Bridging the Social Distance: Recent Episodes
Jenny Mitchell
A show that aims to give a platform for sharing ideas, perspectives and feelings in the wake of the Global COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews will feature local Guelphites as well as people living elsewhere around the world.
bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode interview Shirley Bork, a resident living in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Shirley shares of her career teaching home economics in high school, her love and pride in her sewing projects, her enormous family (she's one of eleven siblings!), and the adorable story of how she met her husband, with whom she eventually went into business together selling shoes ("Bork Shoe Salon" is such a great name!) At 101 Shirley has had lots of experiences, and I appreciate her making the time to connect today. Thank you Shirley!
This interview was originally recorded on June 25th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Eleanor Burchill, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. This interview took place over two visits, the first on her 101st birthday, and the second a week or so later. Her daughter joins us in the first half too. We talk about her love of Newfoundland, having been born there, about her schooling and then career in nursing, stories from the war era, and her journey raising her daughters essentially as a single mom. It's always neat to hear from people who have lived through this much history. Thank you Eleanor for giving me a glimpse into your life!
This interview was originally recorded on May 21st, and May 29th 2026
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For this episode my guest chose to stay anonymous, she is a lovely woman living over at The Village of Riverside Glen, who’s lived in Guelph since she was a child. She’s struggling a bit with her transition to living in care, navigating double vision that she developed after a nasty fall, and she’s very honest about how much more challenging it makes things, taking away most of her hobbies and activities. She shares of her early days, living in Guelph, working and raising a family, and the five anxious years her family spent watching Guelph Lake be created, waiting to see if they would lose their partially-constructed family home in the process. In the end, they got to keep their house and finish it’s construction, and she loved their years near the lake. It is always interesting to get a glimpse into early Guelph, and I always appreciate guests being honest and vulnerable about the harder sides of aging.
In my guest’s honour I’m sharing a photo of Guelph Lake taken by Guelph Outdoor Adventures
This interview was originally recorded on June 18, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Karen Gunn, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen - she talks about life in the Windsor area, multiple generations taking care of each other at different points in her history, her career in nursing, her stretch of time living in California, where she met her husband before they returned to Canada. She also speaks about navigating her changing health - she's broken her leg many times in her life, and now she has to navigate the onset of Parkinson's Disease as well, which she worries affects her ability to share her story. She loves her family, and she loves the Dragon Boat Races as well, which was a big part of her later life. Thank you Karen for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on June 4th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Norm Shoemaker, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Norm is 96, and was born and raised in Guelph, so it may not come as huge surprise that we bonded over local history! I learned of some places that were new to me (including the Guelph Casket Factory) and got a wonderful glimpse into a Guelph many decades before my time. Norm is appreciative of the experiences he has had in his life, and has settled in to accept the days ahead, however many there may be. This was lovely and I’m so appreciative of Norm indulging my curiosity!
This interview was originally recorded on May 28 2026
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For this episode my guest is Bob Griffiths, a resident living in Egerton (the assisted living neighbourhood) and The Village of Riverside Glen. Bob is very proud of his family, sharing about many of his children and grandchildren and their accomplishments, he’s a proud retiree from Hydro, and shares an interesting window to this career and his pathway that got him there. He is a passionate world traveler, and shares some of the highlights from his travels. And he’s also very open and honest about his life in the after math of recovering from having a stroke. There are many pieces of his stage of life that are likely relatable to his peers, and we appreciate him being so candid and being willing to connect. Thanks Bob!
This interview was originally recorded on April 30th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This is the 300th episode!!! For this special episode I recruited longtime friend and radio host Scotty Hertz for a co-interview: He interviews me about the history of the show, its specific origins born out of covid, and the mobile community radio philosophies that led to it, and we talk about my ten+year mobile radio history at CFRU and what has been learned and expanded on along the way, in terms of creating radio opportunities for folks in our communities who may go underrepresented and/or experience barriers to access. And in turn I interview Scotty, because he has just started a project that is very much inspired by the same gaps and needs: “Down on the Corner”. Down on the Corner is a radio program, in the form of a radio show that airs Tuesdays at 1:30 on CFRU’s airways, but it is also a grassroots, hyper-local project aimed to get physical radios in the hands of our most vulnerable community members. They can listen to CFRU, and specifically Scotty’s show, to access crucial information about resources available in our community, to hear interviews radio docs on political issues, and/or to make requests and hear music they might enjoy - but they can also use the radios to listen to whatever they want.
