In March, I wrote about My Notorious Life, historical fiction by Kate Manning, based on the life of a woman known as Madame Restell. I loved the book. Then, by beautiful coincidence, I stumbled on this book while in Powell’s City of Books in Portland: Madame Restell: the Life, Death
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wmtc: twelve reasons i loved the pacific northwest labour history association conference
I mentioned here that I recently enjoyed two back-to-back opportunities, one for work and one for union. Through my union, I was extremely fortunate to attend the annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Labour History Association, this year held in Tacoma, Washington. This was amazing timing for me, both logistically and
Continue readingwmtc: tina turner, rest in power
She was a force of nature. A powerhouse. She had many lives, transcending all of the usual music-industry categories. We will all miss her. Allan has a really nice tribute to her, with some great clips: here.
Continue readingwmtc: in which a restaurant server protects my alone time and i am very grateful
One day last week, I drove from Vancouver to Tacoma. It was raining the whole way, visibility was poor, and I had car trouble. It wasn’t horrendous, but it was stressful. Then that night, I attended a program. The following day, before beginning a full day of programming, I decided
Continue readingwmtc: in which i finally visit the seattle central library and am completely blown away
I mentioned here that I had two great opportunities, back to back, one for work and one for my union. The work trip was a Reconciliation Retreat. For the BCGEU, I applied for and was selected to attend the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association’s annual conference. (I was one of
Continue readingwmtc: the canoe family: reconciliation retreat
I’m in the middle of two amazing opportunities, one through my work, and one through my union. The work thing is complex — and important. Decolonizing the library: walking in two worlds Circle of Life, Trevor Hunt I am part of a small team that is creating a framework of
Continue readingwmtc: 155,000 striking federal workers deserve our support — and a fair wage increase
Right now, federal public service workers across Canada are on strike. With 155,000 workers out across the entire country, this is one of the largest strike in Canadian history. This means, inevitably, that there is a backlash of propaganda in the mainstream and social media portraying the workers as
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: god’s bits of wood + labour book club update
My BCGEU Vancouver Island Labour Book Club is happening! 25 people expressed interest, 18 people registered, and about 5-7 people have been attending. A few other folks are following the reading but not attending the discussions. I take all of this as wins. The fact that it’s happening at all
Continue readingwmtc: something strange going on with this blog: a sad update
I was so excited. I thought all the thousands of lost comments might be coming back. Now I am let down all over again. A few weeks ago, I noted that very old comments — from 2005 and 2006 — have been appearing in the spam queue of this blog.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: bread & roses: mills, migrants, and the struggle for the american dream
I’d be willing to bet my paycheque that Bruce Watson, author of Bread & Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream, did not want his book to have that title. The 1912 millworker strike in the city of Lawrence, Massachusetts is now referred to as “the Bread
Continue readingwmtc: "can you see the head?" : things i heard at the library: an occasional series, #39
At the Port Hardy library, we serve many marginalized people. They are poor, street-involved, struggling with the intertwined impacts of intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and addiction. The most common impact we see is alcohol addiction. The reasons are no mystery: alcohol is cheap, legal, and readily available. I have no
Continue readingwmtc: something strange (but good) is going on with this blog
In early 2020, I lost a wmtc post that was important to me and had a lot of comments. Allan and I were able to re-post the post itself, but in the process, a huge chunk of the blog disappeared. Coincidentally, I had recently done a back-up using Blogger’s export/import
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: my notorious life by kate manning (madame restell, fictional version, nonfiction to follow)
I read this book last year, and have been recommending it nonstop, so it’s about time to commit it to wmtc. My Notorious Life was an obvious book for me to love — or to hate. Much historical fiction feels contrived to me. An author takes a period of history, writes
Continue readingwmtc: judy heumann, rest in power
Judith Heumann, one of the founders and primary movers of the disability rights movement, died recently at the too-young age of 75. Judith Heumann was a force of nature. She was the consummate activist — a brilliant communicator, a charismatic organizer, and a warm, compassionate, attentive person. Judy was the
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: empire of pain, the secret history of the sackler family
Buried on page 364 of the hardcover edition of Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty — almost two-thirds into the book — is one sentence that, for me, defines the most important piece of this urgent story. The opioid crisis is, among other things, a parable about
Continue readingwmtc: a note about subscribing to wmtc by email
This is an note for wmtc readers subscribe to the blog by email. Zoho, the service I am now using to handle the wmtc mailing list, allows three “campaigns” (sends) per month on their free level. This will sometimes be enough for one email per post, but sometimes it will
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 6 and final (portland to port angeles to victoria)
On our way out of Portland, we stopped at the home of R, the well-known baseball writer who Allan had met at Powell’s. By sheer coincidence, he had some research materials that he was looking to re-home — on the exact topic Allan is currently working on! Amazing! This took
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 5 (portland)
Our full day in Portland was almost entirely about books and food, with a little shopping-I-can’t-do-at-home thrown in. I thought I was going to do a bit of tourism — the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden was calling — but I ran out of time and energy. As my mother used
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 4
We stopped briefly at my mom’s place in the morning. Allan was interested in some old family photos — from my mother’s childhood, and from family before I was born. (Allan does the genealogy thing. I do not.) We managed to identify everyone: my great-grandparents (who were still alive when
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 3
On Saturday, we had a lazy day at the M&M homestead. The big outing of the day was to Harry & David, the specialty food store, where we all spent too much money and bought too much food. That night, our nephew and grand-niece, now 7 years old, joined us
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