Beverly Akerman

Agog about "Gollywog"

2012-02-20T17:27:00.000-05:00

Though decades separate Bonnie Farmer’s two plays, her new Gollywog has the makings of a hit.

Playwright Bonnie Farmer

Bonnie Farmer was born in Shelburne,Nova Scotia, and came to Montreal as a toddler when her mother went towork as a cook in a convent. “They weren’t expecting a cook with a baby in tow.Our room was right off the kitchen.” The family only lived there a year or so,Farmer explained in an interview. “I kept getting into things. It wasdangerous. I remember these beautiful marble floors. I remember seeing the nunsin their pyjamas.”

But that’s not all this award-winning children’s author, playwright, avidcrafter, and elementary school teacher recalls. She also nurses vivid memoriesof being the only black child in her grade two class when the teacher had themread books about Little Black Sambo.

“Not that there was anything wrong with the books themselves,” she pointsout. “The problem was the pictures.”

The Story of Little Black Sambo was written andillustrated by Helen Bannerman. Originally published in 1899, it was part of a small-formatbook series called The Dumpy Books for Children. Sambo, a boy from Southern India, encounters four hungry tigers. To placateand keep them from eating him, Sambo ends up surrendering his colourful newclothes, shoes, and umbrella. The vain cats, each wearing something of theboy’s, chase each other round a tree until they’re reduced to a pool of butter.Sambo gets his clothes back and his mother uses the butter for pancakes. Thestory was a children's favourite for over fifty years, until the word ‘sambo’was deemed a racial slur, and the wider public understood why the illustrationswere objectionable. The book has been considerably revised since then.

According to Farmer, Sambo “is really a hero. He outsmarts tigers. But thekids in class would titter and look at me. You felt singled out.”

Racist iconography is central to Farmer’s new play, Gollywog, which had a staged reading on Monday, February 13^thas part of the Black Theatre Workshop’s Discovery Series.

Actors Lucinda Davis,Nouella Grimes, Alexandria Haber, Christian Paul, and Brett Watson weredirected by Quincy Armorer, who took the stage at the outset to explain whatthe gollywog was. He mentioned, too, that it’s a part of a Black history withwhich many people, particularly younger people, are unfamiliar.

The Gollywog is a blackfaced African Americancaricature created in the late 1800s. Since the 1960s, the doll has become thesubject of a great deal of controversy, with Europeans attempting to decidewhether it is a valuable cultural artefact or a racist insult.

~ BlackTheatre Workshop website

A gollywog doll

Farmer described the gollywog doll's key features, which were nearly identical to Little BlackSambo’s: black skin, kinky hair, goggly white eyes, and an oversized, toothygrin.

Gollywog’s main character, MavisDaniels, came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s, as did Farmer herself. “It was thetime of Black Power,” Farmer says, “and so Mavis never expected to see thoseracist images like the gollywog or Little Black Sambo again.” Yet gradually,Mavis starts seeing the hoary stereotype at every turn, among toys, books fromher grandson’s school library, billboards, even gingerbread men.

The play opens near Christmas. Mavis’s daughter Victoria is living withMavis, her young son Jamal in tow, while she goes back to school to studynursing. The apartment superintendent, Jeff Cochrane, their neighbour and Victoria’s childhoodcompanion, is gradually revealed as a ne’er-do-well white sorta supremacist.Which doesn’t stop a romance with Victoriafrom developing. Mavis is touchy and increasingly outspoken. She starts seeingracist behaviour and imagery everywhere. There are incidents on the bus and at Jamal’sschool. Is Mavis losing it? This is the world of Gollywog.

“It’s up to the audience to decide if Mavis is crazy,” Farmer says, thoughshe herself doesn’t think so. “I’ve seen a number of ads recently that reallydo put me in mind of the gollywog.” She would only mention them off the record.

“Every so often, there’s an instant where white people don black face here. Ithink a lot of the racism in Canadais unconscious, so I’m trying to bring that across in Jeff’s character. I’mhoping the audience will see the other side of these images and the [racist]words that are said. I think in the US, people are more aware. Theystill use the words, but they’re not doing it unconsciously.”

It’s probably a question of numbers, she continues. “There aren’t as manyblack people here. It isn’t as much ‘in your face.’ Here, racism is directedagainst Blacks but, even more, against natives.” (More interesting discussion on this question can be found in this article by Clarence Baynes)

Farmer wrote the first scene of Gollywogin the winter of 2010; several more came during workshops she took with localplaywright Colleen Curran, who was also instrumental in helping Farmer developher first play. Irene and Lillian Forever,with Sonya Biddle and Carole Anderson, was a 1986 Quebec DramaFestival finalist and winner of Best Direction for the late Lorena Gale.Not bad for a newbie.

Farmer also wrote a play for her Master’s thesis in Concordia University’screative writing program. Ike’s Fiddleis set in Nova Scotiaand concerns two brothers and their rivalry over the wife of one of them. It’snever been produced, but something makes me think this might change in the nearfuture… :)

Colleen Curran

Last May, Caribbean playwright David Edgecombe mentored Farmer and Gollywogat the Black Theatre Workshop. Edgecombe was a founding member of Black TheatreWorkshop and also served as resident playwright/director there. He is“internationally known for several plays, including Strong Currents and Coming Hometo Roost. I’d seen his stuff 30 years ago. I had a playbill from one of theplays—” it was Strong Currents—“and Ibrought it for him to sign.”

David Edgecomb

Edgecomb offered Bonnie “really positive feedback.” She kept on writing and sendinghim the material, until the play was 76 pages and 10 scenes in length. That’swhen Farmer discovered that the rule of thumb she’d been going by--that onepage of script equalled a minute ofperformance--was true for film scripts, not stage plays. Gollywog was already a full-length theatre piece some two hourslong!

When I spoke with her several days before the final rehearsals, Farmer was clearlyexperiencing butterflies, excited, nervous, and altogether inspiring.

The play itself was extremely well received. It never dragged, was clear asa bell, tied up all loose ends, andprovoked lots and lots of laughs. And all this over two hours and despite thetotal absence of sets or props.

Nouella Grimes, doing most of the heavy lifting as Mavis, was outstanding—especiallyduring the police station monologue—and despite evident overheating in wig,turtleneck and sweater, while Lucinda Davis nailed Victoria’s more self-involved worldview. AlexandriaHaber and Christian Paul played the school librarian and school principal tomaximum hilarity. My sole cavil concerns Victoria’sboyfriend Jeff’s character—making him white a supremacist was a tad extreme,but his layabout behaviour and blame of others for his own failings—notably hisdrug and booze induced laziness—was bang on.

As the evening drew to a close and the audience rose from thenot-ready-for-prime-theatre-time seating, I asked Bonnie how she felt. Which was redundant,really, because the answer was writ large on her face: "Great!"

Originally published on The Rover.

"Pie" at Third Sunday Blog Carnival

2012-02-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd point you to a new resource for getting more eyeballs on your work: the Third Sunday Blog Carnival, run by Adriene (A.D.) Joyce, aka Sweepy Jean.

Sweepy Jean is "a poet, writer, and editor who is inspired by the creativity of other artists that abounds on the internet. Hosting the Third Sunday Blog Carnival is one of the best ways I can think of to share what I find and to help keep the writing arts in the forefront–where they belong."

"Pie's" link is now live at the Third Sunday Blog Carnival! You can see it here:

http://thirdsundaybc.com/2012/02/19/vol-1-no-2

Adriene has some lovely feedback on "Pie," too: "Great characterization. Heartbreaking."

She also says: "Please share this link with your readers/followers. Visit the links of your fellow bloggers and let them know if you enjoyed their post.

"Thank you for your participation. Please feel free to submit a post for the March 18^th edition.

"All the best,
Adriene"

The Meaning Of Children e-book cover

2012-02-16T12:41:00.001-05:00

Thought I might consult the hive mind about a possible cover for the e-book version of The Meaning Of Children.

Probably the text needs a bit of work.

I would be grateful if you had a moment to give me a thumbs up or down...and if you have any thoughts on self-publishing, they'd be right appreciated, too!

Glob & Pail on the Census: ASTOUNDING!

2012-02-10T17:06:00.002-05:00

Dear Glob & Pail

Your coverage of the recent census reveal is nothing short of ASTOUNDING!! John Ibbitson and your Folio pages, in particular, are textbookillustrations of how to lie with statistics.

Certainly, the growth of Albertaand Saskatchewanis notable, but news? Hardly. You stress growth rates and the West’s supposedlyincreased clout as a result of this, and yet sweep under the rug—if a newspapercan do such a thing!—the essential fact that Ontario and Quebec still accountfor two-thirds (or is it three-quarters? Who can tell, from your coverage?) ofthe country’s population, and will for some time to come.

Oh, and another thing that isn’t news: the gutting ofcorporate taxes, tariffs, import quotas, regulations, and so on—free trade, inshort—is the reason we now have a “rust belt,” a diminishing middle class, anda widening gulf between society’s “haves” and the other 99 per cent. In otherwords, the “fall” of Ontariowas engineered by the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, and it willonly get worse with this lot and their scorched earth mentality (maybe they gotthe idea from the tar sands).

And as for the tar sands—excuse me, oil sands—Alberta Inc.is happy to ship the oil and the thousands of jobs associated with it out ofCanada because our governments lack the will to ensure that processing be donehere. As Jeffrey Simpson notes in his column of today, even in Alberta no one governswith the long term in mind.

If they did, they would realize that we need theoil for our own country.

You suck!

Sincerely,

Bev Akerman

PS: today marks the 25th anniversary of Michael Moore's first video camera shoot for what would become his first film, Roger and Me. In a letter marking the event, he also notes that today marks another significant milestone:

"The middle class and the American Dream were born 75 years ago today, on February 11, 1937, the day the Flint workers won their struggle [for a living wage, union, safe workplace]. And for the next 44 years, working people everywhere got to own their own homes, send their kids to college and never worry about going broke if they got sick. That belief, that life would be good if you were a good citizen and a hard worker, now seems out of reach for nearly half the country which is either living in or near poverty. Perhaps people wouldn't mind it as much if the burden were being evenly shared. But everyone knows that's not the case. In a time of record personal bankruptcies, record home foreclosures, record family and student debt, there are a group of people having the best years of wealth and profit ever recorded in human history. And it is those very people who have made the decisions to export our jobs, to decimate unions, to make college unaffordable, to start wars and to pay themselves with gluttonous joy while paying little or no tax -- this is the 1% that has created the burden so many Americans (and people around the world) now share."

Canada Reads: the Brouhaha Continues

2012-02-09T19:32:00.000-05:00

As described in The Globe and Mail today, Marina Nemat has responded to Anne-France Goldwater's comments, and Me Goldwater has also defended her own position.

It seems clear that Goldwater read reports that others had denied the veracity of Nemat's account, especially of the near-death experience.

Who knows the truth of Nemat's experiences? You'd think people had never heard of fabrication in journalistic or memoir circles! It isn't that far back that James Frey created a sensation with A Million Little Pieces:

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Frey#Controversy

"On January 8, 2006, The Smoking Gun website published an article: "A Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey's Fiction Addiction" alleging that Frey fabricated large parts of his memoirs, including details about his criminal record.^[6] One incident in the book that came under particular scrutiny was a 1986 train-automobile collision in St. Joseph Township, Michigan.^[7]

The website alleged that Frey had never been incarcerated and that he greatly exaggerated the circumstances of a key arrest detailed in the memoir: hitting a police officer with his car, while high on crack, which led to a violent melee with multiple officers and an 87-day jail sentence. In the police report that TSG uncovered, Frey was held at a police station for no more than five hours before posting a bond of a few hundred dollars for some minor offenses. The arresting officer, according to TSG, recalled Frey as having been polite and cooperative.

The book's hardcover (Doubleday) and paperback (Anchor Books) publishers initially stood by Frey. But examination of the evidence caused the publishers to alter their stances. They released a statement noting, "When the Smoking Gun report appeared, our first response, given that we were still learning the facts of the matter, was to support our author. Since then, we have questioned him about the allegations and have sadly come to the realization that a number of facts have been altered and incidents embellished."^[8] As a consequence, the publishers decided to include a publisher's note and an author's note from Frey as disclaimers to be included in future publications.^[9]"

----

Then there was the story of journalist Stephen Glass, who "who came to prominence when it was uncovered that he had fabricated several magazine articles in 1998."

And then there was the story of Janet Cooke and "Jimmy's World"...

What amazes me: in Nemat's Globe and Mail response to Goldwater, she goes on and on about AFG denying the torture. To the best of my recollection (and you can watch the podcast yourself, I believe the fireworks start somewhwere around 33 mins in), Goldwater never said WHAT it was she found hard to believe...and Ghomeshi never pushed her to do so, either.

It isn't impossible that some of the events Nemat recounted are inaccurate...but frankly, that is beside the point, IMHO.

My main issue is that those who invited Goldwater to appear on Canada Reads did so knowing full well that she is a shark not a chihuahua.

At least, they should have known.

They must have hoped for a brouhaha...and they got one.

Was Goldwater a bully? Should Ghomeshi have demanded she provide at least an example or two of the statements she found hard to swallow? After all, he HAD noted how detailed her annotations were!

For me, the bottom line is that Canada Reads is a 'battle of the bands concept' applied--simplistically applied!--to books.

One thing is sure: Nemat can now ride her outrage and high dudgeon all the way to the bank.

"Can you handle the truth, Canada Reads?" No More Ms. Nice Guy

2012-02-08T14:50:00.000-05:00

The kerfuffle on Canada Reads, where one of the country’s mostsuccessful and prominent lawyers ever, Anne-France Goldwater, annihilated her competition on Day 1,was an amazing demonstration of the power of the adversarial system. Goldwater is the lawyer who, on her clients' behalf, pushed Canada into legalizing samesex marriage and, for the moment, has won spousal support rights for unmarried spouses who separate (and against a Quebec billionaire, yet!).

Now, Canadians are supposed to be, above all, nice. Pirouetting little peaceniks and peacekeepers.

Host Jian Ghomeshi is probably the epitome of what a multiculti Canada wants to believe itself to be, a good looking vaguely failed rocker who asks questions of successful people, and looks good in a nice suit.

What MeGoldwater did, as far as the typical nice Canadian is concerned, was enter the competitors' arena, both barrels blazing. Everything about her was most unCanadian.

She branded onememoirist a terrorist and the other a liar.

What she did was doubly instructive: anunabashed advertisement for lawyers, cogently demonstrating that “anuntrained person who acts as her own lawyer has a fool for a client.”

And it alsoshows how pusillanimous the show’s concept really is.

As a bonus, it pinpoints why a House of Commons full oflawyers (and other professional debaters) is as dysfunctional as it is. You asked for a debate, Me Goldwater sort of said, at one point. It doesn't mean that anything I said was true...

Goldwater took a flamethrower to the place.

Let's face it: Canada Reads, from what I can tell, is about looking good, not about being smart. Imean, a book from 1983 about hockey?

Imagine, a show where two memoirs are challengedfor their veracity and no one even recalls James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces? Hard to believe…for well-read people, I mean.

I’m a reader and I’d never heard of any of the books in contention. Andlast year’s winner, The Best Laid Plans,may have had Terry Fallis laughing all the way to the bank, but he's probably the only one who laughed much at that book. A mildlyentertaining page turner, a pathetic champion.

No wonder my book club friends laugh outright when I suggesta novel that made the Giller or Governor General short lists.

Me Goldwater’s sin was that they sent a lawyer to do a model-slash-musician’s job. She isn’t gorgeous and she wasn’t gentlemanly. They hired her--or chose her, anyway-- as an advocate, she gave it her best shot, and she blew the competition--and host--right out of the water.

Too bad for Jian and the rest of the lightweights that no one realized the extent by which Goldwater outclassed the rest of the field.

Thoughsomeone must have had a clue what would happen: they gave her The Tiger to defend, after all.

Anne-France Goldwater doesn't belong on nice, bland Canada Reads: she belongs in Rideau Hall.

From Goldwater Dubé's website:

· Me Goldwater's practice highlights includeestablishing precedents on the recognition of parental alienation syndrome bythe courts, the right of children to the attorney of their choice and to claimparty status, as well as disparate children’s rights such as lump sum supportand mandatory reinstatement in a private educational institution. She alsosuccessfully challenged federal and provincial laws forbidding marriage forsame-sex couples, thereby obtaining the right of same-sex couples to marry.

· She successfully challenged the validity of lawspreventing women from executing their own alimony and child support orders. Sheadvanced the protection of privacy rights in family matters in the context ofpaternity litigation. She has obtained the highest child support orders in Quebec, and the highestprovisions for cost in a matrimonial matter.

· She is perhaps best known for her success in thecase of Eric vs. Lola, in which she successfully challenged thevalidity of laws denying common law spouses the right to claim spousal supportupon separation, in a unanimous Court of Appeal judgment.

The Meaning Of Children: on Mother's Day and Abortion

2012-02-01T11:12:00.003-05:00

Just listening once more to my interview with the lovely, charming, and whip smart Anne Lagacé Dowson, a wonderfully generous interviewer and person. And I came across this discussion near the end about motherhood, feminism, abortion, and mother's day that I'm really happy with...she made it so easy to talk with her and I'm really grateful to her and to everyone who took the time to help nurture my little book...so here's a transcript of part of the interview, and I'll post the Youtube video below.

Hope you enjoy and find some food for thought here. And, of course, in The Meaning Of Children!

Anne Lagacé Dowson

BA: ...As feminists coming of age in the‘60s and ‘70s, we were so keen on making the best of all the opportunities thathad been denied us for generations that I think we bought into the idea thatteaching and nursing and mothering and care giving are lesser occupations. Andof course they aren’t. They’re very, very important to all of us, especially aswe age and become more and more dependent on caregivers. So I just am hopingpartly to honour that fact of women’s lives.

ALD: In time for mother’s day. So if youare casting about for the perfect mother’s day gift, this might be it. The bookis called The Meaning Of Children by Montreal author BeverlyAkerman and it’s a collection of 14 short stories which sort of covers therange of experience from the point of view of children, Mums, and also agingparents as well. It’s all there in this lovely little book…short stories aboutlife in a family that might just resemble yours…

You do makea lot of Montreal references in some thestories…and it’s very fun to read stories based and rooted in Montreal…lots of references to the Jewishcommunity and family practices and so on…

What’s yoursense of how your feminism has coloured the stories?

