Join former CBC Maritime Noon Host Costas Halavrezos as he interviews the Atlantic Canadians who create the books you love to read. From established, award-winning authors, illustrators and photographers to the lesser known up-and-comers and other key book contributors, delve into the beautiful, mysterious world of books... and discover the passion that fuels it.
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season FOUR
REBECCA ROSE
Rebecca Rose is a Cape Breton-born queer femme, feminist, and freelance writer who has spent her adult life going between Halifax and Toronto. Rebecca’s writing focuses on queer and trans people, communities, and histories; misogyny; and social movements. She has a journalism degree from Ryerson University. Rebecca’s own queer activism has spanned the last decade, including involvement in Nova Scotia’s 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy group and as a founding member of the Halifax Dyke and Trans March.
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LISTEN TO Exclusive audio of Rebecca reading from her new book, Before the Parade. |
REBECCA THOMAS
Rebecca Thomas is an award-winning Mi’kmaw poet. She is Halifax’s former Poet Laureate (2016-2018) and has been published in multiple journals and magazines. She coordinated the Halifax Slam Poetry team from 2014 to 2017, leading them to three national competitions with the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. I’m Finding My Talk is her first book.
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LISTEN TO Exclusive audio of Rebecca reading from her new book, I'm finding my talk. |
RITA WILSON
Rita Wilson is a writer, poet, teacher, mother, grandmother, and gardener who lives on the banks of the Caribou River in Nova Scotia. She’s been published in: Saltscapes, Arc Poetry Magazine, The Cumberland Review; and received the Atlantic Poetry Prize. She first discovered Elizabeth Bishop at Bishop’s grandparent’s home in Great Village, and immediately imagined that house as the perfect framework to introduce Bishop and her words to children and parents.
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LISTEN TO Exclusive audio of RITA WILSON from her book, POCKET OF TIME.
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SHEREE FITCH
Sheree Fitch’s first two books, Toes in My Nose (1987) and Sleeping Dragons All Around (1989), launched her career as a poet, rhymster, and a “kind of Canadian female Dr. Seuss.” Fitch has won almost every major award for Canadian children’s literature since then, including the 2000 Vicky Metcalf Award for a Body of Work Inspirational to Canadian Children. She has over twenty-five books to her credit, including her bestselling and critically praised adult novel, Kiss the Joy As It Flies (2008). Fitch’s home base is the East Coast of Canada. Visit her at: shereefitch.com
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LISTEN TO Exclusive audio of SHEREE reading from her new book, YOU WON'T ALWAYS BE THIS SAD.
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LOIS LEGGE
During a long newspaper career, Lois Legge covered everything from politics to the Swissair Flight 111 crash and investigation. She’s also written hundreds of feature stories, including profiles of Holocaust survivors, war veterans, and famed photographer Robert Frank. Lois has won three Atlantic Journalism Awards and been nominated ten times. She’s a two-time National Newspaper Award finalist. Lois lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with her husband, Richard. They have one daughter, Chelsea.
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LISTEN TO Exclusive audio of LOIS reading from her new book, WOUNDED HEARTS.
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IAN COLFORD
Author Blurb from Nimbus: Ian Colford’s short fiction has appeared in Event, Grain, Riddle Fence, The Antigonish Review and other literary publications. His previous books are Evidence, The Crimes of Hector Tomás, and Perfect World. His work has been shortlisted for the Thomas H. Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, the Relit Award, the Journey Prize, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. He lives in Halifax.
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LISTEN TO Exclusive audio of IAN reading from HIS new book, A DARK HOUSE & OTHER STORIES.
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ANGELA MOMBOURQUETTE
Angela Mombourquette is an award-winning freelance writer, the author of 25 Years of 22 Minutes: An Unauthorized Oral History of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and—now—the adult non-fiction editor at Nimbus Publishing.
Her background includes stints as an editor at Saltscapes magazine and as a journalism instructor at the University of King’s College in Halifax. Her writing has appeared in The Walrus, Broadview, the Chronicle Herald, Halifax Magazine, and many other publications. In a previous life, she worked at CBC Halifax, where she was a producer on the youth consumer show Street Cents, and where she often filled in as an associate director on a number of shows, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes. LISTEN NOW!
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NATALIE CORBETT SAMPSON
Author Blurb from Nimbus: Natalie Corbett Sampson lives in Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia with her husband, four school-aged Munsters and a menagerie of pets. Her day job is a speech language pathologist where she loves helping children improve their ability to communicate with the world around them. When she’s not working, writing or sitting in a hockey rink Natalie loves reading, photography and drawing.
