects, such as violence, cultural identity, mental health, grief, racism, and abuse. It will often be enlightening for the reader, just as it will induce rage when one thinks of the nonsense that continues around us. I’ll ask Jen about writing this book, and the topics therein that she addresses. I’ll ask her about her upbringing in East Vancouver, where she was born, and not far where she lives today. I’ll ask her about the Chinese Canadian household that she grew up in, her four sisters, and her father and mother. Jen divides her childhood between the time before her father had cancer, and his death when she was twelve years old. I’ll ask her about how his death affected her, her family, especially her mother, who is a character throughout the book, one that is complicated, who amongst us isn’t, and one who Jen seeks to understand and accept in childhood, and now adulthood, and especially in the years since she became a mother herself. Some of the cultural touchstones that Jen reflects on the book include: Anne of Green Gables, Evelyn Lau, Bob Ross, Kris Jenner, Rhianna, The Joy Luck Club, Justin Bieber, and Princess Diana, among many others. Jen Sookfong Lee acquires and edits for ECW Press, and co-hosts the literary podcast Can’t Lit. She is the author of the acclaimed books The Conjoined, The Better Mother, The End of East, The Shadow List, and Finding Home. She was on this program last year to discuss the collection Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood. The website for more is at www.sookfong.com. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jen Sookfong Lee; Ms. Lee, good morning. The post Jen Sookfong Lee first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The art historian Fanny Curtat, the art historian consultant for Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, discusses the exhibition which will open Wednesday, 01 February 2023 at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds Agriplex, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience will open in Surrey at the Agriplex at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds next Wednesday, 01 February 2023, and will bring visitors completely into more than 300 of the greatest works of the artist Vincent Van Gogh. Produced by Paquin Entertainment Group, the same folks who produced Imagine Van Gogh last year here in Vancouver, this is an entirely different exhibition from the Montreal-based Normal Studio and its creative director Mathieu St-Arnaud. Joining me now is the art historian Fanny Curtat, who’ll preview what to expect in Surrey, the look and feel, as well as the sound and senses enlivened by the experience of the exhibition. I’ll ask her about Van Gogh, how he worked, and why he remains relevant today. Fanny Curtat is the art history consultant for Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. She is a PhD candidate at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Visit www.vangoghsurrey.com for tickets and information. There are timed tickets though there isn’t a limit as to how long one can stay, so it’s not a rushed experience. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Fanny Curtat; Ms. Curtat, good morning. The post Fanny Curtat first appeared on thecommentary.ca.