At the edge of the world A series of bizarre and unforeseen events found me, on New Years’ Day, 2015, standing at the edge of the Sahara Desert. I stood, gazing, spellbound, over golden canyons radiant with the phantoms of the vegetation that had once thrived there and echoing the voices of peoples who’d traversed… Read more »
You’ve enrolled in your first AU course and youre looking forward to getting started. The start date is coming up soon and youre not sure what to expect. Even if you’ve taken university courses before, AU is different from anything else out there. Like many students, youll figure out what you need to know as… Read more »
I didn’t realize how many creative writing textbooks I have until I started to pull them off the shelf. Most I got through Athabasca University courses, others I’ve purchased, and some were gifted to me from a family friend. It takes time to find a text that works for you, one that speaks to you…. Read more »
I know it’s only one of many factors, but I’m wondering if the American education system being seriously in decline helped Donald Trump convince so many working-class voters that he would work for their interests? What if I’d told Mr. Jamieson, my grade 11 political science teacher, that I believed a Republican would honour a… Read more »
I’m not touching the Chartlottetown thing. Theres nothing I can add that hasnt already been said by some pundit somewhere. About the only thing left is my own position, which is the obvious one. Free speech has limits, and the only time it’s acceptable to bring violence is when it’s to stop other violence from… Read more »
The legacy a man leaves for his children is precious. It took many years for me to heal the scars left from damaging father figures. Despite the negatives, life always provides us with a counteracting positive, if we only allow ourselves to see it. Each man in my life has taught me something about lifesome… Read more »
It was one of those breezy, fresh-washed days that follow intense thunderstorms. Through my open window wafted a tantalizing scent. Delicately floral, slightly spicy, and unfamiliar. The scent drew me outside. I bent my head to this patch of flowers and that, but the scent’s source proved elusive. It was a gift of the breeze,… Read more »
One of the questions that comes with learning creative writing is which is the best way: studying the classics, or taking creative writing courses? My argument is, well, both. Though the classics could be switched up with more current work, as long as the work is sound. This is why the classics are so useful,… Read more »
And now to backtrack just a little, to just before the dawn of the Arab Spring. I was first drawn to Moroccan music in 2009 while reading The No-Nonsense Guide to World Music, by Louise Gray (Gray, 2009). Gray chose a thoroughly postmodern structure by building her book around the most moving and influential musical… Read more »
If babies brought us money instead of costing us a small fortune, if they brought us extra time instead of monopolising it all, if they moved our careers ahead instead of stalling them, if they cleaned things instead of always needing to be cleaned, or if they got us good tables at fancy restaurants, there… Read more »