News

Graham Steele reviews Politics on the Edge

Posted by on January 31, 2023

From Graham’s Facebook page, January 25, 2023.

“There’s a remarkable new book about a Nova Scotia politician.” How’s THAT for an opening line?

We are delighted with Graham’s thoughtful review of the late Paul MacEwan’s (1943-2017) biography, and know that author Ian Stewart is too.

Steele notes that Politics on the Edge is “rich with anecdotes and detail.”

“Stewart is a good writer, and enlivens what could have been eye-glazing detail,” writes Steele. But this is “not a hagiography,” he writes, “nor is it a hatchet job. It gives the complete picture of a complicated personality.”

Those who remember Paul MacEwan – and if you were at all attuned to the political goings on in Nova Scotia in the 1970s to 2000s you no doubt have many recollections of him – remember he was “an eccentric, irascible political genius … absolutely unique.”

“So is this book.”

High praise from someone who has himself carved out a special niche in Nova Scotia public life.

We enjoyed the responses to Graham’s post as well. Stephen Mills writes, in part: “Paul faithfully attended morning worship at St Andrew’s United Chuch in Sydney (building now The Highland Arts Theatre) during some of my years as minister there. Most folks said ‘Good morning’ and shook hands after the service. Paul enthusiastically and skilfully critiqued the sermon and presented follow up notes on the previous week’s message. The guy was always thinking and not exclusively about politics. A true Cape Breton original.”

Another FB post from Anthony Scoggins:  “Thanks for this, Graham. I had heard of the book but had not yet seen any reviews. My own Paul MacEwan story dates back to 1980: newly arrived in NS from Montreal, I had volunteered to work full-time on an NDP campaign in Sydney where they made me Volunteer Coordinator. One quiet afternoon, a big burly guy entered the almost empty campaign office, exuding fire and brimstone on some local issue. I listened to him politely, we chatted briefly and then he left. The campaign manager came out of his office and said ‘Do you know who THAT was?’ I shook my head, Nope. ‘Well that was the inimitable Paul MacEwan, MLA. What do you think?’ ‘I am not sure’ I replied, ‘He just borrowed $10 off of me.’ The campaign manager shrugged his big, broad shoulders, ‘Welcome to Cape Breton, son’.”

“Absolutely unique” indeed.

From Graham’s Facebook page, January 25, 2023. “There’s a remarkable new book about a Nova Scotia politician.” How’s THAT for… Continue»

Great review of Politics on the Edge

Posted by on

How did we miss this one?

Freelancer Ken Jessome (Carrying Their Load) gives a thorough and thoughtful review of Politics on the Edge, by Ian Stewart, in the Cape Breton Spectator (Nov. 30, 2022).

Jessome writes that this biography of Paul MacEwan (1943-2017) is “even better” than he expected, a “rich and detailed narrative that is not only remarkably accurate, but … captures what it was like to be there.”

“Stewart has the dramatist’s knack for building action and a storyteller’s eye for the humorous and revealing detail.”

Ken calls Ian Stewart “…judicious, fair and astute….”

We couldn’t agree more.

How did we miss this one? Freelancer Ken Jessome (Carrying Their Load) gives a thorough and thoughtful review of Politics on… Continue»

Now available!

Posted by on July 16, 2022

9781774710487We were delighted to receive word that Politics on the Edge: The Remarkable Career of Paul MacEwan is now in stock at Nimbus, our co-publishers, and will soon be in select book stores.

Ian Stewart’s biography of MacEwan is not only an intimate yet objective account of MacEwan’s life and career, it’s a an account of Nova Scotia’s political scene over the span of his colourful career.

Order your copies here: https://nimbus.ca/store/politics-on-edge.html

We were delighted to receive word that Politics on the Edge: The Remarkable Career of Paul MacEwan is now in stock… Continue»

Joy A Steele, 1962-2021

Posted by on December 9, 2021

JoySteele-1We were saddened to learn of the death of Joy Steele, Dec. 6, 2021.Second Edition - The Final Chapter

Joy was possibly the most passionate researcher/author we served over the years. Her revelations about Oak Island, and her relentless pursuit of historical documentation were inspiring, especially considering her personal circumstances and health.

Over the years she fought cancer numerous times, and always bounced back to resume her quest to resolve the mystery of Oak Island.

Link here to Joy’s obituary

We were saddened to learn of the death of Joy Steele, Dec. 6, 2021. Joy was possibly the most passionate… Continue»

Marie Battiste and the Decolonization of the Academy

Posted by on September 24, 2021

Battiste-MarieWe are delighted by the news that Dr. Marie Battiste has joined Cape Breton University as Special Advisor to the Vice President Academic and to Unama’ki College on decolonizing the academy.

