Our interview with poet and award-winning author Ben Lerner about his gripping novel 10:04. On anxiety for the future, the importance of imagination, and why the line between fiction and reality is blurrier than we might suppose.
For me, literature, like life, is about being open to the contradictions of experience as opposed to papering them over or offering false solutions – Ben Lerner
Ben Lerner author of 10:04
A new interview (our second) with world-renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky. In this conversation Chomsky reflects on the challenge to humanity posed by climate change, what ordinary citizens can do to combat it, and shares some of the lessons he’s gleaned from his life including what his advice would be for present and future generations concerned about the fate of the planet.
As he says on climate change: “It’s urgent for those who have the most privilege, the most opportunity, the greatest advantages, to be in the forefront instead of in the rear in trying to impede what is likely to be a serious catastrophe.” Listen to our interview below:
For our other interview with Noam Chomsky, from February 2013, in which we spoke about his activism during the Vietnam war, and the need to “confront reality” regarding the challenges and uncomfortable truths in front of us click here.
Picture yourself as a man in your 70’s living in a small out-port on a remote island off the coast of Newfoundland. You love where you live, and your roots to the place go deep. You were born and grew up there, and asides from a few short periods it’s where you’ve lived your entire life. The landscape, the people, the history of the place is practically in your bones. But since the collapse of the fishery jobs are non-existent and opportunities are few. And in order to save costs, the 
provincial government has offered to pay residents a significant sum of money to relocate to a new city. But there’s a major catch. They will only pay if everyone agrees. Your friends, family, neighbours are all in favour, and you are the only hold out.
This is the painful dilemma faced by Moses Sweetland, the central character in Michael Crummey’s touching new novel of the same name – Sweetland.
With stakes high, Moses faces an increasing amount of resentment, even threats, from his fellow residents. Caught between the past and the future, between home and the unknown, between capitulation and holding on, what follows is a gripping story that touches on aspects of belonging, death, and what to do in the face of inevitable change.
It’s also a meditation on a very real dilemma that residents of small Newfoundland out-ports have faced in waves since 1954. In a province of many isolated hamlets, and ongoing economic turmoil, resettlement has been a painful, often debated reality of life for decades. 
Michael Crummey is an award winning novelist and poet who has made exploring the contradictions, beauty, and hardships of life on Newfoundland the topic of much of his prose. He skilfully paints a picture of a way of life that few of us will experience, and one that is quickly becoming a thing of the past in our rapidly changing interconnected world.
Sweetland is Michael Crummey’s his fourth book, and it is both a subtle and thought-provoking read. Listen to our interview here.
Outside of The New York Times
As a term, media is such an all-encompassing word. It includes a impossible range of different businesses, ventures, and facets – from entertainment to public interest journalism, from TV movies to ads – that it can be almost absurd to make any judgments on the current state of ‘the media’ at all. But if pressed to, the perhaps one undeniable thing one could say about the media at large, is that these are interesting times for the industry. From the rapid rise of Netflix, to the continuing struggles of newspapers, and the upending of the broadcast model of television, there’s a lot to talk about. Who ever thought that Amazon would be getting into the business of making television?
Not only is the entire range of the industry in flux, but also never before has media in general played such a large role in our day-to-day lives. From articles on Facebook, to YouTube videos, radio, podcasts, television, ebooks; for many of us, a huge percentage of our waking hours outside of work, (and often even inside of it) involves consuming media of one sort or another. Especially in this age of ubiquitous screens, it seems we can hardly escape it.
And then there are the issues facing the media and journalistic worlds more generally. From Telecom monopolies and threats to internet neutrality, to the crack down on journalistic sources, and the treatment of the Snowden revelations, there’s a lot to get a handle on.
Well to delve into such questions facing journalism, and the larger media world there’s few better sources than David Carr and his weekly column in the New York Times – an always fascinating look at an industry in flux, and one which never fails to leave the reader mulling over the implications. From examining newspaper acquisitions, and media upstarts, to painting a portrait of Glenn Greenwald, David Carr has become the closest thing to required reading one can get for those interested in the changing face of the media.
