South Shore resident JoDee Samuelson will launch her new book The Cove Journal on Thursday, November 15 at 7:00 pm in Beaconsfield Carriage House. Samuelson will be joined by fiddler Roy Johnstone, accompanied by Margie Carmichael on guitar.

For the last eight years, Samuelson has been publishing a column in The Buzz called “The Cove Journal”. This monthly column captures the soft edges of rural life on Prince Edward Island. Published by Island Studies Press, The Cove Journal gathers seven years of her writing and original illustrations into a collection that celebrates the passing of the seasons, the rise and fall of gardens, the friendship with neighbours, and simple daily life in “the Cove.”

If “The Cove Journal” is the first thing you turn to when you open a copy of the latest Buzz, now you can experience Samuelson’s insights, imagination, and humour all over again,” says Peter Richards, Managing Editor of The Buzz. “If you are new to PEI, or Samuelson’s column, you will enjoy her reflections and how she captures the essence of rural life on PEI.”

Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, filmmaker, and artist JoDee Samuelson has lived on the beautiful South Shore of Prince Edward Island for the past thirty years. Her animated films have been shown at festivals around the world, winning numerous awards for this Island filmmaker. She is a member of the Canoe Cove Women’s Institute, a wood carver, painter, gardener, and a baker of delicious bread.

Please join Island Studies Press and JoDee Samuelson in celebrating this new book. For more information about the book or the launch, please contact Bren at ispstaff@upei.ca or call (902) 566-0386.

Sponsored by the Swedish Embassy in Ottawa and Föreningen Svenska Tonsättare, Sounds of Sweden will be a celebration of Swedish classical music, marking the 100^th anniversary of the Swedish Society of Composers. Curated by composer Jim O’Leary, the concert will feature music by the foremost Swedish composers living today, like Jan Sandström and Karin Rehnqvist, alongside classics by Hugo Alfvén and Ingvar Lidholm, performed by three leading Island groups.

eklektikos, led by artistic director Dale Sorensen on trombone, Morgan Saulnier on flute, and Jacqueline Sorensen Young on piano, will perform chamber music, together with the Nicole Strum and Tristan De Borba Duo on saxophones. The Luminos Ensemble will present highlights from the extensive choral repertoire of Sweden, singing music in four languages, under the direction of Margot Rejskind, artistic director.

Sounds of Sweden will take place at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall at UPEI on November 10 at 7:30 pm. Admission is free of charge.

Jim O’Leary is a composer, based in Charlottetown. After many years in Sweden, O’Leary returned to Canada as the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra’s first ever composer-in-residence from 2011 to 2013. His music has been performed by leading ensembles and orchestras throughout Canada and internationally.

eklektikos is a chamber music ensemble from Charlottetown that is dedicated to presenting contemporary chamber music. Founded in 2002 by artistic director and trombonist Dale Sorensen, the instrumentation is flexible and determined by the needs of each performance situation.

Luminos Ensemble is a Charlottetown-based choir of trained vocal soloists who are passionate about small ensemble performance. Formed in 2017 by artistic director Margot Rejskind, Luminos presents a series of three concerts a year.

The Strum-DeBorba Duo is a collaboration between saxophonists Nicole Strum and Tristan De Borba. Each musician is one of Canada’s preeminent classical and contemporary saxophonists and together, they bring new saxophone repertoire to life.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

A new book by Dr. Joshua MacFadyen, an associate professor in the Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture program in the Faculty of Arts at UPEI, examines the story of flax, a plant that went in a few decades from a specialty crop to one of the most commercially important farming products in a rapidly industrializing North America. Flax Americana: A History of the Fibre and Oil that Covered a Continent is published by McGill Queen’s University Press.

“Flax Americana touches on topics as diverse as Canadian Mennonites making homespun linen, escaped slaves and First Nations labourers participating in Ontario’s industrial transformation, and oilseed empires driving precarious agriculture into North and South American grasslands for the production of a luxury good—paint,” explained Dr. MacFadyen. “However, the book is really about what a deep dive into a single plant and the places that produced it can tell us about the emergence of commodity frontiers, industrial capitalism, and the modern world itself.”

