On the show:

• This week is Word Feast 2020! I’ll be featuring interviews about it, including talking with Jennifer Houle about the entire festival!

• • September 23, 7 p.m. – Festival Launch and Keynote Address
    Join us for the launch of Word Feast’s Fourth Annual Literary Festival and first ever virtual take-out edition. Don’t miss out on Senator and Governor-General’s Literary Award Winner David Adams Richards’ Keynote Talk on writing in the pandemic. Listen to the talk and join us for conversation on Zoom.
  • September 24, 7 p.m. – Word Feast Poetry Bash
    Come find out what the poets are doing – and saying – at this Word Feast signature event. Readings from each participating poet will be made available online in the days leading up to the bash. Check them out, and then join us for a live Zoom event with poets Yusuf Saadi, Chloé LaDuchesse, Cecily Nicholson, and Emily Skov-Nielsen. Hosted by poet and Word Feast Vice-Chair Jennifer Houle. This will be a literary soirée for the books, full of conversation and discovery. Come to Poetry Bash on Zoom.
  • September 25, 7 p.m. – Spotlight on Translation/Pleins feux sur la traduction littéraire
    Tune in for a conversation with Joshua Whitehead, Arianne Des Rochers and Sophie Lavoie to hear more about the art of translation today, why it matters so much, and how it can open doors.
  • September 26, 7 p.m. – Celebrating Bill and Nancy Bauer, with Brian Bartlett
    Mark your calendar for this literary celebration! Join us for the launch of Bright with Invisible History: A William Bauer Reader, edited by Brian Bartlett, with readings of Bill Bauer’s poetry by David Adams Richards, Jennifer Houle, Ian Letourneau, Lynn Davies, Michael Pacey, Andrew Bartlett, Mark Kristmanson, John Bauer, Grace Bauer, and Louise Birdsell-Bauer. The presentation of Word Feast’s annual Community Impact Award will follow. Celebrate with us on Zoom.
  • September 27, 2.p.m. – Odd Sundays at Word Feast
    Join us for the announcement of the Annual Word Feast Postcard Story contest, the Word Feast Fredericton Playhouse Contest, and the Video Slam Contest winners, along with readings from the winning writers. This will be followed by an Open Mic set. Registration is required to read but not to attend; register at info@Wordfeast.ca. To be part of this event, join us on Zoom
• I also looked back to rainier times with my interview from the summer with Sasha French about her painting work in residence at Odell Park.
• This week is International Week of Happiness at Work, so find the way to celebrate while doing your job, especially if you’re still working at home. It also happened to be World Gratitude Day on Monday.
• Photo Fredericton meets this Tuesday night at 7pm online. All are welcome, at all levels of photography. Virtual meetings, friendly atmosphere, share the joy of photography and learn from presentations For full schedule 2020/2021 : www.photofredericton.ca, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays starting Sept 8 at 7:00.
• Tertulia: Tom Beckley on Wendell Berry on Wednesday, September 23?7:00 – 8:00pm. Tom Beckley is a sociologist and professor in the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick. His research focuses on rural communities, sense of place, community forestry, public engagement in forestry policies, and energy and climate change. He grows his own food and manages a woodlot in Keswick Ridge. Wendell Berry is an American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. He is the author of The Unsettling of America, numerous novels, essays, short stories, and poetry. Register for the Zoom link at fredericton.tertulia@gmail.com.
• SOLD OUT Adam Baldwin (solo) LIVE & IN PERSON on Wednesday, September 23?8:00 – 10:00pm at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. http://adambaldwin.ca/
  See the Facebook event for more details.
• Enbicon Player registration is open! Register to play at the TableTop Events website.
• MusicUNB: 2020 Livestream – Bach to Benny Goodman (Wednesday, September 23?7:00 – 8:00pm) 
  The Centre for Musical Arts presents MusicUNB, an annual concert series that features chamber and cutting-edge classical music performances. This fall, all of our MusicUNB concerts will be available online, with most concerts being livestreamed directly from Memorial Hall. Thanks to YouTube Live, you’ll also be able to see our musicians “live” in action, while they improvise together from separate locations.
  
  Bach to Benny Goodman
  
  Kornel Wolak (clarinet) and Michael Bridge (digital accordion) are an internationally acclaimed duo, pushing the limits of their instruments and musical styles into the 21st Century. With deft virtuosity, and endless wit, Bridge & Wolak have been called the “Victor Borges of the 21st Century.” From Bach to Rock, this thrilling concert is full of surprises and is a pure joy to experience. Watch and be amazed!
  