BA: I think it definitely has colouredthe stories. There’s a story about abortion…I’m a prochoice feminist. It’s avery hard decision for a lot of people but I’m still glad that it’s a decisionthat is ours to make and not some external group trying to run our lives…

ALD: I thought that was a very bravestory, actually, that you wrote. Because I think you’re writing about somethingthat a lot of people have experienced but still feel very badly about talkingabout. It’s not out there in the civil discourse or in the public discussionsof what family life is about.

BA: I don’t think people feel comfortableacknowledging that they have had an abortion or that they’re related to someonewho has. It’s still a very private family matter…

We’re very,very lucky to have grown up in the era in which we have where we do have somany more options than our mothers and grandmothers had. And we have to protectthose options for the future generations. I think that’s very important too.

ALD: What will you be doing on mother’sday?

BA: I guess going to brunch with myparents! I’m lucky enough to have both my parents so…and getting cards andkisses from my kids.

ALD: And flowers, hopefully. That’salways a nice feature of mother’s day. But really, mother’s day should be eachof our respective birthdays in some sense. You were speaking about some familymember…

BA: My father-in-law thought on yourbirthday you should go and honour your mother because she went through so much.And he would know, he put his parents through a lot.

ALD: Well, we all do. Anyway, I wantedto congratulate you on the publication of this book and I hope it goes far, farafield for you.

BA: Thank you very much. I hope peopleenjoy it.

ALD: A wonderful gift for mother’s day,perhaps more long lived than the usual cut flowers...

Empty Bowls Montreal 2012: We're baaack!!

2012-01-28T14:55:00.002-05:00

Sunday, April 22, 2012

EMPTY BOWLS

one of Congregation Dorshei Emet’s best-loved fundraisers,

is RETURNING SOON to a shul (or church) near you!

(If you live in Montreal, that is... )

Empty Bowls is an international project to fight hunger. Each community develops their own ideas and methods to help fill bowls--and tummies!

In our case, for a $20 donation, hand made bowls are sold at our lunch events which feature free soup, bread, and (sometimes!) fruit.

Everything is donated and 100 per cent of the proceeds go to charities selected by our Empty Bowls Committees.

Past recipients include our own Hanukkah Food Basket Fund, the Generations Foundation, Multicaf, the NDG Food Depot, Santropol Roulant and other worthy projects.

As in previous years, Dorshei Emet's (the Reconstructionist Synagogue) Empty Bowls committee has teamed up with our sister organization at the Unitarian Church for mutual support (their event will be held Saturday April 14^th).

Stay tuned for details, recipes, sponsor information, and the like. And thanks for everyone who has supported us and continues to do so. With your help, we've made a difference to Montrealers!

For more information, to donate or volunteer, please contact us on Facebook, at beverly.akerman@gmail.com or info@emptybowlsmontreal.org

Darryl Martin: Perseverance is the key

2012-01-25T11:51:00.000-05:00

Even while he was shoeing horses, he was always fascinated with "how things work"

Darryl Martin has been working with the Mohawk Bridge Consortium on the Mercier Bridge rehabilition. | Concordia University

Darryl Martin and his wife had four children when she obtained a degree in early childhood education from Concordia. At the time, Martin worked with draft horses, with a sideline as a farrier — a horseshoer. He had never graduated from high school, but he decided it was his turn to go to university.

Martin, now a grandfather, will receive his bachelor’s in civil engineering this June.

“I was always interested in how things work,” he says. Engineering seemed like a natural fit. A friend and counsellor at a school on the Kahnawake reserve suggested Martin start off by developing good study skills. “It was one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given.” So he started by taking courses he felt most passionate about.

The key to his success, Martin says with humour and modesty, is “perseverance, or in my case, bull-headedness.” He kept working full-time as a farrier, taking sociology, psychology and anthropology, and then the math and calculus prerequisites for engineering studies. “I knew I didn’t have a fresh mind so it might be harder for me than for someone else,” he says. He compensated by taking reduced course loads, summer courses, and putting in a lot of late nights. At the beginning, he says, it was “really rocky finding my feet.” He credits Concordia’s centres for Native Education and Mature Students (the latter now part of the School of Extended Learning’s Student Transition Centre) for helping him find his path.

Martin works for the Mohawk Bridge Consortium, which was awarded the first contract in the rehabilitation of the Mercier Bridge. The project involves the federal and provincial governments, along with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake.

Learning, he maintains, isn’t just about schooling; it goes on everywhere, all the time. “If you can memorize the names of the contestants on American Idol or learn somebody’s phone number, you can learn this other stuff. People always say, ‘Oh, I could never go back to school.’ That’s the kind of statement that just shuts everything down.”

Related links:
•   Concordia's Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering
•   Concordia's Centre for Native Education
•   Concordia's Centre for Mature Students

Originally published by The Concordia Journal.

Submitted to Canada's National Magazine Awards...

2012-01-22T13:53:00.001-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that two of my 2011 articles, both published in Montreal's online magazine of arts and culture, The Rover, have been submitted for consideration to Canada's National Magazine Awards. From their website:

"National Magazine Awards

The National Magazine Awards Foundation is abilingual, not-for-profit institution whose mission is to recognize and promoteexcellence in the content and creation of Canadian print and digitalpublications through an annual program of awards and national publicityefforts."

The articles are "Mordecai's Version? Not Quite," from January 2011, submitted in the Essays category,

and

"Not Your Bubby's Klezmer," a meditation on CanLit and a Klezmer concert, submitted under "humour," and published in The Rover's February 2011 issue.

This is The Rover's first time submitting to the NMA. My thanks to publisher Marianne Ackerman (no relation!) and her entire editorial team, who labour for the love of Montreal books, music, art, dance, theatre, and other endeavours.

The NMA Nominees--finalists, in other parlance--will be announced May 1, 2012.

Themes From The Meaning Of Children

2012-01-21T14:31:00.001-05:00

I've taken a hankering to those subject clouds that appear on some websites. While I haven't figured out how to do one here (yet!), I thought I could at least list all the issues that come up in my short stories.

Probably not complete, but it is a start...please let me know if you have any additions.

Abortion

Adoption

Antisemitism

Baking

Childhood

Coming-of-age

Daycare

Depression

Diabetes

DNA

Drowning

English-French Relations in Quebec

Fairy Tales

Fatherhood

Feminism

Foster kids

Harmonium http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG9EkGo5u7k

Homosexuality

Incest

Judaism

Kidnapping

Love

Madness

Marital Discord

Memory

Mental Illness

Montreal

Moon

Motherhood

Old Age

Parenting

Puppies

QuebecNationalism

Regret

Research

Science/Health

Suicide

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses (China)

Youth

Maybe that seems like a lot to get into about 225 pages, but I think it works.

RIP Stephanie Hoddinott: Sad Second Anniversary of Preventable Murder

2012-01-15T20:20:00.001-05:00

As part of an homage to those killed and injured last year in Tuscon, while Rep. Gabrielle Giffords lay in intensive care, I re-ran some of my previous gun control-related posts. This piece coincided with the tragic anniversary of the murder of Stephanie Hoddinott. This sad event occurred in Canada, a place with relatively stringent gun control, compared to the United States of gunhappy America.

Still, our laws are clearly not stringent enough, as her disturbed, estranged boyfriend was able to obtain a handgun for "target practice."

Unfortunately, the target was Stephanie. And how much practice is necessary to shoot someone point blank, anyway?

Here is an revamped version of my piece, which originally appeared in The Toronto Star:

It's been just over a year since another senseless handgun-related murder, the case of Stephanie Hoddinott, a 20-year-old woman. Stephanie had a 4.0 GPA in her veterinarian technician program, was smart, beautiful, and well-loved. On January 10th, 2010, she was murdered in her home by an ex-boyfriend who had legally purchased a handgun—supposedly for target-shooting. The crime has understandably devasted her mother, Brenda Passa: “Stephanie wasn’t just my daughter, she was my sister, and my best friend.”

The young man, Jake Ferrier, shot himself in the head almost immediately afterward, lingering several days on life support before succumbing to his self-inflicted injuries.

In a letter to Mr. Harper, Ms. Passa wonders why we permit so many guns in our society, since the vast majority of Canadians are no longer required to hunt for subsistence.

What she finds hardest to understand is why, in her province, an 18-year-old isn’t considered mature enough to legally buy a case of beer, but IS permitted to own a handgun.

It only takes one pull of the trigger to separate the law abiding citizen from the law breaking criminal, she says, pointing out that Canada's handgun restrictions haven't been updated since 1930.

Times have changed, she says: “Being 18 in 1930 is not like being 18 in 2010. Children live with their parents longer; they are younger emotionally and need time to develop before dangerous weapons” are made available.

She wants Canada's Prime Minister to change the age limits for gun ownership. And she wants target shooters to have their weapons confined to shooting ranges.

“I hope no one ever has to endure what I went through,” she says.
On January 10^th last year, Jake texted Stephanie repeatedly (he had texted her 40 times the day before). She didn’t respond, so he showed up at Passa's house. Stephanie's mom met him at the door to say her daughter wouldn’t see him.

He said, “Not even for two minutes?” and Ms. Passa told him, “No, not even for two minutes, Jake. I’m sorry, I can’t make her.” She shut the door.

“I liked him,” Ms. Passa says.

She feels nobody who knew him would have predicted what happened next, insisting there had been no warning signs.

But, she notes, he certainly must have lied on the Possession and Acquisition License (PAL), the form that's completed and (supposedly) assessed before a person is permitted to buy a gun.

Ms. Passa says the PAL asks several significant questions. “Guess what?” she says, “the murderer lied on his application.” Jake Ferrier’s parents were in the midst of a divorce, and he had also recently broken up with Stephanie, facts the form asked for but Jake declined to note. “People are lying on these forms,” she says.

Ms. Passa went to her daughter’s room—Stephanie was packing for Toronto where she’d just started working at U of T (the University issued a heartfelt lament of her passing).

Stephanie had plans for her life: she wanted to attend vet school, and her mother supported her ambitions every step of the way.

On that fateful day last January, her mother asked if Jake had made any threats, but Stephanie said the problem was only his incessant texting. The two women finally decided Ms. Passa would call the young man’s mother to discuss the situation. Ms. Passa decided she'd shower first.

And it was while she was in the shower that she heard two loud bangs.

By the time she threw on her pyjamas and ran to her daughter’s room, Stephanie lay face down on the bed and Ms. Passa’s boyfriend was speaking with 911.

She kept calling her daughter's name but there was no response. Turning the girl over revealed she’d been shot in the head. The 911 technician told Ms. Passa to start CPR. “I blew in her mouth--blood was coming out of her neck and the top of her head. My daughter died in my arms, to the sound of my screaming."

The 911 crew arrived to find her covered in her daughter’s blood.

Ms. Passa is clearly devastated. She has nightmares, she cries every day. She says she herself would legally be permitted to purchase a handgun immediately, asking, “Do you think I am in any state of mind to own a handgun?”

Ms. Passa intends to do everything in her power to toughen the gun laws. She is convinced keeping guns at shooting ranges would be workable and effective. “Fighting this is the only thing keeping my will to live, that's the only thing I have left now. Stephanie is not dying for nothing.”

Prime Minister Harper, Ms. Passa wants to know, can you help her?

A Facebook page set up by Stephanie’s cousin Tyler Hoddinott, “RIP Stephanie Hoddinott,” has over amassed nearly 4,000 members.

Dude, you are too sexy for your humidor...: the morning laugh, courtesy of Facebook

2011-12-28T09:54:00.010-05:00

Proud to bring you this morning's smile, courtesy of

From Wikipedia:

"As a moisturizer in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste, shampoo, mouth wash, hair care and tobacco products."

Dude, you are just too sexy for your humidor...

Blatch vs. Gopnik: Why The Walrus owes Christie Blatchford an apology

2011-12-27T13:17:00.023-05:00

I keep trying to get beyond my feminist programming. It makes me touchy and it surely is a hindrance to my getting ahead in the world. I do know all this but, try as I may, on paging through the front sections of the morning papers--old school print: The Globe & Mail, The Montreal Gazette, and La Presse--I can't help but notice how few of the articles feature women. And by 'feature,' I mean women as newsmakers, the central subject of the article.

As opposed to the usual silicone & stiletto eye candy.

Some days, particularly in The Globe, NONE of the A section articles feature women...my heart collapses just a little more each time.

But recently, it was The Walrus that got me.

Their crime was in their treatment of Christie Blatchford in the November 2011 back page, "Chalk It Up," in which they tore a (comic) strip off her for having criticized the late Jack Layton when his body was barely cold. Blatch's "Layton’s death turns into a thoroughly public spectacle," a National Post Full Comment article, was published on the day Layton died.

The NERVE of Blatchford to criticize Saint Jack! She took on the CBC for overplaying the story: "...even serious journalists like Evan Solomon of the CBC repeatedly spoke of the difficulty 'as we all try to cope' with the news of Mr. Layton’s death.

"By mid-day, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper had offered a few warm words about Mr. Layton’s death...Mr. Solomon even expressed sniping surprise that 'Jack Layton wasn’t the sole focus' of the Prime Minister’s remarks."

The NERVE of Blatch to take a swipe at the emperor's nakedness, as reflected in Jack's final communiqué:

"And what to make of that astonishing letter, widely hailed as Mr. Layton’s magnificent from-the-grave cri de coeur?

"It was extraordinary, though it is not Mr. Solomon’s repeated use of that word that makes it so.

"Rather, it’s remarkable because it shows what a canny, relentless, thoroughly ambitious fellow Mr. Layton was. Even on Saturday, two days before he died, he managed to keep a gimlet eye on all the campaigns to come."

For these crimes, Blatch was portrayed by Jason Sherman and David Parkins as a cross between a bat, a gargoyle, and Cruella Deville. And, for good measure, a "c-word," and an "ugly glasses-wearing soldier lover," in the eyes of Jack's NDP faithful.

Blatch goes on: "Who thinks to leave a 1,000-word missive meant for public consumption and released by his family and the party mid-day, happily just as Mr. Solomon and his fellows were in danger of running out of pap? Who seriously writes of himself, 'All my life I have worked to make things better'?

"The letter was first presented as Mr. Layton’s last message to Canadians, as something written by him on his deathbed; only later was it more fully described as having been 'crafted' with party president Brian Topp, Mr. Layton’s chief of staff Anne McGrath and his wife and fellow NDP MP Olivia Chow."

Frankly, I don't think Blatchford went far enough. I think Layton should have resigned when he first became ill. He didn't, maybe not so much because of his ego as because he knew what happens to a cult of personality when the personality in question exits stage left.

I also have a problem with his having died of a 'new' cancer that's remained nameless to avoid depressing cancer sufferers more (as if!).

But maybe that's just me...and I digress.

Contrast the treatment of Blatchford with the treatment of Adam Gopnik in the following month's issue, the positively fawning article by Daniel Baird "The Observer, Observed."

Okay, Adam's a big success, writes for The New Yorker, and just released a treatise on winter:

"At fifty-five, Gopnik stands at the peak of his career. He has written six books to date (two of them for children), including the acclaimed Paris to the Moon and Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life, as well as countless articles of varying length for The New Yorker. This fall, he is publishing two new books, The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food and Winter, which he is delivering across Canada this fall as the 2011 CBC Massey Lectures."

Listen, I'm as admiring of Gopnik as the next person, but he moved away from Canada 30 years ago for NYC. And Paris.

And he's prancing across Canada lecturing CANADIANS about...WINTER??!

SERIOUSLY?

And that photograph of Gopnik by Jody Rogac--what were they thinking? He looks like Snoopy impersonating a vulture.

Baird's final paragraph is, albeit possibly unintentionally, hilarious:

"...[Gopnik's] son Luke appeared, a lithe and handsome seventeen-year-old with thick brown hair. He went to the kitchen and came back with a dog treat, as Butterscotch [the little dog that now obsesses Gopnik after a lifetime of refusing to have dogs] practically spun in circles on her hind legs. Then he began slowly waving the treat over the stack of unsold copies of Through the Children’s Gate, and soon Butterscotch followed, leaping with her stubby legs fully extended, with surprising grace, over the wall of books, back and forth, back and forth. Gopnik looked on, rapt, amazed, and absolutely beaming."

All I can say is, where is Mordecai Richler when you need him?

This is most of what Baird has to say about Winter: "..a diffuse and eclectic book, straining at times to sustain its theme with no chance to fall back on the quirky, heartwarming personal narratives that propel Paris to the Moon and Through the Children’s Gate. But in the end, Winter is also deeply personal: it is about finding a sense of home and rootedness and meaning in a fragmented postmodern world; it begins with and ultimately returns to the city of his formative teen years and early adulthood, Montreal. 'Practically everything important that has happened to me happened in Montreal,' he said: 'The first time I fell in love, the first time I fell out of love, the first time I made love.'"

Frankly, The Walrus owes Blatchford an apology. I think Blatchford is amazing, not least because she actually stayed in Canada, not to mention travelling halfway round the world, to bring us Canadian stories. And, for the record, as a kneejerk leftie, there are many of her positions I disagree with.

I know, I know: "Chalk It Up" is supposed to be satire. Still, Blatch is a writer of stature in this country, a writer of gender, a feminist writer. She deserved better than to have her appearance slagged and to be called a 'c-word' in what passes in Canada for The New Yorker.

Maybe Gopnik's next book will be a series of lectures about the essential Montreal.

As a Montrealer, let me tell you how much I'm looking forward to that.

A Writer's Gratitude, part 2: TMOC makes ANOTHER Top 10 List

2011-12-22T21:21:00.018-05:00

You may recall that The Meaning Of Children made the CBC - Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice Contest Top 10 List.

Well, today I received more great news:

#TheMeaningOfChildren made Chad Pelley's Top 10 Canadian Books of 2011 Short Fiction

#CanadianAffair j.mp/u8csng

Here's an excerpt from today's Salty Ink blog:

Posted in: Canadian Affair 2011

"Hey! Read more short fiction. Novels are like a nice intimate chat over a pint, but shorts are like a wild, unexpected night out. You want more of those, right? Really, ask any writer: from a writing standpoint, shorts are more fun to write. From a reading standpoint, they’re more potent because they’re all punch and no filler.

I hereby declare, with absolute authority, while knowing I’ll inevitably forget at least one or two collections, that these titles are the official top 10 books of short fiction by Canadians this year. If you can read and not like books like And Also Sharks, The Beggar’s Garden, Once You Break a Knuckle, or Up Up Up, then you have poor taste in modern literature. Sorry. But you do. I can’t even offer you any condolences, as it must, simply, be unfortunate to be so afflicted. And those wild Vancouverites Zsuzsi Gartner and at Matthew J. Trafford, talk about breaking down some walls with short fiction. All 10 of these (11 if you’re counting) made me want to be a better writer..."

