I went to a fiction-writing workshop this past week. I sometimes wonder why I go. It’s not as though I think the workshop leader will say something profound, and I’ll leap out of my chair with my arms thrown over my head and shout, “Oh, if only I had known.” […]
Wendi Stewart – Wendi with an ‘eye’
Wendi lives in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, but the farm on Rainy River in Crozier will always be her home. MEADOWLARK, her debut novel released September 15, is published by NeWest Press of Edmonton. She is the mother of four daughters who did the unforgivable: they grew up. http://wendistewart.writersresidence.com
Did you tune in to “Canada Reads” the week of Feb. 11-14? If not, I wish you had. It was the celebration of Canadian literature in a way unparalleled by the Giller or the Governor General’s Award, or other Canadian literary awards. In the format of reality programming, “Canada Reads” […]
There’s something deliciously comforting about a snowstorm—the feeling you get when you are tucked inside your house safe and warm while the road and weather reports say roads closed, businesses closed, schools closed, all events cancelled. The feeling when the cupboards are reasonably stocked with staples like potato chips and […]
When I was a kid, my family played board games, though not often. Mostly we played outside—building forts in trees and in the hay, and we spent a great deal of time catching frogs. There were a few marathons of “Monopoly,” where I never seemed to be much of a […]
I should probably get my two cents’ worth in about Lance Armstrong. Not that he is of any consequence in my life or in your life, but just watching (or rather trying not to watch) the huge carnival and fiasco about his confession, his coming clean about being a cheater […]
The United Nations was formed in 1945 at the end of the Second World War with the participation of 51 countries. In 2011, there were 193 members with the addition of The Republic of South Sudan. Peace is the UN’s main objective but fostering friendly co-operation between countries, considering the […]
If I were to die tomorrow, I’d like to think my children, once they got over being sad, would regale each other with tales of when their mother went berserk. What a great word. Berserk. It hasn’t happened often but when it did, well, it is the stuff of legends. […]
Christmas has come and gone. I’m always amazed by how far off it seems, and then it is as if someone turned a dial and everything fast-forwarded. I ate my weight in Turtles and poppycock, even though I vowed I wouldn’t. I even may have promised myself I would do […]
A book sits on the corner of my desk poking at me, calling me names, just generally annoying me. It’s title is “The Willpower Instinct,” written by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. Kelly, if I may call her that, not because I know her personally but it seems more friendly than Dr. […]
“Said the night wind to the little lamb.” A beautiful Christmas carol that always gets me wondering—wondering about Christmas memories and trying to categorize them down from most favourite, which is impossible because they’re all wonderful. If I had to choose, it would be the quiet and magic of Christmas […]
I was thinking about artwork the other night when I caught some program on television discussing the investment value of owning a renowned artist’s work. I’m willing to bet most of us will never own a da Vinci or a Monet or a Renoir (and I had to look those […]
This is my 100th column. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, a column being number eight-nine or 512 really hasn’t a whole lot of significance, not exactly “shut the front door” worthy. But it certainly means something to me. First, it makes me feel a deep sense of […]
