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The Alice Munro effect

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Alice Munro has won the Nobel Prize for literature. In the Sept. 15, 2001 edition of Saturday Night magazine, Frank Moher, backofthebook.ca’s editor, wrote with tongue only-slightly-in-cheek about the great volume of short story collections published in Canada, perhaps inspired by having the great Ms. Munro among us. His suggestion for a short-story moratorium did […]

Every day is culture day

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By Rachelle Stein-Wotten This weekend a lot of Canadians rejoiced in the cultural mecca that is this nation by participating in some 7,000 free activities in 850 communities. Creatively named Culture Days, the annual event celebrates, well, culture in its many forms – artistic, ethnic, regional, social – with events across the country. “Creative people” […]

Universal appeal, still no audience

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By Rachelle Stein-Wotten When you score big financially, does anybody write you a congratulatory cheque? No? Well what’s wrong with you? Because if you’re a Canadian filmmaker and you write or direct the top-grossing Canadian film in any given year, you get a cool $20,000. Telefilm Canada says its Golden Box Office Award is intended […]

Sweet City Steve

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By Frank Moher Some people have complained that the new red, white and blue paint job on the Prime Minister’s airplane makes it look too American. Others have complained that the colours are too much like those of the Conservative Party. However, some of us know that the do-over is really an homage to the […]

Harper needs to ask himself: What would Frank Glenfield say?

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By Frank Moher A lot of Canadian teachers are rightfully angry at the Conservatives these days — none more so than drama teachers. Barely hours after Justin Trudeau was elected leader of the Liberal Party, the Cons unleashed an attack ad deriding his work experience: as a camp counsellor, white water rafting instructor, and most […]

The Newfoundland solution

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By Rachelle Stein-Wotten Any actor, writer, director, or producer will tell you the film and television industry is unstable: The feed bag is either overflowing or has just enough grains to sustain you through the lean months. But with the B.C. film industry on the verge of collapse, as Hollywood productions head to Ontario and […]