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LISA HARRINGTON
Lisa Harrington's novels include The Big Dig-- selected among the Canadian Children's Book Centre's (CCBC) Fall 2019 Best Books for Kids and Teens-- The Goodbye Girls, Twisted, shortlisted in 2018 for the Canadian Library Association's YA Book of the year, Live to Tell, winner of the White Pine, Ann Connor Brimer, and SYRCA Snow Willow Awards, and Rattled, published in 2010 to critical praise. Her work has also appeared in A Maritime Christmas. Lisa lives in Halifax with her family and puppy, Hermione. Visit Lisa online at lisaharrington.ca.
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JOHN BOILEAU
John Boileau served in the Canadian Army for thirty-seven years, retiring as a colonel in 1999, and is currently the Honorary Colonel of The Halifax Rifles (RCAC). He is the author of thirteen books and more than 500 magazine and newspaper articles. Two of his books, Fastest in the World and Halifax and the Royal Canadian Navy, have both been shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award for Non-Fiction. John and his wife, Miriam, live in Bedford, Nova Scotia.
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season three
ADAM BARNETT
Adam Barnett has spent many years exploring Nova Scotia, leading him to believe the sweetest spots are located at the end of a dirt road, and the best way to get there is by bicycle. He has worked as a cycling guide all over Eastern Canada and dedicates his time to mapping out trails and routes in order to share with others to help increase the profile of Nova Scotia as an outdoor destination.
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JAIME BURNET
Jaime Burnet writes fiction, plays creepy folk music and sometimes punk and doomy grunge, practices labour and human rights law, and lives with her family by the ocean in Nova Scotia. She has a master’s degree in Women and Gender Studies and Sexual Diversity Studies from the University of Toronto and a law degree from Dalhousie University. Crocuses Hatch From Snow is her first novel.
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DAPHNE GREER
Daphne Greer graduated from Mount St. Vincent University with a Bachelor of Child Study. She is the author of Maxed Out, a 2013 nominee for best quick read by the American Library Association, the sequel, Camped Out, a 2018-19 Hackmatack nominee, and Jacob’s Landing, which was nominated for the Silver Birch Award. She lives in Newport Landing, Nova Scotia, with her husband and four daughters. Visit her at daphnegreer.com.
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JENNIFER THORNHILL-VERMAJennifer Thornhill-Verma is a proud Newfoundlander descended from fishers. She has a background in radio and works in the non-profit health sector. Jenn holds a Master of Science in Medicine, a Bachelor of Journalism/Biology, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction. She has written about her fishing roots in such magazines as Maisonneuve, Downhome, Saltscapes, Newfoundland Quarterly, Explore and The Telegram (St. Johns). In her spare time, Jenn paints landscapes.
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KRIS BERTIN
Kris Bertin is a Halifax-based writer of novels, short stories, graphic novels, and screenplays. His first collection of short stories, Bad Things Happen, won the 2016 Writer’s Trust of Canada’s Danuta Gleed Award. He is a two-time winner of the Jack Hodgins ‘Founders’ Award for Short Fiction and his stories have been published in The Walrus, TNQ, The Malahat Review, PRISM International, and many others. Kris Bertin’s graphic novel, a surreal mystery story set in a remote east coast village (co-created with artist Alexander Forbes), The Case of The Missing Men, was nominated for a Doug Wright Award. He and his screenwriting partner, Naben Ruthnum, have projects in development at Oddfellows Entertainment. Visit krisbertin.com.
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LESLEY CHOYCE
Lesley Choyce lives at Lawrencetown Beach and is the author of 65 books including The Coasts of Canada, a history of the country’s shorelines. He has also edited a companion volume to Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea titled Nova Scotia: A Traveler’s Companion.
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EMMA FITZGERALD
Emma FitzGerald was born in Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom in Southern Africa, to Irish parents. She grew up in Vancouver, but now calls Halifax home. She wrote and illustrated Hand Drawn Halifax and Sketch by Sketch Along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, and is currently working on Hand Drawn Vancouver. She is thrilled to lend her drawing skills to EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street.
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SIMON THIBAULT
Simon Thibault is a Halifax-based journalist and radio producer whose work focuses on food. His written work has been featured in The Globe and Mail and East Coast Living. He has contributed to CBC Radio, and The Southern Foodways Alliance’s Gravy podcast. He was also a judge for the 2015 James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Awards. This is his first book.