Chad Pelley

Congratulations also to the following book/author/publisher combos:

And Also Sharks by Jessica Westhead (Cormorant)

The Beggar’s Garden by Michael Christie (HarperCollins)

Better Living Through Plastic Explosives by Zsuzsi Gartner (Hamish Hamilton)

The Big Dream by Rebecca Rosenblum (Biblioasis)

The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford (Douglas & McIntyre)

The Meagre Tarmac by Clark Blaise (Biblioasis)Moonlight Sketches by Gerard Collins (Killick Press)

Once You Break a Knuckle by DW Wilson (Hamish Hamilton)

The Reverse Cowgirl by David Whitton (Freehand)

Up Up Up by Julie Booker (Anansi).

My most popular recent tweet: PM Harper's eye exam

2011-12-21T10:41:00.002-05:00

Follow @Beverly_Akerman

The Hardboiled Stress Of Being Santa

2011-12-20T14:31:00.010-05:00

Encore Presentation, and just in time for Hanukah!

What's the connection between dirty letters written by Santa, cash payments to former Prime Minister Mulroney, the Guess Who reunion tour, randy goats, sustainable development and Gilbert Gottfried? Join intrepid tabloid reporter Renta Yenta as she narrates my funny Christmas Valentine for Canadians...originally published on Joyland.ca.

Hope you enjoy & season's greetings!

------------------------------

Abridged Timeline:

1. CBC News, The Fifth Estate: November 8th 2007: German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber files affidavit alleging he negotiated a $300,000 lobbying deal with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at the prime minister's Harrington Lake retreat two days before Mulroney stepped down as prime minister in 1993.

2. Canadian Press, December 14, 2007: Canada Post investigators and Ottawa police narrow the field of suspects behind letters from Santa containing curse words and descriptions of lewd acts.

3. MSN News, September 16, 2009: Questions of credibility and wrong-doing continue to dog Mulroney. His relationship with Schreiber becomes the focus of further concern as the businessman makes public documents showing where and when Mulroney took cash payments for lobbying government. The allegations result in a commission called by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, headed by Justice Jeffrey Oliphant. Earlier this year, Schreiber is extradited to Germany to face charges of bribery, tax evasion and fraud.

It's the story that refuses to die, and so, yours truly, intrepid tabloid reporter and all-round diva Renta Yenta, has decided to come clean, to cough up the ganze megilla—that is, to fill you in on the whole pungent, sordid tale…

WARNING: rated X for explicit content (rutting goats, sweaty reindeer, Santa Claus, Brian Mulroney, Karlheinz Schreiber, political corruption)...

------------------------------

Perhaps it was inevitable, given the pressure on him and all, but still, I was shocked when, just days before Christmas of 2007, the world was confronted with Santa's strange behaviour—writing letters to kids filled with swearing and descriptions of lewd and lascivious acts…After I roused myself from my daydream, I realized this wasn't the Santa Claus the world knew and loved.

I smelled a rat.

And so, partly to cope with my own devastation (some of my best friends are Christian, see?), I decided to apply my particular perspicacity and get to the bottom of it. After all, I know a good story when it bites me on the ass. And sometimes a newsgal's just gotta make a living.

No matter who gets hurt.

Soon as I pulled myself together, I jumped on the blower. And before you could say “Merry Christmas,” bingo! I discovered good ol' Santa was on a publication-banned court-ordered stress leave that stretched from the middle of December to 5 p.m. Christmas Eve. All provided, of course, courtesy of the Canadian taxpayer.

I couldn't reach Santa himself but after much tsuris(1) and tuml(2), managed to make contact with his arctic NGO, AGI(3). I knew they'd be running spin big time on this baby and that odds were good they'd be looking to play me…but then I thought, what the hell, couldn't hoit.

What follows is a worldwide exclusive, a transcript of the conversation I had with Santa's personal representative and communications consultant, PR person Caspar Flack, his psychiatrist, Dr. Mel Chior, and his accountant-cum-aroma therapist, Balt Chazzer(4).

Dateline Montreal, December 20th 2007:

“First off,” Flack said, “you gotta promise never to refer to this here situation with Santa Claus as a nervous breakdown, okay? And, uh, we're still off the record, right?”

“Not a snowball's chance,” I said, scribbling gleefully.

“My God, what a fucking nightmare!” he shrieked. I heard a repeated smacking sound, suspiciously suggestive of someone banging the telephone receiver against his forehead, which was followed immediately by the click of a disengaged line.

Now Dr. Chior, the psychiatrist, jumped right in. “Ms. Yenta, you'll have to forgive our Mr. Flack. He's monitored over fifty thousand reports from around the world in the six days since the news of the rude letters broke. He's exhausted, I'm afraid, hasn't slept a wink. But you're the first journalist to have uncovered Mr. Claus's court-ordered rest period, so before we go any further may I just say some hearty congratulations are in order?”

“Thanks very much,” I said. (Don't think yours truly can't tell when she's being buttered up!) “But can you tell me what exactly precipitated this extremely unSanta-like episode?”

“Well, any number of things, I suppose. But I guess it all starts with the information revolution.”

“Really,” I said, thinking WTF(5) doesn't? I figured he was looking to brush me off, to tempt me with some wild goose chase. (Little did I realize just how wrong was my choice of livestock…)

“Think about it this way. Before Al Gore invented the Internet, most of the world's people had never even heard of Mr. Claus. So he served maybe one, one-and-a-half billion people. But now, what with broadband, everyone on the mother-lovin' planet knows of him, and demand for his services has skyrocketed. Unfortunately, his funding hasn't nearly kept pace.”

“Not nearly,” Chazzer chimed in.

“Uh-hunh,” I said, still scribbling like mad.

“I mean, we've been writing Can Con grants till our hands cramp—let's face it, Mr. Claus is a performance artist of mythic proportions--but with this tight-fisted Conservative regime, he might as well be pissing into the wind. If you'll excuse my French.” Mel Chior cleared his throat. (I was getting the distinct impression this guy was in love with the sound of his own voice.) “Since Google and Wikipedia came on the scene, Mr. Claus has been forced to do much, much, more--and all of it without one thin dime of increased support.

“Burnout was only a matter of time.”

“But why now, exactly?” I persisted.

“I blame the Boomers myself,” Chazzer, the accountant and aroma therapist, chipped in, “and their inflated sense of entitlement.”

That sounded pretty promising (editors love stories that appeal to a broad demographic, and if you've seen a Baby Boomer's hips lately, you'll know they're about the broadest demographic going!). I encouraged Chior to keep talking.

“Well, they can be so demanding. It's as though they never outgrew their infatuation with Mr. Claus. Children in earlier generations, they cease and desist after the age of ten or so, but these Boomers…well, they're in their sixties now and they still haven't stopped with their endless requests. Lower taxes, free health care, Viagra in the drinking water, a Guess Who reunion tour…it just never ends. And when Mr. Claus realized there could be another thirty years of this…” His voice trailed off.

“But why an aroma therapist? Mr. Chazzer?”

“To cope with the unexpected side effects of the push toward sustainable development,” Chazzer said.

“Huh?” I said (again thinking like, WTF???).

“You know, all those websites where you can give mosquito nets, chickens, or a goat on behalf of a loved one to a family in the third world."

“So well-intentioned but--my goodness—the consequences. Heartrending, really,” Mel Chior added.

Flack had finally made it back on the line, and now he pitched in, too: “This year, Santa had twelve thousand goats on order. Twelve frickin' thousand! Imagine what we were faced with, trying to keep them all under control up here at the North Pole. I tell you, the shit was flying! It was like being held at gunpoint during Question Period--with Gilbert Gottfried filling in for Rhona Ambrose! And you know that expression, ‘randy as a billygoat?' Well, it's true! The butting and rutting going on up here--it was just like being on Parliament Hill--or at the Assemblée nationale! The poor elves were beside themselves.

“Not to mention,” Flack added darkly, “what happens to the bleedin' reindeer when they start making all those tropical deliveries.”

My spidey sense kicked into overdrive. “Why, what does happen to reindeer when they make all those tropical deliveries?”

“Well, they're cold-weather animals, innit? In the tropics, they'd be sweating incredible-like, wouldn't they?” Flack said. “And do you think anyone ever bothered to give just the teensiest, tiniest THOUGHT to what nine sweaty, overworked reindeer SMELL LIKE?! No, of course not! None of those green revolution types ever consider the consequences of their little gift-giving fads on poor old overworked Saint Nick!”

“And that's where the aroma therapy comes in,” Chazzer added.

They kept on tryin' but I wasn't buyin'. “I hear what you're saying, but to tell you the truth guys, while all this sounds like a bit of a pain, it hardly explains why Santa's gone off the deep end. Writing pornographic letters to children? Is this Santa's workshop we're talking about or the Christian Brothers? Why now? And why Ottawa, of all places?” (Your intrepid reporter may be a Yenta, but I wasn't born yesterday!)

Silence.

“Flack,” said the psychiatrist finally, “it's not working.”

“Don't do it Mel Chior,” Flack shouted, “For God's sake, man, don't! We've got to stick to the communications strat--” He was cut off mid-kvetch.

“I can see we're just going to have to level with you, Ms. Yenta,” Mel Chior said, and his voice dropped a mellifluous octave. “It's about the Conservative caucus. And Brian Mulroney's grandchildren.”

“What?” I said, in consternation. “Mulroney's grandkids? What do they have to do with anything?” (That the Conservatives were mixed up in this was a yawner but I knew this new youth angle would make my editor pish(6) himself.)

“For the past month, Mr. Mulroney's grandchildren have been sending letters daily, asking Mr. Claus—begging him—”

“Imploring him,” Chazzer interrupted.

“--to restore their grandfather's reputation. Ditto for the government caucus.”

I chewed on that for a sec. “That'd be a tough one,” I said. “I mean, he IS Santa Claus 'n all, he does some amazing things, but a miracle-worker he's not. Those poor kids.” (I'll never have it in me to feel sorry for the Cons(7).)

“You still don't get it, do you?” the aroma therapist interjected. “Karlheinz Schreiber has grandchildren. And a great-grandchild, too. Don't tell me you've forgotten what Santa's main responsibility is?”

“His raison d'être, as it were,” said Mel Chior.

Being of the Chosen persuasion, I puzzled this for a few ticks—was this some kind of goyische(8) trick? “Bringing presents?” I finally offered.

“No!”

“No!”

“No!” (Flack was back again and now all three of them were at me.)

“Jews!” scoffed the aroma therapist.

“OH. MY. GOD,” Flack roared. “Chazzer, will you just go somewhere and stifle your damn self?” (There was a strangled sound and for a moment there I thought I heard him doing that thing with the receiver again.)

“Santa's most important job is to figure out who's been naughty!” Chazzer exclaimed.

“I tell you, the stress on Mr. Claus has been unimaginable,” the psychiatrist continued.
“Downright intolerable! And then, seeing all those Ottawa postmarks…Mr. Claus just… blew a gasket, as we say in the trade. He's not been trained to deal with anything even remotely like this. As the DSM-IV would describe it, he's gone completely round the bend.”

“That's terrible,” I said. “That really stinks!” (You should pardon the expression.)

“Indeed,” the psychiatrist said. “Unfortunately, no matter what Mr. Claus does, I expect Mr. Mulroney's grandkids--not to mention the Conservative party--are just going to have to suck this one up.”

“Isn't there anything you can do?”

“I doubt it,” said the accountant-slash-aroma therapist. “We've wracked our brains and come up with nothing. Nada, zip, zero, zilch! And we can't even get any high-priced advice. The big boys at Navigator(9) won't even take our calls. And The Strategic Counsel(10)? They won't touch us with a 10-foot pole.”

By now, Flack was audible sobbing in the background.

“Too tragic,” said the psychiatrist. “No, nothing more to be done, I'm afraid.

“This is one of those things, I fear. Mr. Mulroney's just going to have to take this one on the chin.”

------------
Footnotes:

1. Aggravating trouble
2. Confusion
3. AntiGrinch International
4. Pig
5. What the fuck
6. Piss
7. http://www.guncontrol.ca/English/Home/News/Clinov2.hilltimes.pdf; http://www.nwlc-clfn.ca/story_17091_e.aspx; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/new-rules-a-big-big-hit-to-cana... and so on…
8. Gentile
9. Canada's Arnold Schwarzenegger of the communications industry.
10. Canada's Dwayne Johnson of the polling industry.

Review of ‘Arrhythmia’ by Alice Zorn

2011-12-20T11:54:00.005-05:00

Posted December 20, 2011 at The Winnipeg Review.

Reviewed by Beverly Akerman

Though set a mere decade ago, on the cusp of the new millennium, Arrhythmia is an impressively old-fashioned novel based on the ancient and captivating geometry of the triangle.

The love triangle, that is.

Perhaps only a science nerd gone literary would find it peculiar that a book about a gastroenterology department secretary would employ, as its central motif, a dysfunction of the heart. But that’s just one of the mysteries of Alice Zorn’s second book and first novel, which follows on the heels of her 2009 debut story collection, Ruins and Relics.

Zorn, who hails from Ontario but has lived in Montreal for years, has written an English book about multiple overlapping relationship triads in French Montreal.

Her main character is Joelle, a blond ditherer of exceptionally mousy temperament. Joelle is married to Marc, whose meticulous nurse’s heartbeat is probably set via OCD. As the novel opens, in the winter of 1999, Marc is about to cheat on Joelle, his wife of 12 years (no kids), with Ketia (I am not revealing any more than the back cover blurb does).

Ketia is a nubile young nurse-in-training from a Haitian diaspora family.

Meanwhile Diane, Joelle’s somewhat bossy BFF, happily plays house with her Moroccan lover Nazim. The third side of their triangle is Nazim’s family. Zorn takes pains to explain the far-away family’s point of view, but we’re still left with the politically incorrect truth that, in their universe, by living with Nazim sans marriage, Diane would be considered a whore. So he simply neglects to mention her. This omission loses its lustre when Nazim’s sister Ghada announces she’s coming to Montreal to procure a bride for him.

Despite its brace of female protagonists, virtually the entire plot of Arrhythmia is put in motion by the male characters. Marc, the older man who should know better, pursues Ketia with a single-minded lust that would turn the head of the most chaste of romance heroines. Diane’s life is plunged into chaos by Nazim’s decision to keep their relationship from his family. And Joelle, despite noting that she and Marc no longer engage in marital relations, apparently hasn’t a clue that whatever love Marc felt for her has flat-lined. His feelings for Joelle (we are informed) oscillate between irritation and disgust.

These women are reacting, not acting. Things are done to them, done despite them. They are no more the stars of their own life stories than are Austen’s governesses. More...

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Shame, Mr. Harper: Conservative Party Bullying of Irwin Cotler

2011-12-19T12:43:00.006-05:00

(As seen in The Montreal Gazette Dec. 8th and 9th, 2011)

Dear Editor

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is my picture of your Dec. 8th editorial page, “The Conservative Party’s dirty tricks against Irwin Cotler” just above almost a half-page of letters on “What to do about bullying in schools.” The lies and intimidation shown toward the people of Mount Royal riding is surely an adult example of bullying run amok. Aren’t there already laws against that? Shame, Mr. Prime Minister: when will you speak out against such dishonest and unstatesmanlike behaviours practiced in your name? You have allowed party zealots to dishonour our political process. Again.

Sincerely,

Beverly Akerman MSc

Happy Hanukah!

2011-12-19T11:38:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year, again.

Made the first latkas (number one son took them to a party last night--they were devoured!)

Hope you all enjoy the holidays...here's a little number to put you in the mood.

Beverly Akerman Wows Quebec City Bibliophiles

2011-12-15T13:17:00.009-05:00

By LifeInQuebec.com on December 12, 2011

This was first published on www.anglostore.com.

On Wednesday 7th December, 2011, author Beverly Akerman (a Montreal anglophone) visited AngloStore to read her from book “The Meaning of Children’, meet the audience and sign copies of her work.

An appreciative crowd of 30 or so gathered in the Quebec City English bookstore at Place Naviles to hear Beverly read ‘Paternity’, one of the fourteen short stories contained in her first book.

In this particular short story, we see the drama unfold as a father deals with whether or not to go for a paternity test following his wife’s affair.

Is the child his? Does he go through with it? Does his love for his wife and (possible) child override his initial feelings?

Having read for 20 minutes, Beverly was kind enough to answer many questions, some of them quite searching, due to the content of the book. Not once did she shy away from any question posed, answering each one honestly and thoughtfully.

In places, ‘The Meaning of Children’ appears quite dark. This is what makes it eminently readable and leaves you thinking about the topic of each short story.

Beverly, a 50-something mother of three, research scientist and Canadian award winning writer, is currently writing a novel.

Please come back once it’s published and read that one for us too.

The Meaning of Children is published by Exile Editions, is priced at $19.95 and is available from AngloStore, Quebec City.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Beverly Akerman signing another book during her recent visit to AngloStore, Quebec City

Beverly with AngloStore owner, Andrew Greenfield

Another ‘Meaning of Children’ fan with the author, Beverly Akerman.
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Useful Links:

The Meaning of Children

Beverly Akerman’s Blog
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
AngloStore
Place Naviles
3400-SS2, chemin des Quatre-Bourgeois
Québec (Québec) G1W 2L3
Tel: (418) 204-4325
Email AngloStore

Logic in harmony with passion

2011-12-14T17:22:00.003-05:00

Concordia professor Fred Szabo takes the Socratic Q&A approach to math instruction

Anyone who listens to Fred Szabo, a full professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, talk about teaching, quickly realizes that he embodies the adage: do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

For Szabo, teaching is not a job, but a vocation. His dedication has resulted in him receiving a number of teaching awards, including a recent President's Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching.

Fred Szabo | Photo by Concordia University

For Szabo, the challenge has been to create “teaching vehicles that reach individuals in a group setting.” He has been working at Concordia for 46 years but, far from feeling burned out or jaded, he says his mind is clearer than it has ever been.

“I feel more excited and more committed,” he says. “My long-term plans are evolving faster than I can cope with, and I’m really having the time of my life.”

Szabo is particularly inspired by newer technologies that take math instruction out of the classroom and into the real world. Szabo has so far created three online mathematics courses that are available through eConcordia: linear algebra, business math, and business calculus.

His goal for the next five to 10 years is to significantly contribute to global education, especially to making the instruction of mathematics more available in Latin America. A Mexican university will be the first to offer one of his online courses on a trial basis. He hopes to expand access to the online offerings so that they can reach people anywhere, anytime. It would make the online courses more like the one-on-one tutorials he experienced as an Oxonian undergrad.

