More adventures from one of Canada's premier editors and storytellers Canada is a country rich in stories, and few take as much joy as Douglas Gibson in discovering them. As one of the country's leading editors and publishers for 40 years, he coaxed modern classics out of some of Canada's finest minds, and then took to telling his own stories in his first memoir, Stories About Storytellers. Gibson turned his memoir into a one-man stage show that eventually played almost 100 times, in all ten provinces, from coast to coast. As a literary tourist, he discovered even more about the land and its writers and harvested many more stories, from distant past and recent memory, to share. Now in Across Canada by Story, Gibson brings new stories about Robertson Davies, Jack Hodgins, W.O. Mitchell, Alistair MacLeod, and Alice Munro, and adds lively portraits of Al Purdy, Marshall McLuhan, Margaret Laurence, Guy Vanderhaeghe, Margaret Atwood, Wayne Johnson, Linwood Barclay, Michael Ondaatje, and many, many others. Whether fly fishing in Haida Gwaii or sailing off Labrador, Douglas Gibson is a first-rate ambassador for Canada and the power of great stories.

Nontraditional, controversial, rebellious, and politically volatile, the Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are remembered for their provocative paintings as well as for their deep love for each other. Their marriage was one of the most tumultuous and infamous in history-filled with passion, pain, betrayal, revolution, and, above all, art that helped define the twentieth century.Catherine Reef's inspiring and insightful dual biography features numerous archival photos and full-color reproductions of both artists' work. Endnotes, bibliography, timeline.

From 70 of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries—from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers—“this is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again” (Booklist, starred review). Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is known for providing unparalleled resources on the craft, art, and business of storytelling, helping writers of all levels improve their skills for nearly a century. Now, this handbook helps authors navigate the ever-shifting publishing landscape—from pacing, plotting, the business side of publishing, to the current demand for diversity and inclusivity across all genres, and more. Featuring essays by a new generation of bestselling experts on various elements of the craft and shorter pieces of crowd-sourced wisdom from the MWA membership as a whole, the topics covered can be categorized as follows: —Before Writing (rules; genres; setting; character; research; etc.) —While Writing (outlining; the plot; dialogue; mood; etc.) —After Writing (agents; editors; self-pub; etc.) —Other than Novels (short stories; true crime; etc.) —Other Considerations (diverse characters; legal questions; criticism) Also included is a collection of essays from MWA published authors—including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, and Charlaine Harris—selected by bestselling authors Lee Child and Laurie King and arranged thematically answering, “What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your career?” “Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery” (Kirkus Reviews), this inclusive manual provides practical, current, easily digestible advice for new and established authors alike.

At the height of his career, J.E.H. MacDonald's paintings and oil sketches reveal a mastery of colour mixing, a sureness of brushstroke, and a deep understanding of compositional design. His striking landscapes and views of nature are an important artistic legacy and confirm his essential place among the Group of Seven painters. J.E.H. MacDonald Up Close provides a fresh interpretation of MacDonald'sartistic development and sheds new light on questions of authenticity and dating surrounding MacDonald's paintings. Here art conservation experts Kate Helwig and Alison Douglas combine rigorous scientific analysis with a close visual examination of MacDonald's work to focus on his materials and techniques. Exploring the interface between art history and science, Helwig and Douglas use excerpts from MacDonald's diaries, letters, and lectures to provide socio-historical context to their in-depth reading of the paintings as physical objects. Helwig and Douglas's fascinating text is accompanied not only by reproductions of key artworks, but also by never-before-seen photographs taken through a microscope. These unique, close-up views of MacDonald's working methods reveal the texture of his brushstrokes and the characteristic ways he layered and mixed his paint.