This episode was originally recorded on May 11, 2026
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For this episode my guest is Donald Bridges, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about his passions through his life (including skiing, sailing, and wood carving) and his fascinating career in corrugated cardboard - largely in the “new products division” which brought him through some very interesting situations! Thanks Don for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on April 23, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Skip Redpath, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Skip moved in fairly recently, but he has settled right in, making close friendships and helping his fellow residents. He shares a window into the interesting way his brain works, counting through decades to place himself in time, a response to changes that he’s been experiencing in his memory, likely connected to a brain tumour. He talks about his past, his family, and how he’s learning his limits, balancing his desire to help, with what’s safe at this stage of life living in care. He’s a good spirit and I was thankful for him making the time to chat! Thanks Skip!
This interview was originally recorded on April 16, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Brent Fletcher, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Brent is new to Riverside Glen in terms of living there, but he knew where he wanted to be for this stage of life, having spent five years visiting and supporting his wife as her illness brought her to long term care. Brent has a positive attitude on the other side of the loss - he shares about his many moves between England, Australia and Canada, his love of golf, his career as a pattern-maker, and how his love of dancing brought him to concerts of some of the most famous bands you can think of. Thanks Brent for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on April 2nd 2026
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For this episode I veer away from my normal format to interview an old friend, Ida Nilsen, known for her music project Great Aunt Ida, in advance of a few shows she was playing in the area. Great Aunt Ida has been making music under this name for over twenty years, starting in BC, moving to Toronto for a stretch, and then Detroit before returning to Vancouver. We talk a bit about this history, where her and I connected along the way, and her journey to and from music as she also navigated an undergrad and then PHD in architecture and landscape architecture. As her studies started crossing into soundscapes the worlds started at times to collide, and Ida has graduated, and returned to music with a whole new collection of songs. It’s wonderful to have her back, and I’m delighted to get to share the bill with her for a couple of her remaining shows on this Ontario tour. By the time this is posted the shows will have gone by, so please excuse all the details reminding you of upcoming shows. Hopefully she will return again before too long!
This interview was originally recorded on April 9th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
In this longer-than-normal episode I interview John Conibear, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. John lives in retirement, and his wife lives up in Emma's Neighbourhood, an area of Riverside Glen that focuses on memory-care. John opens up how hard it is to experience this separation, after 64 years of marriage - even if it's the same building, on another floor, being apart, and navigating his wife's memory decline, is a very heavy experience. I loved this conversation, and John really got me talking! He shared about his career as a customs officer, then working for the customs tribunal, which expanded into a philosophical conversation about observing human beings, and what can be learned from the absence of information, and how it important it is to pay attention to what we don't find, while searching. John gives insights into adjusting to this stage of life, to hearing loss, to sharing space, and to having to go a bit longer between games of golf. Thank you John for giving me a bit of extra time with you for this longer chat!
This interview was originally recorded on March 26th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I join forces with Campus Friends, bringing together Campus friends students Davina and Nicolo with CFRU volunteer and board member Ramya, to discuss their various experiences living with Autism. They discuss their diagnosis’, challenges, special interests and misconceptions. Later in the episode I join Ramya to discuss the ways in which it often goes missed in women, and insights on getting diagnosed. It is an interesting and insightful conversation all around, all in hour of World Autism Awareness Day, which is acknowledged on April 2nd each year. Tune in!
This interview was originally recorded on April 1st, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I give a platform to our co-op student Anarva Vipin, and my son and CFRU volunteer Otis Magoffin to talk about the high school student walkout that happened on March 11th 2026, in response to Doug Ford’s cuts to OSAP. Anarva and Otis both attended the event, equipped with handheld recorders, recording speeches, and interviews with students (and MPP Mike Schreiner) who were in attendance. I interview them about the event, and about their respective thoughts on this topic - how these cuts affect them personally, and the ripple effect they anticipate for all Ontario youth if the cuts aren’t overturned. Throughout the episode you will hear short interviews recorded by Otis at the event, and at about the 20 minute mark you will hear Anarva’s short documentary about the event.