Editor of two CBU Press books (Visioning a Mi’kmaw Humanities, 2017, and Living Treaties, 2016), Marie is a Mi’kmaw educator of the Potlotek First Nation, Professor Emerita at the University of Saskatchewan, a 2019 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow, and an Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada.

Her passion, research and scholarly work for decolonizing education, protecting Indigenous knowledges, cognitive justice through balancing diverse knowledge systems and languages have earned her graduate degrees from Harvard and Stanford Universities, as well as four honorary degrees from University of Ottawa, Thompson Rivers University, University of Maine and St. Mary’s University.

Dr. Battiste’s other scholarly works includes books, chapters in books, journals, and reports, notably Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit (UBC Press, 2013) and Protecting Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage: A Global Challenge (UBC Press, 2000), a new edition of which is forthcoming, as well as multiple edited book collections, including Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision (UBC Press, 2000) and First Nations Education in Canada: The Circle Unfolds (UBC Press, 1995). More recently, she co-authored a report for the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences “Igniting Change: Final Report and Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization” (2021).

It’s great to have Marie back in Cape Breton, and to know she will continue to build on her scholarly research and work toward decolonization.

Mi'kmaw Humanities9781772060539_FC

We are delighted by the news that Dr. Marie Battiste has joined Cape Breton University as Special Advisor to the… Continue»

James O. (Jim) St.Clair

Posted by on May 12, 2021

Jim St.ClairWe are saddened to learn of the passing of Jim St.Clair, and with it the passing of an era. Jim was a “people’s historian,” turning little bits of Cape Breton history into stories to which all could relate. It was his way of teaching.

CBC Cape Breton’s Information Morning’s long-running weekly feature, “Then and Now, with Jim St.Clair,” was informative and entertaining – a treasured tradition in practically every household in broadcast range. He was a fixture at community events across Inverness County, and the love and respect shown him by the people of the County was palpable. He will be sorely missed and remembered fondly.

Jim published four books through CBU Press, all now out of print. Hard to believe it’s been nearly fifteen years since we started working on Nancy’s Wedding Feast and Other Tasty Tales (published in 2007) with Jim, co-author/Chef Yvonne LeVert, and illustrator Peter Rankin. It was a co-publication with CBC. They were a formidable pair in the making of that great book, both of them very confident in their vision and expected execution. It was one of our best sellers.

Jim was always a Cape Breton booster, and CBU Press was no exception. He frequently reviewed and mentioned our books in his various columns, frequently drawing on them for segments of “Then and Now.” Jim frequently contacted us with compliments or, make no mistake if he felt it necessary he let us know if he had criticisms about our choices.

Nancy's Wedding FeastThe other books mentioned were No Place Like Home, Pride of Place and Following the Path: The MacCallum House

 

 

 

 

 

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Jim St.Clair, and with it the passing of an era. Jim… Continue»

Cassie Deveaux Cohoon (1935-2019)

Posted by on October 4, 2019

cohoon-dugas-french-webThe mail came with mixed emotions this week passed. We were excited to finally see the French edition of Cassie Deveaux Cohoon’s historical novel Jeanne Dugas of Acadia (CBU Press 2013), an excitement tempered by the knowledge that Cassie was recently killed in a freak truck-pedestrian accident near her home in Montreal (Sept. 3, 2019). She was 84.

Jeanne Dugas d’Acadie is published by Les Éditions La Grande Marée, of Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick. Distribution will be by Prologue, Boisbriand, QC. Publisher Jacques Oulette was kind enough to provide a number of copies of the book that we have shared with the original creators of the cover art. Copies have also been deposited with the CBU Library and Beaton Institute. We posted earlier about the launch of the new book duringFrench edition of Jeanne Dugas available in time for Congrès Mondial – you can read that post here.

Cohoon

Cassie is to be buried in her native Chéticamp, Cape Breton, a place she physically left many years ago, but kept forever in her heart. Cassie was an excellent researcher. She was meticulous and had a terrific memory. A descendent of a family prominent in Nova Scotia’s Acadian history, she felt driven to tell the Acadian story through the eyes of women. In 2007 she self-published the historical novel Severine, in which she explored the lives of ordinary women whose stories have not had the same prominence as men and politics and war.

The experience of writing that first book led her to pursue the story of Jeanne Dugas, a story which arose from the simplest of second-hand accounts from which she reconstructed Dugas’s remarkable life. Cassie’s novel was in part responsible for Jeanne Dugas being designated a person of national historic significance, by the government of Canada.