New York Times media critic David Carr
David Carr also has followed what might just count as one of the most unlikely paths to becoming a New York Times journalist that one could imagine- or at least the context of his early foray’s into journalism aren’t exactly what you would advise an ambitious young reporter. As a man in his 20’s living in Minnesota, Carr was starting to write successfully for various papers and magazines when he began to get deeper into drugs, a road that saw him get fired from his newspaper job, get into repeated trouble with the law, and eventually hit more or less rock bottom. It’s a descent and ultimately redemption story that he recounts in his gripping and brutally honest 2008 best selling memoir, The Night of the Gun.
I headed down to New York and sat down with David Carr this past May to ask him for his thoughts on the challenges facing traditional media, what the role of journalism is in the changing context of the times, and a bit about his own turbulent past. What resulted was a fascinating, wide-ranging conversation, that even included a bit of sparring. Here’s our interview: https://soundcloud.com/kevincaners/davidcarr
Author Alexander Maksik
Author Alexander Maksik has recently published his second novel ‘A Marker to Measure Drift’. It tells the story of Jacqueline, a young Liberian woman who has fled the civil war engulfing her country, and is haunted by the trauma of her recent past as she struggles to survive on a Greek island full of vacationing and carefree tourists. Jacqueline experience’s of the world is visceral, having been stripped down to all but the most basic of human needs, the search for food and shelter. But all the while she is determined to maintain her dignity, even as she struggles to survive her uncertain state. The book is a fascinating meditation on memory, violence, and the need for companionship and understanding. 
Renowned progressive Ralph Nader certainly has no shortage of descriptions that can be attached to him: author, outspoken consumer advocate, lawyer, environmentalist, public citizen, the list goes on. But to many – especially those of us who were born from the 1970s on-wards, Nader is probably best known for challenging the dominate two party system in America as a four time presidential candidate, running both as an independent, and under the banner of the Green Party.
His presidential efforts include his controversial run in the 2000 election, when some progressives and former allies blamed his campaign for siphoning off votes from democrats in critical swing states and causing Al Gore to narrowly lose the presidency to George Bush.
But the true extent of Ralph Nader’s contributions as an individual to American society, go far beyond any debate as to the positive or negative impact of his presidential runs. Many of the institutions and the key regulations that are taken for granted in the United States today – things that protect consumer rights, democracy, 
and the environment – are virtually the direct result of his work. This includes such things as the EPA, The Freedom of Information Act, The Clean Air and Water acts, and countless other pieces of crucial federal legislation which were enacted into law in the 60s and 70s thanks to Nader’s efforts along with the public interest institutions he founded.
He first came to prominence in the 1960s when he took on the large U.S. car manufacturers such as GM over known design and safety flaws that they allowed to be built into their models vehicles. His research and findings led to his 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed, which in turn helped usher in – by an unanimous vote in congress – the 1966 National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act which gave the government new oversight powers into the safe design of cars and roads.
Now, Ralph Nader is out with a 
new book called Told You So, The Big Book of Weekly Columns. It’s a collection of his best weekly column that he has been writing since 1972 and covers subjects ranging from coporate crime, and foreign policy, to the media, and health care. It’s a compelling and fascinating look at the determined work of one of America’s most outspoken and progressive figures. I reached Ralph Nader by phone at a studio in Washington, D.C.
For those who know his work, Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig isn’t exactly renowned for seeing the brighter side of life. Indeed, through his previous films such as Vinyl and I Curmudgeon, he has built a reputation for exploring life’s darker aspects, including his own personal struggles and vulnerabilities.
Toronto Director Alan Zweig
It might, then, come as a surprise to some to learn of his most recent film, 15 Reasons To Live, in which he instead turns his eye to what makes life worth living; the various facets of the human experience which make our time on this planet worth holding onto and cherishing.
The film was inspired by a book of essays of the same title Why Not: 15 reasons to live, by Alan’s friend Roy Robertson. As soon as he heard the title, knew he wanted to make a film based on idea.
Based on this inspiration, the film takes the viewer through a sequence of chapters, each one adapted to one of the fifteen themes in Ray Robertson’s collection of essays Adventure, Art, Intoxication. Rather than being an abstract meditation, in the film each point is illustrated by a portrait of a person and a particular experience they have had, which brings to life the theme in question.
The portraits are both poignant and revealing, and the end result is a heartening film of meditations on the nature of life and resilience that will leave you thinking long after you’ve left the theatre.
