Canada’s History Takes Centre Stage in Ottawa-Gatineau

I’m just back from a whirlwind trip to Ottawa-Gatineau where I got to emcee the 10th annual Canada’s History Forum and gala. They were held at the Canadian Museum of History on the Quebec side, and it was a stimulating and inspiring series of events. At the heart of it all, I felt, were discussionsContinue reading “Canada’s History Takes Centre Stage in Ottawa-Gatineau”

Review of Haunted Hospitals

Mark Leslie and Rhonda Parrish, Haunted Hospitals: Eerie Tales about Hospitals, Sanatoriums, and Other Institutions (Dundurn, 2017), 220 pages.   When Rhonda Parrish moved in next to the Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta – reputed to be the most haunted building in the city – the seeds were sown for this book. From there,Continue reading “Review of Haunted Hospitals”

Harvey the Cat at Sienna Library on Oct 29!

In honour of National Cat Day, the Sienna Branch Library in Missouri City, TX is hosting two hours of kitty purrfection on Sunday, October 29. From 2-4 p.m., come out to make DIY cat toys, cat treat recipes, see adorable cats up for adoption, watch funny cat videos, and get transformed by the talented CatherineContinue reading “Harvey the Cat at Sienna Library on Oct 29!”

Harvey the Cat: A Nearly True Story of Hurricane Harvey and the Houston Floods

When life throws overwhelming experiences at me, I write about them. That’s just what I (and most of the other writers I know) do in order to process and make sense of things. So when I recently went through Hurricane Harvey with my family and pets, I started writing.       First it wasContinue reading “Harvey the Cat: A Nearly True Story of Hurricane Harvey and the Houston Floods”

Airforce Magazine “highly recommends” Polar Winds!

A lot of the podcasts and interviews I’ve listened to about writing lately have centred on the idea of a book lasting for ten years. The question to ask yourself when you embark on a book project is: ten years after it’s been published, will it still be read and be relevant? I always aspire toContinue reading “Airforce Magazine “highly recommends” Polar Winds!”

RISE Book Club Reading Guide – In This Together

It’s been a year since In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation came out, but the conversations we wanted to highlight with our essays are still relevant and ongoing. That’s why I’m so excited that RISE-Reconciliation in Solidarity Edmonton (which, full disclosure, I mention in my intro) has selected In This Together as its thirdContinue reading “RISE Book Club Reading Guide – In This Together”

Two Upcoming Camsell Hospital Events in Edmonton

  As part of the upcoming Reconciliation Week and in support of ongoing truth and reconciliation work in our city, RISE is please to be hosting two upcoming events related to the history and memory of the Charles Camsell Hospital. Both events are free and everyone is welcome. Donations will be accepted at the doorContinue reading “Two Upcoming Camsell Hospital Events in Edmonton”

Laurentian Air Services Personnel List

When my first book, For the Love of Flying: The Story of Laurentian Air Services, came out in 2009, I created a small do-it-yourself website to host additional ‘living’ information. Recently, I let that domain name lapse, so I am moving the photos and stories and data – like the below – over to this site soContinue reading “Laurentian Air Services Personnel List”