Yearly Archives: 2010

“Fatherhood”

Hello all. My story about becoming a father appears in the  current issue of Alberta Views Magazine. The piece is easily the most personal story I’ve put to paper. I am sort of proud of it. The story will appear on the Alberta Views website eventually, but until then, here is a short excerpt (and […]

The Civic Campers

My profile on Civic Camp, a Calgary civic-action group, appears in this week’s Swerve Magazine (found in The Calgary Herald). Civic Camp is an assemblage of individuals, activists, and advocacy groups that work for change in Calgary and yearn to create a more liveable city. They are an inspiring bunch. The story is called “An […]

Back to the Walls

After a year as a new father, ten months as the University of Calgary’s writer-in-residence, a busy summer of magazine work, and half an autumn’s worth of teaching, I am ready to return to my major project: my walls book. Sometime this month I will travel to the US-Mexico frontier to write about the border […]

“Fellow Traveller” in Eighteen Bridges

My profile on hobo Ron Murdock can be found in the inaugural issue of Eighteen Bridges magazine along with pieces by fabulous writers like Richard Ford, Lisa Moore, Robert Kroetsch and Marina Endicott. I’ve had the pleasure of being in the same room with all of these people – though not all at once – […]

August 31

The Hobo at Willingdon Junction

Last month I traveled to the West Kootenays to write about a hobo named Ron Murdock. In 1979, Ron Murdock abandoned the obligations and expectations of regular society for a life on the highway. In the last three decades he has hitchhiked all over Western Canada. He has slept in men’s hostels, emergency shelters, and […]

Hello. Goodbye.

In September, I will be reading together with Montreal poet Oana Avasilichioaei. The event celebrates the beginning of Oana’s residency at the University of Calgary, and the ending of mine. The event will be bittersweet for me. My 10-month Markin-Flanagan residency was the most productive period in my writing career so far, and I am […]

Poetic Interlude #2: C.P. Cavafy’s “Ithaka”

Right now I am working on a feature for a new magazine called Eighteen Bridges. The story is a profile on Ron Murdock, a career hobo who spent most of his like hitching around Western Canada and living in men’s shelters and dive hotels. I had the great pleasure of spending a few days with […]

The Ritual Tourist

An essay I wrote appears in the current issue (September/October 2010) of Afar. The magazine is relatively new – this issue marks its first anniversary – and dedicates itself to telling stories of unexpected and ‘genuine’ travel. It is a great magazine to read and I am happy for the opportunity to write for them. […]

July 08

Taxidermy on the Brain

My mind has been a perfect storm of taxidermy lately. First, came all the talk about Yann Martel’s new book which uses taxidermy as an allegory for the holocaust. Then I was shown a link to the homepage of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, or MART. Just the term ‘rogue taxidermy’ gets me excited. […]

The Zookeeper

My profile about retired Calgary Zoo director and world-renowned zoo keeper Peter Karsten appears in the current issue of Alberta Views magazine. I had the great pleasure of being a guest in Karsten’s home on Denman Island last year. Peter and his wife Margarit are charming hosts. They fed me fried Fanny Bay oysters and […]