Szabo is similarly enthusiastic about convincing the university to obtain a site license for the Mathematica software and install on 100 laptops available at the university’s library. The easy-to-learn software has a myriad of applications for design, education, biotechnology, engineering, science and technology uses, and students no longer have to be tethered to a math lab.

These days Szabo teaches linear algebra, an introduction to math course offered through online technology, and a math course for non-math students that he proudly relates is “fully subscribed every year.”

He strives to make learning mathematics “accessible, relevant, and fun,” and says some of his students are stunned when he canvasses them to discover what it is they’d like to learn. “To get them to be self-motivated, though, you have to teach them what interests them,” he says.

Szabo believes in the Socratic method of asking and answering good questions to stimulate critical thinking. Students work on projects they find intriguing. Recent projects included the calculations involved in Ponzi schemes, finding out how a radio works, the mathematics of music, and investigating search engines.

Szabo obtained his undergraduate degree at Oxford University in a course of study called the Modern Greats — “replacing the Classic Greats of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew,” he says. Much of the teaching was done one on one, with tutors. Szabo discovered his calling after one of his tutors involved him in writing about the papers of Ludwig Wittgenstein, a philosopher who dealt with the foundations of mathematics and logic.

Szabo came to Montreal to pursue logic and its applications at the graduate level, obtaining his PhD at McGill University. He’s been teaching at Concordia for 46 years.

“I love and respect my students,” he says. “Most students are smarter than they have to be to succeed at university.”

Szabo has always been a passionate tennis player and might take up his beloved violin again, after a holiday in Mittenwald, Germany – a place renowned for its violin makers – but he has no plans to retire.

“This is a great time to be alive and teaching,” he says. “You’re still at the point where you can be a pioneer, so it’s really exciting.”

Related links:
• Szabo discusses Mathematica’s application in many courses of study at Concordia
• eConcordia
• Mathematica
• Ludwig Wittgenstein

Originally published Dec. 14th at Concordia NOW.

Teaching is his week's highlight

2011-12-10T10:43:00.002-05:00

Martin Pugh is busy, athletic, generous and an excellent teacher of engineering materials

They say if you want to get something done, ask a busy person. That person is Martin Pugh.

Pugh plays squash, cycles to the Sir George Williams Campus from his West Island home (“except in winter”), and keeps track of three dogs, two cats, two kids, more than 1,000 undergraduates, and several hundred graduate students.

The professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is busy, sporty and a good sport. He recently kept his promise to shave his head if the Concordia chapter of Women in Engineering raised $1,000 to support research into cancers affecting women.

Martin Pugh is in his sixth year as chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. | Photo by Concordia University

Pugh was appointed a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) earlier this year. He’s also an award-winning teacher, being the 2011 recipient of the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty in Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS). Pugh additionally won the CSME (Concordia student chapter) 2007 Teaching Award, and the Faculty of ENCS Teaching Excellence Award in 2005.

The key to successful teaching “is to be enthusiastic about your subject,” he says. “I like my subject and I like to transmit that to my students.”

If enthusiasm is what it takes, Pugh has it in abundance. His subject is engineering materials “that make up everything around us – iPads, kitchen knives, cars.” He is an expert on the properties, processes and failure of engineering materials, including ceramics, plastics, composites, as well as joining processes such as soldering and welding.

Though an Engineering professor, Pugh isn’t married to high-tech classroom toys, preferring to “pick and choose what works well.” He still uses the blackboard, but also employs Power Point and a tablet PC to annotate and draw while diagrams and tables remain on screen.

He likes to bring to class “failed parts and bits, like the gas-turbine blades out of jet engines, to discuss how and why they’re broken.” It drives home the lesson to students that failure may be due to abuse, poor design, or improper manufacture. “They’ll be better engineers if they know how and why things break,” he says.

Pugh is as interested in a classroom discussion about how to pick a good squash racquet as he is talking about a robotic space arm.

He did his Bachelor of Science and doctoral work at the University of Leeds, and a post-doctorate degree at McGill University. He arrived at Concordia in December 1998, following a stint as a lecturer at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. In his sixth year as department chair, Pugh also served for four years as undergraduate program director.

“No time off for good behaviour,” he quips. “Teaching is the highlight of my week.”

Originally posted at Concordia NOW on November 30, 2011.

Related links:
• “Pugh Shaves to Save” – November 15, 2011
• Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Women in Engineering Concordia

Fate of Royal Vale School has communities squabbling

2011-12-09T07:21:00.007-05:00

Screen image from a video of a Nov. 23 march against a proposed move of Royal Vale's high school from NDG to Côte Saint-Luc. (http://youtu.be/sZxqzjYbNaQ)

Reported on

December 5, 2011

Against a backdrop of declining English Montreal School Board enrolment, attempts to re-establish a public high school in Côte Saint-Luc are getting ugly.

A resolution to transfer the high school component of Royal Vale School to the former Wagar High School building, renamed the Giovanni Palatucci Educational Centre, was proposed in April 2011, to be voted on early in 2012. Wagar, Côte Saint-Luc’s last public secondary school, was closed in 2005 due to low enrolment.

But Côte Saint-Luc Mayor Anthony Housefather said his is the third largest city on Montreal island, with thousands of kids eligible for English schooling but no public high school. He points out that Côte Saint-Luc citizens pay school taxes and have been lobbying the English Montreal School Board for a new school for years. “I believe we have the right to a mainstream public high school in our community,” Housefather said.

The Palatucci facility is near Côte Saint-Luc’s new $18 million Aquatic and Community Centre, in an area featuring arenas, a gymnasium, and an auxiliary branch of the renowned civic library. It’s ideal for student activities, according to Housefather, who’s even pledging to resurface the school’s six tennis courts to sweeten the deal.

But Royal Vale parents and students are massively against a move says Karen J’bari, a Royal Vale School governing board member for about seven years. Her son graduated from the high school in 2010.

J’bari says her board voted unanimously against the proposed move because 88 per cent of parents and 75 per cent of students reject it. The parents’ survey had a 37.5 per cent response rate, which she calls “good for industry standards.”

She also says Royal Vale principal Chantal Martin has worked hard the past few years to improve the cohesiveness of the school’s kindergarten to Grade 11 program. “It blows my mind that they are thinking of splitting the school,” J’bari said.

In addition to rending the Royal Vale School social fabric, J’bari calls the school board’s proposal fiscally irresponsible, and lacking in costing or market analysis. Last spring’s attempt to gauge demand for a new Côte Saint-Luc public high school garnered interest from only 45 families, she points out.

Housefather is convinced that, to paraphrase W.P. Kinsella, if you transfer it, they will come. Local school commissioner Syd Wise concurs. He says the English Montreal School Board must meet the challenge from private schools in the area. The best way to do that is “to present parents with an enriched program like Royal Vale’s.” Wise says a school board consultation showed Côte Saint-Luc parents are looking for a more challenging curriculum than a regular high school provides.

Housefather agrees that the high school at Royal Vale “is just what parents in Côte Saint-Luc want.” He lists the fact the school accepts students regardless of where they live, has French immersion, and math and science programs.

J’bari insists that “there’s no proof a new high school would attract families” from the private schools.

On Nov. 7, Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame de Grace borough council voted unanimously against the school board’s proposed move of Royal Vale high school. Public discussion subsequently took a turn for the worse after borough Mayor Michael Applebaum, was quoted saying, “I can tell you that we wield a big stick. … If [the move] happens, there will be consequences.”

School board chair Angela Mancini demanded an apology, calling Applebaum’s remarks “inflammatory, offensive and threatening.”

The school board’s commissioners are to hold public consultations on more than 10 major school change resolutions Dec. 5 to 8; the Royal Vale School discussion is scheduled for Dec. 6. Resolutions will be voted on Jan. 11. All meetings will take place at the English Montreal School Board’s Administration building, at 6000 Fielding Ave., at 6 p.m.

Beverly Akerman was involved in a parent movement to prevent the EMSB relocating Royal Vale School to Wagar in 2005. She is the author of The Meaning Of Children

Originally posted at OpenFileMTL.

Sowing a farm in the city

2011-12-02T07:49:00.005-05:00

Greenhouse becomes a hotbed of urban agriculture

The greenhouse on top of Concordia’s Henry F. Hall Building boasts an eagle’s eye view of the city, but it’s no ivory tower.

Increasingly, the greenhouse is a hub of community building and a hotbed of urban agriculture. Last week’s City Farm School was the latest manifestation of this growing role.

Over the past couple of years, the greenhouse has become increasingly active in community outreach, creating workshops and supporting the burgeoning curiosity about the cultivation, processing and distribution of food in and around the city. But an overwhelming number of volunteer applications — there are over 500 names on the listserv — has made volunteer training an issue in itself.

The week-long City Farm School (April 26-30) was designed to help manage and respond to the needs of this abundance of human resources. Mornings featured theory-based lectures — delivered simultaneously in French and English sessions. Afternoons were for activities such as building vermicompost bins and guerrilla gardening walks discussing “how to use space that isn’t technically yours” for growing. The 40 graduates of the City Farm School were then assigned internships with some 15 diverse community groups, including Westmount High School and St. James the Apostle Church, all clamouring for assistance in organizing new agricultural projects.

Volunteers learn how to set up their own worm compost systems with instruction from Noémie Messier (crouching in red dress below) responsible for vermicomposting in the greenhouse. | Photo Concordia University

Marcus Lobb has been Education Coordinator at the greenhouse for 10 months now. He explains that the greenhouse community is also creating new projects of its own on the Loyola Campus, building on the success of The People’s Potato (the vegan soup kitchen) garden: tea and herb gardens, another small garden plot, and outdoor mushroom growing.

A student in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Lobb says he, like many young people, combined his interest in travel and organic farming by travelling through WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Participants learn about organic growing and other sustainable living practices, and experience a unique cultural exchange. “They find opportunities on five- to 10-acre family run farms, where they work, learn and share their knowledge.”

Back in the city, many WWOOFers make their way to Concordia’s greenhouse through programs like the Sustainable Food Festival, held in September 2010 and built around the university’s role in the sustainability movement, ensuring food sources remain diverse and productive over the long term.

Kim Fox, the administrator who handles the logistics and organization of greenhouse events, says, “People want to learn how to garden again. They want to learn how to cook, how to grow their own food, and to understand the politics around food. Why not have gardens in the city?” Over 1,000 people came through the festival’s food fair, held on the Hall Building terrace. The point was to raise awareness of food: “where it comes from, and connecting people with local farmers and food issues.” Interest is growing, she says, adding, “the more people find out, the more they wish to reclaim food,” to produce it themselves rather than having it brought to them over great distances.

Fox, finishing up her BA in political science, is “really inspired by helping people understand what is in our food supply and how it is produced. I want them to understand the burdens of monoculture and agribusiness.” With its diverse programming — speakers, food festivals and now the farm school, the greenhouse is well on its way to filling this growing community need.

[Originally published May 2, 2011 in Concordia NOW.]

Related links:
• City Farm School
• WWOOF
• Concordia greenhouse

Forty years and $1.5 million later, McGill Book Fair bites the dust

2011-11-25T13:56:00.006-05:00

Book Fair coordinator Victoria Lees unloads boxes at Redpath Hall. Photo: Owain Harris

The volunteer-run sale of books, CDs and DVDs, which has raised over $1.5 million in endowment funds for student scholarships and bursaries, just doesn’t have enough volunteers to keep going.

The Book Fair committee took a vote on the question of whether or not they could continue on Sept. 13th.

“It was a sad decision but it was a unanimous one,” said Victoria Lees, a Book Fair volunteer for the past eight years, and coordinator for the last four.

Many tears were shed said Lees, a former Secretary-General of McGill, but in the end, it all came down to the fact that “younger people aren’t that interested in volunteering.”

The Book Fair committee is composed of 23 women and one man. Most are retired McGill employees, with many in their mid-seventies and some in their mid-eighties.

Another 150 or so volunteers are recruited for the three-day sale itself, to be held this year from Oct. 18 - 20. The best recruits are the friends of other volunteers, Lees said, but at this point their network has been exhausted.

Books, CDs, DVDs and albums, new and used, are donated and collected at depots around Montreal. The committee starts work each year in February, receiving and sorting through thousands of donations. Last year’s sale raised $85,000.

Lees says many of the books that come her way are from people who are closing up their parents’ apartments or homes. The work can involve the unpacking of “often filthy" boxes.

“For every 50 to 55 thousand books we put on sale each year, we must process about 10 times that number," Lees said. "There’s a tremendous amount of sorting and moving of heavy boxes. Redpath Hall is a great location but there are lots of stairs involved.”

The promise of a rare find has attracted amateur collectors and book dealers come from Ontario, New England, and throughout Quebec over the years.

Occasionally, there are incredible finds. One year, Lees recounted, two first-edition James Bond novels in mint condition were uncovered—hard covers with their dust jackets. They fetched $11,400. There’s a lesson in that, Lees said.

“Never throw away a dust jacket. Ninety percent of the value of a book from the 20th century is in the dust jacket.”

Another year, Lees came across a first edition of Samuel Johnson’s "Dictionary of the English Language." It went to the Rare Books Collection at McGill for $1,800, a sum Lees calls “a real bargain. That’s the sort of thing that makes me saddest about all this. What will happen to all these books? That’s the thing that breaks my heart.”

Besides volunteers, about 20 students are hired to work as cashiers or security agents for the Book Fair. Jonathan Haines has been the hiring manager for the past three years; for two years before that, while a McGill linguistics student himself, he was one of the student hires.

Haines said he’s sad about the Book Fair’s demise, “as are a lot of the students I’ve mentioned it to. It’s a loss not just for McGill but for Montreal, and also for the regional community.”

Customers are from all walks of life, though they are mostly students, according to Haines. Books are available in English, French, and foreign languages.

Parents would bring their children and spend hours together at the Book Fair. “It’s an opportunity not just to buy books but a way of being around books that’s completely different,” Haines said.

McGill University administration officials did not respond to OpenFile's request for comment, but Haines said he’s “been hearing a lot of people talk about what can be done.

“People are thinking about this. It’s not a totally lost cause.”

Beverly Akerman is author of the story collection, "The Meaning Of Children."

Originally reported on October 18, 2011 at OpenFileMTL.

The final McGill Book Fair took place:

Tuesday, October 18, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Wednesday, October 19, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday, October 20, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Location: Redpath Hall (east side of McTavish Street, one block north of Sherbrooke)
3461 McTavish (McTavish Gates)
Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6

Keeping Students Engaged is Key

2011-11-24T20:32:00.006-05:00

i>clickerFollow @Beverly_Akerman

Engineering lecturer and first-year program coordinator Nancy Acemian

If students find Nancy Acemian sometimes feels like a big sister, it is probably because she’s been a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Island for almost three years now.

She finds mentoring preteen girls very gratifying. “I’m a role model they can come to about issues in their lives.” She uses her love of painting and crafts — knitting, crocheting, jewellery making — to help connect with the girls.

Nancy Acemian was honoured with the President’s Teaching Award in 2010 for Innovative Excellence in Teaching. | Photo by Concordia University

This desire to connect drives her achievements in the classroom, too.

Acemian received the President's Teaching Award 2010 for Innovative Excellence in Teaching for her classroom performance and leadership in developing innovative teaching in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS). The year before, she was recognized by the Faculty with the Teaching Excellence Award.

A native of Montreal, Acemian earned her bachelor’s from McGill with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science. She then obtained her master’s in Computer Science from Concordia and is working on a PhD in Educational Technology, also at Concordia. She taught at Marianopolis College for 11 years before arriving at Concordia in 2000. Plus she teaches in her third language, giving her unique insight and a deep appreciation of the diversity that’s the heart of Concordia.

“At Concordia, we give everyone a chance, with kids straight out of cegep alongside young adults back at school after several years at work,” she says.” The multicultural diversity of the student body is also way up on her list of Concordia pluses.

Acemian is the first-year program coordinator at ENCS, and shares her knowledge and expertise through the Centre for Teaching and Learning Services; however, her passion is teaching introductory level courses in computer science, which can be difficult. “Classes are large and the students are very diverse. Some have never programmed before.”

Keeping students engaged — ensuring they’re active participants in classroom discussions — is paramount. Acemian believes in a very interactive class: “Teaching is a two-way street.” She needs to know right away if students have problems with the material.

That’s why she uses the i>clicker classroom response system. Like the “ask the audience lifeline” from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the i>clicker lets Acemian pose multiple-choice questions and get instant feedback. Because it’s anonymous, “everyone participates, even the shy ones.” And she can zero in on unclear concepts in real time.

She also uses i>clicker to get students interacting. “Sometimes, the answer will split 50/50 in the class. I’ll tell them ‘find someone who doesn’t have the same answer as you and talk about it, try to convince each other.’”

Acemian also relies on the tablet. “Students can have the teaching slides ahead of time and we can figure out the problems in class. And because I’m always facing them, I can see when the light goes on,” she laughs.

Sometimes attention spans are short, especially when it comes to teaching on a Monday morning at 8:45 a.m. “You can’t be passive. You have to challenge the students, to keep them involved. Programming isn’t a spectator sport.” Breezing in, doing a lot of talking, and then walking out again is what doesn’t work. “The challenge is to keep from boring them.”

Respect is also very important. Acemian cultivates an open-door policy, encouraging her students to consult her, and not just about course content. “Life can be tough. There are career decisions and sometimes problems in their private lives. There’s the juggle of kids new to Montreal, living on their own for the first time.”

And Acemian likes being there for her students. Just like a big sister.

Related links:
• Centre for Teaching and Learning Services
• Slide show of the 2011 Mascot Design Contest Acemian organized as first-year program coordinator at ENCS

(Originally published in Concordia NOW.)

Jordan LeBel's Recipe for Success in the Classroom

2011-11-17T16:17:00.008-05:00

Follow @Beverly_Akerman

One part real world, one part no nonsense, and one part fun

Jordan LeBel, an associate professor at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business, calls upon his experience as an executive chef in some of Canada’s food service organizations and a top restaurant to teach The Marketing of Food and Experience Marketing.

Currently on sabbatical, LeBel has twice received the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2010, he was a recipient of a President’s Excellence in Teaching Award for full-time faculty. Recently, he was the first recipient of the student-created award for MBA Elective Professor of the year for his course on Experience Marketing.

Marketing professor Jordan LeBel | Photo by Concordia University

A Montreal native, LeBel has taught at the Norwegian College of Hotel Management, the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, as well as Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s of science from Cornell and a PhD from McGill.

He co-developed the award-winning online course Marketing Yourself and its accompanying textbook. One of his latest undertakings is the online ‘edu-tainment’ course, The World of Chocolate: Explore, Experience, Enjoy.