Previously, depending on on a post-secondary student’s financial situation, up to 85% of OSAP could be “gifts”, meaning only 15% remained as a loan that had to be paid back. The current changes reduce that to a maximum of 25% in gifts, meaning at least 75% in the form of loans. Ford has also removed the tuition freeze, and accelerated the repayment schedule. We should be worried for the future of folks aspiring to attend post secondary education, and I’m proud of these two young students speaking out and drawing attention to this issue.
If this OSAP cut, and/or any other of the many many horrific changes Doug Ford has announced recently has you angry, please consider joining the “Rally to be Heard”. This recording has been edited to feature the new details for the second general protest: Cities all across Ontario will be hosting rallies Saturday April 25th. The Guelph one is happening from 12-1:00pm, at the corner of Wellington St and Gordon. This is a general rally against all of Ford’s horrible announcements, including the OSAP cuts, and invites anyone of any age to join in solidarity.
This interview was originally recorded on March 25, 2026, the student walkout content was originally recorded on March 11th, 2026 by Otis and Anarva
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode my guest is Robert Lawson, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Bob is one of the younger residents in Long Term Care, navigating a variety of health changes - he aspires to heal enough to get out a bit more, he's been at Riverside Glen for two years and is still getting accustomed. He's not used to staying in one place - Bob was a traveling salesman for over 30 years, for brands like Colgate Palm-Olive, Saputo, and Chef Boyardi (Canadian Home Products). He shares stories from those days, and his career that followed, driving transport trucks across the country. Bob's a big fan of sports, he used to be a hockey goalie, and speaks very fondly of the years he spent watching his son play baseball. It's clear we need to get him out to a game! Thanks for taking the time to share with me, Robert!
This interview was originally recorded on March 5, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This was a special live episode of Bridging the Social Distance, where I interviewed Mike Barber of “The Hive”, a Guelph’s Arts Collective located on Cork st in Guelph. We talk about the Hive, Guelph past and present, some of our favourite local businesses here in Guelph, our shared love of hand-made items, our shared appreciation for up-cycling, secondhand, and local markets, our appreciation for the advancement in non-alcoholic drink options, and our shared experience of living with anxiety. This conversation came in anticipation of the One-Armed Bob’s “Marvels and Misfits” show that happened during the Hive’s all-day market, Saturday March 7th, at the Guelph Farmer’s Market. All afternoon starting at 4pm there were amazing vendors from the Hive, joined by favourites like “Three Pieces” and “Disaray Antiques” and at 4pm and 8pm there were ticketed performances by Bob of his variety/freakshow/crowd entertainment (4pm being the family-friendly version, 8pm being 18+).
This was recorded live on March 5th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode it's time for Georgina Part 2! We pick up where Georgina left off, upon her arrival to Guelph as a pre-teen, we hear a wild story about chickens, and a glimpse into the life of a teenager attending the Loretto Academy, navigating being a new Canadian, not having a lot of money, attending hockey games and dances. Georgina is a lovely person to spend time with, and I'm glad she was up for me visiting again.
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 5th, 2026
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
February 21st was International Mother Language Day!
