Category Archives: Uncategorized

Military Wives sound a high note at TIFF

Posted on September 7, 2019 by

Scrappy little comedy difficult to resist My first day at Toronto’s International Film Festival, and the fest opened on high note with Military Wives, a film inspired by the real-life choirs formed by military spouses while their men are on … Continue reading →

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Woodstock 50 years later

Posted on August 19, 2019 by

Fifty years ago this past weekend, Woodstock, the music festival that brought 500,000 young people together in a celebration of peace, music and love, was held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm 70 km southwest of Woodstock, N.Y. I wasn’t there, … Continue reading →

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Elvis still the King!

Posted on August 16, 2019 by

Radio tributes to Elvis Presley on the 40th anniversary of his death two years ago brought to mind my long-ago trip to Memphis to cover the King of Rock ’n’ Roll’s funeral for the Montreal Star. I was a young … Continue reading →

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Newfoundland: Icebergs, jellybean houses and moose farts

Posted on August 2, 2019 by

  “When Canada joined Newfoundland in 1949…” The line is delivered as a joke today, but it reflects the tension in Newfoundland pending the decision to join Confederation. The referendum result was 52.3% to 47.7%, and in the capital of … Continue reading →

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Benny Cooperman’s author dies at 88

Posted on July 17, 2019 by

Howard Engel, one of the  giants of Canadian crime fiction, died earlier this week at the age of 88. Engel was the author of the much-loved Benny Cooperman mystery series and co-founder of Crime Writers of Canada. Benny Cooperman, the … Continue reading →

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The Best Laid Plans

Posted on June 19, 2019 by

When Judy Penz Sheluk put out a call for submissions to her new crime fiction anthology, and added that previously published stories would also  considered, my ears pricked up. Opportunities to showcase stories that have already been in print are … Continue reading →

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Novel II starts up again tomorrow!

Posted on April 8, 2019 by

Tomorrow, Tuesday April 9, my course Novel II: How to Develop Your Novel to advance your novels-in-progress starts up again at Toronto’s George Brown College, St. James Campus (200 King Street East). And there’s still room for a few more … Continue reading →

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