LeBel’s research focuses on consumption for pleasure or aesthetic reasons, and the impact of related marketing on consumer choice and behaviour. His expertise and findings have been featured by NBC, CBS, PBS, the Discovery Channel, CTV, Global, Glamour, Self, Washington Post, New York Daily, Globe & Mail, National Post, Toronto Sun, The Gazette, La Presse, and Le Devoir. He has written for publications such as Commerce, and starting next February he will sign a branded column in the glossy Le Must Alimentaire, titled Parlons plaisirs.

What is it that makes him such a successful teacher? “That’s like trying to pin down the indefinable ingredient that makes a recipe sing,” he offers with a laugh. But when pressed, he says “it’s human interest. I care that the information I share will be useful to students, not just for the exam but in their work and in their life. We reflect on concepts larger than just the textbook concepts and theories.”

LeBel describes his approach as “very real-world pragmatism” and “no-nonsense grounded theory.” Fun is another valid descriptor, if the year-end student presentations, which follow the format of the popular CBC TV show Dragons’ Den, are anything to judge by.

His engagements outside class, such as his vice-presidency on the board of Youth Employment Services (YES), enrich his pedagogical approach. He says activities such as co-chairing the annual fundraiser for the not-for-profit organization help to make what he says to students more relevant.

LeBel has also been involved with the McGill World Platform for Health and Economic Convergence (MWP), which brings together representatives from business, government, academia and other organizations to brainstorm about improving health worldwide through better standards of living. MWP has given LeBel the opportunity to meet such innovative thinkers as Mohammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi economist who founded an institution to provide microcredit to people who want to start a small business but have no collateral. The organization has enabled LeBel to share a global outlook with his students.

He says his students “ask the kind of questions that make me a better volunteer,” and he admires that so many of them manage to balance part-time work with their studying. He praises the university as blessed with “an incredible vibrancy, energy and multi-ethnic diversity” that keeps him and other professors on their toes. Even on sabbatical, he likes to stay in touch with students, recently giving a sold-out talk to help raise funds for the MBA student's International Community Outreach Program.

Students give him grief about being old-school for his short quizzes on assigned readings, but he is determined to ensure his students learn the basic lingo and culture code of the discipline.

LeBel’s teaching is most likely celebrated because he so clearly values its role. “I know research is important and that we have to do it, but we are a higher education institution,” he says. “We all have to develop our own approach, I just hope that my work inspires others as I have been inspired by gifted teachers.”

Related links:
• John Molson School of Business
• Jordan LeBel’s bio
• “The Skinny on Bulging Waistlines” — NOW, February 14, 2011
• “Dragon's' Den, Concordia-style” — NOW, April 18, 2011
• Marketing Yourself
• The World of Chocolate: Explore, Experience, Enjoy.

(Originally Posted on Concordia - NOW, November 14, 2011)

Mordecai makes Charles Foran a Governor General's Literary Awardwinner

2011-11-15T13:08:00.001-05:00

Follow @Beverly_Akerman

Congratulations to Charles Foran, Winner of the 75th Governor General's Literary Awards for Nonfiction. Mr. Foran is honoured for his recent biography of Mordecai Richler, a double GG Award Winner himself (for fiction in 1968 and 1971), Mordecai: The Life & Times.

For my look at the book, please see "A Feminist Jewess on Charles Foran's Mordecai: The Life & Times."

From the press release:

"The Canada Council funds, administers and promotes the Governor General's Literary Awards, Canada's oldest and most prestigious awards for English- and French-language Canadian literature. In addition to the monetary award, each winner will receive a specially-bound copy of the winning book, created by Montreal bookbinder Lise Dubois. The publisher of each winning book receives $3,000 to support promotional activities. Non-winning finalists receive $1,000 in recognition of their selection as finalists, bringing the total value of the awards to approximately $450,000.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will present the Awards on Thursday, November 24 at 6 p.m. at Rideau Hall. Media representatives wishing to cover the awards presentation should contact Christelle Legault at the Rideau Hall Press Office, (613) 998-7280 or christelle.legault@gg.ca."

Also from the GG website, all the winners & the committees that chose them:

Winners

Fiction

Patrick deWitt, Portland (Oregon) [originally from Vancouver Island], The Sisters Brothers
(House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

Brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters are at the centre of this “great greedy heart” of a book. A rollicking tale of hired guns, faithful horses and alchemy. The ingenious prose of Patrick DeWitt conveys a dark and gentle touch.

Perrine Leblanc, Montreal, L’homme blanc
(Le Quartanier; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

In L’homme blanc, Perrine Leblanc invites us to travel to a period in history in which a profoundly human character achieves universal status. This novel teaches us that we can never predict destiny, and that even white itself can have varying degrees of whiteness.

Poetry

Phil Hall, Perth (Ontario), Killdeer
(BookThug; distributed by Literary Press Group)

Killdeer by Phil Hall realizes a masterly modulation of the elegiac through poetic time. It releases the personal from the often binding axis of the egoistic into that kind of humility that only a profound love of language – and of living – can achieve.

Louise Dupré, Montreal, Plus haut que les flammes
(Éditions du Noroît; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Plus haut que les flammes is a collection of admirable restraint, where the everyday is interspersed with memories of the death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Louise Dupré explores and questions the experience of pain evoked by places of extreme horror, and uncovers a deeply human truth.

Drama

Erin Shields, Toronto, If We Were Birds
(Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press)

If We Were Birds is a bold and brilliant retelling of a classical myth. The language is poetic and contemporary. Erin Shields creates a haunting and viscerally impactful play about the sexual politics of war. She invites us into a world of complicated family relationships, dangerous sexuality, revenge and fierce loyalty.

Normand Chaurette, Montreal, Ce qui meurt en dernier
(Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud; distributed by Socadis)

With Ce qui meurt en dernier, Normand Chaurette creates disturbing and mysterious moods in a polished, chiselled language. His almost surgical style paints the portrait of a woman who struggles with her desire to please. The beauty of the writing serves the play’s thesis wonderfully.

Non-fiction

Charles Foran, Peterborough (Ontario), Mordecai: The Life & Times
(Alfred A. Knopf Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Mordecai: The Life & Times by Charles Foran is biography as high art, illuminating not only the character of Canada’s most provocative writer, but also, in the most vivid and compelling fashion, the times and places in which he lived. This is a grand, sweeping work that sets the standard for future literary biography.

Georges Leroux, Montreal, Wanderer : essai sur le Voyage d’hiver
de Franz Schubert
(Éditions Nota bene; distributed by Socadis)

Almost a year after Beethoven’s death, Schubert, suffering from a concealed affliction, saw his own death approaching. Winter Journey is the pretext for a fine requiem in white that Georges Leroux has penned in a lovely, pitch-perfect book. Musing on human suffering as a philosopher, incorporating poetry and photography, the author gives us a sumptuous meditation on existence.

Children’s Literature — Text

Christopher Moore, Toronto, From Then to Now: A Short History of the World
(Tundra Books; distributed by Random House of Canada)

From Then to Now: A Short History of the World, by Christopher Moore, is a fascinating examination of the evolution of human civilization that is global in its span and inclusive in its outlook. The energetic narrative tells a story that rivals the very best fiction.

Martin Fournier, Québec, Les aventures de Radisson - 1. L’enfer ne brûle pas
(Les éditions du Septentrion; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

With Les aventures de Radisson, Martin Fournier skilfully measures the suspense of his tale, and more than succeeds in transcending the dryness of a historical character. He depicts the adventures of Radisson, the rebellious adolescent who will pay for his boldness. An almost ethnological initiation into the Iroquois culture of the time – the French language at its best.

Children’s Literature — Illustration

Cybèle Young, Toronto, Ten Birds, text by Cybèle Young
(Kids Can Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press)

Ten Birds is a whimsical, surreal visual riddle. A disarmingly simple story becomes a complex discussion of the adjectives used to
“pigeon-hole” individuals in society. Cybèle Young’s beautifully crafted pen and ink images describe a journey to simply cross a river. Ironically none of the birds can fly, but ultimately the simplest answer may be the best.

Caroline Merola, Montreal, Lili et les poilus, text by Caroline Merola
(Dominique et Compagnie, a division of Éditions Héritage; distributed by Messageries ADP, Groupe Sogides)

By playing with a familiar theme, Caroline Merola succeeds in drawing us into her universe filled with astonishing contrasts. She stages simply-drawn characters in a lush, generous forest. Lili et les poilus is a work full of dynamic compositions, with profound and luminous colours that are applied with unbridled energy.

Translation

Donald Winkler, Montreal, Partita for Glenn Gould
(McGill-Queen’s University Press; distributed by Georgetown Terminal Warehouses)
English translation of Partita pour Glenn Gould by Georges Leroux
(Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal)

Partita for Glenn Gould, Donald Winkler’s translation of
Georges Leroux’s brilliant essay, shines with the musicality of language that reflects Gould’s life and creative discovery. Winkler expresses the depth of feeling and baroque complexity of the original text with impressive sensitivity, dexterity and precision. A masterful performance, at once learned and lyrical, it is a tour de force.

Maryse Warda, Montreal, Toxique ou L’incident dans l’autobus
(Dramaturges Éditeurs; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)
French translation of The Toxic Bus Incident by Greg MacArthur

Toxique ou L’incident dans l’autobus is an effective and deftly-honed translation. The language is incisive, imbued with an oral character that is perfectly suited to the theatrical text, and skilfully renders the dense and sober style of the original. Maryse Warda says a great deal in few words, in language that delivers the essential.

The peer assessment committees

The winners for the Governor General’s Literary Awards are chosen by peer assessment committees (seven English and seven French) appointed by the Canada Council. The committees, which meet separately, consider all eligible books published between September 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011 for English-language books and between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011 for French-language books. This year, 1002 titles in the English-language categories and 682 titles in the French-language categories were submitted.

English-language committees

Fiction: Douglas Arthur Brown (Ross Ferry, N.S.), Peter Oliva (Calgary), Kerri Sakamoto (Toronto)
Poetry: Joanne Arnott (Richmond, BC), Stephen McCaffery
(Buffalo, New York), Douglas Burnet Smith (Antigonish, N.S.)
Drama: Christian Barry (Halifax), Lisa Codrington (Toronto),
Eugene Stickland (Calgary)
Non-fiction: Emma LaRocque (Winnipeg), Philip Lee (Fredericton), John Terpstra (Hamilton
Children’s Literature – Text: Maureen Hull (Pictou Island, N.S.), Richard Scarsbrook (Toronto), Darcy Tamayose (Lethbridge, Alta.)
Children’s Literature – Illustration: Murray Kimber (Nelson, B.C.), Susan Tooke (Halifax), Ange Zhang (Toronto)
Translation – French to English: Jo-Anne Elder (Fredericton),
Hugh Hazelton (Montreal), Maureen Ranson (Calgary)

French-language committees

Fiction: Salah Benlabed (Montreal), Nadine Bismuth (Montreal),
Alain Bernard Marchand (Ottawa)
Poetry: André Brochu (Montreal), Nadine Ltaif (Montreal),
Alain Raimbault (Longueuil)
Drama: Sounia Balha (Montreal), Marc Prescott (Winnipeg),
Pierre-Michel Tremblay (Montreal)
Non-fiction: Joël Des Rosiers (Charlemagne, Que.), Daniel Jacques (Québec), Claudine Potvin (Vernon, B.C.)
Children’s Literature – Text: Bertrand Laverdure (St-Liguori, Que.), Diane Carmel Léger (Moncton), Hada López (Québec)
Children’s Literature – Illustration: Naomi Mitcham (Whitehorse), Janice Nadeau (Montreal), Pierre Pratt (Lisbon, Portugal)
Translation – English to French: Laurent Chabin (Montreal),
Patricia Godbout (Sherbrooke), Louise Ladouceur (Edmonton)

(Of course, Patrick deWitt would be from Portland...if any of you have read my essay "Six Pixels of Separation," you might understand to what I refer...)

Akerman shortlisted for Aesthetica Creative Works Competition

2011-11-14T14:51:00.003-05:00

Follow @Beverly_Akerman

Beverly Akerman's story "Spilt Milk," a more compact version of her "Sea Of Tranquillity," has made the short list for Aesthetica's Creative Works Competition. "Sea of Tranquillity" has won several other prizes and appears in Beverly's 2011 collection, The Meaning Of Children (see here for highlights of some rave reviews!).

"Spilt Milk" was also shortlisted for The Writers' Union of Canada's 2007 Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers.

Beverly received a Commendation for "Pie," the winner of Gemini Magazine's first flash fiction contest, in last year's ACW competition (read the story or listen to Bev read it).

Aesthetica is a UK arts and culture magazine published bimonthly and read by 60,000. The Creative Works Competition showcases outstanding artists, photographers, writers and poets from around the world. The prize is £500; finalists are also published.

Results for the 2011 contest will be announced in early December (http://tinyurl.com/dkn5fa).

The Meaning Of Children, published by Exile Editions, is available in fine bookstores including Chapters/Indigo, KidLink, Nicholas Hoare, and by all the major online purveyors.

Beverly seeks an agent or international publisher to bring the book & e-book beyond Canada's borders.

The Boys Of Summer : Summer Literary Seminars (2010)

2011-11-13T12:20:00.002-05:00

[Encore presentation of an article originally published on The Rover June 18, 2010. Includes comments...]

Maybe we are, as Hanna Rosin argues in the current Atlantic, facing “The End of Men,” but I’m happy to announce that men are still alive and well and gazing into their (creative) navels here in Montreal. See the Summer Literary Seminars which kicked off earlier in the week at Concordia University.

At a cool two grand for tuition alone, the event is a little steep for my bank account, but I relish the opportunity to attend the free sessions this combination workshop/conference/bacchanal, brainchild of the redoubtably energetic Mikhail Iossel, has on offer. It’s the equivalent of mini literary festival. After over a decade of SLS St. Petersburg, Russia, Iossel, now professor of creative writing at Concordia, has expanded to Montreal.

Monday morning, I heard Joel Yanofsky speak about Mordecai Richler and Sherry Simon on language and translation. Fascinating stuff, if a little short on detail. (Asked by a Torontonian how many Montreal Anglos there are, Simon refused to hazard a response: “It depends on who you ask,” she kept saying. “It’s all so political.” Spoken like a true academic.)

Then post-modern fabulist Robert Coover delivered a pretty dreary lecture on a Brown University project he participates in called CAVE: Computer Audio Visual Environment. Basically, a 3D immersion in sound, image and text.

Which had me thinking: if this is the future, writing is already dead.

Thursday, Joel Yanofsky offered a second lecture, “Confessions of a Literary Stalker.” Mostly about Mordecai and Joel Yanofsky and Yann Martel and Joel Yanofsky—okay, let’s face it, Joel Yanofsky basically writes about people who have talked with Joel Yanofsky (that’s why it’s called personal writing)!

And, to be sure, Yanofsky is clever and self-deprecatingly amusing enough to carry it off. Describing the process that led to his becoming obsessed with Richler, Yanofsky started off with his foray into teaching grade 7 and 8 students 30 hours-worth of personal writing. He asked them to write about something they were expert at, but quickly discovered the kids preferred their peers’ stories about things they had flubbed, as opposed to aced. (Remember, “if it’s happy, it’s not literature.”) Which sat very well with a belief of Yanofsky’s crystallized in an interview with Brian Moore some years back. Moore had been inspired by some other writer’s first novel, a novel “so bad, it inspired him to write his own.”

The bad novel, which Moore would never name, turned out, according to William Weintraub, to be Mordecai Richler’s “The Acrobats.”

Proof that “We do what we do for all the wrong reasons,” according to Yanofsky, meaning writers are partly (wholly?) motivated by envy and the art of one-up-manship. Yanofsky went on to discuss what writers desire most deeply—“to make a splash. And we’ll settle for a little one if we can’t make a big one.” Writing as pissing contest (piss splashes, doesn’t it?). Or as male display behaviour. My terms, of course.

During the course of the Yanofsky entertainment—and, there’s no denying, fun to listen to he is—his discourse was peppered with allusions to a number of other illustrious writers: Orwell, David Gilmour, Martin Amis (who apparently expressed some concern about Yanofsky’s mental health), Kingsley Amis, E.M. Forster, Henry James, Ingmar Bergman, Nicholson Baker, John Updike, Saul Bellow, Mark Harris, Paul Theroux (followed immediately by V.S. Naipaul, needless to say), J.D. Salinger, Jeff Dyer, D.H. Lawrence, Guy Vanderhaeghe, James Joyce, (noticing a pattern yet, by any chance? Anyone? Anyone??), and finally, Yann Martel. Since Yanofsky’s writing is a hybrid of stand-up and confessional, we were treated to the tale of his totally cringe-worthy episode on the eve of the awarding of the Booker for “Life of Pi,” a novel, Yanofsky admitted, he hadn’t bothered to finish and apparently was invited to dis live on television immediately following the Booker announcement—“I could either be bitter and envious or a suck-up,” Yanofsky said. “Those were my choices.”

I love listening to Yanofsky—I’ve read all of his books, two-thirds of them years before I’d met him. But he apparently doesn’t seem to consider a single woman writer from Canada worth mentioning.

To bend over backward in the fairness department, Carole Shields’ name did come up, but only in the context of the Booker shortlist.

Next up were Jon Paul Fiorentino and David McGimpsey, discussing contemporary Montreal literature, and moderated by Alessandro Porco (who graduated from Concordia’s writing program and now teaches in Buffalo). Some time was spent examining the definition of “Montreal writer”: those born and raised here who have stayed or left, those who moved here and stayed, those who moved here and left (e.g. post-degree), those who took a wrong turn on the 401 and wrote a suicide note, etc. Turns out that, by the panel’s standards, just about anyone who dallied in Montreal for more than five minutes (long enough to ingest a poutine or take a flyer on a Bixi) is entitled to moniker himself “a Montreal writer.” Though why someone who spent a couple of years in a degree program and then high-tailed it ASAP would want to be considered a Montreal writer is anyone’s guess.

You will perhaps be pleased to learn Montreal writing is also now moving past the era of Leonard Cohen, and that reading Richler is no longer de rigueur (McGimpsey mentioned this as though it was a good thing). At least, during this segment, which sounded more like an ad for Concordia’s creative writing program than anything else, a couple of women’s names were actually—amazingly!—uttered: Heather O’Neill’s name twice, Zoe Whittall once.

At least McGimpsey was man enough to mention the mass exodus of Anglos in the years that followed the first election of the Parti Quebecois in 1976, and made reference to the political situation between French and English, which is, episodically, fractious.