Hosted (briefly, in English) and collected/edited by Jenny, we filled our airwaves with approximately 50 languages from over 70 participants, in celebration of "International Mother Language Day" which is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.Thank you to everyone who participated, with a special thanks to the staff and residents at The Village of Riverside Glen and the grade eights at Willow Public School for your extra contributions. We had over ten participants at Willow, and almost 30 at Riverside Glen. And thank you Chrissy Mounir for your help collecting and recording/editing additional languages! The music you will hear during the spoken section of the broadcast are the songs "Jak to Bude, Jak to Půjde Dál" and "Jak Se Daří Muj Milý_ (How Do You Fare, My Dear One_)" by local artist Louisa KratkaThere are seniors who shared that they were pressured to give up their language when they moved to Canada as children, and there are children who are just beginning their journey with English now. There are adults supporting seniors, speaking English to build a comfortable, familiar, somewhat-universal environment for the residents but whom share a world of languages between them outside of those moments, in their breaks and when they're off the clock. There are people who know just a short phrase or song in their ancestral mother language. And our University brings in so many languages too!This is truly a beautiful listen. Not to be missed!There were nearly 50 languages I counted (in addition to English), some languages are similar, some have slightly different names based on the era, and areas in which they're spoken. I did my best to record the language name based on what the participant shared with me, so I apologize for any spelling errors/duplications.The languages you'll hear are Arabic, Assyrian, Bicol, Pampanga, Tagalog/Filipino, česky (czech, czechia), Czech, Chinese, Croatian, German/Deutsche, Swiss-German, Dogri, Dutch, Ekiti, Espanol/Spanish, Farsi, Finnish, French, Gujarati, Hakka, Hindi, Hungarian, Inuktitut, Algonquin Language (Anishinabemowin) dialect from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Ojibwe, Italian, Jamaican Patois, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Mohawk, Nepali, Norwegian, Nzema, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinya, Urdu, Yiddish
This originally aired on February 21st, 2026
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For this episode I interview Olu Adedokun, a PSW in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. He shares his story of moving here from Nigeria, and the culture shock - of the weather, of course, but other things we may not think of, like the closeness of our houses, not surrounded by walls between the properties. Olu grew up on a university campus in Nigeria, his father a professor of atmospheric physics, and his mom with her Masters in Montessori children’s education, who worked as a principal. There were some similarities between where he grew up and our neighbourhoods here, but his move into Lagos was very different, houses surrounded by walls, generating their own power to protect themselves in a city with higher demand than resources. He had a successful career in Sales and Marketing but it wasn’t always a safe place to be, and Canada meant moving to safety and where he would be surrounded by siblings and extended family. The shift from “Sales” to working as a PSW in Long Term Care in Guelph sounds dramatic, but as you’ll hear from Olu, there are parallels in care, figuring out how to negotiate to care for residents, to understand what they care about and what makes them happy. He really seems to have a gift for connecting, and I super appreciate him taking the time to share his story (and thank you Bryce, the my manager at Riverside Glen, for covering Olu’s lunch shift so he could speak with me!)
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 10th, 2026
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For this episode I interview Georgina Bregant, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Georgina started by sharing the story behind her emigration to Canada shortly after WWII. Her father was in politics in Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia at that time) and when the government shifted to Communism in 1948, her father and her family were unsafe and had to flee. Her father was immediately arrested, but managed to escape within a couple of days and race out of the country for safety, with Georgina and her mother attempting to follow as soon as possible. Georgina shares her harrowing trip, racing to a border town, having to tell wild stories to avoid getting caught, having to place their trust in Germany who just a short time before had been "the enemy" during the war. It is hard to imagine having to make a trip like this, and the scale of the danger her whole family faced. They survived the escape, and over a year later were able to follow her dad to Guelph, where he had been working for 50 cents a day at Biltmore Hats to save up enough to reunite them. Her story dates back nearly 80 years, but is eerily relevant today, while we watch what unfolds south of the border, and see the reality of how quickly someone can go from living an ordinary life, to being under-threat during a shift in government. Sending so much love to anyone living in fear right now, and thank you so much to Georgina for sharing your story (Georgina and I bonded so much, I've since recorded a subsequent episode).
This episode was originally recorded on January 29th, 2026
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For this episode I interview Robert Joyce, a fairly new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Robert is a bit of a private guy, but I did get him to open up a bit, to share about his love for golf and playing cards (specifically Eurchre ) and his career working at the “Guelph Correctional Centre” (earlier known as the Ontario Reformatory). Thanks Robert for being willing to chat today!
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 22 2026
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I just realized I had never added the second part of my interview with Edwin Stelter! So this is the second part of my interview with Edwin Stelter, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Part 1 largely centred around Edwin's memories of being a child during WWII, born in Poland, but of German background, and as such having a complicated and dangerous identity for war times. In part 2 Edwin gives us a glimpse of what came after, his family's emigration to Toronto, and his path to making a success of himself, learning English, working his way up in restaurants, and eventually having a dependable income and supporting his family. Edwin also shares some more recent experiences, navigating his and his wife's decline in health, and how he uses his experience - as as someone who both worked with farm animals and machinery - to better understand the maintenance of his own body. It was such an interesting conversation and I'm very thankful to Ed for spending this time with me!