285 glorious illustrations celebrate the scratchboard art of Scott McKowen. "McKowen is a scratchboard master, creating theater posters and book covers of fantastic clarity, shrewd wit and subtle mystery. McKowen's mastery of line and texture, gift for arresting juxtapositions and perspectives, and fluency in drawing the human figure make for complex and breathtaking images that are at once old-fashioned and cutting edge. And he writes as crisply as he draws... In McKowen's work, art meets literature, and both thrive." --Booklist on McKowen's 2009 retrospective, A Fine Line "It's hard to decide what's cooler about Scott McKowen's poster art: the astonishing, elegant design and linework, or the way he tips your preconceptions on their head and does something unexpected with every assignment. Luckily, we do not have to make a choice. It's all here." --Neil Gaiman Today's scratchboard artists use sharp instruments to etch lines into a board support layered with white chalk, silver foil and black ink to expose the white and grey surfaces underneath. Color, if used, is then added to make a spectacular work reminiscent of traditional woodcutting but as rich and dynamic as any full color painting. Because it is a reductive process -- you cannot fix mistakes -- it is considered one of the most difficult artistic techniques. In Light Revealed, scratchboard master artist Scott McKowen builds on his 2009 retrospective, A Fine Line, with a personal selection of 150 new works. He gives a detailed analysis of each piece and describes what influenced his design. He includes images of the reference works he consulted during the conceptual process and talks about the struggles he had arriving at a design solution. He also discusses the influence and advantages of technological developments, such as Photoshop, which have carried the medium into the 21st century.

Learn how to draw the main genres of manga characters from scratch with this fantastic guide. Do you want to learn how to draw manga characters from scratch? Then look no further! Aimed specifically at beginners, this book includes examples from the main genres of manga characters and will teach you how to draw different characters in distinct poses. Starting with simple exercises and gradually getting more complicated, there are sections covering Kodomo (child), Shonen (teenage boy), Shojo (teenage girl) and Seinen (youth) characters to practise. To help you along the way, there are clear step-by-step instructions, with 10 exercises for each genre (except kodomo). Friendly chibis also pop up every so often to offer tips and advice to keep in mind while you are drawing. Extensive advice on finishing techniques ranges from colouring by computer, using pen and ink, paintbrush, felt-tip pen and pencils, both in black and white and colour. For the best start to your manga-drawing journey, this book will inspire you to explore and improve your skills.

Minimalismoffers the first straightforward and useful summary of the output and outlook of the artists associated with minimalism in its heyday, as well as its subsequent development into more nuanced visual forms and its relationship to postmodernism. Editor James Meyer is a specialist who has written extensively on Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and Sol LeWitt, four of the seminal minimalists (the fifth is Robert Morris). Despite the intellectual thorniness of this art, Meyer avoids the turgidity that marks much of the writing associated with it. Tracing the origins of minimalism primarily to Frank Stella's "Black Paintings" of 1959, Meyer outlines the shifting, often warring definitions of this new kind of art. Once sculptors Andre and Judd had made their mark, there was doubt that painters could be minimalists. Brice Marden and Robert Ryman made the cut because their work was believed to be purely about the process of painting. Interestingly, although this was overwhelmingly a male club, curators also initially embraced the work of several women artists (including Agnes Martin and Anne Truitt) who retained such minimalist no-noes as irregular, handmade marks, color that could be perceived independently of form, and a belief in transcendent meaning.

Tom Wilson Tehoháhake is a modern Mohawk artist, Juno Award winner, best-selling author, and newly appointed member of the Order of Canada. In his 2017 memoir, Beautiful Scars, Wilson revealed the astonishing story of how he discovered he is Mohawk. In Mohawk Warriors, Hunters & Chiefs, Wilson further explores his identity through a stunning collection of paintings that explore what it means to be removed and reconnected with your cultural heritage. Featuring over 35 full-colour images of Wilson's work, from guitars decorated with iconography drawn from beadwork to multimedia reflections on his upbringing in Hamilton, Mohawk Warriors, Hunters & Chiefs explores how Wilson began painting when all he knew of his identity were hints and dreams, and how his art has developed and grown over the past few years. An interview on his artistic process with Ryan McMahon and essays by Wilson and curator David Liss round out Wilson's stunning visual exploration of his Mohawk identity.