Later in the day, an actual woman—Alana Cox—was due to “own the podium,” as we Canadians like to say. At least, she was to be part of a discussion on the state of Canadian publishing. But I had had enough. Between them, Yanofsky, Fiorentino and McGimpsey had clearly established that writing in Montreal is a boys club anon—if not an old boys club—and I decided to leave the auditorium to attend to an episode of the vapours.

Beverly Akerman is a Pushcart-nominated Montreal writer (born and always lived here variety). Nineteen of her stories are published or in press, one of them a finalist for the Hoffer Award/Best New Writing 2011. Her unpublished collection “The Meaning of Children” just won the David Adams Richards Prize.

The Summer Literary Seminar’s free panels and lectures continue through June 27.

For more on women and writing in Montreal and Canada, check out:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/12/18/consumer-blogger-james-chartrand.html?ref=rss
http://maisonneuve.org/blog/2010/01/07/how-make-it-writer-be-man/

Tagged as: Joel Yanofsky, Mikhail Iossel, Montreal events, Summer Literary Seminars

Comments (8)

B. Glen Rotchin · 73 weeks ago

The irony here Bev is that men are not the readers of fiction. I had one literary agent recently tell me that she thought she would have a hard time shopping my MANuscript around because she couldn't imagine the ladies of the book club recommending it to each other.

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Bev Akerman · 71 weeks ago

that should have read WRITE and CONSUME most fiction...seems i need my own personal copy editor...

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Bev Akerman · 72 weeks ago

i bet women read and consume most fiction--and i'm talking commercial, genre and literary. yes, maybe we should start calling them WOMANuscripts.

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Cynthia Hartwig · 72 weeks ago

Hi Bev. I didn't see your comments on the Rover until this evening (Friday) after doing a Mordecai Richler move of shit stirring on the SLS Facebook page where I decried the lack of female participation at SLS. You ain't seen the half of it. 2 women, Sina Queyras and Elizabeth Bachinsky, were workshop leaders along with 8 men (Kevin Canty, Padgett Powell, Martin Estrada, Patrick Leroux, Louis Sachar, Josip Novakovich, Chuck Klosterman, Mac Wellman). Seventeen women either read or presented at the 2-week long seminar while over thirty men presented. Mike Spry had the gall on Facebook to say that he's never heard such a complaint and cited the fact that most of the volunteers who do the work of SLS (all unpaid!) are women. Does the emperor have no clothes? I will say one weird thing happened, though. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes commentary from the women attendees at SLS about the sexist programming, especially when the little boys club of Klosterman, Fiorentino, Gimpsey, Orti, and some volunteer wannabe named Gonzalo read work that celebrated either banging or bonging. However, when I raised the issue on Facebook, no women commented in public. They were happy to complain in private but silent in a public forum. Maybe they're afraid the little scraps the boys club throws them will not be offered if they misbehave. I don't care. Yanofsky came across as an enlightened man by comparison.

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Jon Paul Fiorentino · 72 weeks ago

Hello, Beverly

I originally was not going to post this, but it's been eating away at me since your article was published. I sent it to you privately, but received no response:

The picture you paint of the new Montreal writing discussion is inaccurate. The point I was trying to make is that there are many wonderful books that have been written IN Montreal, by writers who may or may not view themselves as Montreal writers. Although I feel that my contribution to the discussion was regrettably terse and inarticulate -- I am not a morning person -- I did mention quite a few new 'Montreal' women writers: Katrina Best, Kate Hall, Sachiko Murakami (who is now Toronto-based, but whose fantastic book of poetry, The Invisibility Exhibit, is a book concerning the poetics of Vancouver and it could only have been written in Montreal), Zoe Whittall, and yes, Heather O'Neill. It occurs to me know that I spoke of the work of Sina Queyras as well -- how she is ours now and we are so lucky to have her, but how she can't be pinned down with a civic label. I also mentioned Montreal scholar Karis Shearer, whose absence from the panel was definitely felt and whose work on new conceptions of literary feminism is, in my opinion, essential -- see the "New Feminisms" issue of Matrix Magazine for a glimpse of what she is up to. So that's Best, Hall, Murakami, Whittall, O'Neill, and Shearer. The men I mentioned were the late Robert Allen, Louis Dudek, George Bowering (through an anecdote told to me by Karis Shearer), Jason Camlot, and Nick McArthur. This was, I remind you, a brief and obviously incomplete discussion of what's happening right now in Montreal writing.

I also think you have misrepresented David's point about having to read Richler. His point was, that it's entirely conceivable for a "Montreal writer" to have great literary success without having read Richler. It is not desirable, but it is reality. I think we both even agreed that this hypothetical writer would obviously be well served, and a better writer for having read Richler. But much like I know certain poets who haven't read Shakespeare's sonnet sequence and still manage to "thrive" as practitioners, I know there are "Montreal writers" who haven't read Richler. It's not cool but it is a condition in the real world. If you looked closely, you may have noticed that David was holding a copy of Barney's Version throughout the discussion.

It's sad to note, also, you get the name wrong of the "actual woman" you mention. Alana Cox was not at SLS. Alana Wilcox did participate and is a tireless editor and publisher with a dedication to women's writing. She is the English language editor of Gail Scott and Nicole Brossard -- two of my favourite Montreal writers.

I am the proud publisher and/or editor of books by Angela Carr, Zoe Whittall, Melissa Thompson, Sarah Dowling, Chandra Mayor, Kim Minkus, Sarah Steinberg, Anne Stone, and Katrina Best. As the editor of Matrix, I am proud of the many women writers we have published over its 35 years and most recently in issues like our "New Feminisms" issue, edited by Melanie Bell and Karis Shearer. It's one of my personal favourites. A quick look at David's work at Joyland and Punchy reveals an impressive list of women writers, including you!

In the end, I would have done some things differently on that panel you attended. There were some regrettable omissions, and some poorly phrased sentiments and ruminations on my part. But I think it's unfair to characterize that panel as having participated in some sort of boys' club mentality.

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Bev Akerman · 71 weeks ago

1. Alana "Cox" was clearly a typo, for which I apologize. Looking at it more closely, I see it may have been what my Mom would call a Freudian slip...given the wider subject under discussion.

2. Most of the women writers you cited were tossed off from a list of theses in an appendix of a book by Jason Camlot, as I recall.

3. Cynthia Hartwig (thanks so much for your comment!! And please, FB me!) proves you have a problem over at Mission Control, Houston.

4. Until women can stand up for themselves in public, as Cynthia points out, things will never change.

5. And, while I have your attention, what would a Montreal-based winner of the Litpop contest win?

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Jon Paul Fiorentino · 71 weeks ago

Hi Beverly,

2. three of the seven women writers I mentioned appear in the theses appendix of Language Acts -- a great book about Quebec Anglo poetry since 1976, edited by Jason Camlot and Todd Swift. and i used that as a starting point for a discussion about books composed in Montreal vs. Montreal books... something i discussed at length. like Sachiko's poetic sensibility in her book about Vancouver's missing women (The Invisibility Exhibit) has been informed greatly by living in Montreal and being part of our community...

5. a Montreal based writer would receive an additional stipend. the accommodations could still be used. there's nothing like a vacation in Montreal!

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Bev Akerman · 71 weeks ago

Hi Jon Paul

What I wrote was my perception of the event. I didn't answer your FB message because I didn't think I had to justify or explain myself: what I saw and described are pretty clear, I think. SLS invited the public and I was grateful for the opportunity. I came as an open minded observer but I sat there over a couple of days, my eyebrows rising higher and higher. Put any spin on it you feel is required, what I wrote is my perception (though I will say it was the way others of the female persuasion who were there saw it, also). SLS is noticeably Y-chromosome-centric, as my piece and Cynthia Hartwig's comments make clear. You can tell me that some of your best friends are women (and what's wrong with the "old" feminism, by the way?) until the cows come home. Doesn't change a thing.

And all the (unpaid) interns were female? There's a word for that, I think. Perhaps it's harem.

Consider yourself lucky I didn't write the second installment on Trice & Treisman--"The Ladies of Summer," I would have called it. I especially loved Deborah's response to the question about whether she thought the quality of the submissions she was seeing had improved over the past decade or so, what with the deluge of newly minted MFAs and all.

"Hmm," she said. "How can I put this without offending anyone?" Oopsy!

Award-winning teacher believes in blackboard and chalk

2011-11-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

[Originally published October 21, 2011 on Concordia NOW]

Adaptive approach led to prestigious teaching award for Concordia's Lyes Kadem

In the upcoming weeks, Concordia NOW will feature profiles of outstanding educators — people who are making a difference in the classroom and within in the Concordia community.

If you phone Lyes Kadem’s office, you probably won’t get his voice mail. Kadem, who received the Concordia President’s Excellence in Teaching Award (New Faculty) earlier this year, is nearly always at his desk — unless, of course, he’s in the classroom.

Lyes Kadem | Photos by Concordia University

Kadem, who has been teaching at Concordia since 2006, is the first-year program director for mechanical engineering, and an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

Educated in Algeria, France, and here in Quebec where he did a PhD in Bioengineering at Université Laval and a Post-Doc at the renowned Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Kadem says it’s the environment and ambience that he enjoys most about Concordia. “You can find people from everywhere in the world,” he explains. “It’s a true melting pot, and I really like that.”

In addition to his teaching duties, Kadem conducts research as the director of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics. The lab researches the cardiovascular system from an engineering aspect, using engineered cardiac simulators.

The effort necessary to develop simulators, “shows us how highly efficient the human body is – how it’s been optimized,” Kadem says. “We need two pumps and a large Plexiglas structure to try to duplicate the heart.”

The lab also examines the parameters used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases to develop new diagnostic methods based on physical concepts. This is being specifically applied to valvular diseases and prosthetic heart valves so far.

“Doctors now use ultrasound to evaluate the speed of blood passing through the heart valves,” Kadem explains. “In our lab, we can take out the variability due to patient features, such as age or sex. This allows us to correct and suggest ways of improving the specificity and sensitivity of the tests.”

Sending a person who is actually healthy for more testing is known as a false positive. When this happens too often, a test is said to have poor specificity.

“But false negatives, when a sick person is actually told he or she is fine and to ‘go home,’ are more serious,” Kadem adds, explaining that it signals that a test has poor sensitivity.

As for his teaching philosophy, Kadem says, “I can summarize my thoughts on teaching in one line: a piece of chalk, a blackboard, and to make it simple, like my teachers taught me.”

He understands the increasing use of technology, and that making information free and open-sourced — available in the form of YouTube e-course videos, for example — “is very democratic.” However, he remains convinced that students appreciate and benefit most from the instruction and interaction that can only happen in person. He supports his stance with reference to a recent study that indicated 80 per cent of the surveyed students preferred to be in an actual classroom with a teacher.

Kadem says teaching with notes and a blackboard always leads to new ways of explaining a concept. “New ideas come up, sometimes suggested by the students themselves,” he says.

“It’s hard to follow the process of deriving equations with PowerPoint,” he adds. “It’s more of a discussion – there’s more give and take.”

His notes-and-blackboard approach can result in him completely revamping his lectures on the same topic from one semester to the next.

“That’s also better for me,” he says, “because it keeps things fresh for me, too.”

Related links:
• Lyes Kadem’s biography
• Lyes Kadem’s faculty bio
• Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

The Meaning of Children: An Interview with Beverly Akerman by Darryl Salach

2011-11-08T12:31:00.002-05:00

1.) You spent twenty years working in molecular genetics research, before deciding to become a writer. Why the sudden urge to become a writer and how difficult a transition was it?

The urge wasn’t sudden, though it might appear so from here. I always intended to be a writer “some day,” but I never entertained it as a way to support myself or my family. And I remember feeling I had to amass some experience in life, wondering what I would have to say as a 20-year-old. Maybe that was just that ol’ deflating self-doubt. But in 2003, my father-in-law died and I suddenly—viscerally—understood that my time, too, was finite, that I better seize this day and do the things I’ve dreamed of doing. Because sometimes “later” doesn’t quite work out.

2.) I found an interesting line in your bio that reads, "Beverly Akerman realized she'd been learning more and more about less and less." What did you mean by that exactly?

What I meant is that genetics used to be the study of individuals, traits, and populations. Then it became the study of chromosomes. Now it’s the study of molecules. In other words, the areas of concern grow more minute as time passed. I grew tired of trying to believe in the importance of the vanishingly small. Also, despite the passage of a generation, cures for genetic disease are still few and far between. We can prevent a lot more disease, usually through selective abortion. But worldwide, the largest use of therapeutic abortion is sex selection. I guess I stopped believing in the value of what I was doing. No matter how well-intentioned. It started to feel like, “the hurrier I went, the behinder I got.”

3.) Did you have a mentor or someone that helped guide you through the early days of your transformation into becoming a writer, and how valuable was that to you?

I’ve been fortunate in having a number of wonderfully generous writing teachers; I won a Quebec Writers Federation mentorship with noted poet Robyn Sarah, and studied for brief periods in the US and Canada with Luis Urrea, Nancy Zafris, Brad Kessler, Neale McDevitt, Mikhail Iossel, Tess Fragoulis and many others. In taking my work seriously, these writers helped me to take my aspirations seriously. They helped me learn to shush that internal yenta, that nudgy little voice that said, “who do you think you are?” That has been very important and empowering. Still is, in fact.

4.) What was the genesis behind putting together your collection of short stories The Meaning of Children and how long of a time period did it take to write the stories for the book?

I started publishing my short stories in 2006. By 2010, I had over 20 out there, many winning or placing in contests. The next step was to publish a book. Maybe it should have been a novel, from a marketing point of view (agents and publishers seem to think no one reads short stories…unless the author’s name is Munro). I started submitting a huge collection which included unpublished work. No dice.

So I looked at them all again and tried to find some commonality, some thread other than that they were all written by me. I realized how central children were in my work and decided to structure the book in three parts: ‘Beginning’ features first person point of view stories of children, ‘Middle’ tells of those in the child-bearing years, and ‘End’ is about older people, or stories that take the longer view of life.

And bingo! Of course, life is an uncontrolled experiment, isn’t it?

I started negotiating with Exile Editions. And then Enfield & Wizenty told me I was one of three finalists for their 2011 Colophon Prize.

But it was too late to back out of the first negotiation (I hadn’t signed anything but…well, let’s just say it was complicated). The three E&W finalists would win publishing contracts (the only difference was the size of the advance). I recently discovered the overall winner was W.P. Kinsella, for his first novel in decades (Butterfly Winter). Pretty impressive company to be in.

5.) How difficult was raising three children of your own, and were those mothering years paramount in giving you the ability and proper perspective in order to be able to write these kinds of stories?

As a student of genetics, I’ve always been taught that life is all about producing the next generation…As a feminist, I always intended to have meaningful work and not let motherhood stop me. The truth is, women can have it all—just not at the same time.

Having children is one of the most significant experiences of the human adventure. At the same time, despite all these wonderful supports available in Canada and in Quebec—paternity leave, $7 a day daycare—it is still hard to combine full-time work and motherhood. Very hard. My husband, former MNA Russell Copeman, travelled a lot in his job—we estimated he was gone about three whole YEARS of the first decade when our kids were growing up. That put a lot of pressure on me. So I have a fine-tuned appreciation of the under-appreciated bailiwick of women.

Mothering—and the other nurturing professions largely filled by women—are still systematically devalued in our culture. And that’s a damn shame. I read the papers and it frustrates me that there are so few front section articles where the featured newsmaker is a woman.

Which is another way of saying that being a working mother is absolutely essential to who I am, and the kind of book I’ve written.

6.) Do you have a personal story from your collection that you feel closer to than any of the others, and if so why?

I feel close to all the stories, they’re all my “babies.” And all, in their way, semi-autobiographical. Even the fantastical one, “The Woman with Deadly Hands.” I wrote part of that one naked in the Super 8 Airport Motel in Portland, Oregon, after I woke early from a disturbing dream. I continued writing it later that day in the San Francisco airport while awaiting a connecting flight (don’t worry: I’d put on some clothes by then!). As writers, we’re always told to read, read, READ! Which I do. But can one read too much? That’s what the story is about. To me, anyway.

7.) All of your stories have a recurring theme to them: sex, death, guilt, and social prejudice. How difficult was it for you to capture the complexities of these themes and emotions through a child's eyes?

I wouldn’t say ALL my stories deal with these themes…but childhood is fraught with sex, death, guilt, and bigotry. We live in a great country but it’s by no means perfect. And we shouldn’t over idealize childhood. It isn’t all Care Bears and unicorns. By the time my kids got to elementary school, half the kids in their classes were already children of divorce. Of course, where I live, most parents never even marry in the first place.

It’s not for me to say how difficult it is to capture complex situations through a kid’s point of view. I had a pretty mature grasp of a lot of the world as a kid. I can recall talking about the Vietnam War and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings with my Dad when I was 9 or 10 years old. Kids are smart and often deep. One of my own children, while working through his bar mitzvah project, told me couldn’t believe in God because of the Holocaust.

It may comfort adults to believe children aren’t aware of big picture issues, but they are. Maybe those who don’t realize this just haven’t spent enough time with kids. And my kids are upper middle class kids, never been beaten (or seen their mother being beaten), never gone hungry…

8.) Do you see life possibly getting any easier for children in today's world and the generations of children to come?

I think children suffer when adults are under more pressure. We live in a very pessimistic society compared to when I was growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s. At the same time, by most conceivable measures, we’re better off now than a century back—I mean, a century ago, half of Canadian children were still dying by the age of five. But you wouldn’t know that from reading the papers or watching the news. Because fear is the best marketing tool there is. Check out Michael Moore. We could use a good dose of optimism.

9.) What was the last book you read that you felt inspired by in some way, and why?

One of my current projects is to reread the books I was assigned in school as a kid. So I’d choose Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Big issues and a writer who tried to make a difference with his stories. Chris Cleave’s Little Bee is a more recent book in this inspiring vein. I also can’t speak highly enough of To Kill a Mockingbird, a book as much about parenting as about racism (though I didn’t see that at all as a 12-year-old; one of my bugaboos is that we give kids books to read that aren’t really appropriate. Another is that schools are still giving kids the same books to read that I got 30 years ago—but I digress).

My favourite book of all time is Barney’s Version . Richler so perfectly crystallized the concerns of his character’s point in place and time. I admire Lionel Shriver so much for her fearless take on motherhood in We Have to Talk About Kevin, a much braver book than Room or The Book of Negroes, IMHO. I’m not big on mindless anomie, navel gazing, or young people fucking.