From the publisher’s website:

“Farmers feed cities, but starting in the nineteenth century they painted them too. Flax from Canada and the northern United States produced fibre for textiles and linseed oil for paint—critical commodities in a century when wars were fought over fibre and when increased urbanization demanded expanded paint markets. Flax Americana re-examines the changing relationships between farmers, urban consumers, and the land through a narrative of Canada’s first and most important industrial crop.

“Initially a specialty crop grown by Mennonites and other communities on contracts for small-town mill complexes, flax became big business in the late nineteenth century as multinational linseed oil companies quickly displaced rural mills. Flax cultivation spread across the northern plains and prairies, particularly along the edges of dry-land settlement, and then into similar ecosystems in South America’s Pampas. Joshua MacFadyen’s detailed examination of archival records reveals the complexity of a global commodity and its impact on the eastern Great Lakes and northern Great Plains. He demonstrates how international networks of scientists, businesses, and regulators attempted to predict and control the crop’s frontier geography, how evolving consumer concerns about product quality and safety shaped the market and its regulations, and how the nature of each region encouraged some forms of business and limited others.

“The northern flax industry emerged because of border-crossing communities. By following the plant across countries and over time Flax Americana sheds new light on the ways that commodities, frontiers, and industrial capitalism shaped the modern world.”

Congratulations, Dr. MacFadyen!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Dr. Christina Murray, Associate Professor of Nursing with UPEI’s Faculty of Nursing and Dr. Barb Neis, Project Director for the On the Move Partnership were recently awarded the 2018 Mirabelli-Glossop Award for Distinguished Contribution by The Vanier Institute of the Family.

Nora Spinks, CEO of The Vanier Institute, congratulated Drs. Murray and Neis, lauding both women for their work as leaders, scholars and collaborators.

Dr. Murray was praised for her work and dedication to the creation, development, planning, and execution of the inaugural Families, Work and Mobility Symposium. Spinks described the symposium, held at UPEI in May 2018, as a highly successful event that created great momentum for future collaboration and “provided a rich, inclusive, positive, welcoming and collaborative learning environment” for everyone involved.

Ms. Spinks referenced Dr. Neis’s leadership with the On the Move Partnership, noting that “as a result of On the Move, those who employ and support ‘families on the move’ can draw from a rigorous and robust knowledge base to develop evidence-based policies, programs and practices.”

The Mirabelli-Glossop Award for Distinguished Contribution is presented in recognition of exceptional and sustained contributions to the work of The Vanier Institute of the Family. Award winners are recognized for significant contribution to advancing the understanding of families in Canada, in all of their diversity.
Ms. Spinks presented the award to Drs. Murray and Neis at the People, Place and Public Engagement Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on October 25, 2018.
 

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their achievements and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Reese Baxendale and Jamesly Jerome, the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for October 29 to November 4.

Reese Baxendale is a second-year science student from Sussex, New Brunswick and a guard on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team. The Panthers kicked off the 2018–2019 season with a two-game home stand this weekend against Memorial University. Baxendale scored 28 points, made six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in Saturday’s 79–75 win, and scored 22 points—including the game-tying three-point shot—in Sunday’s 62–60 win. “Reese made the plays we needed at the times we needed them, all weekend,” said coach Matt Gamblin.

Jamesly Jerome is a first-year arts student from Montreal and a forward on the UPEI Men’s Basketball team. The Panthers picked up their first two wins of the season over the weekend, toppling Memorial in two straight games. Jerome pulled down 13 rebounds and scored 14 points on Sunday, notching the first double-double of his AUS career. “Jamesley led all teammates in minutes played, playing 31 of 40 minutes,” said coach Darrell Glenn. “His competitive spirit is something that our team hopes to embrace as part of our identity.”

Go Panthers Go!