It is likely that a knife was the first man-made tool, and certainly it was the most important for primitive man. It became the heart of every stage of civilization, evolving through the Stone Age, and the ages of bronze, iron and steel, finally becoming more than a tool -- a true collector's object of artisanal beauty. Knifemaking has benefited through the use of old and new materials, and new techniques that combine traditional metallurgy with advanced technology and aeronautical craftsmanship, using metal powders. Most of all, thanks to a new generation of cutlers from every continent, artisans, artists, designers and crafters have made a wild variety of beautiful knives that are beyond most people's standard idea of a plain cutting tool. Of Knives and Men is a superb display of the world's foremost contemporary knifecrafters. The 46 artisans and their works selected for this book are, to our eyes, the most representative of the last 30 years. Each has their own style and character, mixed with utility and the knifemaking tradition of their home country and culture. Others are quite startling in their inventiveness: a simple steel knife with a handle made from a fox's lower jaw (Mickaël Moing, France); Damascus steel blade and a fossilized mammoth ivory handle (Pekka Tuominen, Finland); stainless steel blade with an ironwood handle encrusted with mother of pearl and precious stones (Harumi Hirayama, Japan); and a button lock knife of Damascus steel, with a handle of Damascus, gold, titanium and mother of pearl (Michael Walker, USA). And the knifemakers are from many countries -- Brazil, USA, France, Slovakia, Finland, Japan, Italy, Canada, South Africa and more -- displaying a stunning variety of materials and techniques. There are 217 astounding knives and sheaths in all, plus a directory of decorative materials used for the handles and sheaths -- from birds eye maple to mammoth molar, carbon fiber and fossilized coral -- and techniques from ancient and lost-and-then-rediscovered to space age. All have a grade of cost and contact information for the makers. Extra sections on embellishments like scrimshaw, blade engraving and sculpting of handle material are added. This is a unique and beautiful volume that will have very wide appeal.

In a stunning and innovative performance, piano maestro James Rhodes introduces today's readers to seven of the greatest composers of all time. Bach. Mozart. Beethoven. Old guys with curly wigs, right? But trust me: those composers were the original rock stars. Open your mind to some of the most breathtaking and magnificent pieces of music ever created, and find out why the rebels and revolutionaries who wrote them are responsible for every track on your phone today. Discover their backstories and how each one shaped and defined classical music. Learn about the structure of an orchestra, the language of music, and the history of musical periods. With jaw-dropping artwork and avant-garde design, this visually exquisite celebration of classical music is a surefire hit for both first-time listeners and longtime fans. Budding aficionados will appreciate the online playlist featuring James Rhodes's favorite selections.

Complete your collection of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars® series and experience the blockbuster finale to the Star Wars® saga in a brand-new way, here reimagined as though it had been penned by the Bard of Avon. As our story opens, a sea of troubles threatens the valiant Resistance, who are pursued by the sound and fury of the vile First Order. Can Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, BB-8, Chewbacca, and their allies overcome such toil and trouble? Shall Kylo Ren be proven fortune's fool or master of his fate? What will become of the House of Skywalker? And is all well that ends well? Authentic meter, stage directions, reimagined movie scenes and dialogue, and hidden Easter eggs will entertain and impress fans of Star Wars® and Shakespeare alike. Every scene and character from the film appears in the book, along with twenty woodcut-style illustrations that depict an Elizabethan version of the Star Wars® galaxy.

From an inauspicious beginning at the tiny Left Bank Theatre de Babylone in 1953, followed by bewilderment among American and British audiences, Waiting for Godot has become of the most important and enigmatic plays of the past fifty years and a cornerstone of twentieth-century drama. As Clive Barnes wrote, 'Time catches up with genius Waiting for Godot is one of the masterpieces of the century.' The story revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone-or something-named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree, inhabiting a drama spun of their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as mankind's inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett's language pioneered an expressionistic minimalism that captured the existential post-World War II Europe. His play remains one of the most magical andbeautiful allegories of our time.