Born of Acadian parents at Louisbourg, Jeanne Dugas (1731-1817) and her husband Pierre Bois were among the founding families of the Acadian village of Chéticamp in 1785. Descended from one of the three most prominent families in Acadia, Jeanne Dugas and her family lived for more than thirty years under direct threat of capture and deportation by the British militia and attacks by pirates and privateers. Both the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site and the Acadian cultural centre in Chéticamp (Les Trois Pignons) shared in the honour of commemorative celebrations.

The French translation of Jeanne Dugas’s story was a long time coming and we wish La Grande Marée every success.

Cassie is survived by her son, one sister and two brothers.

The mail came with mixed emotions this week passed. We were excited to finally see the French edition of Cassie… Continue»

Oak Island book presentations on the road

Posted by on September 27, 2019

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Wow – quite the turnout at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic the other evening (Sept. 24, 2019) for a talk by Gordon Fader, coauthor (with Joy A. Steele) of The Oak Island Mystery Solved Second Edition: The Final Chapter. It’s no mystery that Oak Island remains a hot topic in Nova Scotia, and no doubt Gordon’s talk raised a few eyebrows.

Gordon, a professional geologist and frequent consultant to Oak Island treasure hunters over the years, was also interviewed on the CTV morning show (Sept. 17, 2019). Gordon has similar presentations scheduled for the Antigonish and Amherst libraries (October 1 and 2, 2019, respectively).

Joy and Gordon’s revelations about Oak Island history and geology have been creating quite a stir among Oak Island enthusiasts, including fans of the hit TV series, The Curse of Oak Island, which will air a sixth season beginning sometime this fall on History [Channel]. Predictably, a lot of the attention the book is getting is rancorous – they seem to be hitting a nerve. What does that tell you?

Next spring, Gordon is scheduled to give a key address at the annual meeting of the Association of Professional Geologists Nova Scotia. Association executives from across Canada will be attending as well. It is usually in late April and the date will be soon confirmed. In May, he will speak to the Nova Scotia Archaeological Society’s annual meeting. Date TBA.

Many thanks to MMA for hosting and promoting Gordon’s talk (and thanks for the photos).

9781771087919_FCThe Final Chapter is now available in most Indigo, Chapters, Coles and WH Smith bookstores in Nova Scotia, and hopefully a few independents as well.

Wow – quite the turnout at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic the other evening (Sept. 24, 2019) for a talk… Continue»

French edition of Jeanne Dugas available in time for Congrès Mondial

Posted by on August 6, 2019

cohoon-dugas-fr-webWe are delighted to learn that Cassie Deveaux Cohoon’s 2013 novel, Jeanne Dugas of Acadia, has been translated into French and will soon be available to French book and history lovers (September 2019).

A number of advance copies have been produced in time for Congrès Mondial de l’Acadie (August 10-24 in PEI and Southeastern New Brunswick), and Ms. Cohoon will be at the publisher’s book stand at CMA’s L’espace Extrême frontier in Moncton on both August 17 and 18 between 4 and 5 p.m.

Jeanne Dugas (1731-1817) is (or is that was?) an 18th-century historical figure who survived one of the darkest times in pre-confederation history. In 2016, she was recognized by the government of Canada as a Person of National Historic Significance, thanks in part (we like to think) to the novel.

The historical novel follows Jeanne Dugas’s family trials and tribulations from Louisbourg to Grand Pré (NS), to Port Toulouse and Mira (Cape Breton), Île-Saint-Jean (PEI), Remshic (NS), Restigouche (NB) and back again – often more than once. Finally captured by the British militia, she and her family were imprisoned for three years on George’s Island, where three of her four children died. When released, they sought refuge on Île Madame (Cape Breton) and finally to the area now known as Chéticamp.

Jeanne Dugas d’Acadie, translation by Bernadette Landry of Moncton, is published by Les Éditions La Grande Marée, of Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick. Distribution will be by Prologue, Boisbriand, QC.

Congratulations to Cassie and to Jacques Ouellet (Les Éditions La Grande Marée) on at long last bringing this incredible story into print for French readers.

 

 

We are delighted to learn that Cassie Deveaux Cohoon’s 2013 novel, Jeanne Dugas of Acadia, has been translated into French… Continue»

“Trapper Boy” among miners’ stories and songs July 30

Posted by on July 19, 2019

Delighted to see Hugh R MacDonald will be one of the featured storytellers at a special “Dark as a Dungeon” evening at the Miners Museum in Glace Bay.

Glace Bay poster PDF

Delighted to see Hugh R MacDonald will be one of the featured storytellers at a special “Dark as a Dungeon”… Continue»