A more unlikely world opera star than Paul Frey could not be found. Born into a conservative order Mennonite farming family in rural Ontario, Canada in 1941, he was a high school dropout. His first career was as a truck driver, transporting livestock to market. But he was a young man with a powerful and true tenor voice, and a desire to sing opera. Entering opera school unable to read musical notes or count beats, Frey was offered primarily chorus roles during training and after graduation...

Shines a light on the extraordinary cats and people making a difference across the country.– Kristine Seguin, founder of Big House Sanctuary and RehabTravel the country — from Newfoundland to the Yukon to British Columbia — to meet over forty Canadian cats that ski the Rockies, paddle-board Pacific waves, ride scooters, sing on albums, intuit illnesses, and even run for elections.Learn some Canadian cat history along the way. What politician brought ...

A devoted and powerful champion of Canadian arts and culture, David Silcox has a life story that dazzles with tales beyond the easel and canvas.“An affectionate portrait of a man who — through enthusiasm, charm and an unparalleled network — had an extraordinary impact of Canada’s cultural evolution.” — Charlotte Gray, author of The Massey MurderSon of a Prairie Dust Bowl preacher, David Silcox rose through the ranks of the Canadian...

"A remarkable life story. . . Angela Sterritt is a formidable storyteller and a passionate advocate."—Cherie Dimaline, author of The Marrow Thieves"Sterritt's story is living proof of how courageous Indigenous women are."—Tanya Talaga, author of Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our RelationsUnbroken is an extraordinary work of memoir and investigative journalism focusing on missing and murdered Indig...

Canada is a country rich in stories, and few take as much joy as Douglas Gibson in discovering them. As one of the country’s leading editors and publishers for 40 years, he coaxed modern classics out of some of Canada’s finest minds, and then took to telling his own stories in his first memoir, Stories About Storytellers.Gibson turned his memoir into a one-man stage show that eventually played almost 100 times, in all ten provinces, from coast to coast. As a literary touri...

“Who was the woman trying to convince a jury in a tiny courthouse in Nova Scotia that it was self-defense when she killed her partner; and who was the young woman walking into the palais de justice in small-town Quebec arguing that it was her choice, not his, to have an abortion? What was it that pushed these women on, even when the lawyers said it was hopeless?”From the award-winning author of The Abortion Caravan and More Than a Footnote, Karin Wells once again ...

Behind the politics, discover the lives of Canada's leaders.“What a life it is to be prime minister!” — John DiefenbakerCanada has had twenty-three prime ministers, all with views and policies that have differed as widely as the ages in which they lived. But what were they like as people? Being Prime Minister takes you behind the scenes to tell the story of Canada’s leaders and the job they do as it has never been told before.From ...

What was it like to start a feminist bookshop, in an industry dominated by men? How could a lesbian thrive in Thatcher's time, with the government legislating to restrict her rights? How do you run a business when your real aim is to change the world?Silver Moon was the dream of three women – a bookshop with the mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe space for any woman. Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia a...

A pivotal event in Canada’s history For six months in 1967, from late April until the end of October, Canada and its world's fair, Expo 67, became the focus of national and international attention in a way the country and its people had rarely experienced. Expo 67 crystallized the buoyant mood and newfound sense of confidence many felt during Canada's centennial. It becomes clearer, though, as its forty-fifth anniversary approaches in spring 2012, that Expo was something more than just a g...

In a country this diverse, 'culture' has different meanings. Vance tells a story from the wind-swept Arctic where a stranded Innu woman, fighting to survive, took the time to decorate her clothing with rich designs. A British explorer was amazed at her efforts, but Vance reminds us of the inseparable connection between life and art in Inuit culture (the Innu word for 'breathe' also means 'to make poetry,' and both derive from the word for 'the soul'). No surprise that Aboriginal culture began...

Few people have read as widely in the field of Canadiana as has John Robert Colombo. The curiosity of this Toronto writer, editor, and anthologist knows few if any bounds when it comes to the lore, literature, history, culture, and character of Canada. He has an inquiring mind and he seems able to find national and even international twists to subjects of interest or importance.Fascinating Canada, his latest book, is the product of over half a century of research, reading,...

The legendary Canadian book editor presents this "remarkable, four-decade romp through the back rooms of publishing" ( Toronto Sun).Scottish-born Douglas Gibson was drawn to Canada by the writing of Stephen Leacock—and eventually made his way across the Atlantic to find a job in book publishing, where he edited a biography of none other than Leacock. But over the decades, his stellar career would lead him to work with many more of the country's leading lit...