November has been a slow month for reading, but I did manage to read a few books: First, I tackled Cyril Connolly's Enemies of Promise. ...

Recently, I was invited to be a guest on the "Library Land Loves" podcast to discuss travel books in general and my new book in...

Another benefit of being a finalist in the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize is that the creative folks at the Writers' trust have...

One of the nice things about being a finalist in the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize is that the Writers' Trust sends you free copies...

Colin Fletcher's The Complete Walker, first published in 1968, went through four editions and became the go-to guide for several...

Since the Hilary Weston Prize announcement, my life has gotten busier, and I haven't had much time to read, but I haven't forgotten the...

A number of people have written to ask when my book will be published. They are assuming that the book hasn't been published yet, because...

I've received a lot of compliments about the attractive cover on my book, but I'm afraid I can't take any credit for this. The image is...

I just learned that On Foot to Canterbury is a finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. I didn't see that...

My book will be published next week. In anticipation, here is a pilgrim song to enjoy with lyrics by Rudyard Kipling. For the lyrics and...

I haven't forgotten the challenge. I've been at a cottage for the last three weeks with no internet connection but lots of time to read....

The banjo is unique among modern acoustic string instruments in that it is designed to be taken apart. It is a tinkerer's dream, and this...

Here's another post featuring clawhammer banjoist, Abigail Washburn. As a student she travelled to China to study law to improve...

I managed to finish three books this past week in my drive to complete fifty before the end of 2021. The first was Dutch Mandarin: The...

Today, I want to feature the playing of Frank Evans. I first heard Frank playing with the Slocan Ramblers at Banjofest in Guelph in March...

Every year on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, I reflect on the limits of freedom, and upon how my life would have been...

Back in 2008, in a widely-discussed article for The Atlantic, Nicholas Carr argued that the Internet was rewiring our brains. He wrote:...

In this week's post, I won't be featuring a player or a song, but a tuning. One of the things that sets a banjo apart from a guitar is...

I recently left the service of the Collingwood Public Library to return to school. The local newspaper did a nice write up:...

Today's tune is the "The Cuckoo." It's an English folk song that has spread throughout the English-speaking world. The earliest printed...