This interview was originally recorded on November 27th 2025
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Today I interview Edwin Stelter, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about WWII from interviewing veterans, and their children and spouses, speaking about their perspectives from different countries, beliefs, and stages of life. Edwin’s story was a new one for me - his family were Germans, born in Poland, and while the technicality of the border of their country may have not been too significant when he was born, at age seven when WWII started, him and his family became perceived enemies from within their own country overnight. He shares his memories of running, hiding, and many stretches of being separated from his father, with family and friends going missing, or worse. It was a harrowing period of history and Edwin’s recounting of his specific experience is educating, and deeply moving. So much so it became a two part episode! (Part 2 will air next Thursday at noon). Thank you so much to Ed for sharing this with me and opening my eyes to this unique experience. We are so lucky to still have people with us to carry on these stories
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 27, 2025
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For this episode I interview Maria Dicks, a resident in Emma‘s Neighbourhood at The Village of Riverside Glen. Maria was so lovely - she had such a radiant personality and sense of fashion, and I loved hearing her stories of growing up near Cornerbrook, Newfoundland. Maria had so many memories to sharing - camping as a child for weeks at a time on the tiny remote islands with her abundance of siblings and parents, her late teen years spent in Montréal, and her years in Toronto where she met her husband to-be- another Cornerbrook native (despite her insistence that she would never marry a Newfoundlander). There are so many good moments and we had such a special bond. I was so happy to meet her! Thank you Maria
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 20, 2025
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For this episode I head back to Emma’s Neighbourhood at The Village of Riverside Glen, an area of the building that supports residents with memory care. My guest is Beverley Smith - Beverley has a few specific memories that really stand out for her, and as we sat and looked out her window at the weather changing from sunshine, to a hail storm, and back to sunshine, I got a little glimpse into some of the moments of her life that continue to stand out - her love for her mother, for horses, and for kind neighbours growing up. Interviews at Emma’s are a new challenge for me, it is a delicate process trying to prompt memories without reminding folks that some are harder to access than they once were - I really appreciate these residents sharing their time and space with me and we appreciate listeners giving us the space for these community members to share their stories.
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 13 2025
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For this episode my guests are Leona McDermid, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen, and her daughter Lori-Anne. The two tell stories from Leona’s life, how she met her husband, her first date and the origins of her “butterfly kisses”. They share how the two of them have kept a thread of creativity throughout their professional lives, Leona helping run the family business “McDermid Paper”, Lori-Anne a professional photographer, and the two collaborating at “Doodles”, a gift shop, photography studio and ice cream parlour in Rockwood. Both are examples of strong independent women who have utilized creativity to do amazing things - and this practice dates back generations: Leona’s mom traveled the world during WWII teaching women how to sew, to help them build independent skills to impress their husbands upon their return from the War. Leona’s mom ended up receiving the order of Canada for her work helping Ukranians come over to Canada. These are inspiring and vibrant women with a wonderful mother-daughter dynamic that makes for an entertaining listen, and I had a wonderful time hanging out with them! Thank you Leona and Lori-Anne for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 6th, 2025
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For this episode, I return to “Emma’s Neighbourhood”, a neighbourhood at The Village of Riverside Glen that supports residents with memory care. My guest in Emma’s is Mary Gibbons - Mary’s relationship with memory was unique for me - she knows she experienced hardship and loss early in life, but while we visited it seemed like her memory spared her a lot of details in a way gives her a buffer from certain heavy feelings. She holds some family members very dear who played a vital role in supporting her, she is surrounded by photographs and cards and letters from family and friends who love her, and it is clear she feels that love. I had a wonderful time sharing space with her and hearing her share windows into her story. Thank you Bryce and Riverside Glen for helping us give more residents from Emma a presence on the radio!
This episode was originally recorded on Oct 30, 2025
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For this episode I interview Marilyn Yates, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Marilyn resides in “Emma’s neighbourhood” at Riverside Glen, which is the area of the building dedicated to Memory Care. I was really honoured to get to share the stories of a resident in this part of the building - consent, editing, and sharing are all things to be carefully held when navigating challenges with memory. Marilyn was very sweet, she loves her daughter and her son and law, loves sitting by the window observing and learning from the world outdoors, and she was happy to share stories from her past, being born and raised in Guelph, helping out at her grandfather’s store downtown, and her career as a nurse. Thank you Marilyn for sharing your story, and thank you Bryce for helping this happen! We hope to feature more Emma residents in the future.
