Blog
They’re Everywhere
Holy stickers Batman. These things have hit Toronto, New York, Halifax… everywhere. Now they’ve reportedly crossed the pond. They’re going up in the UK now. Move over Banksy. Or whatever. I have no idea what this means.
Read MoreNegative Empathy
Should writers of fiction review the work of colleagues? I avoid it personally, and my rational for doing is the basis for my side of a debate that was part of the CBC Literary Smackdown series recently. The other side of the issue was taken by esteemed Victoria-based novelist and nonfiction writer Robert Weirsma, who also writes a lot of fine reviews.…
Read MorePortlandia Update: Canada Days
I had the occasion to attend Canada Days in Portland, Oregon, not long ago. It’s a week-long celebration of Canadian industry, arts and culture, but it also added up to being the strangest trip south of 49 I’ve ever had. Until I received the email invitation, I had no idea there was such a festival,…
Read MoreDo You Trust Your Phone?
The Blue Light Project weirdly presages this extraordinary news story: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has told smartphone and email users “You’re all screwed”, as he unveiled his latest publications. The 287 documents Wikileaks has released point to 150 agencies around the world that are making use of *existing technology* to monitor people’s phones and computers. Software…
Read MoreThe Solution to Inequality is Spelled: V-A-T
Early in the Canadian Occupy protests in October, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney described the movement as “constructive” – the understandable product of worsening income inequality. He was partly right. He should have said the protests were potentially constructive, but only if parties on both sides of the barricades open their minds about taxes,…
Read MoreCBC “cultural secrets”: Byron Cameraman
I’ve written several times in these pages about my friend Byron Dauncey, who is also the street artist known as Cameraman. I’m happy to do so again, as Byron was included in the CBC show “Cultural Secrets”, for which the CBC asked a whole range of people for suggestions. When they approached me, I took…
Read MoreSave the Red Gate
I’m mid-way through a piece for Vancouver Review on the topic of public art. As a result, I wouldn’t normally write and post anything on the topic because it might end up stealing from work to-be-published. But, with apologies to my kind and forbearing editors at VR, I’m going to make an exception here because…
Read MoreIgloolik Dubai
My third novel The Blue Light Project was published in March/April and book business, touring etc, consumed most of those two months. In May I had to get back to work. That means magazine work. And that means travel. I still very much enjoy this aspect of my freelance life. This time around in particular, I had…
Read MoreOttawa Writers Festival
AND ALL IS ALWAYS NOW Pleased to be reading 8:30 PM Sunday May 1st at the Mayfair Theater in Ottawa, at 1074 Bank Street. From the program notes: Join us for three stunning evocations of how the future incorporates the past into the present. These forward-looking novelists examine personal journeys through our collective histories. …
Read MoreHerzog’s Critically Important Idea
“We need adequate images, or we’ll go the way of the dinosaurs.” Herzog has said this numerous times. I think it’s one of the most critical ideas of our time. It was true in the 70’s when he first said it. It’s more true today. In The Blue Light Project, I built my street artist…
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