Sadly, it was to notify us that John had passed away on January 9, 2010.

Authors come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments but John was a gentle man a well as a gentleman. Over the years he told me about his Dad, a country Doctor in the Maritimes; how he fell in love with flying and became a pilot; and many wonderful stories about his travels.

John was an outstanding lawyer with a reputation in the oil patch of Alberta. He had a very happy long-time marriage to Grace and spoke lovingly of his children and grandchildren. Although John wrote mysteries for Dundurn I tried to encourage him to write his memoirs. I am sorry I didn’t succeed.

I will miss him.

Alan Butcher, author of Unlikely Paradise

When I was on holiday I visited Frances Gage, an accomplished Canadian sculptor and the subject of a new biography Unlikely Paradise: The Life of Frances Gage by Alan Butcher. Alan astutely knew when he met Frances some years ago that her life and works needed to be recorded. He had the foresight but also the talent to make this biography a reality. According to both Frances and Alan the process was a long one but ultimately led to a wonderful book.

I was honoured to be invited into her studio and have just a tiny glimpse of Frances the sculptor. A friend of Frances Loring and Florence Wylie she had an even greater connection with the Group of Seven and carved reliefs of both F.H. Varley and A.Y. Jackson while she worked and lived in Tom Thomson’s shack. An artist when women were not considered serious artists she fought many battles to be able to continue to pursue her art. Check out some of her work by clicking here.

Work in progress. Eventually it will be a man's head. At the moment it is an upright, and a couple of thick wires with some tissue stuck in the middle.

This one, a girl's head, is in the plasticine stage. This morning Frances was very excited. The head, she felt, had begun to take over, much as a secondary character in a novel might, independent of the novelist's plans, assume greater importance and choose its own direction.

Frances Gage in her workshop

The artist at work

Frances has a natural curiosity and drive that has not dissipated with time. She showed me her new electric scooter –not a Vespa but one you push along with your foot and then hop on! I wouldn’t try it but she loves it! She also showed me the two commissioned busts she is sculpting-this is a rich life.

There is currently a show of her work at the Northumberland Art Gallery in Cobourg; and if you would like to meet Frances in person there will be a launch for Unlikely Paradise and an 85^th birthday celebration for Frances at the gallery on August 22 at 2:00 p.m.

Former NAC chair Jean Therese Riley, Mario Bernardi first conductor and second music director of the NAC, Sarah Jennings, current President and CEO Peter Herrndorft

Last night we celebrated Art and Politics: the History of the National Arts Centre by Sarah Jennings. This book is vitally important because we have a very short history memory in Canada. The NAC celebrates it’s 40th year this Tuesday, June 2nd. Much of that early history would have been lost except for Sarah’s diligence in recording , taping and talking to the founders.  Art and Politics came to life last night when many of the key supporters, the people that Sarah wrote about, came to celebrate. The very people that have devoted their lives to keeping the performing arts alive in Canada.

David Silcox, current president and CEO of Sotheby's Canada; Nona MacDonald Heaslip, Sarah Jennings, Walter Bowen

 

 

 

 

A truly distinguished gathering. However the impact on everyone associated with the book was best exemplified by Gillian Watts from Word Watch who prepared the index for the book who said it was thrilling to watch the index come alive.

We also celebrated Trails and Tribulations: Confessions of a Wilderness Pathfinder by Hap Wilson. Hap is a legendary guide in Temagami who now works out of Lake Rosseau. This was a different audience to the Art and Politics launch but similar in their passion and commitment to what they believe in.  This launch was held at MEC where we were all surrounded by the trappings of Hap’s profession. Hap told us of the joys and troubles of guiding and what he as learned over the years. The book and the event included his art work and those of  his partner Ingrid who also illustrated the book. From fighting off moose, handling crazy paddlers and dealing with GPS reliant customers Hap has done it all.

Do you think being high profile in the media hinders your chance of a fair trial?

I thought this article by Yilmaz Alimoglu in the Toronto Star on January 10, 2008, brought another interesting aspect to this ancient city and the ancient manuscripts that are stored in private homes, shops, and mosques throughout Timbuktu. It would be a tragedy if we took the risk of losing these ancient books, instead of making them safe for future generations. There are several organizations working to save the manuscripts and you can check out these links to find out more: www.timbuktufoundation.org and www.sum.uio.no/timbuktu/index.html.

Antonson was very touched by his journey there and Alimoglu seems to reiterate that it was a life-changing experience. Let us know if you have been to Timbuktu and share with us your stories.

November 20, 1947, was an auspicious and happy day for Britain and the Commonwealth as they watched Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York marry a handsome young royal, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, RN. They thought they would lead a relatively uneventful but comfortable royal life as the daughter and son-in-law of George VI. Their first two years in Malta must have seemed idyllic, especially with the arrival of their first child Charles in 1948. That world changed with the death of Elizabeth’s father and her ascendancy to the throne.

If you want to know lots more about Elizabeth and Philip take a look at 60 facts Buckingham Palace released about the Royal couple for their 60th wedding anniversary.