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 16 2025
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For this episode I interview June Weiler, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen Retirement facility. June was born and raised in Guelph, which always gives me fun opportunity to talk about historic stores and buildings from days gone by. She shares of her career at Royal Knitting (where her mother and father both worked too) and her Saturdays as a child making the rounds of downtown Guelph. She also reflects fondly on her summer road trips to Wasaga Beach, and of raising a family out in the country on the east side of Guelph. By no means did June go through life without hardship, but it’s clear from her calm and peaceful demeanour that she was drawn to a simple country life, and it was nice to spend a relaxing time with her. Thank you June for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 9th 2025
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For this episode I interview Femmy Vandervelde, a new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Femmy reflects on her childhood in Holland during the German occupation, her family’s move to Canada as a teenager, her education and career in nursing and how her life changed during the years, which included years on a farm, in the city, and eventually here in Guelph. Femmy shows off her knitting (I’d never heard of a “twiddle muff”!) and we had a lovely time. Thank you Femmy!
This interview was originally recorded on Sept 18 2025
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For this episode I interview Carol Kerklaan, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. It wasn’t Carol’s idea to move into a care facility, but she’s accepting this new chapter with grace - she shares stories from growing up, working at GM where her grandfather was the president, meeting her husband (an Engineer) and his career designing many award-winning patents. Carol was quite the athlete, and we bond over a shared love of basketball. Lots has changed for Carol in recent years, navigating changing health, but her advice is to “go with the flow”. Thanks Carol for your positive attitude and for sharing your story with me!
This episode was originally recorded on Sept 11th 2025
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For this episode I interview Suzanne Ashton, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Suzanne is one of the younger residents I've met at Riverside Glen, having moved into the village to be safe and supported while navigating her health journey living with Myotonic Dystrophy, a form of Muscular Dystrophy. Suzanne has to move at a careful pace, picking and choosing her activities, but has jumped right into village life, recently becoming co-chair of the "Residents Committee" and recently participating in a CN Tower Edgewalk! She's an inspiration for those who share the experience of trying to balance living with chronic illness and subsequent limitations, while still trying new things and taking risks to gain new experiences. Thank you Suzanne for connecting with me!
This episode was originally recorded Sept 4th 2025
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For this episode I interview Bernadette McKay, a resident in Long-Term-Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Bernadette shares the many places she's lived throughout southern Ontario, her history of her family in Slovenia and Austria, and her current days at Riverside Glen. She's a happy woman with endearingly specific memories, and definitely a sense of humour. It was a pleasure to meet her!
This interview was originally recorded on July 17, 2025
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For this episode I interview Adriaan Sizoo, director of Landscaping and Exterior Maintenance for Schlegel Villages. Adriaan has been helping design and implement and maintain the gardens and outdoor spaces at all of the 18 Schlegel Villages retirement and long-term care facilities for about seven years now, and we met up at The Village of Riverside Glen, where Adriaan took me on a tour through the flower, vegetable, and pollinator gardens, the bee boxes, and the Koi pond. Adriaan speaks passionately of the value of gardens and outdoor spaces and the myriads of benefits they bring for everyone, and especially in the case of these villages, for supporting people navigating changing health, aging bodies, and memory care. The gardens are designed to involve the residents as much as they like, even if it's just to feel a connection to the outside world, or the homes they left when they moved into care. Adriaan carries so much wisdom, and every single plant we crossed was chosen and placed with care and intention, in raised boxes allowing residents ease of access to help with tending the gardens. I can't say enough positive things about the magic of Adriaan and his gardens - I learned so much, and will never look at these spaces the same way again! Thank you Adriaan for this conversation and tour of the space!
This interview was originally recorded on July 10, 2025
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For this episode I interview Jeanne (Jean) Newcombe, a new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jean shares about her Dutch heritage, her recent move from Chatham, and tells us all about her children and grandchildren, which are a beloved part of her life. Thank you Jean for sharing today!
This interview was originally recorded on July 3, 2025
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For this episode I’m joined by my son Otis, and we interview Marilyn Gifford, a new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Marilyn watches her neighbour garden outside her window, as she shares how she’s feeling at this stage of life and how she feels about Guelph continuing to grow, and about some of her days gone by. Marilyn wasn’t expecting this interview, so we appreciate her being up for it! Thank you Marilyn!