  See the website for more details.

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On the show:

• This week is Word Feast 2020! I’ll be featuring interviews about it, including the brand-new interview with the founder of the feast: Ian LeTourneau! He also happened to have a poet right on hand, so we hear from Emilie Skov-Neilsen with her poem, Painting Suburbia.

• • September 23, 7 p.m. – Festival Launch and Keynote Address
    Join us for the launch of Word Feast’s Fourth Annual Literary Festival and first ever virtual take-out edition. Don’t miss out on Senator and Governor-General’s Literary Award Winner David Adams Richards’ Keynote Talk on writing in the pandemic. Listen to the talk and join us for conversation on Zoom.
  • September 24, 7 p.m. – Word Feast Poetry Bash
    Come find out what the poets are doing – and saying – at this Word Feast signature event. Readings from each participating poet will be made available online in the days leading up to the bash. Check them out, and then join us for a live Zoom event with poets Yusuf Saadi, Chloé LaDuchesse, Cecily Nicholson, and Emily Skov-Nielsen. Hosted by poet and Word Feast Vice-Chair Jennifer Houle. This will be a literary soirée for the books, full of conversation and discovery. Come to Poetry Bash on Zoom.
  • September 25, 7 p.m. – Spotlight on Translation/Pleins feux sur la traduction littéraire
    Tune in for a conversation with Joshua Whitehead, Arianne Des Rochers and Sophie Lavoie to hear more about the art of translation today, why it matters so much, and how it can open doors.
  • September 26, 7 p.m. – Celebrating Bill and Nancy Bauer, with Brian Bartlett
    Mark your calendar for this literary celebration! Join us for the launch of Bright with Invisible History: A William Bauer Reader, edited by Brian Bartlett, with readings of Bill Bauer’s poetry by David Adams Richards, Jennifer Houle, Ian Letourneau, Lynn Davies, Michael Pacey, Andrew Bartlett, Mark Kristmanson, John Bauer, Grace Bauer, and Louise Birdsell-Bauer. The presentation of Word Feast’s annual Community Impact Award will follow. Celebrate with us on Zoom.
  • September 27, 2.p.m. – Odd Sundays at Word Feast
    Join us for the announcement of the Annual Word Feast Postcard Story contest, the Word Feast Fredericton Playhouse Contest, and the Video Slam Contest winners, along with readings from the winning writers. This will be followed by an Open Mic set. Registration is required to read but not to attend; register at info@Wordfeast.ca. To be part of this event, join us on Zoom

• We also heard my 2016 interview with Natalie Sappier and Nate Miller about the work they were doing to write beautiful music, and we got to sample Floating and Oceans.
• This week is International Week of Happiness at Work, so find the way to celebrate while doing your job, especially if you’re still working at home. It also happened to be World Gratitude Day on Monday.
• Photo Fredericton meets this Tuesday night at 7pm online. All are welcome, at all levels of photography. Virtual meetings, friendly atmosphere, share the joy of photography and learn from presentations For full schedule 2020/2021 : www.photofredericton.ca, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays starting Sept 8 at 7:00.
• Tertulia: Tom Beckley on Wendell Berry on Wednesday, September 23?7:00 – 8:00pm. Tom Beckley is a sociologist and professor in the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick. His research focuses on rural communities, sense of place, community forestry, public engagement in forestry policies, and energy and climate change. He grows his own food and manages a woodlot in Keswick Ridge. Wendell Berry is an American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. He is the author of The Unsettling of America, numerous novels, essays, short stories, and poetry. Register for the Zoom link at fredericton.tertulia@gmail.com.
• SOLD OUT Adam Baldwin (solo) LIVE & IN PERSON on Wednesday, September 23?8:00 – 10:00pm at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. http://adambaldwin.ca/
  See the Facebook event for more details.
• Enbicon Player registration is open! Register to play at the TableTop Events website.
  

