MF GALAXY

SUPERB SONGWRITER-MUSICIAN ON THE CRAFT OF WRITING AND EDITING, THE TEN THOUSAND OUR RULE, AND WHY PASTRY CHEFS DON’T WANT YOU TO EAT THE DOUGH Ann Vriend is a superb, independent songwriter-musician who’s toured the world and has created six albums including her most recent and critically-acclaimed release, For the People in the Mean Time. Her vocals are a fusion of Dolly Parton and Aretha Franklin, and her lyrical skill is a standout for her generation. She’s the winner of the 2013 Canadian “She’s the One” contest. In today’s episode of MF GALAXY, Ann Vriend discusses: Her approach to the craft of songwriting, including the work of editing The influence of Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen The importance of endless effort and the ten thousand hour rule Why pastry chefs don’t want you to eat the dough Being true to one’s artistic vision, and The true meaning of limitations Throughout the show we’ll hear excerpts from the album For the People in the Mean Tim...

AUTHOR OF CANADA IN AFRICA: 300 YEARS OF AID AND EXPLOITATION ON CANADA’S ILLEGAL WARS, MINING EXPLOITATION AND DESTRUCTION, AND THE SELF-SERVING LIE OF CANADA’S GOOD-TWO-SHOES SELF-IMAGE Yves Engler is the author of eight books exploring injustice, Canadian-style. His latest is Canada in Africa: 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation . The book explores Canadian and proto-Canadian involvement in the European holocaust against Africa , support for apartheid in South Africa and Idi Amin’s coup in Uganda , support for overthrowing independence leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Patrice Lumumba of Congo , and destructive corporate exploitation across the continent today. Yves Engler will be speaking at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on October 1st at 7 pm in room 158 of the Education South building (113 Street + 87 Avenue). In advance his talk, he spoke with me by Skype from his home in Montreal on September 15, 2015. Our conversation covered numerous top...

INDIE NEW MEDIA FILM-MAKER EXPLAINS EXCITEMENT, RESTRICTIONS + MEANING OF HIS MISSION DeWayne Copeland is a new-media indie filmmaker who embodies the Marcus Garvey ethic of “do for self.” With co-creator and series writer-director Scott F Evans , Copeland and their agile team launched CV Nation in 2012, and have produced a first season of six episodes and a second season of four. The CV in CV Nation means “costumed vigilantes,” because the show is about superheroes and villains fighting for dominance in a world in which paranormal powers are merely expensive but highly dangerous commodities. The series is a breakthrough not only for its indie aesthetics and production, but because it’s largely about superheroes and villains of African descent .  Copeland and Evans didn’t wait around for someone else to do what they and so many others had been craving for years—they just did it themselves. DeWayne Copeland is a remarkable artist, and a down-to-eart...

ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF TEN BOOKS SHARES STRATEGIES FOR DYNAMIC CHARACTERS AND PLOTS A Lee Martinez has authored of ten acclaimed novels including Divine Misfortune, Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest, and Chasing the Moon . For his debut novel Gil’s All Fright Diner , he won the Alex Award , which is given to adult fiction that possesses special appeal to younger readers. Martinez’s work mixes dynamic world-building with whimsical, hilarious, and touching storytelling. Martinez’s The Automatic Detective is one of my favourite books. It’s a noir crime thriller about a robot designed to destroy humanity, but he just doesn’t feel like it, so he drives a cab. But the work succeeds because it’s far more than just wacky—it’s got heart, and characters we can love. In this episode of MF GALAXY, Martinez discusses: The reasons why so many fans and teachers of so-called literary fiction dismiss the importance of plot His approach to characterisation on the invention ve...