The next presentation in the Island Studies Lecture series features Dr. Joseph Glass speaking on the life and times of Dr. Leo Frank. The lecture is Tuesday, November 20 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. All are welcome.

Hidden away in Stratford, a small municipal park is named in memory of a former resident, Dr. Leo Frank, a unique individual in the Jewish and general history of PEI. In 1915, he established the Rosebank Fur Farms: a profitable business and showcase for black silver fox ranching as featured in many postcards, stereoscope cards, articles in North America newspapers, and a motion picture. A mysterious character, he made quite an impression on Islanders. His economic, social, and cultural activities were often discussed in the local press. However, he did not draw attention to his Jewishness until after his marriage in 1935. Although the ranch ceased operations in 1944, he and his wife Ruchamah lived at Rosebank until 1958. The lecture highlights the story of the man memorialized in this green space in Stratford.

Dr. Joseph B. Glass is a recent arrival to the Island. Born in Toronto, he studied and taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for over twenty years. Dr. Glass’ published research has looked at Sephardic Jewish entrepreneurs in Jerusalem, American and Canadian Jewish migration, and the connection between Canada and the Holy Land. His book on the Valero family in Jerusalem received a prestigious award for best monograph in Turkish economic and social history. Since his arrival, he has been researching PEI’s early Jewish history until the mid-twentieth century. He has uncovered a wealth of information and fascinating stories of early Jewish life. His is preparing articles and a book on this little-known group in the Island’s history.

Admission to the lecture is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

The next lecture in the series is scheduled for December 11. For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

A new book from Island Studies Press will examine and compare the stories of abortion access in Prince Edward Island and Ireland. Crossing Troubled Waters: Abortion in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Prince Edward Island is co-edited by UPEI’s Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie. The book launches Monday, November 19 at 4:00 pm in Schurman Market Square of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall.

Crossing Troubled Waters shines a light on two islands—Ireland (north and south) and Prince Edward Island, Canada—and considers for each island, the nature of the discourse of abortion on the island, the impact that restrictions have had, ongoing efforts to improve access, and recent activist successes. Island Studies Press is proud to publish this pivotal academic text that is rooted in local research and activism.

Accessing abortion services is challenging in many countries around the world. Barriers result from poor access to healthcare, geographic location, legal restrictions, abortion stigma, and moral conservatism. Repeated studies indicate restricting access to abortion does not prevent it happening, but rather displaces it and often results in unsafe abortion contributing to maternal mortality. Those living on islands face particular challenges presented by their geographic isolation, including travel to other jurisdictions, which is financially and emotionally burdensome.

Crossing Troubled Waters: Abortion in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Prince Edward Island is co-edited by Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie, Fiona Bloomer, Claire Pierson, and Shannon Stettner. Dr. MacQuarrie is a professor of psychology at UPEI and a co-founding member of the Abortion Rights Network, Abortion Access Now PEI, and RAARN, the Reproductive Activism and Abortion Rights Network.

Please join Island Studies Press in celebrating this new book. For more information about the book or the launch, please contact Bren at ispstaff@upei.ca or call (902) 566-0386.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

UPEI’s Climate Research Lab and the PEI Woodlot Owners Association (PEIWOA) will host a public talk on sustainable forestry practices to deepen our understanding of how climate change can affect forestry management. Dutch expert Dr. Gert-Jan Nabuurs will compare European forestry practices with the situation on Prince Edward Island. The event is Tuesday, November 20 at 7:00 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. All are welcome to this free public lecture.

“On PEI, one can think of enhancing thinnings, using the low quality thinned wood for biomass and, at the same time, aim with the remaining stand for a higher quality timber—a kind of European style forestry,” said Dr. Nabuurs. “The benefit for the forest owner is not so much in the short term, but lies more in the longer term, with better stands. These operations and mindset have to change. That takes time. Access to forest is needed. Owners have to collaborate, and regular supply is needed.”

Dr. Gert-Jan Nabuurs is a professor of European forest resources at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and a senior researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research (WUR). His background is in European-scale forest-resource analyses and management under climate change. His work has both scientific and practical applications.