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WANDA BAXTER
Wanda Baxter lives on an old farmstead in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, with her long-time partner, Randy, and two happy cats. When she bought an old farmhouse in 2005 her father asked, “Why in the world would you buy an old house?”; sometimes she wonders. Built in 1783, the old house is an endless project, but it is also magical. Wanda has a Masters degrees in English (with Creative Writing) and Environmental Design, and works as an environmental consultant. She is a long-time member of the band Cut, Split and Delivered and she feels honoured to have had the chance to work with Kat Frick Miller on this book.
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SEASON 2
episodes 7-9
mayann francis
Mayann Francis was the 31st lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia and the first Black person to hold that position. She was raised in Whitney Pier, Nova Scotia, and was educated in Canada and the United States. She was CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and held other senior positions in Ontario and her home province before her appointment. She lives in Halifax.
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briana corr scott
Briana Corr Scott as born in Salem, MA, and grew up in New Hampshire. Her love of painting began early in life, and continued during her studies at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. She moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in 2006, where she lives with her husband and three young children. She now works from a home studio, and her paintings and poems are inspired by the natural world, particularly the Nova Scotia coast. She Dreams of Sable Island is her first book.
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alan syliboy
Artist Alan Syliboy studied privately with Shirley Bear and attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where, twenty-five years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Alan looks to the indigenous Mi’kmaw petroglyph tradition for inspiration and develops his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. He is also the author and illustrator of the celebrated book (and multimedia art show) The Thundermaker, which was shortlisted for First Nations Reads, and more recently the board book Mi’kmaw Animals. He lives in Truro, Nova Scotia.
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episodes 4-6
nicola davison
Nicola Davison is a portrait photographer, living in Dartmouth with her family and neighborhood-famous basset hound. In 2013, she returned to Nova Scotia after living too far above sea level for thirteen years. She studied English at Dalhousie University and serves as a board member with the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia. In 2016, she completed the Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program (under the guidance of Carol Bruneau) through the WFNS. This is her first book.
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kayla hounsell
Kayla Hounsell is an award-winning journalist who covered the murder trial of Will Sandeson. She is now the CBC Network Reporter for the Maritimes. Based in Halifax, she has worked in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ottawa, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Liberia. This is her first book.
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alison delory
Alison DeLory is a writer, editor, and teacher living in Halifax. She has been writing stories for newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms for 20 years. She’s also written two children’s chapter books and contributed to several anthologies. Making it Home is her first novel.
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episodes 1-3
whitney moran
Whitney Moran is an editor and journalist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She spent half a decade working in Halifax’s craft beer industry, has written extensively about local beer and breweries for The Coast, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, and Occasions magazine, and has sat on judging and tasting panels in her home province. Whitney lives near Peggys Cove with her beer-loving partner and their Old English sheepdog. Visit whitneymoran.ca.
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Marilyn davidson elliott
Marilyn Davidson Elliott is the daughter of Eric Davidson. She was born in Halifax in 1955 and grew up in the North End of Halifax. Marilyn’s commitment to her parents blessed her with a lifetime of cherished memories. While raising her family, she held a variety of jobs. In 1993, she acquired her Certified Insurance Professional designation and worked with the provincial government as a claims adjuster until retirement in 2011. Marilyn served as a member of the Halifax Explosion 100th Anniversary Advisory Committee. Marilyn enjoys spending time with her granddaughters and summers at the cottage in Lunenburg County.
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katelyn bellafontaine
Katelyn Bellefontaine has been at the helm of Elegant Productions Planning & Design, orchestrating weddings of all shapes and sizes across the East Coast of Canada, since 2011. Her passions lie in helping her clients to create unique, one-of-a-kind, memorable wedding days that leave lasting impressions. Her work has been featured in print, online and on television as Elegant Productions has quickly become Atlantic Canada’s most sought-after planning and design firm. Katelyn strives to continually encourage the East Coast wedding industry to reach new heights and lives for the warm and fuzzy moments while working with couples in love.
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SEASON 1
EPISODES 1-9
Carol Bruneau
A Circle on the Surface Quentin Casey
The Sea Was in Their Blood Jamie Simpson
Eating Wild in Eastern Canada |
Steve Vernon
Where the Ghosts Are Lesley Crewe
Beholden Linda Moore
Fundy Vault |
Sarah Sawler
Be Prepared! The Frankie MacDonald Guide to Life, the Weather & Everything Len Wagg
Nova Scotia from the Air Graham Steele
The Effective Citizen |