Features

Nuggets of Information

In writing parlance they’re known as “fillers”:  those little pieces that show up at the end of magazine articles.  Some writers bristle at the term, reasoning that “fillers” sound like bits of nothing, like packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Fillers do perform one service of filling what otherwise would be blank space around an article. … Read more »

Talking Sports Literature—with Dr. Angie Abdou

The topic of sports has been on people’s minds lately, with the current NHL hockey season ramping up for the playoffs as well as the recent Olympic and Paralympic games in PyeongChang.  In Part two of our interview with AU’s Creative Writing professor, Dr. Angie Abdou, she talks about her upcoming books that combine her… Read more »

[re]Discovering my Voice

Creative writing can be hard—worthwhile and fulfilling, but hard.  It is difficult to get the words out some days, and it is easy to be hard on yourself when it is.  It takes a lot of time and effort, a lot of being critical of your own work and merciless when it comes to editing… Read more »

An Interview with Angie Abdou

For many people, writing a book and seeing their name in print is their ultimate dream.  Athabasca University’s creative writing professor, Angie Abdou, has taken her passion for writing and written several successful novels, including The Bone Cage, The Canterbury Trail, and her latest novel, In Case I Go.  But does the life of a… Read more »

Minds We Meet—Interviewing Students Like You!

Katy Lowe is a 29-year-old mother of three.  She has been a student with AU since November 2017 and is currently finishing up her first set of finals.  One of the few that are born and raised and currently living in Calgary, Alberta, she looks forward to chinooks to break up long, bitter cold winters. … Read more »

A Meeting of Women in Politics

I went to a “Women in Politics” event so you don’t have to Since I started taking courses at Athabasca University, I find myself at the public library a lot.  Studying at home with my two young sons has proven to be less than productive, as frequent interruptions to dole out fruit snacks or change… Read more »

Minds We Meet—Caribbean Bound

Cpl. Lisa Grandmaison balances working full time as a File Manager/Recruiting staff for the 36 Canadian Brigade Army Reserve Recruiting unit in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with studying toward her Bachelor of Business Management at AU and taking care of her one year old daughter Sophie.  Originally hailing from the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, a… Read more »

An Interview with the AUGSA Executive Director

Ross Tyson is the Executive Director of the Athabasca University Graduate Students’ Union.  He earned a BSc and Med at the University of Alberta.  Here he took some time to sit down and talk about how he found AU and the AUGSA, the tasks and responsibilities associated with the position, the open university environment, the… Read more »

Introducing AU’s Writer in Residence—Richard Van Camp

Each year, Athabasca University invites a Canadian writer to be its Writer in Residence, an invited artist who serves as a resource for students, faculty, and the university and writing communities.  This year, AU has chosen Richard Van Camp.  He is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT.  He is… Read more »

Minds We Meet—Enabling and Empowering

Paddy Storey, originally born and raised in Alberta, now lives with her husband, her teenage daughter, 19 horses, one miniature pony, two donkeys, five dogs, four puppies, and two cats on a cattle ranch North of Quesnel, surrounded by the trees of beautiful British Columbia.  She also has a son that recently graduated and has… Read more »