I Heart Edmonton

Edmonton writer Jason Lee Norman takes a 'love it or hate it' approach to chronicling the one season that, sometimes, never seems to go away. BY PAULA E. KIRMAN Jason Lee Norman's '40 Below' W HEN you live in Edmonton, winter is a fact of life. It’s long, it’s cold, and it’s often dark. It’s also the topic of conversation – we all talk about the winter at some point, even if it is just passing expressions of love or hate. Such sentiments are expressed throughout 40 Below , an anthology of writing by current and former Edmontonians about winter. Edited by current Edmonton Public Library Writer-in-residence Jason Lee Norman , 40 Below contains a huge variety of voices: those who love it, hate it, miss it, reminisce about it, or who simply tolerate it. The range of writing styles also varies, from short stories, to essays, to creative non-fiction, to poetry, and even one piece of visual artwork. Most of the submissions are short and sweet, whic...

Popular Edmonton author Todd Babiak brings his readers to the south of France for a harrowing thriller that mingles crime, politics, and vengeance in Come Barbarians .  By Paula E. Kirman Todd Babiak's 'Come Barbarians.' C OME Barbarians surprised me on a number of levels. It is the first novel I have ever read from Edmonton’s Todd Babiak (name dropping time: we volunteered at The Gateway at the University of Alberta around the same time) and from what I know of his previous novels, his subject matter tends to be local and often humorous. Not so with Come Barbarians . Set in France, it is a dark thriller with Christopher Kruse at its centre. Kruse is heart broken after losing his young daughter Lily to a drunk driver. Shortly after the accident, the accused his wife are dead and Kruse’s wife is missing (and accused of their murders). Kruse makes it his mission to find his wife and prove her innocence. However, he also has to go within himself to conf...

Local author Jamie Friesen brings the zombie craze--in all its gore and mayhem--to our own backyard. BY EMIL TIEDEMANN Jamie Friesen's 'Zombie Night in Canada.' I T was the basis of several cordial arguments between my buddy Colin and I: If a zombie apocalypse feasted on hometown Edmonton, where would we barricade ourselves? Colin was adamant about surviving the pandemic within the grounds of the Edmonton Institution, while I preferred the benefits and comforts of one West Edmonton Mall. An unlikely scenario, but morbidly fun to debate over beers with buddies. That's why I was excited to delve into Edmonton writer Jamie Friesen 's debut novel Zombie Night in Canada: First Period , a look into how various insipid characters cope when Edmonton--along with the rest of the world--is overtaken by the "infected." Friesen thoroughly explores the hypothetical behaviour of the military and police force in such a catastrophe, though he splits the novel i...

Local author Janice MacDonald uses her hometown as the backdrop for the fifth installment in her anticipated "Randy" Craig mystery series, Condemned to Repeat . By Paula E. Kirman Janice MacDonald's 'Condemned to Repeat.' Condemned to Repeat is the fifth in the series of mystery novels centering around Miranda “Randy” Craig , an academic, writer, and researcher in search of the elusive tenure track position. However, she manages to land a plum contract doing archival research and web development for Rutherford House , an historic Alberta landmark. However, it does not take very long for Randy to stumble upon an unsolved mystery linked to the building, which leads her to become entwined in a path of death and intrigue.  As someone who is admittedly not a huge fan of mystery novels, for me the true strength of the book lay in its main character. It was easy to become emotionally invested in a strong, well-developed, intelligent woman who uses ...

Christian Hansen's "Please Don't Do That" (2013) From his album C'mon Arizona , here's the clip for Edmonton's own Christian Hansen 's "Please Don't Do That." Directed by Mike McLaughlin.

Edmonton author Marty Chan explores an alternate New York in which illusionist Harry Houdini sets upon historic adventures in search of his lost brother in the first book of The Ehrich Weisz Chronicle s. BY PAULA E. KIRMAN A strange portal that leads to an alternate New York. A cast of characters from different dimensions and parts of history. A young Harry Houdini at the centre of the story. Marty Chan's 'The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Demon Gate' (2013) These are three major elements of Marty Chan 's new novel, The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Demon Gate (Fitzhenry & Whiteside). Ehrich Weisz is the aforementioned future illusionist Harry Houdini as a teenager, who follows his brother, Dash, through a mysterious portal. The version of New York where he ends up is full of immigrants from different dimensions in addition to being from different parts of the world. They include Nicola Tesla and Thomas Edison, amongst others.  Ehrich's main goal is ...

There aren't many more folks in Alberta who have been as active in almost every aspect of our province than Michael Phair, one of the first openly gay politicians in Canada, which is why we needed much more than just a few minutes with him... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN It was only a few seconds after Michael Phair walked into the Roast Coffeehouse in downtown Edmonton that he had spotted someone he knew. A few people actually, including Ward 6 Councillor Scott McKeen . I certainly wasn't surprised, knowing Phair is a well-connected Edmontonian who's involved or has been involved in countless groups and organizations throughout the city, and for many years now. Michael Phair is currently an adjunct professor and education facilitator with  iSMSS  (Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services). But most folks around here know Michael Phair most as an advocate for the LGBTQ community , a hat he's been wearing since the '80s, when being openly gay in Alberta and in ...

What would Global News anchor Carole Anne Devaney want to read, listen to, or watch if she were stranded on a deserted island?  BY EMIL TIEDEMANN Since she was 17 in English class, Ottawa-born Carole Anne Devaney knew she wanted to be in journalism. W hen Lynda Steele announced that she was leaving Global Edmonton in 2010 to move to Vancouver, we were devastated. Okay, maybe we weren't devastated , but there was no doubt whoever was to take her place had some big shoes to fill. But, by the end of 2011, Ottawa's Carole Anne Devaney took over as Gord Steinke 's co-anchor of Global's News Hour , and it was as though she had always been there. "This is such a perfect fit for me," Devaney said when she accepted the job. "The position really plays to my strengths and skills." Devaney--who speaks three languages btw--graduated from Ottawa's Carleton University School of Journalism, and is the winner of an RTNDA Canada Award for her work on ...

Together, the existing and proposed LRT lines will connect Edmonton on all sides, establishing a public transit system other cities will be envious of BY EMIL TIEDEMANN Edmonton's LRT system began operating in April 1978. Construction began in 1974 and cost $65 million. A S the city grows, so must our public transit system . That's just obvious. But even with that in mind, I'm still in awe of what City Council has in store for Edmonton when it comes to our low-floor, community-integrated LRT expansion plan .  The long-term LRT Network Plan was initiated by the city in June 2009, spearheaded by our new Mayor (and then City Councillor) Don Iveson . Since then we've seen five brand new stations on the LRT line: Health Sciences/ Jubilee , McKernan/ Belgravia , South Campus/ Fort Edmonton Park , Southgate , and Century Park , all of which were completed by 2010.  In addition to those and the pre-existing 10 stations ( Clareview to University ), there are three...