This interview was originally recorded on June 25th, 2025
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For this episode I interview Charles "Chuck" Marino, a brand new resident at the Village of Riverside Glen. At 83, Chuck has a ton of incredibly detailed memories, and gives us a glimpse all the way back to his own grandfather's childhood in Italy. From stories of betrothed "white widows", to his father the military surgeon, through his own life working as a prof in Psychology and conflict resolution, and the current state of his health, Chuck has so much tell us - so much so that we made this a two-parter when we aired it on the radio! Chuck and I had an awesome bond and it was worth skipping lunch (even though Bryce DID come looking for us when Chuck was a no-show) This was really wonderful, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
This interview was originally recorded on June 5th, 2025
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For this episode I interview George Vos, a recent new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. George kicks off our interview with an enthusiastic recounting of his recent adventure to a Toronto Maple Leafs game - a heck of a welcome into the Riverside Glen family! From there we jump back to the past, his working life, and his childhood in Holland during the German occupation during WWII and the harrowing moments he remembers from that time. George has an incredibly positive and grateful attitude and it was a huge privilege to have a window into history told through someone so strong and appreciative of what he has. Thank you George!
This interview was originally recorded on May 29 2025
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For this episode I interview Judy Maddren - Judy is a University of Guelph and CFRU alumni who went on to work in professional radio with the CBC. In more recent years she’s run a project called “Soundportraits” where she records interviews to help people tell their life stories. The parallels between the type of work Judy and I have done made this a highly intriguing interview for me, and I’m very glad Alumni Affairs connected us! Thank you Judy for taking the time and traveling to me at the station for this interview.
More about Judy:
“For many years, Judy started the day with millions of Canadians across Canada, sharing the latest news of the world and our country as host of CBC Radio’s World Report. Her day began at 4:15 at her computer and continued with seven live broadcasts. She says “I loved making pictures with words, using the right verb to conjure up an image and to tell the story. The older I get, the more I believe that stories are the basis of all our learning.”
She was also the CBC’s Broadcast Advisor, providing language and pronunciation recommendations to CBC broadcasters and writers on radio, television and CBC dot ca
In 1990, Judy produced the first public reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with CBC readers, and then expanded the readings across Canada. They are still held in several communities across the country each year, raising money to benefit local charities of all kinds. The Governor-General awarded Judy the Meritorious Service Medal in November, 2016 for her efforts with the Christmas Carol readings.
And last year she was invited to be a Volunteer Presiding Officer at Canadian Citizenship Ceremonies – a real honour.
Her broadcasting experience has meant that she is often invited to speak or host public events, which she really enjoys.
Judy’s broadcasting career and producing the Christmas Carol readings have convinced her of the power of stories: it is reflection on our personal narratives that influence how we move forward through life. Since 2001 she and her partner Alannah Campbell have savoured their work in Soundportraits, helping people young and old to record their audio memoirs. The library of biographies that has been preserved, confirms her belief that every life is remarkable.
She and her husband Tim Elliott are the parents of four, with four grandchildren. They moved to Stratford from Toronto ten years ago, and they are delighted with the community and life there.”
This interview was originally recorded on May 26th, 2025
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For this interview I speak with Glenna Ratcliff, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Glenna speaks about her transition into her new home in a retirement facility. We talk about her childhood, her baby years in Cape Breton with a father gone to war, and the subsequent years of a strong and independent working mother. Glenna speaks fondly of her children, one of whom is a local artist, and while Glenna doesn’t necessarily self-identity as an artist herself, her appreciation for art and colour was very clear and beautiful to be surrounded by as a visitor. Thank you Glenna for welcoming me and sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on May 8th 2025
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For this episode I interview Vera Speers, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Vera loves her giant family, and expresses how happy she is that they are all leading fulfilling lives, but is honest about how much she misses them too. Our chat looks back at a childhood in Saskatchewan, a young adulthood raising four children, and a career working for Guelph Hydro. All throughout Vera straddles the line of balancing reminiscing, nostalgia, with the reality that her memories can make her a bit sad and lonely too. I really appreciate Vera opening up, and letting herself be vulnerable with me.
