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The Next Chapter

Leah McLaren, Norval Morrisseau bio

What does it mean to be a good man? Is it possible to fake it 'til you make it? Leah McLaren explores those questions in her new novel "A Better Man". We also zoom in on the complex lives of two famous men - artist Norval Morrisseau and musician Kurt Cobain. Plus, Heather O'Neill gets personal...
CBC Radio ·
From the cover of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" by Lynn Crosbie
The Next Chapter53:59Leah McLaren, Norval Morrisseau bio (June 8, 2015)

In this episode:

* Leah McLaren on A Better Man
* Lynn Crosbie on Where Did You Sleep Last Night
* Armand Garnet Ruffo on Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing into Thunderbird
* How I Wrote It: David Carpenter on The Education of Augie Merasty
* Heather O'Neil, author of Daydreams of Angels, answers the Proust Questionnaire

"A Better Man" by Leah McLaren, "Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing into Thunderbird" by Armand Garnet Ruffo, "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" by Lynn Crosbie, "The Education of Augie Merasty" by Joseph Auguste Merasty with David Carpenter, "Daydreams of Angels" by Heather O'Neill

BONUS

How painter Norval Morrisseau got his spirit name

Left: Norval Morrisseau's painting "Man Changing into Thunderbird". Right: Armand Garnet Ruffo's anthology "The Thunderbird Poems", inspired by the life and work of Norval Morrisseau.
Armand Garnet Ruffo and Shelagh Rogers in studio at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto
Armand Garnet Ruffo and Shelagh Rogers in studio at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto (CBC)
The Next Chapter1:59How painter Norval Morrisseau got his spirit name
Armand Garnet Ruffo tells Shelagh how the renowned Anishinaabe painter Norval Morrisseau got his spirit name, Copper Thunderbird.

Norval Morrisseau became known as the "Picasso of the North" because of his vibrant paintings, inspired by traditional Anishinaabe spirituality and legends. He signed all of his works with his spirit name, Copper Thunderbird.

In this clip, Armand Garnet Ruffo has tells Shelagh Rogers the full story behind how the renowned artist was given his Ojibway spirit name. You can hear their full conversation in our June 8, 2015 episode.

Armand Garnet Ruffo is a member of the Sagamok Ojibway and Chapleau Cree Fox Lake First Nations. He is a poet, biographer, and a professor in the English department at Queen's University. In the biography Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing Into Thunderbird and the poetry collection The Thunderbird Poems, Armand Ruffo takes on the gigantic life and charismatic personality of Norval Morrisseau.