I am in Belfast to write about what outsiders – but few locals – call the Peace Lines. Belfast is the eighth and last stop on my ‘walls journey.’ Most of the other walls I’ve visited have yawned across international borders, disputed or otherwise, and often tracked for hundreds of kilometres at a time. In […]
Plugged
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
When I travelled to western Africa in 1997 and 1998, the only electronic devices in my backpack were a Canon Rebel SLR camera (with real film!), a cassette recorder, and a bulky Polaroid. The latter two items didn’t last long. Sand from the harmattan winds jammed the mechanics of both the cassette recorder and the […]
June
17
Parc-Excluded?
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
“The fence is a short story,” Nick Semeniuk told me. We were in his house on the edge of Parc-Extension and across the street from the ‘famous’ l’Acadie fence. Nick lived in Parc X most of his life and remembers the day in 1970 when a battalion of Université de Montréal students tore down the […]
May
26
Subverting the walls at TEDxCalgary
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
On June 4th, I will have the pleasure of giving a presentation at TEDxCalgary, a local ‘franchise’ of the inspiring TED talks that originated in California in the 1980s and have since become a sensation online. (Those of you who’ve never heard of TED should stop reading my blog and visit the TED site immediately.) […]
Poets and Pahlevans on the Cross-Country Bookshelf
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
This morning, friend and fellow writer Will Ferguson nominated Poets and Pahlevans: A Journey Into the Heart of Iran for the Alberta edition of CBC’s Cross Country Bookshelf. I am grateful for the nod, even though most of the other writers in the running – Will among them – are friends of mine. (You can […]
May
20
Parc Extension Mural
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
The Montreal community of Parc Extension commissioned this mural to celebrate the neighbourhood’s centennial anniversary last year. The different fabrics in the image represent the diversity of cultures that make their home in Parc Ex. The mural is not without its detractors, but I think it is gorgeous.
Thinking about Walls in Montreal
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
I am in Montreal conducting research for what will likely be the last chapter of the ‘Walls’ book. I will investigate the fence, built in the 1960s, that stands between the neighbourhoods of the Town of Montreal and Parc Extension. I’ve only just begun my inquiries here and look forward to learning more. I am […]
Nominations for “Fatherhood”
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
My “Fatherhood” story had a good week. The essay, which appeared in the November 2010 issue of Alberta Views, was shortlisted for both a Western Magazine Award and a National Magazine Award. For the NMA, “Fatherhood” is nominated in the “Personal Journalism” category. Oddly, five of the nominated stories are about fathers and/or sons, and […]
The Iraqi Priest
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Today I interviewed Abbé Noël Farman for a story I am writing for Alberta Views. Abbé Noël Farman is a priest of the Chaldean Order of the Eastern Catholic Church who hails from Iraq. He is now the pastor at two Calgary churches: the Francophone parish Paroisse Sainte-Famille, and St. Mary Chaldean Parish. I will […]
March
11
“It’s a Small World” (and thoughts on audience)
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
“It’s a Small World,” my story about Calgary’s children’s literature scene, appears in today’s issue of Swerve . One of the author/illustrators I profile, Renata Liwska, drew the illustrations for the Swerve story. My work has never been dressed so beautifully. I’ve included one of Liwska’s illustrations above, but to see the rest you are […]
Elsewhere 