Archives
I itch, therefore I scratch
Before you read any further, let me warn you: today’s column may cause itching.It’s got nothing to do with the ink it’s printed with, either, or mysterious radiation from your computer monitor. It’s simply because I’m going to write about the science of itching, and one of the peculiar things about itching is that talking about it can cause it.You would think that such a universally experienced sensation would be well understood by now, but you’d be wrong.Itching was in the news recently because Zhou-Feng Chen, a neuroscientist at Washington University in St. Louis, announced at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington that he and his colleagues had discovered ...Mozart, Mahler, Magic
My review of Saturday's Regina Symphony Orchestra concert is now online at the LeaderPost. An excerpt:"The Concerto for Flute and Harp "(which Sawa himself had never heard played live before now) was originally written as a piece for chamber orchestra, and thus couldn't help but be lighter in tone. In fact, aside from two horn players, the brass section was entirely excused for this piece, which featured as soloists RSO Principle Flute Marie-Noelle Berthelet and RSO Principal Harp Cécile Denise.The two were delightful together, the flute's clear singing intertwined with and embellished by the rippling notes of the harp. (In fact, no offence to the orchestra players, but the sections with just flute and harp were ...My preview of Thom Collegiate’s upcoming musical…
..., Little Miss Christie, is in today's LeaderPost. An excerpt:"We have some really strong performers," she says. "And it's a light-hearted show. It's an easy couple of hours to sit through and be entertained."While the audience is being entertained, the students will be making memories."It gives them a chance to be someone other than themselves. You get to step outside of who you are and put on a different hat," Tressel-Constable says.As well, there's "a feeling of accomplishment from putting something together from beginning to end ... I hope they'll take away an experience that they'll remember -- of all the things they do during high school."My review of the National Arts Centre Orchestra…
...which played a benefit concert for the Regina Symphony Orchestra Saturday night, is in today's LeaderPost.It begins:"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got those strings" would be one way to sum up the National Arts Centre Orchestra's concert Saturday night at the Conexus Arts Centre.The strings are the heart of any symphony orchestra, and the National Arts Centre's string section is (a) superb and (b) much larger than what the 100-year-old Regina Symphony Orchestra (for whom the Saturday concert was a benefit) can field.The lush, rich sound pouring from the strings was a joy throughout the concert... Read the whole thing.Examining autumn, reviewing Shakespeare
I have two pieces in today's Regina LeaderPost. On the front page of the Weekender section you can read my article on the science of autumn, which comes complete with a rather odd picture of me holding up a leaf and looking slightly deranged.Then, in the Arts and Life section, I've got a review of Globe Theatre's new production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which begins:A Midsummer Night's Dream, which opened Thursday at Globe Theatre, highlights the first fruits of the theatre's intensive Actor Conservatory Training Program: 10 new artists, most making their professional debut.Based on the strength of this production, directed by Ruth Smillie, we can expect to see ...My preview of next week’s Philip Scriven organ recital…
...was in yesterday's LeaderPost. It begins:When the organist and "Master of the Choristers" of the centuries-old Lichfield Cathedral plays recitals, you might expect him to limit himself to the most traditional pieces of the classical repertoire.In the case of world-renowned Philip Scriven, giving a recital at Holy Rosary Cathedral on Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m., you'd be wrong.My review of Saturday’s Regina Symphony Orchestra concert…
...,Big Bands to Broadway, is in today's Regina LeaderPost. An excerpt:Leora Joy Godden, Mark Oddan, Jeffrey Pufahl, Kaitlyn Semple, and Tahirih Vejdani sang a selection of current and past Broadway hits, interspersed in the first act with numbers by the RSO Big Band. Accompanying the singers were the full orchestra and, sometimes, the Halcyon Chamber Choir, directed by Hart Godden (who also arranged many of the pieces and assisted with the staging).Godden, Semple and Vejdani, the "Andrews Sisters" in last fall's RSO Remembrance Day concert, once again demonstrated pitch-perfect blend and sharp, clear diction. Throw in Pufahl's rich baritone and Oddan's crisp tenor, and the result was a quintet capable of doing justice to a ...Preview of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is online
My preview of Globe Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is online now at the LeaderPost. An excerpt:For audiences, it's not physical vocabulary but Shakespeare's 400-year-old verbal vocabulary that may intimidate. But Geoffrey Whynot, who plays Theseus and Oberon, points out that "in real life we don't necessarily hear every word someone speaks. I think if the actors are clear on what they're saying, what the relationships and the journeys are, even if the audience hears a word that's archaic, they will understand it contextually, and they will still hear the emotional life of the line."There's a lot of "emotional life" in A Midsummer Night's Dream. "The point of it is love," ...My review of Saturday’s Regina Symphony Orchestra concert…
... can be read online here.Nice review of Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Much to my surprise, there's a big review (in the newspaper itself, it comes with a giant image of the book!) of Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw in today's Leader Post.Edward Willett has cobbled together a walking guide that will appeal to history buffs and those with a keen appreciation for architecture.While Regina and Moose Jaw are relatively young cities in terms of their history compared with Old Montreal or Quebec City, Willett has been able to pull together 10 walks that gives both residents and tourists alike a flavour of our past, with tidbits about prominent founding ...
Edward Willett is a Subscribe to my weekly science column for free!
Advertisement
Donate
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.
Facebook
Flickr
GoodReads
RSS
Twitter
Email
