The Sunday Edition for November 3, 2019
More than just the Red River Resistance — The epic history of the Métis Nation: Every generation of Jean Teillet's family has been involved in the struggle for Métis rights — including her great-granduncle, Louis Riel. Teillet is a renowned lawyer who has handled numerous Métis rights cases, including 12 appearances at the Supreme Court of Canada. She joins guest host Kevin Sylvester to talk about her new book, The North-West is Our Mother -- a sweeping and gripping history of the Métis Nation from the 1790s to the present.
A Canadian musician laments what the digital age means for his art and his income: For all but the most successful, the musician's life has never been easy — money is tight, and life on the road can be wearing. But the digital world has changed everything. It's made it easier for artists to reach fans and for fans to discover new music. But as Matt Zimbel, the percussionist and leader of the jazz fusion group Manteca, has found, it also makes it harder to get paid — and the music itself is compromised. Matt Zimbel's essay is called "Killing It."
Alix Ohlin's fiction about the realities of relationships: Alix Ohlin isn't quite a household name, but she's already been nominated for Canada's most prestigious fiction award as many times as Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood and Miriam Toews. Ohlin received her second nomination for the Scotiabank Giller Prize for her new book, Dual Citizens, in which she explores the intensity and messiness of relationships — familial and otherwise. Kevin interviewed her last week when both were attending the Vancouver Writers Festival.
Telemarketers pitch air duct cleaning. This scientist says don't bother: There is a big gap between the hype and the science about cleaning the air ducts in our homes, according to Jeffrey Siegel. He studies indoor air quality and is a professor in the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto. Professor Siegel says air duct cleaning should be low on the list of priorities for people who want to improve the air they breathe.
Turning artifacts from the internment of Japanese-Canadians into the art of living memory: Emma Nishimura's grandmother left behind a box full of small articles of garment mock-ups and the patterns she used to make clothes while she was held in a British Columbia internment camp for Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War. Emma Nishimura joins Kevin to talk about the art that those garments and patterns have inspired her to make.
The enduring presence and power of William Blake: The English Romantic poet, artist and mystic William Blake was often dismissed as a madman. But for millions of people in the past 200 years, he's been thought of as a prophet celebrating nature, imagination and creativity, and demanding nothing less than total liberation for the human spirit. We're replaying Frank Faulk's 2007 documentary, "The Divine Mr. Blake."
Music this week by: The Metis Fiddler Quartet, Manteca, Old Man Ludecke, Big Thief, Dave Brubeck, Billy Bragg and William Tyler.