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For folks unhappy about some minor changes to the wording of our national anthem, here’s some history for you. “O Canada” was composed in 1880 by Calixa Lavallee, lyrics were written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. These are the original lyrics: Sous l’œil de Dieu, près du fleuve géant, Le Canadien grandit en espérant. Il est…

Just back from Toronto and the inaugural Canadian Writers’ Summit at Harbourfront Centre. Got to rec0nnect with some old friends and meet some new ones, go to some interesting sessions and keynote speeches, wine and dine and hang out in 30+ degree heat and humidity. Phew! And now I’m back and enjoying Calgary’s more moderate…

Back when I started working on my English degree at U of C in the fall of 1986, if you had told me this would happen thirty years later, or at any other time for that matter, I never would have believed it. I’m honoured to be in such good company here. Thank you to…

  Looking forward to the launch of Betty Jane Hegerat’s new book Odd One Out, a YA novel just published by Oolichan Books. Things get started tomorrow night, Monday, May 9, at 7 PM at Owl’s Nest Books, 815 A -49th Ave. SW in the Britannia Shopping Plaza. I understand pizza will served! See you…

  Next Saturday Shaun Hunter will again lead the 2016 edition of the Writing the City Jane’s Walk. Last year’s was a lot of fun, so I’m sure this one will be as well. Things get started at 10:00 AM at Harley Hotchkiss Gardens, located at 611 – 4 St. SW, and we’ll spend two hours…

    Yay! Can’t wait for the launch of Sarah L. Johnson‘s story collection, Suicide Stitch, tomorrow night (April 14) at Owl’s Nest Books! Owl’s Nest is at 815A 49th Avenue SW in the Brittania Shopping Plaza, and things get started at 7 PM. Suicide Stitch debuted at number nine on the Calgary Herald Calgary bestsellers list…

Thanks to Shaun Hunter at Writing the City for featuring my story “Good Friday at the Westward” in today’s episode. Originally the title was “Good Friday, at the Westward”, my attempt at a nod to John Donne’s “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward”. My story ran in The Prairie Journal in 2012, almost exactly 400 years…

Thanks to Susan Toy for this post from Michael Fay. Michael Fay has been guest-posting here about his early days as a writer, attending the Bread Loaf Conference in 1978 and as a participant at the Banff Centre in 1976. Michael is back now to tell u… Source: Guest Post: J. Michael Fay on Remembering…

This week is Freedom to Read Week, and reading is a freedom I am grateful for every day.  Below is a graphic from Freedom to Read.ca of thirty works, many of them Canadian, that have been challenged in recent years. Among them are books by Alice Munro, Margaret Laurence and Morley Callaghan. Censorship in Canada…

Susan Toy’s profile of Shaun Hunter, whose blog series “Writing the City: Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers” I’m really enjoying.