News updates:

• If New Brunswickers want to get tested for COVID-19, you can now fill out an online self-referral form.
• The murder trial of Matthew Vincent Raymond continues at the Fredericton Convention Centre.
• A 15-year-old boy is dead after a dirtbike crash on Friday evening near Nashwaak Bridge.
• The Codiac RCMP is looking for the public’s help to find a missing teenager from Riverview.
• New Brunswick will be spared the brunt of Hurricane Teddy as the storm makes its way through Atlantic Canada.
• The Canadian Federation of Students is calling out university fees across the country that charge for services and facilities students can’t use.
• A new maritime study shows youth between 16 and 24 have been vaping less frequently since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
• And U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is dead after a long battle with pancreatic cancer

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On today’s show:

• Today is Guacamole Day, so it was rather convenient that I had avacados, jalepenos, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro and a red onion on hand. Like I planned it!
• Are you ready to add more language to your diet? We continue talking Word Feast with Jo-Anne Elder, this time about the Spotlight on Translation Event coming up on September 25.
• Bondo has great taste in music, and on a particular Monday in 2018 she brought with her Undertow from Rae Spoon‘s album bodiesofwater.
• The Atlantic International Film Festival starts tomorrow night, and features 114 films in 53 screenings, with exclusive gala screenings each night. Watch it all online from September 17 through 24!
• Remember, it may not be the full Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival this week — but it’s plenty for everyone who’s here!
  • Pallmer, Blue Lobelia & Kurtis Eugene will take the stage at The Cap Patio on Wednesday night at 7pm. See the Facebook event for more details.
  • Josh Bravener is playing on Thursday at 5pm at The Delta Fredericton. Free cover!
  • The Delta Fredericton will also feature Anthony Gray on Friday at 9pm for another show. Again: free cover!
  • Maggie’s Farm Revival is celebrating Harvest at Dolan’s Pub on Thursday night at 7pm. Due to social distancing, reservations of a table (for 4 or more) are necessary; email Rick Hutchins (hutchinsr@outlook.com) to reserve.
  • Dolan’s Pub welcomes Certified for Friday and Saturday nights at 9pm.
  • Gin & Jazz at The Southside Shake will be on both Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm with special guests both nights.
  • The Royal Canadian Legion (365 Smythe St) is bringing back live music starting this week with Rabbit Town Ramblers & Friends on Friday at 6pm.
  • The Tribute Bar & Lounge welcomes Theresa Malenfant & Scott Medford on Friday at 7pm. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in groups of 4 or 6. Limited seating is available. See the Facebook event for more details.
  • The Montgomery Street Band and Womb To Tomb are on the stage at The Charlotte Street Arts Centre on Friday night at 7pm. See the Facebook event for more details.
  • While there are going to be some actual performances, you can also see great past performances streaming online via Harvest’s Facebook and YouTube pages on Saturday. See the website for more details.
  • You can celebrate Harvest and help people on Saturday at noon by joining a fundraiser in support of Nutriendo el Future at the Feeding The Future (Venezuela) in The Tannery. There is no ticket price, but tables must be reserved in advance on The Cap Patio and the extended Klub Khrome Patio. (Reserve your tickets in advance.) The Dolan’s Patio will operate on a first come, first served basis.
  • And while you can probably wander by to enjoy it, official tickets have sold out for Sunday afternoon’s Harvest 29.5 show in the Tannery. The show will feature Dub Antennae, The Big Band of Fun, McKinley Morrison & Williams, Hum & Hollow and Catherine Kennedy (with Josh McKinley). See the Facebook event for more details
• And Symphony New Brunswick has announced a series of concert for this year’s season, spread over three months. The first local concert is coming on October 3 at 7:30pm at The Playhouse, so get your tickets and support your local theatre!
• Each Sunday until October 25, you can arrange to visit the UNB Art Centre to see a pair of exhibits under the Attending the Apocalypse. Sign up online for your 20-minute slot to visit.
• And while it’s virtual, you can still sign up to roleplay at Fredericton’s own gaming convention, Enbicon (coming up on September 25-27).

News update:

• Passengers on a recent Air Canada flight to Moncton are being told about a possible exposure to COVID-19.
• The defence team for Matthew Vincent Raymond say their client was not criminally responsible for his crimes two years ago.
• A young adult from Maisonnette will undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment after stabbing a 51-year-old man on the Acadian Peninsula.
• The City of Fredericton is taking the next step for more accessible services on local transit.
• A new study shows more female students attending post-secondary institutions were sexually assaulted over a year.
• Chiefs from the Wolastoquey First Nation are urging Premier Blaine Higgs to sit down with Indigenous peoples for a dialogue of respect.
• All students from Priestman Street Elementary are back in the classroom today.
• And the United States is standing down on its tariff dispute and lifting a 10 per cent levy on aluminum imports.