Finally, The Loved and The Lost has always stuck with me. TLATL is the first CanLit novels I remember reading as a really young person. This great novel of the immorality of racism also takes place in Montreal; the main character is Jim McAlpine. My last science job ended in 2003, when I left a biotech company called Ecopia. Some time during the last year or so I was there, a new VP was recruited from the States, a man named Jim McAlpine.

Now, I hadn’t thought of TLATL for years at that point, but the moment I heard the new VP’s name, all I could think of was that this was the same name as Callaghan’s protagonist in TLATL.

I dug up my old copy and brought it to work; it sat in my desk drawer for months while I tried to work up the nerve to show the biochemist his literary namesake. I could never do it. Every time I caught sight of the paperback, I puzzled over why the coincidence of the names meant so much to me.

Eventually, I recognized this was part of the reason I had to quit science and try writing. It’s a nice bonus that Exile Editions is run by Morley’s grandson Michael Callaghan. I’m a sucker for stuff like that.

10.) In your opinion, what makes a good short story? Is there a particular formula that you try and stick to when you write?

I don’t believe in formulas, per se. But the writer has to be moved by her own subject or she won’t be able to bring the reader along with her. A story is a shared emotional journey, after all. And I do believe in moving the reader. I’m sick to death of stories that make me want to kill myself at the end—I mean, real life can be hard enough, why do I need to read about the world ending for some fictional character, too? Of course, I also write about the world ending, but I try to write from a place of hopefulness, if that makes any sense. Which may sound strange because so many of the stories in my collection are dark. But I keep hoping to understand what happened in life, to myself or my characters (who are just proxies, in a way).

I love a story with a moral wrapped in humour. One of my favourites isn’t even in the collection. It’s weird and whimsical, about Santa Claus, Brian Mulroney, and Karlheinz Schreiber.

“Based on a true story,” as they say. But I just couldn’t see it fitting into my “Beginning,” “Middle,” and “End” structure. Maybe if I’d had a little more time to discuss it with my publisher…calling our production schedule compressed misses the truth by at least an order of magnitude.

Anyway, “Now It Can Be Told: The Hardboiled Stress of Being Santa” is up at Joyland.ca and I hope people will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it…and rereading it. It features footnotes and links, but the final one isn’t quite working on the Joyland site. Here’s the url that the last word of the story should be linked to:

http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/ap/c/c141131.jpg

Hope it gives you a few laughs. It did me!

11.) How difficult was it finding a publisher for The Meaning of Children and what's your experience been like with Exile Editions?

It’s my first book so I guess I can’t really judge how difficult it was. More difficult than I’d hoped, anyway. But the market is undergoing such changes, the loss of bricks and mortar stores, the advent of e-books…Exile have been great. I’ve had launches in Montreal and Toronto and there’s been talk of a small reading tour. I’m hopeful for the future; maybe it depends on awards and such…it’s still early days yet.

One thing, though: I’ve taken a gamble and kept all rights EXCEPT Canadian print. I’m hoping to find an agent who can bring the print and e-books to all other markets; I’m dreaming of film... Please cross all crossables for me, and help me spread the word!

12.) The Meaning of Children has been longlisted for a 2011 ReLit Award. How does that kind of recognition make you feel and to what extent do awards help open doors for writers?

I am thrilled to be longlisted for the ReLit; last year Lisa Foad, another Exile writer, won the ReLit for short fiction. She also edited my collection, so I’m sure that’s helped.

I’ve always believed in submitting to contests—spent a small fortune doing it, over the past few years. But I think it’s been worth it: I’m a winner of

--the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick’s David Adams Richards Prize,

--the Professional Writers Association of Canada’s Short Article Award

--The Vocabula Review’s Well-Written Writing Contest

--an Editor’s Choice Award, Best New Writing 2011/Eric Hoffer Award

--a Fishtrap Fellowship

--Gemini Magazine’s Flash Fiction Contest

--the Fog City Writers Short Story Contest

And I’ve placed or been a finalist in

--the Sheldon Currie Fiction Contest,

--TWUC’s Short Prose Contest for Developing Writers (twice)

--The Potomac Review’s Fiction Contest

--The Glass Woman Prize.

I’ve also been nominated for the Puschart Prize in both fiction and nonfiction, received funding from The Banff Centre for the Arts, The Canada Council, and the Playwrights Guild of Canada to attend a residency, give readings, and see my first monologue professionally performed. I’ve travelled to Banff, Fredericton, Winnipeg, Ohio, and Oregon, solely for my work as a writer.

These contest accolades have helped me create a substantial literary CV. There is so much rejection in this business—the feedback from these contests has made a huge difference. It’s been a wonderful ride so far.

13.) What inspires you creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Kindness and compassion, people being moved by the work and devotion of others.
How much some of us do, so unselfishly, for others. The feeling of being in this
together—I guess it’s just that ol’ John Donne thing:

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Seeing kids enjoy things. My mother used to take my kids to see plays put on occasional Saturday mornings at The Centaur Theatre–the rapt look on the funny little faces in the audience used to make me cry. Probably still would. Luckily, my kids are grown and I don’t have to humiliate myself in public to the same degree anymore.

But I’m still trying to move people.

14.) How important is it for you to read your stories in front of a live audience, and to what extent do you think that experience helps you with your writing?

I LOVE reading my work aloud! It helps that I’ve got one particular piece—“Pie”—that’s a monologue and in a Southern drawl. Which I can do…people are always somehow surprised by my readings, I think. Watch me read "Pie" here.

Here’s a link to another piece, a reading I gave as part of a residency at The Banff Centre for the Arts.

http://www.banffcentre.ca/writing/live_events/2009/listen.aspx (scroll down to May 13)

I think it gave me real credibility to be able to get up there and slay the audience. I mean, I’m “just” a middle-aged woman. Not a sexy young thing, not a flavour-of-the-month. “Just” a writer with the courage to pull some wonderful stories out of my hat…er, psyche. When people enjoy my work right there in front of me, it gives me an incredible boost.

16.) What words of advice would you give people out there working a job they might be tiring of and wanting to try their own hand at becoming a writer?

First of all, marry well, someone who truly supports you (actually, that’s good advice no matter WHAT you want to do!!) I don’t want to be glib about this—I’m earning a fraction of what I did as a researcher. And I never really earned all that much money at that…but I think people should really try to find the thing they were meant to do. You’ll know it when you find it. And when that feeling goes away, find something else that does it for you. ; I could never do what I’m doing without hubby’s financial help.

Other advice: take courses and workshops, find a writing group, and a professional organization like PWAC (http://pwac.ca/) that can help you make contacts. (I’m also a freelance writer—my work has appeared Macleans, The Toronto Star, The National Post, The Montreal Gazette, and on CBC Radio One, as well as in many other lay publications and learned journals.)

If you haven’t already, read these “rules” for writing fiction, put together by The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one.

Finally, if you’re unhappy, try changing some of the things in your life: I changed jobs and moved house a number of times before I faced up to the cause of my malaise. Get a good therapist, if you have to.

Seriously.

Finally, you’ve got to BELIEVE you can do it. I can’t stress that enough: if you’re going to plunge into a realm that’s 99% rejection, you better really believe you’ve got the goods. Or you’ll be demolished by it.

17.) What's next for you? Are you working on a new book and when should we expect it to be published?

I’m trying to get this book into the hands of an agent who will bring it to the US (and other) market(s). I’ve sent the book to a film maker who sent me back a really nice note instead of laughing in my face. I keep dreaming/hoping/believing. And trying to figure out how to write a novel…believe me, I’ll be more than happy to let you know when it’s going to be published!

[The Meaning Of Children is available in fine bookstores across Canada and online at Amazon.ca, Chapters, and through Exile Editions]

ENFORCING THE LONG-GUN REGISTRY DOES PREVENT CRIME

2011-11-02T14:52:00.000-04:00

Enforcing long-gun registry does prevent crime

Why do critics of the long gun registry persistently ignore thissimple truth? By BEVERLY AKERMAN

Originally published in The Hill Times, March 29, 2010

MONTREAL—Doesit make sense to assume all shotgun and rifle owners are law-abiding citizens,but that everyone behind the wheel of a car is a drunk?

Isn't that the messagebehind the federal Justice Department's recent proposal to institute random roadsidebreathalyzer tests? On one hand, the government, hiding behind the skirtsof its latest sock puppet, sends Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner topontificate: "Irrational government policy had to be challenged....Thelong-gun registry is a massive Liberal policy failure and it needs to end. Itmakes no sense to force law-abiding individuals with firearms licences toregister their long-guns. It makes no sense to believe the registry willprevent a gun crime from taking place."

On the other hand, it apparentlymakes perfect sense to assume that all drivers are drunk.

Memo to JusticeMinister Rob Nicholson: if a policy has The Western Standard saying"Harper government wants full-blown police state," you have a problemon your hands—a "Houston-we-have-a-problem"-sized problem.

Nicholson apparently approves of the random breathalyzer idea, as does MothersAgainst Drunk Drivers executive director Andrew Murie.

Purchasing a gunmust magically confer "law-abiding" status through some noble alchemyof lethal weapon possession. Meantime, the latest example of gun mayhem unfoldson our front pages: the sad murder of Ontario Provincial Police Constable VuPham, 37, allegedly by 70-year-old Fred Preston, former reeve of the Townshipof Joly, and lifelong resident of Sundridge, Ont. Const. Pham was a VietnameseWar child survivor and father of three who spent part of his youth inSundridge.

Each year, roughly 100,000 Canadian women and children takerefuge in domestic violence shelters. How many of them live in homes withrifles or shotguns, remembering some 11 million such guns are in Canadian hands(and that 90 per cent of those hands are male)? How many Canadian women havebeen threatened with guns? How many of these guns are owned by"law-abiding" gun owners?

How long does it take to pull atrigger, anyway?

That's the amount of time it takes for a"law-abiding" gun owner to become a law-breaking one. Here'show the gun registry helps prevent crimes, including murder (I'm typing slowlyso even the dullards among us will understand): knowing who has which gunsallows the police to remove them as a preventative measure, should it becomenecessary. Why do critics of the long gun registry persistently ignorethis simple truth? Enforcing the registry does prevent crime.

Since itscreation, close to 23,000 firearms licenses have been refused or revokedbecause of just this sort of safety concern.

For years now, this"tough-on-crime" government has encouraged the flouting of theFirearms Act—still law in our land, despite their efforts to ignore it. Theyinstituted an "amnesty" for those who failed to renew their gunlicences and waived or refunded licensing fees, more than $120-million-worth.

That's far from being tough on crime.

The Supreme Court has ruled,"The registration provisions cannot be severed from the rest of the act.The licensing provisions require everyone who possesses a gun to be licensed;the registration provisions require all guns to be registered. These portionsof the Firearms Act are both tightly linked to Parliament's goal of promotingsafety by reducing the misuse of any and all firearms. Both portions areintegral and necessary to the operation of the scheme."

Const.Pham's shooting is a tragedy—for his family, his community, for all of us. Justimagine how much more danger our cops will be in when they pull us over tosample our breath after our gun laws are even further eroded.

***

Blue Emet: Bev Akerman @ Congregation Dorshei Emet's Inaugural Arts Festival Nov 20th

2011-11-02T10:47:00.000-04:00

The Meaning Of Children: Upcoming Readings @ the Eleanor London Cote Saint-Luc Public Library & others...

2011-10-31T11:28:00.000-04:00

You are cordially invited to attend the Eleanor London Cote St. Luc Public Library’s Local Authors Salon where Beverly Akerman will read from and sign copies of The Meaning Of Children, Thursday, Nov. 3rd, 7 pm. It would be great to see you there! TMOC is ELCSLPL's Book of the Month for October!

Also reading: David Brody, Melaine Lipsey, Ann Weinstein, and S. Nadja Zajdman.

Eleanor London Cote Saint-Luc Public Library

5851 Cavendish Blvd.

Côte Saint-Luc, QC H4W 2X8

Phone: 514-485-6900

Beverly will also be reading Nov. 20^th at Congregation Dorshei Emet in Hampstead QC; Dec. 7^th at Anglostore in Quebec City, and Dec. 12^th at the Ottawa Public Library. Details to follow.

Beverly Akerman appearing at the Blue Emet Arts Festival Nov. 20th

2011-10-27T13:46:00.000-04:00

I'm appearing Nov.20th at the BLUE EMET ARTS FESTIVAL & YOU'RE INVITED!

My synagogue, Congregation Dorshei Emet, is excited to introduce a new programming initiative: The Blue Emet Arts Festival - November 19th and 20th, 2011.

This first edition of the festival features both films & books:

...
FILMS

Saturday, November 19, 7:00PM: Citizen or Stranger. Produced and presented by Ina Fichman.

Sunday, November 20, 7:00PM: The "Socalled" Movie; Presented by Garry Beitel (Director) and Barry Lazar (Producer).

BOOKS

Sunday, November 20, 10:30AM: The Teaching Novel: Novel Teaching. Presented by Jerry Wiviott/ Moderated by Esther Frank

Sunday, November 20, 1:00PM: Literary panel (moderated by Esther Frank) including Bev Akerman, Ami Sands Brodoff, Elaine Kalman Naves and Glen Rotchin.

Tickets are $8 per event or $20 for the weekend. Tickets available in advance or at the door. Reserve at 514-486-9400.

Event Co-Chairs are Marion Van Horn and Helena Kisilevsky.

Congregation Dorshei Emet
18 Cleve Road, Hampstead, H3X 1A6
Telephone: 514-486-9400
Fax: 514-486-5442
info@dorshei-emet.org

A Feminist Jewess on Charles Foran's "Mordecai: The Life & Times"

2011-10-11T12:21:00.003-04:00

In honour of Charles Foran's biography of Mordecai Richler (Mordecai: The Life & Times) being named a finalist for the Governor General's Award for non-fiction, I'd like to offer for your delectation an encore presentation of my personal/feminist review of the book...and I'm seriously considering an addendum explaining why MR's work isn't considered for academic study. (The question is, am I brave/foolish enough to try?)

Congrats Charlie!

The first novel by Mordecai Richler I read was Son of a Smaller Hero in the late ’70s. I was a McGill undergrad in an intro to CanLit class taught by a Caribbean member of the professoriate, the punchline to the course being: there’s no such thing as Canadian literature because lit-rah-chure is universal, don’t you know?! Though set in the same Mile End district as later works Duddy Kravitz and St. Urbain’s Horseman, Son of is worlds away in sensibility — dark, angry, and bitter, unleavened by any of the renowned Richler ribaldry.
I’m pretty sure I acquired St. Urbain, Joshua Then And Now, and Solomon Gursky was Here through the Book-of-the-Month Club (something you won’t often find a literary writer admitting), in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s. And while Gursky is, by some accounts, supposedly Richler’s masterpiece, I had to force myself through it, while the other two I read with pleasure, and more than once.

Here was a Montreal I could still see evidence of, if only in broad strokes. Sort of like those chalk outlines left over at crime scenes. It wasn’t my Montreal but, in fact, my parents’, especially my father’s. But where my father was the good son — who stayed close to and cared for his parents, no matter their faults — Richler was the angry young man who flung himself across an ocean to drink, fuck and write himself into adulthood.

In retrospect, the Richlerian coming-of-age seems more like a romantic cliché, this swanning around, down and out in London and Paris…Ibiza, crossing paths with Papa Hemingway, et al. Reading about it again gave rise to a sort of melancholy, in the same way having come of age after Woodstock makes me nostalgic for a more recent past I also managed to miss. Although Richler probably felt the same way over having been too young to serve in World War II…

But there’s a special place in my heart for Richler’s tour de force of a novel, his grand finale, Barney’s Version. It has everything — humour, a whiff of mystery, poignancy, a suggested reading list for a literary illiterate like yours truly, the Falstaffian hero Barney Panofsky — cantankerous curmudgeon of good heart crossed with the insanely irresistible fax machine prankster, though I could have done without the soft shoe.

What I really loved about Barney’s Version, though, was the stake through the heart of the shiksa goddess motif. Here was a novel in which all three of Barney’s wives were Jewish women, even the third and favourite one, “Miriam, Miriam, my heart’s desire…”

As a Jewish woman, what a relief to finally read a novel by a Jewish male writer of stature in which a Jewish man actually desired a Jewish woman! One he was wholeheartedly, head over heels in love with and mad with desire for. What a novelty, as Quill & Quire’s reviewer James Grainger notes, amidst the “the parade of harpies, good-hearted floozies” that made up Richler’s usual female universe. (Miriam may be wonderful but she hasn’t, by a long shot, the dimensionality of Barney. But then again, who does?) And, of course, Jewish women aren’t harridans only in Richler’s universe, but in most Jewish men’s work. [And, of course, the 3 Jewish men responsible for bringing the book to the movies saw fit to recreate Miriam as a shiksa...]

In fact, once this deep desire of mine was fulfilled by Barney, I finally became aware of how large a need it had been (in fact, I still wonder if meeting it was calculated, a marketing ploy). But even if Richler decided to toss his largest constituency a bone — since women buy and read most fiction, I’ll wager the majority of even Richler’s readers are also women — I forgave him. Because really, who could hold anything against Barney?

Grainger actually castigates Foran for failing to speculate on the reasons for Richler’s way of writing women…and then repeats the identical error. But I have this theory…

Foran’s biography clearly owes a tremendous debt to Michael Posner’s The Last Honest Man: Mordecai Richler. In many places, Foran seems to have simply transformed the sliced and diced verbatim interviews Posner reports, into narrative prose.

Foran, who in publicity shots appears to be cultivating a Mordecai-ian hairdo, also takes pains to present his book as an unauthorized biography. To which I can only say: if this be unauthorized, one shudders to imagine the converse. Because, on comparing Posner and Foran, one becomes aware of the areas where the hagiography ends — which are, coincidentally, the points Foran conveniently overlooks. Some of them have to do with women, one being Mordecai’s first wife, Cathy Boudreau. According to one of Posner’s sources, a “friend, who requested anonymity” suggested that “Perhaps seeking a way out of his marriage…Richler…became impotent…‘I think towards the end Mordecai was uninterested and withholding himself and out of need, I guess, she slept with some of his friends (Posner, p. 106).’” (With friends like that, as my mother might say, who needs enemies?)

Which brings me to the subject of Richler’s mother. The book is quite detailed in the matter of even his parents’ upbringing, particularly that of Lily (sometimes Leah) Rosenberg, Mordecai’s mother.
Foran makes quite a song and dance of a 2,400 word letter Richler wrote his mother in 1976, a copy of which he kept in his archives. Florence never knew about the letter, which finishes with Mordecai explaining why he deviated so greatly from the biblical injunction “to honour our mother and father [;] I must point out that there were some things Moses had not yet heard of.” He then tells her he remembers, from his boyhood, that she had sex with one of her boarders in the bedroom Mordecai and his mother shared, “the two of you humping together only 12 feet from a boy of 12.” And please don’t accuse me of being a spoiler: Foran announced the contents of the letter — complete with the quotes I cite, in The Globe and Mail, on the publication of his book.

