Essays

"Johnny Chinook and the Invention of Albertan Culture"

Alberta Views, Jan/Feb 2022.

Johnny ChinookJohnny Chinook was hunting in the foothills when he ran out of provisions. Weak from hunger, his pants hanging loosely from their suspenders, Johnny spotted a tree where a flock of partridges were perched all on one limb. He took careful aim with his rifle, loaded with his last remaining bullet… but missed the birds. The […]

"The Small Business Utopia of Schitt's Creek"

Jacobin, December 2021.

The Small Business Utopia of Schitt’s CreekSchitt’s Creek offered its audience a vision of capitalism free of prejudice and exploitation. The absurdity of this fantasy was both the source of the show’s limitations and its brilliance.

"Leonard Cohen: Cold War Troubadour"

The Breach, November 2021.

Leonard Cohen, Cold War Troubadour ⋆ The BreachThe bard’s music as a register of the triumph and wreckage of the liberal order

"The Anti-Politics and Anti-Comedy of Norm Macdonald."

Jacobin, October 2021.

The Anti-Politics and Anti-Comedy of Norm MacdonaldFrom his early days honing his craft at comedy clubs in Canada to his later Saturday Night Live fame, Norm Macdonald was one of the most brilliant stand-up comedians of his generation.

"Happy 20th Birthday, Trailer Park Boys."

Jacobin, July 2021.

Happy 20th Birthday, Trailer Park BoysThis year, the Canadian TV show Trailer Park Boys turns twenty. The program’s refusal to patronize its marginal, working-class characters was key to its comedic and popular success, and won it a special place in our hearts.

"Still Given'r: Reflecting on FUBAR almost 20 Years Later."

The Sprawl, July 2021.

Still given’r: Reflecting on FUBAR almost 20 years later | The SprawlWhat does the cult classic tell us about our time?

"After the Cold War, China and Canada United to Honour Norman Bethune."

Passage, March 2021.

After The Cold War, China & Canada Jointly Honoured Norman BethuneA 1990 co-funded Bethune film was an attempt by Canadian authorities to forge cultural links with China and soften Cold War-era prejudices.

"Ross Annett: Alberta's Unknown Literary Populist."

Alberta Views, November 2020.

Ross AnnettIf you’ve heard of Ronald Ross Annett, that’s probably because his name graces the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s award for Children’s Literature, established in 1982. Before Annett died in 1988, he was also recognized with honours from the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta and a medal for the Queen’s Jubilee in 1977. […]

"Poet for Our Times: Returning to the Words of Dorothy Livesay."

Literary Review of Canada, November 2020.

Poet for Our Times | Literary Review of CanadaAaron Giovannone on how the Depression-era poetry of Dorothy Livesay is once again all too relevant.

"Unemployment is a Tool to Crush Worker Power."

Passage, July 2020.

Unemployment Is A Tool For The Ruling Class To Crush Worker PowerHigh unemployment rates mean employers have an army of desperate workers, who they can pay little and expect to be docile.

"We're All The Sopranos Now."

Maclean's, May 2020.

We're all the Sopranos now - Macleans.caThirteen years after the TV show ended, the struggles it depicted have only intensified—the wealth gap more extreme, the abuse of our planet more obvious. In this time of crisis, The Sopranos reminds us how we got here. And what we don’t want to go back to.

"The Left's WWII Welfare State Fight is a Model for Pandemic Politics."

Passage, May 2020.

The Left’s WW2 Welfare State Fight Is A Model For Pandemic PoliticsIf COVID-19 provides a similar opportunity for the advancement of social policy, the Canadian left will have to fight for it to be realized.

"Chernobyl: The Show Russiagate Wrote."

Jacobin, August 2019.

Chernobyl: The Show Russiagate WroteHBO's Chernobyl isn’t the show this event deserves.

"Who Says the Alt-Right Doesn't Like Poetry?"

Literary Review of Canada, April 2018.

Who says the alt-right doesn’t like poetry? | Literary Review of Canada

Review of Merz Structure No. 2: Burnt by Children at Play by Jake Kennedy

Brick, May 2018.

The Review: Merz Structure No. 2: Burnt by Children at Play by Jake Kennedy | BrickBefore he sold it, Jake Kennedy lived in a little wooden house, built in 1948 or 1949. It was typical of the older homes in Kelowna, British Columbia, a small but booming city amid the lakes and…

"Stranger Things 2 Relies on Nostalgic Race Politics."

Salon, January 2018.

"Stranger Things 2" relies on nostalgic race politics"Stranger Things 2" aims to raise political issues, but misses the radical roots of Rainbow Coalition politics

"Poetry Should Talk Honestly about Money."

The Walrus, January 2017.

Poetry Should Talk Honestly About Money | The WalrusPoets rarely address their own economic situation. That needs to change