An update of the interviews and features on Open Book: Toronto this week.
Journalist Kelly McParland talks to Open Book about his new book, The Lives of Conn Smythe (McLelland & Stewart), an exploration into the legacy of one of hockey’s most influential and polarizing figures. According to McParland, Smythe “turned hockey from a game played before limited crowds of (often drunk and brawling) men in cold arenas, into the national obsession we know today.” Founder of the beloved Toronto Maple Leafs and builder of Maple Leaf Gardens, McParland speaks with Open Book about Smythe's legendary toughness, fanboy moments and what he learned from the late great Mordecai Richler. Read the full interview here.
Author Raymond Beauchemin talks to Open Book about his book Everything I Own (Guernica Editions), a novel that follows the artistic and romantic life of fictional Quebec songwriter Michel Laflamme while integrating larger narratives of the political and cultural history of Quebec. In ten questions, Raymond talks about his influences, recurring themes (“Every novel I’ve ever written deals with the father-son relationship.”) and writing process, structuring a book as a song, the complicated history of la Belle Province and gives us a hint on what he’s working on next. Read the full interview here.
Giller Prize winning novelist Joanna Skibsrud talks to Open Book about her new collection of short fiction, This Will Be Difficult to Explain (Penguin Canada), the value of short fiction, the attraction of song, the recurring themes in her work (“Limitations – personal and historical.”) and the important influences found close to home. Read the interview here.
Librarian, Toronto Bookmobile coordinator and writer Arlene Chan talks to Open Book about her book The Chinese in Toronto from 1878 (Dundurn), key figures in the history of Toronto’s Chinese Community, a librarian’s research process (“I find that research is the one of the most exciting and exhilarating parts of writing.”) and Toronto’s seven Chinatowns. Read the full interview here.
California-based writer Mary Bucci Bush discusses family history, her very first publication and the books she’ll always come back to. She talks to Open Book about her book, Sweet Hope (Guernica), the story’s surprising history, how she dealt with writing about the intense subject matter (“I cried a lot.”) and what readers and fans of Sweet Hope can expect next. Read the full interview here.
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