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Writing a book is tough work . . . but someone has to do it?


Here we see the Ocean Endeavour. Come September 5, we'll board that vessel in Kugluktuk (Coppermine) and sail east through the Northwest Passage . . . all the way to Greenland, there to climb into a zodiac and wend among the most spectacular icebergs in the northern hemisphere. As the Adventure Canada historian on board, I'll give talks and presentations while we sail. Gotta love that!
Before we head out on that voyage, we'll spend two weeks in Halifax at University of King's College, where I'll do some teaching in Canada's first MFA program in Creative Nonfiction. Ready, aye, ready to entertain a new cohort of writers.
On September 22, Celtic Lightning hits the bookstores. Subtitle: How the Scots and the Irish Created a Canadian Nation. Spreading the word will involve a series of events that looks something like this: -- Sept. 27, Toronto: Word on the Street. -- Oct. 1, Toronto launch: Ben McNally Books (bagpipes + kilt). -- Oct. 3, Westport, ON., Writers Reading; -- Oct. 6, Calgary: Owl's Nest bookstore. -- Oct. 8, Winnipeg: McNally Robinson. -- Oct. 23, Fort Erie, Ontario: Ridgeway Reading Series. -- Nov. 12, Toronto: Eh List, Toronto Reference Library. -- Nov. 15, Montreal: Paragraphe Bookstore -- Nov. 18, Halifax: Central Library. -- Dec. 1, Hamilton: Different Drummer Books. If you've read this far, can I hope to see you at one of these events?



Ken McGoogan
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The Franklin-search tempest: adding pieces to the jigsaw


A few social media threads are following the Franklin-search tempest whirling around Paul Watson, Jim Balsillie, John Geiger, and The Lost Franklin Ships. This documentary, full disclosure, includes riveting footage of yours truly talking history (see left). Since the story broke, one researcher (Wolfgang Opel) turned up the Jim Balsillie letter that Watson quoted to Canadaland. Here's a link:  http://aptn.ca/.../4/2015/07/Arctic-Research-Foundation.pdf

John Geiger, CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (F.D.: yes, I am a Fellow), has stated that the RCGS had no editorial control over the documentary.
"We saw it for the first time when it aired on CBC," Geiger told the Canadian Press, "just like the rest of the viewing public."I believe any concerns or comments are best directed to the filmmakers." 

Those film-makers, Andrew E.M. Gregg and Gordon Henderson, stand behind their documentary. In a Facebook post, catching up, Gregg wrote that he knew some some partners in the Erebus search were upset because "they didn't get as much attention as some others did. We've already addressed the stuff Watson trudges up in the Canadaland interview and much of it is not accurate. If you think back to our film our main characters were the two principal underwater archaeologists from Parks Canada. No one else. To claim otherwise is nonsense. . . . To be honest I'm not exactly sure what the story is here -- the PMO reportedly tried to meddle in how the Erebus discovery was rolled out to the press? Should that shock anybody? I'll be interested to find out more over the next few days but we stand by our doc and challenge anybody to poke holes in how we told the story."

And in that same thread, Gordon Henderson wrote: "Our film focused on Marc Andre Bernier and Ryan Harris from Parks Canada. They were the stars. They drove the narrative. Not John Geiger. Not anyone else. The film was about the search and the story. What happened to Franklin and his men. The accuracy of the Inuit testimony. Watch the film -- it's on The Nature of Things website -- and judge for yourself."

In a parallel universe, exploration expert Randall Osczevski noted that Balsillie's letter "refers to studies of ice flow as key information. This was not mentioned in the video, or since." He recalled posting a link and noted:  "At the time, my response and that of others was that we had never heard of this man . . . or his contribution." He and all the rest of us went about our business. But now he wonders.

So, here is the article, which tells us that Tom Zagon, an ice climatologist with expertise in remote sensing, made an important contribution to locating the Erebus by analyzing satellite images. Zagon works for Environment Canada, and as we all know (Old News alert), the Harper regime has muzzled government scientists. To me, it looks like Zagon deserves more kudos than he has received. So that would be one puzzle piece. But is that all there is?



Ken McGoogan
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This Franklin-search "scandal" looks like sour grapes and grandstanding




Several people have nudged me to comment on this latest Franklin-search “scandal.” Journalist Paul Watson resigning in a huff? Complaining that the Toronto Star has been suppressing a story of great public interest. I get the Star delivered to my doorstep every day, and I have to admit that the response of publisher John Cruickshank resonates with me: “Let me publicly deny this extremely odd idea. . . . Suppressing stories of public interest is something the Star has never done and will never do.”
You have to admit that Watson is positioning himself brilliantly. Champion of the little guy. Voice of the voiceless. But I’ve perused and parsed the long interview published in Canadaland and have to admit that I am still scratching my head. Apparently Jim Balsillie is quite upset. A Russian-flagged vessel was highlighted in the documentary when the CCGS Laurier led the search and carried the crew? A robotic sub was “presented as a key technical help” instead of “the Gannet and the Kinglet launched from the CCGS Laurier.”
Somebody is getting a medal when some other deserving soul is not? Wow, that’s the first time that has ever happened. Maybe I’m missing something, but I’m having trouble finding the great public interest in all this . . . much less evidence of witchhunt-worthy wrong-doing. Apparently, that’s what the Star editors told Paul Watson. And he didn’t want to hear it. What I see here is sour grapes and grand-standing . . . and maybe a touch of hubris.
Ken McGoogan
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Before turning mainly to books about arctic exploration and Canadian history, Ken McGoogan worked for two decades as a journalist at major dailies in Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal. He teaches creative nonfiction writing through the University of Toronto and in the MFA program at King’s College in Halifax. Ken served as chair of the Public Lending Right Commission, has written recently for Canada’s History, Canadian Geographic, and Maclean’s, and sails with Adventure Canada as a resource historian. Based in Toronto, he has given talks and presentations across Canada, from Dawson City to Dartmouth, and in places as different as Edinburgh, Melbourne, and Hobart.