For me, the true tragedy at the centre of Mordecai — aside from his sad decline and untimely passing in his final illness, which in this account more than ever resembles an alcoholic beset by a tragedy of medical errors — is all his mother’s. Maybe she was an embittered old woman. Maybe she was mentally ill. Maybe she had, as Mordecai wrote, humped her lover “only 12 feet from a boy of 12” (Would you really trust the accuracy of such a freighted, 33-year-old memory? Foran himself describes the great outcry within the Richler clan to Mordecai’s assertion that his Richler grandfather struck his own — the grandfather’s — children; even Mordecai’s brother “wonders if [MR] had got this wrong…But [concludes the brother] whatever his other flaws, Mordecai Richler did not fabricate [p.707].”) And then there was the fact that this letter was among a set of papers that weren’t to be made public until 20 years after his death…which to an outsider like myself makes the inclusion of this letter in the book an immoral act, despite the estate’s waiving of the condition.

Lily Rosenberg’s sin was to be born female in the home of a revered Chassidic Rabbi more than a century ago, and so be ineligible to follow in her father’s footsteps the way a favoured son might, despite being otherwise capable or worthy. She was relegated to the position of errand runner to her exalted father, “a slave to her Judaism…submissive to her father who deprived her of higher learning she could obviously have enjoyed and mastered (p. 497),” according to a review Foran cites of her fictionalized biography, The Errand Runner. In fact, her father did the best he could for her in the women-oppressive times into which she had been born — Lily was married off to an unsuitable boy from a prosperous family, an attempt to assure her financial future. Instead, the marriage was ill-starred and poverty-stricken. And then, her father dead, Lily cared for her mother, bed ridden from a stroke that left her incontinent and at risk for gangrene, for seven long years. She eventually had her marriage annulled — making her sons bastards, according to Jewish law.

Who wouldn’t be bitter, surviving such a scenario? (And here I include both Lily and her sons…)

I do recognize the above spin perhaps echoes the posthumous fate of Clara Charnofsky, the fictional Barney’s first wife. I also feel, after having read Foran’s book — and Lily Rosenberg’s — a better understanding for the way Mordecai wrote women (for example, the mother who does a strip-tease for the bar mitzvah bochers in Joshua Then and Now, the mother who died of Alzheimer’s, as Lily did, in Barney’s Version). The story of Lily Rosenberg, the story of Mordecai Richler…these are novular in their own right.

One thing I think neither Posner nor Foran mentions is that Duddy Kravitz was not the original I’d always thought he was.

In 2009, the writer and producer Budd Schulberg died. I must have read an obituary on him at the time, and put his seminal novel, made into a movie and even a highly successful musical — What Makes Sammy Run (1941) — onto my reading list.

Well, in 2010, I finally read it…hmm, I thought, why does this Sammy Glick person seem so familiar? Because Duddy Kravitz was an updated, menchified Sammy Glick. From the 1959 New York Times review of MR’s book by Florence Crowther (no relation):

“The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is really the revved-up odyssey of a young man from the squalor of St. Urbain Street to the…stylish residential heights of Montreal’s Outrement. The young man is Duddy Kravitz, a Sammy Glick by any other name, but a broken-field runner rather than one with his eye on the long distance crown.

“Like Sammy, Duddy is bound to escape from the poverty and humiliation of his boyhood. But unlike Sammy, once Duddy has outgrown his childhood peculations…his urge is for the honorable, the legitimate, the man-to-man enterprise…”

In fact, Duddy is even referred to as Sammy Glick in the novel (on p. 165 of the version in Google Books—again, sharpening my appreciation for an e-reader…). Which underlined a thought that had occurred to me a couple of years back, on perusal of Irene Nemirovsky’s David Golder (which I couldn’t even bring myself to read, it sounded so horrific): you can never go wrong making your Jewish character a son-of-a-bitch.

But perhaps one of the most impressive lessons I learned from Foran’s book was the invisibility of women as writers in the era of Mordecai Richler (a defect somewhat repaired in Linda Leith’s new book, Writing in the Time of Nationalism, which rescues from obscurity the names of woman writers of the Richler era). Foran does his best to keep women’s names in the narrative, but other than the occasional editor and agent, and despite Florence’s primacy as Mordecai’s first and best critic, women are pretty much absent in the creative sense — other than as wives, lovers, babysitters. Oh, Foran does mention Mavis Gallant, Doris Lessing, and Margaret Atwood, but mostly in passing; it seems as though he’s worked hard to get them in at all (and if you want a real eye-popping view of what it was like to be a women even in professional society of several decades past, please read Stephen Kimber’s book Not Guilty, about politician and serial sexual predator Gerald Regan).

Pining for Barney, I went to the book launch for Mordecai: The Life & Times, the first launch I’d been at where the author declined to read from his book — and at $40 a pop, he should have! Before the proceedings actually got underway, Marvin Rotrand, a member of the Montreal’s civic government, circulated a petition among the paltry, grey-headed crowd (a number of young people were there, but only because they were buddies of Foran’s daughter, who attends a local university. A couple of them I spoke to: Americans who had never heard of Mordecai Richler). Rotrand has a petition going to “request that the City of Montreal make an appropriate gesture to commemorate the contribution of Mordecai Richler in naming a street, a public place or building in his honour.” It has garnered 2,000 signatures.

Meantime, a petition demanding Quebec’s premier resign has collected nearly 150 times as many names…

Foran and Rotrand joked about the possible canonization of Mordecai, riffing on Saint André Bessette, the former Brother André, who had recently been canonized. Which set me to thinking of an appropriate commemoration that might have Mr. Richler rolling in his grave — with laughter. St. Joseph’s Oratory is the shrine built through Brother André’s devotion, the largest church in Canada, and one of Montreal’s major tourist draws. Our jolly comrades of Quebec sovereignty and archetypal Richlerian foes, the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, have episodically agitated to change the name of the street, Queen Mary Road, where the Oratory is located. I think it might be time to give in to the SSJB’s demands in exchange for one of our own: why not rename the Oratory in honour of the late lamented Mordecai Richler, the most successful writer Montreal — now and probably ever — and St. Urbain’s true horseman?

Foran is a strong writer and his book is a wonderful achievement, bringing a glimpse of so much of Montreal literary and social history — particularly, but not exclusively, Montreal’s Jewish history — to life. The prose is lively and powerful and moves at a great clip. I was sorry to finish it, moved to tears repeatedly while reading the last chapters, which is a remarkable feat, especially in biography. Foran’s book fittingly — and to the chagrin of Richler’s political foes — seeks to praise Richler, not to bury him, unlike some of MR’s literary fellow-travellers (see ELAN’s RAEV program, for example).

But even after reading it, I haven’t had my fill; I am still waiting for Barney. In so-doing, I know I am really waiting for a version of Mordecai. I’m waiting for a version of my father, for a version of Montreal’s late, lamented past, to reappear. And in this, I know, I am really, pace Beckett, waiting for Godot.

Unfortunately, I know something else — spoiler alert! — that despite our devotion to it, the past, like Godot, never comes.

(Originally published on The Rover, Montreal's online arts magazine)

Roddy Doyle, Genocide, and Docs that Boldly go where no Doc has Gone Before*: NOW for My 3 Latest Articles

2011-09-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

I've been working on some interesting articles over at NOW, Concordia University's online news and events newsletter.

So I thought I'd share them with you:

First, an article about the Writers Read literary series which, along with the School of Canadian Irish Studies at Concordia, is set to welcome acclaimed Irish writer Roddy Doyle on Friday October 7th.

Doyle is the author of nine novels, including The Commitments, The Van, A Star Called Henry, and The Woman Who Walked into Doors. He has also written five children’s books, a collection of short stories, and a memoir. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Metro Eireann and several anthologies. In 1993, he won the Booker Prize for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. He also writes for stage and screen, and won a number of nominations and awards for his work on the screenplay for The Commitments.

Second, some of the world’s foremost experts on the role of media in preventing mass atrocities will bring their latest insights to the upcoming conference, The Promise of Media in Halting Mass Atrocities: A Conference to Mark the 10th Anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).

Concordia University’s Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) is organizing the conference, which takes place October 20 and 21 at the Mount StephenClub, 1440 Drummond Street.

And third, a story about Cinema Politica, a made at Concordia documentary film series that has grown to 90 international locations since 2003:

In 2003, a small group of Concordia film buffs got together and decided they wanted to see some alternative, non-commercial documentary films. They started out in with small screenings every couple of weeks, says Ezra Winton, BA 05, MA 07, co-founder and director of programming for Cinema Politica (CP).

Word of the film series quickly spread and “it wasn’t long before it was standing room only and people were sitting on the floor. Students were hungry for alternative media and perspectives, for the under-represented stories,” explains Winton....

Hope you enjoy...

*(Okay, maybe that last part was a slight exaggeration...)

Happy NEW YEAR!! It's Rosh Hashanah...

2011-09-28T14:52:00.000-04:00

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year, full of sweetness!

And, to celebrate, I'd like to share this video by The Fountainheads that a Facebook friend sent my way recently.

These lyrics really jumped out at me, summarizing what this time of the Jewish year is all about:

Any wrong can be made right/ Just forgive/ You need not fight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlcxEDy-lr0

Made the soup, meatballs, roast beef, apple cake, and strawberry rhubarb pie. Now to slice fruit and veggies...

Best to you,

Bev

The Meaning Of Children makes the Final Top 10 list of the CBC - Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice Contest

2011-09-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

I was just thrilled to discover today that The Meaning Of Children made the Final Top 10 list of the CBC- Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice Contest!! The top book, Myrna Dey's Extensions went on to a place on the Longlist...

Here's the list:

• Extensions by Myrna Dey (6.9 per cent of total eligible nominations; Congratulations on making the Giller LONGLIST!!!)

• The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou (5.6 per cent )

• Everything Was Good-bye by Gurjinder Basran (5.5 per cent)

• Copernicus Avenue by Andrew Borkowski (3.6 per cent)

• Hope Burned by Brent LaPorte (3.5 per cent)

• Echoes from the Other Land by Ava Homa (3 per cent )

• Man & Other Natural Disasters by Nerys Parry (2.6 per cent) *

• Don't Be Afraid by Steven Hayward (2.6 per cent) *

• Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul by David Adams Richards (2.3 per cent)

• The Meaning of Children by Beverly Akerman (2.2 per cent)

http://www.cbc.ca/books/scotiabankgillerprize/readerschoice/

Here are the comments made by those who voted for me, people who hail from all over Canada...a huge shout out to you all!!

Johanna from Kelowna: thanks so much for this: "As a social worker in child protection I really appreciated the focus and the insights into the lives of children demonstrated in the work The Meaning of Children by Beverly Akerman. Our children are our future and deserve more attention, love and nurturing. Beverly's book is a method to that purpose; she touched my heart to its core."

Kathe from Montreal: "I have been savouring the stories one by one. I don't want this book to end. She writes so simply but powerfully, and her characters stay with you."

B Maurene: "If the reality of Akerman's skilful weaving of tales that can be all too true of the way parents families and cultures place their hopes and dreams on children hits home to contemporary child bearers, she could be building a better world. Few who embark on the journey of parenting ever realize how great the responsibilities are or how to meet the individual needs of children, particularly those with difficulties. A should read for college and university students, and a must read, among the hundreds of pregnancy and child rearing how-to manuals, for parents attending pre-natal classes."

Marla of Thunder Bay: "Beverly Akerman is an extraordinary writer and I believe she deserves it."

Suzan of Ottawa: "It was an absolute joy to read. I laughed out loud at some stories and wept shamelessly at others, all the while savouring every skilfully handpicked word. One cannot read The Meaning of Children and not be moved in some way by the stories therein. It is a beautiful quilt, made of exquisitely crafted pieces which when taken as a whole is so much more than a sum of its parts."

Eva from Maple Ridge: "The Meaning of Children should win because it is important for the reader to view situation from the child's perspective."

Lynn from Belle River: "Beverly Akerman would be a good candidate. Enlightening and refreshing."

Paula from Cornwall: "In her book The Meaning of Children, Beverly Akerman gives us a snap shot of the reality of childhood in diverse family situations. As and educator, I understand too clearly that the reality that childhood is not always a "Norman Rockwell" moment, but rather is a reflection of the very complex perception of an individual child, whether pleasant or challenging, the question remains, is the individual child free to be themselves or are they encouraged to put on a mask to face their personal circumstances?"

Rusti of Stony Plain: "This collection of short stories was stunning, captivating, wrenching and hopeful. I wanted more when I finished the book."

Ken from Saskatoon: "The author's insight into the minds of children and the lives touched by those around them allow the reader to truly appreciate how impressionable these young minds are, and how the events in our lives can effect how children perceive, and register them. It also reminds me of how important my son is to me, as when I face conflict or stress in my life, all of the problems dissapear intantly when I see him smile at me."

Kayla from Timmins: "This author should make it to this year's Scotiabank Giller Prize because she writes books on life's reality which is a subject that may teach kids like adults about some of life's matters."

Rocio from Mississauga: "I think Beverly Akerman, with The Meaning of Children, should be considered, because throughout her book she shows how children can change our world, with their hearts, dreams and tenderness. They do not even know how much this world changes for the best just because they are part of it, and that is really touching and marvelous."

Pauline from Montreal: "Beverly Akerman's The Meaning of Children takes an eyes-wide-open look at real families. No sentimentality here yet there's a ring of truth to the often quirky situations people find themselves in that made me smile with recognition. A wry smile at times, but Akerman writes pitch-perfect prose. This is Canadian story-telling at its best."

Felicia from Boisseavain (cribbed from Anne Chudobiak):" The book touches on a lot of the biggest parental 'what ifs.' Kidnapping. Hate crime. Death by drowning. Suicide. Even so, it would make a good gift for a new mother. Akerman holds up our greatest fears, not to dwell on them, but to marvel at our commitment to life, especially to passing it on to others. Says one character, looking back, 'Life had been perfect ' but I'd been too busy to notice."

Valerie from Toronto: "As an early childhood educator I feel it really conveys the voices of children and parents in our society."

Frances from Port Coquitlam: "An in depth look at the inner turmoils of a childs life and/or those who care for them and how life experiences can have such an impact on our stories and journies through life. An interesting study on this subject."

Kimberly from Shawnigan Lake: "I believe Beverly Akerman's, The Meaning of Children has amazing insight with it's many stories. I loved them all, Life is what happens in the meantime. Great read and would highly recommend."

Mona from ND Ile Perrot:"I'd like to suggest Beverly Akerman. Her book, The Meaning of Children is written with a refreshing sincerity. Loved it!"

Carrie from Spruce Grove: "I think that it takes a special kind of skill to coordinate short stories into a piece that is well written and thought provoking- without losing one's initial objectives."

Crystal from Nanaimo: "The Meaning of Children is my submission as it is told through the voices of children. What can be better than to hear 14 different stories of growing up and dealing with important issues? Each child tells their stories so vividly and honestly, you feel sorry for them, as if you know them. This book is extremely well written and gripping."

Catherine from Whitby: "Well written, captivating perspectives on life's stages."

Rajini from Canada: "I think that Beverly Akerman should make the long list. Akerman's The Meaning of Children is a dark, thought-provoking read that is certainly worthy of the 2011 Giller Prize."

The Meaning Of Children is available in fine bookstores across Canada and online at Amazon.ca, Chapters, and through Exile Editions.

Beverly Akerman

Agog about "Gollywog"

"Pie" at Third Sunday Blog Carnival

The Meaning Of Children e-book cover

Glob & Pail on the Census: ASTOUNDING!

Canada Reads: the Brouhaha Continues

"Can you handle the truth, Canada Reads?" No More Ms. Nice Guy

The Meaning Of Children: on Mother's Day and Abortion

Empty Bowls Montreal 2012: We're baaack!!

Darryl Martin: Perseverance is the key

Submitted to Canada's National Magazine Awards...

I'm pleased to announce that two of my 2011 articles, both published in Montreal's online magazine of arts and culture, The Rover, have been submitted for consideration to Canada's National Magazine Awards. From their website:

"National Magazine Awards

Themes From The Meaning Of Children

RIP Stephanie Hoddinott: Sad Second Anniversary of Preventable Murder

Dude, you are too sexy for your humidor...: the morning laugh, courtesy of Facebook

Blatch vs. Gopnik: Why The Walrus owes Christie Blatchford an apology

A Writer's Gratitude, part 2: TMOC makes ANOTHER Top 10 List

My most popular recent tweet: PM Harper's eye exam

The Hardboiled Stress Of Being Santa

Review of ‘Arrhythmia’ by Alice Zorn

Shame, Mr. Harper: Conservative Party Bullying of Irwin Cotler

Happy Hanukah!

Beverly Akerman Wows Quebec City Bibliophiles

Logic in harmony with passion

Teaching is his week's highlight

Fate of Royal Vale School has communities squabbling

Reported on

Sowing a farm in the city

Forty years and $1.5 million later, McGill Book Fair bites the dust

Keeping Students Engaged is Key

Jordan LeBel's Recipe for Success in the Classroom

Mordecai makes Charles Foran a Governor General's Literary Awardwinner

Winners

Fiction

Poetry

Drama

Non-fiction

Children’s Literature — Text

Children’s Literature — Illustration

Translation

The peer assessment committees

English-language committees

French-language committees

Akerman shortlisted for Aesthetica Creative Works Competition

The Boys Of Summer : Summer Literary Seminars (2010)

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Comments (8)

Award-winning teacher believes in blackboard and chalk

The Meaning of Children: An Interview with Beverly Akerman by Darryl Salach

ENFORCING THE LONG-GUN REGISTRY DOES PREVENT CRIME

Blue Emet: Bev Akerman @ Congregation Dorshei Emet's Inaugural Arts Festival Nov 20th

The Meaning Of Children: Upcoming Readings @ the Eleanor London Cote Saint-Luc Public Library & others...

Beverly Akerman appearing at the Blue Emet Arts Festival Nov. 20th

A Feminist Jewess on Charles Foran's "Mordecai: The Life & Times"

Congrats Charlie!

Roddy Doyle, Genocide, and Docs that Boldly go where no Doc has Gone Before*: NOW for My 3 Latest Articles

Happy NEW YEAR!! It's Rosh Hashanah...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlcxEDy-lr0

The Meaning Of Children makes the Final Top 10 list of the CBC - Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice Contest