Another weekend, another writing conference! This last one was Get Publishing’s Edge of Print event, and it was a heavy-hitter of sessions, panels, and pitch camps, plus lots of time to network. The day opened with a keynote from Minister Faust (aka Malcolm Azania, aka Captain E-Town) called “Honing Your Edge.” As his bio says:Continue reading “Writing and Publishing on the Edge”
Author Archives: dmcadmin
Getting Creative About Nonfiction
I wrote a whole post about going to the Creative Nonfiction Collective Conference in Banff, Alberta, but a glitch killed it and somehow all that came through were the photos! I don’t have the spirit to re-write the post, but have included some links to great sites, authors and works I learned about this weekend.Continue reading “Getting Creative About Nonfiction”
Crushing on Colleen
I have a crush. It doesn’t happen often, but I am completely intellectually smitten with Colleen Fitzpatrick after sitting in on her sessions this past Sunday at the Alberta Genealogical Society convention. Dr. Fitzpatrick (she has a PhD in nuclear physics) is a forensic genealogist, author, and speaker, now that she isn’t doing contracts forContinue reading “Crushing on Colleen”
From Princess to Coupon Clipper
There are a fascinating array of reality shows out there dealing with the vagaries of personal finance. My favourites so far include Gail Vaz-Oxlade as quirky yet hard-ass host of Til Debt Do Us Part and Princess (still haven’t been able to catch the TDDUP Home Edition on HGTV since I gave up cable, though!Continue reading “From Princess to Coupon Clipper”
Working Out with What You’ve Got
When I lived in Wyoming I was spoiled fitness-wise. Sure, it could get cold in the winter – especially with the wind – but it was sunny most days, I could shovel the snow with a broom, and there were lots of wide open spaces for hikes with the dog. The recreation centre also hadContinue reading “Working Out with What You’ve Got”
Healthy Pantry Living
In O Magazine’s February 2011 issue I saw an article about combatting pantry clutter, so when I realized I was bumping up against the limit of my monthly food budget I decided to set myself a challenge: create meals for four days based solely on what was in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. A quickContinue reading “Healthy Pantry Living”
Murder in Life and on the Page
I often write about aviation history these days and am invariably asked if I’m a pilot. Back in university when I was focused mostly on First Nations history and missionaries, people also made assumptions about my religious background (although interestingly few wondered if I was FN, even though I fit right in at Kahnawake andContinue reading “Murder in Life and on the Page”
Margaret Atwood and Me
The last few days a bad cold meant I could barely hold my head up, let alone sit at my desk. But I could read, and luckily I was in the middle of Rosemary Sulivan’s fascinating biography on Margaret Atwood’s early years: The Red Shoes (1998). I have always been ambivalent about Atwood and IContinue reading “Margaret Atwood and Me”
We don’t need no education
I’ve had education on the brain quite a bit recently. After all, I was just involved with the Young Readers’ Conference at a local Junior High last Friday, and really impressed with the innovative teaching happening there. Although, a couple of weeks ago I chatted with a disillusioned friend (M.Ed) trying to teach critical thinkingContinue reading “We don’t need no education”
Passing the Conch
Last Friday I spent the morning as one of the speakers at a Young Readers Conference in Edmonton. During each of the two 40-minutes sessions, I worked with 25-odd students ranging in age from 10 to 15, talking about aviation history. It was terrifying. Exhilerating. Fascinating. I got an email about this “gig” out ofContinue reading “Passing the Conch”