Dr. Nabuurs is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) coordinating lead author in good practice guidance for the its fourth assessment report. He will lead the agriculture and forestry chapter in the IPCC’s sixth assessment report, starting in 2019. He was assistant director of the European Forest Institute in Finland from 2009–2012. He is member of Ministerial Advisory Committee Sustainability of Biomass for Energy Purposes, advising on certification schemes and their applicability to Dutch biomass sustainability criteria.

Although this event is important for woodlot owners and silviculture workers, Dr. Nabuurs’ ideas and experience will also be of interest to forestry contractors, environment and watershed groups, climate scientists, resource managers, local governments and chambers of commerce. All are welcome.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Douglas Gibson is Canada’s most famous living book publisher and editor. In his 45-year career, he edited and published luminous constellations of Canadian authors including Alice Munro, Pierre Trudeau, Alistair MacLeod, Ken Dryden, Brian Mulroney, Hugh MacLennan, Robertson Davies, W.O. Mitchell, Mavis Gallant, and Barry Broadfoot.

Gibson will tell stories about his work and friendships with Canada’s celebrated authors at the next Winter’s Tales Authors Reading Series event on Tuesday, November 20 at 7:30 pm in the Carriage House of Charlottetown’s Beaconsfield Historic House.

In 2011, he published his memoir, Stories About Storytellers. Book in hand, he took his self-proclaimed “road show” to more than one hundred communities around Canada, from Newfoundland to Haida Gwaii. That tour resulted in his second book, Across Canada by Story, and a second “stage show.”

In the new book and show, he tells stories of the many people he encountered with strong connections to Canada’s literary culture: friends of the authors, devoted readers, booksellers and librarians, teachers and students, local authors and supporters. He celebrates not only the stars, but also the galaxy of people who cherish and nurture our heritage as it crystallizes in book form.   

Douglas Gibson was born in the village of Dunlop in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, and worked on farms during the summer. He immigrated to Canada in 1967 and became managing editor at Doubleday Canada in 1969. He was appointed editorial director and then publisher at Macmillan of Canada, then publisher at the great Canadian publishing company McClelland & Stewart from 1988 until 2004. At M&S, he established Canada’s first editorial imprint, Douglas Gibson Books. “No one has done more for Canadian Literature than this man,” wrote Alistair MacLeod.

Gibson’s show is hosted by the UPEI English Department, with support from the UPEI Dean of Arts and The Canada Council for the Arts. Admission is free. All are welcome.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

In a message issued to the campus community today, University of Prince Edward Island President Abd-El-Aziz thanked the Government of PEI for its support towards the construction of a new residence on the UPEI campus that will house 260 students. The Government announced the initiative as part of its Housing Action Plan.

President Abd-El-Aziz worked diligently over the last several years on the initiative. He indicated the agreement residence was the culmination of a great collaboration between Government and UPEI to address the growth in enrolment that UPEI has experienced and increases in demand for on-campus housing. He wrote:

The University is committed to its Strategic Plan of creating new and exciting programs and strengthening our traditional programs by incorporating experiential learning into the curriculum. With this intense effort to develop future-focussed programs, we have experienced tremendous international student enrolment growth as well as in the number of students from other parts of Canada.

This growth in enrolment has led to increased demand for on-campus housing, both during the traditional academic year and year-round. Today’s announcement of a new residence is the culmination of a great collaboration between our University and Government. It will help us to accommodate more of our local and off-Island students’ housing needs and also allow more students to experience residence life.

The Housing Action Plan investments announced today by the Honourable Tina Mundy, Minister of Family and Human Services, and the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Finance, include a variety of housing initiatives. I congratulate the Government of PEI on this comprehensive plan that will benefit post-secondary students, newcomers, and Islanders, and alleviate some of the housing issues in our province.

On behalf of the University, I express my appreciation to the Government of PEI for their support towards a new residence at UPEI. I look forward to continue working diligently with our government leaders to find ways to further assist our students in all aspects of their university life.