Reviewed by Christine Hearn (BA'70, MA'74)
If you are interested in Canadian film, this is a must read.
Zöe Druick, associate professor in SFU’s School of Communication, and Gerda Cammaer of Ryerson University take an expansive view of Canada’s history in film. The book covers a wide range of issues involved in the preservation of Canada’s film archive.
Essays in the book include “Mental Prophylaxis: Crawley Films, McGraw-Hill Educational Films and Orphan Cinema,” “Early Quebec Actualities and the Ephemeral Meaning of Moving Images in the Transitional Era,” “Tiger Child : IMAX and Donald Brittain Times Nine,” “Seeing Then, Hearing Now: Audiovisual Counterpoint at the Intersection of Dual Production Contexts in Larry Ken’s Hastings Street,” and “Sampling Heritage: The NFB’s Digital Archive.”
The authors give special thanks to research assistants Itrath Syed (SFU) and Davina Rimmer (Ryerson) for tracking the project and compiling the manuscript. They also thank the SFU University Publication Fund and the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Communication and Design and the Office of Research Services at Ryerson University.
Everything Old is New Again
In A History of Psychology in Western Civilization (Cambridge University Press), Professor Emeritus Bruce Alexander and Curt Shelton (BSc’80, BA’98) argue that most modern psychological theories are a rehash of centuries-old ideas. They further argue that psychological theories should be rethought to give us more insight.
New Poems
Stan Rogal (BA’82) launches his latest poetry collection, After Words (Guernica Editions). Rogal has written 18 books.
Prize Winner
Scott Sowerby (BA’96) wins the Royal Historical Society’s Whitfield Prize for his recent book Making Toleration: The Repealers and the Glorious Revolution (Harvard University Press). The Whitfield Prize is awarded annually to the best first book on British or Irish history. Sowerby is an associate professor in the Department of History at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Children’s Book
Jasana Crowie (BA’03) writes a tale of adventure about a timid young mouse in Barley of Maplewood (Crowie Press).
New Book
Continuing Studies instructor Wayde Compton (BA Hons’97, MA’01) receives critical acclaim for his first book of short stories. In The Outer Harbour (Arsenal Pulp Press), Compton explores the concept of place and identity.
Not Dead Yet?
Marc Edge (BA’78) argues in Greatly Exaggerated: The Myth of the Death of Newspapers (New Star Books) that rather than dying, newspapers are taking on new life. He says they are proving to be remarkably resilient despite challenges including greedy investors.
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Poetry in Motion
Emeritus English professor George Bowering’s 36th book of poetry is out. The World, I Guess (New Star Books) shows a broad range of writing and interests.