Currents | Tidewater Press Blog
Learning to Read Again
On Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Montréalais David M. Wallace ponders the challenges of language, secularism and politics in his new home province.
Who Are the Real Nazis, Mr. Putin?
Millions of Ukrainian people are fighting for their lives and their country. And yet, here in Canada, home-grown neo-Nazis flame the fires of hate from the safety of their keyboards. I ask you Mr. Putin, who are the real Nazis?
Living in the Shadows of Bullying
At a time when Canadians proclaim that Black lives matter and that systemic racism cannot be tolerated, white gatekeepers are still making calls “on account of darkness.”
“Does he speak English?”
As Asian Heritage Month begins, prejudice and racism in Canadian hockey persists, writes Ian Kennedy, author of On Account of Darkness: Shining Light on Race and Sport.
Darkness Still Exists
At a time when Canadians proclaim that Black lives matter and that systemic racism cannot be tolerated, white gatekeepers are still making calls “on account of darkness.”
How to Impress a Publisher
Want to be published? Tidewater Press publisher Lynn Duncan talks about how to impress her with your manuscript.
How I Finally Learned What Reconciliation Means
Jeanette Manning, a volunteer with Life After Hate, talks about extremism, reconciliation and her daughter, Lauren, a former member of a far-right movement.
Cyber Monday in the Time of Covid
For some of us, buying online has become the only comfortable option. But, when it comes to buying books, it isn’t as satisfying as shopping in person.
A Tribute to Danish Resilience
In Multiculturalism Week in BC, author Harold Macy remembers the Danish idealists who founded a community at Cape Scott, northern Vancouver Island, at the turn of the last century.
The Gift of Public Libraries
Life is hard. Often complicated and confusing. At times, overwhelming. A library is an oasis. A refuge. An escape. A friend. A seemingly endless offering of knowledge and fantasy and company.
Reflections on Teaching at Chief Gabriel Cote Education Complex
When I left teaching ESL at a downtown college in Vancouver to join the staff at the Cote First Nation school in rural Saskatchewan, I didn't know I was going to be the student and my pupils would be my teachers.
The Legacy of Charlottesville
For Lauren Manning, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where counter-protester Heather Heyer died, was chillingly, disturbingly personal.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The UN has designated August 9 as the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. This year’s theme is "Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract"; it seems a good opportunity for personal reflection.
The Risk of Faster, Higher, Stronger
As the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 draw to a belated close, athletes around the world are being inspired to redouble their efforts to reach an elite level.
Liberation of Caen – 77th Anniversary
Operation Charnwood, July 1944: The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, in the battlefields of France, witnessed the bombing that preceded the liberation of the left bank at Caen on July 9.
Every Day Can Be Canada Day
Hassan Al Kontar, author of Man at the Airport, on what Canada means to him - a Syrian who found a new home here.
Living in the Shadow of Bullying
Robert James O'Brien, author of Just One More Drive, opens up about his own experience with bullying for Pink Shirt Day.
The Father’s Journey
Robert James O'Brien, author of Just One More Drive, on the benefits of growing up, and being grown up, with a loving, supportive father.
Do as I Say, Not as I’ve Done
Jeanette Manning talking about the need of parents to listen with more than their ears, and what it takes to be a good mother – even to a white supremacist.
Living the Dream
Jenn Ashton celebrates the joy of accessible reading with ebooks and the thrill of being able to hold a vast library in one hand.
The Value of Art
On BC Book Day, publisher Lynn Duncan considers the value of modern-day "patrons of the arts".
Publish and Be Damned?
Cancel culture, social media and books - Jordan B Peterson, Dr. Seuss and J.K. Rowling are among the authors whose controversies are causing waves in publishing houses
Confronting Historical Demons
For BC Heritage Week, Lynn Duncan discusses how a small BC publishers is celebrating the historical legacies and stories of Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, women and other non-white-males who shaped our province.
Putting a Face on Canadian Extremism
A month after the storming of the US Capitol and a week after Canada labelled the Proud Boys a terrorist organization, Safer Internet Day (February 9) reminds us of the critical role the online world plays in promoting hatred. This is how a teenage girl from a middle-class Ontario family ended up in white supremacy.
We Are All Brothers—Even During a Pandemic
"Tutti fratelli." The end of our Covid battle is in sight. Vaccinations have started and very old and fragile people are first on the list, others will follow, until everyone is made to feel safer. However, this is not true of the whole world. Now more than ever, we need to remember the brave women of Castiglione.
Sea Shanties in the Time of Corona Virus
What do Tik Tok, Netflix, Kermit the Frog, sweater-wearing men with deep throats, and those nearly two million people who, within five days in 2020, listened to musician Nathan Evans sing The Wellerman have in common? A taste for sea shanties.