I Heart Edmonton

By Emil Tiedemann Edmonton-based poet and photographer Paul Pearson has fulfilled a childhood dream and launched his debut collection, Lunatic Engine , for which he recently wrapped up a virtual tour to promote his new work. Heavily inspired by Galileo Galilei, Pearson's poetry delves into the life-long struggles of answering the questions behind the existence of our universe and, by extension, ourselves.  'I Heart Edmonton' wanted to get to know Pearson more personally, as well as how he ended up writing and publishing Lunatic Engine  with the Winnipeg-based Turnstone Press . You can find Pearson's new book at bookstores, via Amazon, or by visiting Turnstone Press' website. Until then, let's get to know Paul Pearson a little more... Where were you born and raised?  I was born in Kimberly BC but was raised in Elkford BC. We moved to Lethbridge in 1983 and then to Edmonton in 1987. Which is good because I hated the wind in Lethbridge. A week after we moved into

By Emil Tiedemann I want to talk about why I wrote Popular Girls . Let’s be real, there are far more articles, books, documentaries, and biopics out there that spotlight the men in music compared to women, with plenty of titles even for individual artists or bands like Bob Dylan , Elvis Presley , the Beatles , the Rolling Stones , David Bowie , Michael Jackson , Prince , Johnny Cash , Jimi Hendrix , Led Zeppelin , Bob Marley , Elton John , Nirvana , and 2Pac , to name a few. The available titles for books alone on female musicians and bands (excluding memoirs and autobiographies) are slim even for the biggest of names. Even when you skim through those music-oriented encyclopedic-type books, you’ll notice that women make up only a fraction of the articles. I remember one in particular, which I will refrain from naming, that bragged about its more-than-300 biographical entries, two of which were solo women. TWO!! Popular Girls: Moments of Triumph, Tragedy, and Trailblazing In a Century

By Emil Tiedemann In my twenties, I noticed a number of my friends "leaving the nest" and heading to some other large metro, usually Calgary or Vancouver. Others went further, perhaps out east, down south, or even overseas. However, almost each one of them eventually made their way back home to Edmonton, while a few seemed to have found a new home elsewhere.  This is just what happens. When you're young, the sky's the limit and you're seemingly invincible, and so some of us spread our wings and see what there is to see out there in the great wide open. Even I took a stab - albeit embarrassingly brief - at my own adventure by leaving home and relocating to Toronto when I was 25 years old. I was back home in less than a week. I know, shut up!  Edmonton, Alberta (a.k.a. HOME!) Since then, I have come to realize that Edmonton is where I want to be. It is my home. I have no need to move away because everything I love is here and Edmonton has everything I need to live a

By Emil Tiedemann Over the years, Edmonton has gained a reputation for its arts and culture, its grand hockey history, and, of course, that giant mall, amongst other things. Although we're far from the Paris' and New York's of the world, in terms of recognizability, we've been at least mentioned in some capacity - good or bad - in numerous non-Canadian TV shows since the early 1980s.  If you're anything like me, your ears perk up whenever you hear "Edmonton" mentioned on a television series or in a movie, or perhaps even on CNN, no matter the context. We just don't get to hear our humble hometown being talked about all that often on international television or in Hollywood movies. Or do we? Here are some of the American programs that have at least mentioned Edmonton in some capacity at some point (in chronological order)... - The Young and the Restless (1981) "And this is Wayne, out of our Edmonton operation," said one of the characters on a