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On today’s show:

• As promised a few days ago, this is the second interview with Isabelle and Bianca about the results of their Identity Journey Project, recorded back in 2016.
• Songstress Heather Rankin joined me in-studio in 2016 to talk about her album that year, and I also shared Superstars and A Fine Line from that album.
• It was on this date in 1826 that they laid the cornerstone of the Arts Building at King’s College in Fredericton — which now we know as The Old Art’s Building at UNB.
• Be sure to check out the CHSR Community Events Calendar for the Harvest 29.5 performances and more this week!

News updates:

• Progressive Conservative leader Blaine Higgs won a majority government during the snap election last night.
• Liberal leader Kevin Vickers announced he’ll step down as leader of the party.
• New Brunswick Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 yesterday afternoon.
• A 45-year-old man from Moncton has been arrested after hauling contraband tobacco late last week.
• The murder trial for Matthew Vincent Raymond is slated to begin this morning.
• The St. Thomas University gerontology society is making it easier to spread the love to isolated seniors.
• And Symphony New Brunswick says despite the challenges brought about by COVID-19, its 2021 season will go ahead.

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On today’s show:

• It’s voting day! Get to it! Have questions? Look up the official site and get to it!
• And because the province is on my mind, I pulled up my 2014 interview with Michael de Adder about his his book of political cartoons, You Might Be From New Brunswick If…
• And because Harvest is also on my mind, we revisit my brief chat with Old Man Leudecke before his performance at Harvest in 2015. I paired that with Quiet Creek and Thrown By The Bull from two of his albums.
• Speaking of Harvest Jazz & Blues, it’s not happening — at least, not in it’s normal, large form. BUT, there are lots of local celebrations for our own home-grown, just-us version.
  • Pallmer, Blue Lobelia & Kurtis Eugene will take the stage at The Cap Patio on Wednesday night at 7pm. See the Facebook event for more details.
  • Josh Bravener is playing on Thursday at 5pm at The Delta Fredericton. Free cover!
  • The Delta Fredericton will also feature Anthony Gray on Friday at 9pm for another show. Again: free cover!
  • Maggie’s Farm Revival is celebrating Harvest at Dolan’s Pub on Thursday night at 7pm. Due to social distancing, reservations of a table (for 4 or more) are necessary; email Rick Hutchins (hutchinsr@outlook.com) to reserve.
  • Dolan’s Pub welcomes Certified for Friday and Saturday nights at 9pm.
  • Gin & Jazz at The Southside Shake will be on both Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm with special guests both nights.
  • The Royal Canadian Legion (365 Smythe St) is bringing back live music starting this week with Rabbit Town Ramblers & Friends on Friday at 6pm.
  • The Tribute Bar & Lounge welcomes Theresa Malenfant & Scott Medford on Friday at 7pm. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in groups of 4 or 6. Limited seating is available. See the Facebook event for more details.
  • The Montgomery Street Band and Womb To Tomb are on the stage at The Charlotte Street Arts Centre on Friday night at 7pm. See the Facebook event for more details.
  • While there are going to be some actual performances, you can also see great past performances streaming online via Harvest’s Facebook and YouTube pages on Saturday. See the website for more details.
  • You can celebrate Harvest and help people on Saturday at noon by joining a fundraiser in support of Nutriendo el Future at the Feeding The Future (Venezuela) in The Tannery. There is no ticket price, but tables must be reserved in advance on The Cap Patio and the extended Klub Khrome Patio. (Reserve your tickets in advance.) The Dolan’s Patio will operate on a first come, first served basis.
  • And while you can probably wander by to enjoy it, official tickets have sold out for Sunday afternoon’s Harvest 29.5 show in the Tannery. The show will feature Dub Antennae, The Big Band of Fun, McKinley Morrison & Williams, Hum & Hollow and Catherine Kennedy (with Josh McKinley). See the Facebook event for more details

News update:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.
• After four weeks of a fast-paced campaign, residents will head to the polls.
• Police rescued a man and his three children after they didn’t return from a hike on Friday morning near Mount Carleton.
• Residents in Blackville are in mourning today after three teenage boys died following a car crash early yesterday morning.
• The murder trial for Matthew Vincent Raymond is slated to begin on Tuesday morning.
• New Brunswick’s theatre community has had to come up with many workarounds during COVID-19, and St. Thomas University is no exception.
• Students from Priestman Street Elementary School are back in the classroom today.
• And one teen had his lifelong dream come true after a Toronto Star article.