The film premiered at Hot Docs in May, and will be coming out to Canadian theatres this October. I sat down with Alan Zweig during Hot Docs in May for our interview.
To find out more visit www.15reasonstolive.com/
With the latest revelations about surveillance by the NSA the past couple of weeks have seen an explosion in the conversation over what exactly happens to our online data, and just how accessible our personal internet communications are by government bodies. Indeed, thanks to the recent leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, we now have further insight into just how closely connected government surveillance programs and the corporations we rely on daily such as Facebook, and Google have become.
These latest leaks also happen to coincide with the release of a gripping new documentary by filmmaker Cullen Hoback called ‘Terms And Conditions May Apply’. The film sheds light on just how much information is held about ordinary citizens by corporations and government, and how that data is being used in some disquieting ways.
But the film also takes a step back to raise the question, how did we get to this point? How did we so quickly end up in a world where the majority of our day-to-day communications are legally accessible by the government – even without being suspected of a particular crime – and what could this mean not only for our privacy, but for the very ability for citizens to dissent? 
It’s both a timely and riveting doc and despite dealing with serious issues, it manages to be a really fun film to watch. Terms And Conditions had it’s Canadian premiere at Hot Docs in May, and I took the chance to sit down with director Cullen Hoback. But be warned, it may just leave you shocked at what we agreed to in the fine print!
The film is opening up in several U.S. markets in July including New York and Los Angeles, and for more announcements on upcoming screenings head over to http://tacma.net/
Listen to the full interview here!
Author David Sedaris
Best-Selling and celebrated author David Sedaris has been delighting readers for more that 20 years with his self-effacing essays in which he mines stories from his family, childhood, and day-to-day experiences for the perverse humour of human existence.
Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris
He first gained popularity in the early 1990s with his humourous radio essays on NPR (such as the SantaLand diaries in which he recounts his stint working as a Christmas elf at the Macy’s Department Store) and then later through his contributions to PRI’s This American Life, and the New Yorker magazine.
His latest collection of essays Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls is his 9th book and has earned him the usual glowing reviews and place on-top of the best-sellers list.
David Sedaris was in Toronto in May as part of his book tour and I leapt at the chance to have him on for an interview. We spoke about everything from his success as an artist, and his public persona, to his early days as a writer, and his admiration for the radio prose of the great Jonathan Goldstein.
Well if you’re like me, and belong to a certain generation of Canadians, who grew up in the 80s and 90s, there’s a good chance that hearing the name Fred Penner triggers a series of fond memories from childhood. That’s because Fred Penner was the man behind Fred Penner’s place, a popular children’s television show that ran on CBC from 1985 to 1997.
Over the course of almost 1000 episodes, Fred Penner entertained his young viewers with stories, music, and words (you might remember the famous “Word Bird”) and in the process influenced an entire generation of young Canadians.
Fred Penner with The Cat Came Back
Fred Penner grew up in Winnipeg, and from a young age developed a love for music. But it was through playing songs for his younger sister Suzy, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, that he came to see music as a way to connect and make a positive difference in the life of children.
After graduating after from the University of Winnipeg, he started performing and touring around Canada both as a solo musician and as a member of various groups and acts. But it was in 1979 when he recorded His first LP of songs for children, The Cat Came Back that his career really took off. The album became hugely popular, and went on to sell more than 150,000 copies in Canada alone.
The success got him noticed by popular childhood musician Raffi, who invited Penner to tour with him around North America. And after a few years of performing both with Raffi and as a solo artist to ever increasing audiences, Penner was approached by the CBC and asked if he would be interested in developing a children’s show based around his musical performances.
And so Fred Penner’s place born, and it quickly became one of the most popular and beloved children’s shows on TV. His warmth and his obvious love for music endeared Fred Penner to a generation. And although the show was abruptly cancelled by CBC 1997, Penner never stopped believing in the importance of what he was doing, and continued performing and positively connecting with young people right up to the present.
He’s recipient of the Order of Canada and multiple Juno Awards. And when he’s not busy performing, he’s actively involved with numerous children organizations and causes. I can only imagine how thoroughly impressed my 5 year old self would be that I had the great pleasure of meeting and speaking with Fred Penner in person!
Fred Penner with Kevin Caners
The Public 