Archives
My preview of the ballet Don Quixote…
...being presented this week by Class Act Performing Arts Studio and Do It With Class Young People's Theatre (and in which, full disclosure, my daughter Alice is playing a chicken), is in today's Regina LeaderPost. An excerpt: Eduardo Ventura, one of the ballet instructors at Class Act and Do It With Class, will dance Basilio. "He's a poor barber in the village," Ventura explains. "Kitri and him have known each other since they were kids, and they love each other, but her father doesn't want any penniless suitor for his daughter. He's planning to marry her with the rich Gamache (Kent Wolkowski). They have to fight for their love." The role of Kitri is being danced by Jacqueline Burtney, a former student who ...Trading places
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to trade places with another family, living a completely different life from yours in some completely different part of the country? If you have, you should get in touch with Heather Kaisler at Partners in Motion, a Regina-based television production company. She’s the producer of their popular program Trading Places, which airs on the Life Network and will soon go into the production of its second season. The show’s concept is simple. A family from one part of the country travels trades places with a family from another part of a country. For three days, the two families live in each other’s houses, go to each others’ ...The Saskatchewan Book Award speech I should have given
We've all laughed at those actors who win major awards and become completely flustered at the microphone, because they didn't really expect to win and so they didn't bother to compose an acceptance speech. I have a little more sympathy with them now, because pretty much the same thing happened to me on November 30 at the Saskatchewan Book Awards gala dinner when, much to my astonishment, my novel Spirit Singer (Awe-Struck E-Books/Earthling Press) won the Regina Book Award for best book written by a Regina resident. The other ...The instructive history of Clement Clarke Moore
History is full of artists in various disciplines who are most famous for things which they themselves considered of very little importance. Take Arthur Conan Doyle, for instance. He came to loathe his creation, Sherlock Holmes, going so far as to killing him...only to be forced by popular demand to bring him back again. Sir Alec Guinness was an outstanding actor, with many fine roles to his credit on stage and screen--but he his remembered by most people simply as Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars, a role he considered of complete insignificance. And then there was Clement Clarke Moore. Moore was born July 15, 1779, in New York City. He was the son of ...How to become a science fiction writer
Hello, my name is Ed, and I'm a science fiction writer. I'm the author of four young adult fantasy and science fiction titles, Soulworm, The Dark Unicorn, Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star, and Spirit Singer (all available at Book & Brier Patch as paperbacks; Spirit Singer is also available as an e-book from Awe-Struck E-Books). Yes, I make far more money writing non-fiction than I do writing science fiction. But that doesn't matter. In my heart, I'm first and foremost a science fiction writer. How did I become one? The same way you can become one--through three deceptively simple steps, the first of which is, "Read." Read, read, read. Then read some more. And ...What J.R.R. Tolkien means to me
I went to see The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings last week. That's hardly news; it's been the number-one movie for three weeks now, so lots of people have been going to see it. But I did want to set down my impressions of the film--and some thoughts on what J.R.R. Tolkien means to me. First, let me tell you where I'm coming from, Middle Earth-wise. I remember trying to read The Lord of the Rings when I was nine or 10 years old, and failing; it started too slow. But I tried again as a teenager, and that's when I fell under Tolkien's spell. I raced through the books, desperate to ...New Year’s resolutions for 2002
I've written weekly columns on a variety of topics almost constantly for more than 20 years now, which means I've probably written at least 20 New Year's columns devoted to the topic of resolutions--and guess what? This is one of them. This being a column on the arts, of course, the resolutions have to relate to the arts in some way. So let's begin with a few resolutions you might want to adopt yourself, then finish up with some resolutions the arts and entertainment world might consider for itself. First, resolve to go to more art galleries. You'll be astonished by the endless creativity of people. You'll find a lot that's beautiful, a lot that's ugly ...P-books and e-books
The Saskatchewan Book Awards, honoring the best books by Saskatchewan writers, is coming up on November 30. The short-listed nominees are all worthy, but they're also all a little old-fashioned, in that they're all printed on paper. "Paper?" I hear you say. "What else would they be printed on?" To which I reply, who says they have to be printed at all? At the recent Saskatchewan Writers Guild annual conference, I moderated a panel discussion on the future of publishing. The panel, which included representatives of both large and small publishing houses, felt that e-books would amount to "about 15 percent" of the book market within a few years. "E-books?" I now hear ...The arts and September 11, 2001
How should the arts respond to the events of September 11? This question is being asked from Broadway to Hollywood, from the studios of artists to the rehearsal halls of theatres to the offices of authors. It's even being asked by practitioners of my own art form, written science fiction. After all, in many ways, what we saw on our TV screens mimicked fictional disasters from science fiction books over the last 50 years. New York--indeed, the entire world--has been destroyed in any number of imaginative ways, from nuclear war to alien attack to flooding from global warming. But dare we continue to imagine such things in the face of the awful reality? Did we somehow ...Professional entertainment, amateur audiences
Last night I attended the Conservatory of Performing Arts Ballet Program's outstanding production of La Fille mal Gardée at the University Theatre at the University of Regina. The production was just one more example of the incredible depth of talent we have here in Regina, demonstrated both by the young people who did the dancing and the adults who taught and guided them--in this case, Ana Maria Campos and Nathalia Barbara. The two young leads, Marcelle Pieri as Lise and Wade McLean as Colas, were wonderful to watch. Marcelle in particular was delightful, lighting up the stage so that the audience fell instantly in love with her. A personal highlight for me was the performance ...
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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