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On today’s show:

• I spoke with Jo-Anne Elder, Chair of Word Feast, about the upcoming Video Poetry Bash which you can participate in! Send your compositions before September 21 to be included for this online event. Find out more at their website, WordFeast.ca .
• Back in 2015, I spoke with Isobelle & Bianca about their project to talk to youth about their cultural fellowships for The Identity Project.
• And we have more Positive Songs for Pandemics with B Street’s Lainie B. This week, she brings us a song by Mavis Staples.
• Maybe you need to go talk to a fuzzy animal about how to improve frozen food? It was Swap Ideas Day, Alpaca Day and TV Dinner Day. You’re welcome!
• More seriously, today is World Suicide Prevention Day. We’re in uncertain times, and the most vulnerable among us need a sympathetic ear, shoulder and hand even more than ever. If you are experiencing a difficult time, there are people you can talk to for help:
  • GNB site for suicide prevention
  • CHIMO Helpline 1-800-667-5005
  • Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
  • Canada Suicide Prevention Service (CSPS) 1-833-456-4566
  • Hope for Wellness Indigenous Helpline and on line chat 1-855-242-3310 or https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/
• Symphony NB is planning a musical season this year, despite the difficulties that the pandemic precautions have introduced, and season tickets are on sale now. The Symphony will deliver a program of six Virtuoso Series performances and a special silent film event with music by Andrew Miller in addition to three Main Series concerts that will take place in October, November, and December on stages throughout the province.  Due to limited seating, regular subscriber seats may not be available. For this reason also, SNB are asking patrons who may subsequently be unable to use tickets to return them to the theatre. For concert details please go to the SNB website at symphonynb.com.
• FLOURISH FEST continues tonight at 8pm at the Cap with a screening of Digital Dream, featuring Juice Girls, Lil Omar, Arma Epifania, Brick House Babes and Left Hand Girls.

No news update this week! See you tomorrow!

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On today’s show:

• Live long & prosper! It’s Star Trek Day, when the original series first began and changed sci-fi television (and so much more!) forever.
• It’s also a great time to celebrate the people who bring stories to life: it’s Actors’ Day!
• And above all, let’s celebrate stories! Being able to read is important, not only to really enjoy fiction, but also to write your own — and to interact with the wild world of knowledge. Today is International Literacy Day, which means not only to broaden your own horizons and grow as a reader, but also to support programs which help other people expand their reading skills.
• Speaking of literacy, the local celebration of the craft of writing, Word Feast is back again this year! Today we have the first of a series of interviews and programs about the upcoming festival. Today we talk with Jennifer Houle, Vice-Chair about the general shape of the festival this year.
• I also turned back time to last summer, when I spoke to Lois MacDonald-Letyon about her felt art in residence in Odell Park.
• If you’re looking for more games during lockdown, player registration for the Enbicon gaming convention is open.
• After Wednesday at 12:15 you can tune in on Facebook to attend the returning Curator Crunch series from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. This week, your host John Leroux talks about Thaddeus Holowin’s Jolicure Pond.
• The Fredericton Arts Alliance is hosting a Virtual Election Forum online this year. Following opening statements, candidates will be challenged with one of five questions circulated in advance to the parties, after there will be an opportunity for questions from participants. Questions may be submitted in advance to president@frederictonartalliance.ca, or during the event via chat. The FAA has held election forum for all federal, provincial, and municipal elections since 1999, giving citizens an opportunity to discover where the various candidates and parties stand on a wide range of arts and culture related issues.
• And Flourish Fest continues this week, with two performances by Motherhood, alongside FAXES at 6pm at the Cap and with chillteens at 9pm this Wednesday.

News update:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 Monday afternoon.
• It’s less than a week away from the provincial election, and two candidates have been ousted by their respective parties.
• Many students return to the classroom Monday, and New Brunswick’s top doctor wants to ease the minds of worried parents.
• A 45-year-old man from Plaster Rock is dead after a motorcycle accident near Perth-Andover on Sunday.
• Police here in Fredericton are looking for the public’s help to identify two suspects following a break and enter.
• The reopening of a Fredericton elementary school has been delayed until next week.  
• NB Power has been given the green light by the Energy and Utilities Board to roll out smart meters across the province.
• And a New Brunswick tradition will be back this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

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