This interview was originally recorded on May 1st, 2025
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For this episode I chat with Shirley Petersen, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about different parts of her life, and her hobbies, her knitting and crocheting and her career as a teacher, her traveling for a Mission in Taiwan in retirement, and her childhood spent with her grandparents on Lake Erie. It was a lovely chat and I appreciate her sharing with me today!
This interview was originally recorded on April 24th, 2025
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For this episode my guest is Egil Rasmussen, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Egil shares memories from his home country of Denmark, his childhood during the war, his year enlisted in the military, and his career as a brick layer in Denmark, then Canada, before moving onto other careers. We bond over our respective travels across Canada and shared love on the east coast in particular. Thank you Egil for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on April 10th 2025
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For this episode I interview Valeria Krotky, a new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Valeria is 94, and taught piano for over fifty of those years. She even teaches me a bit of piano during our interview! It is a true lifelong passion for her, and I had the pleasure of getting to hear her play, and record it, so you'll get to enjoy that on today's episode too. She shares about the piano and her passion for music, which she likely inherited from her father, who led an Orchestra. She talks about family, her husband Emil, and her sons, and shares some memorable (and even harrowing) stories from her early life in her home country of Slovakia. Thank you so much Valeria for letting me interview you, and for playing the piano for me!
This interview was originally recorded on March 27, 2025
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For this episode I interview Jean Root, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jean takes us on a journey through her life, her career in nursing, her life on her family's farm where she raised two children and her husband did body work on cars. She shares of her myriad of health issues, and her subsequent arrival to the Village of Riverside Glen where she trying to adjust to a new stage of life. Jean is lovely, and it was nice to meet her, and her cat! Thank you Jean for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded on March 6th 2025
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For this episode I interview Jane Mulcahey, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about Jane’s career as a teacher, and how teaching held a place in her life beyond the years of it being a profession. She shares about her musical and artistic husband and children, and her own visual art, and singing (she is part of the Riverside Glen choir). We also navigate Jane’s memory, and the way it’s changing, with some things being difficult to place that once came with more ease. I appreciate Jane’s generosity in sharing and being vulnerable with me!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 27th 2025
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For this episode I interview Mike Berry, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen, who shares about his career as a teacher of Geography and communications technology, his lifelong route to becoming a teacher, and how tech and it's role changed over time. He also shares in detail about his beloved hobby of coin collecting - I learned a lot, about something I knew almost nothing about! Mike also shares a bit about his challenging health journey, and how it has brought him for now to Long-Term Care. Thank you Mike for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded February 20th 2025
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This hour is a special hour of content celebrating languages! Hosted (in English) and collected/edited by Jenny, close to 40 different people contributed over thirty languages to fill our airwaves in celebration of "International Mother Language Day" which is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. We've included a list of languages featured, below - if your language is missing reach out to us! We'd love to do this again in the future and include even more! Contributions included one-word greetings, radio shout outs, stories, poems, and personal thoughts and reflections, interspersed with music. For languages, in our spoken sections, you will hear Tagalog, Gaelic, Slovak, Italian, Hungarian, Lik’wala, Czech, Serbian, Dutch, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin, Yoruba, Telugu, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Flemish, Vietnamese, Gujarati, Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, Polish, Farsi/Persian, Khmer, Russian, French, German, Hebrew, and Danish.
The playlist of music on today's episode is as follows:
"Sluníčko-Hřej(TheSunSong)" by Louisa Krátká (unreleased)
"Assuf Ag Assuf" by Tinariwen off the album Idrache (Traces of the Past)
"Woyhenna" by Songhoy Blues off the album Heritage
"DE ZEE EN MIJN ZUSJE" by Hurryman (Robert Hurryman), off an upcoming album due out in April 2025
"Déjà" by N NAO off the album Nouveau Language
"lyenogie" by Sonia Aimy off the album LIGHT IMOLE
and
"Tambor Chamou" by João Selva off the album Onda
For more information about "International Mother Language Day" you can visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/mother-language-day
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For this episode I interview Kehinde and Fumi, and PJ and Coretta at The Village of Riverside Glen. Kehinde is a nurse, Fumi is a PSW/Med Cert, PJ is a Recreation Team member, and Coretta is a PSW. They share with me their respective journeys from their home countries of Nigeria and Kenya, acclimating to the dramatically different weather while settling in with their families, as well as navigating the challenge of getting jobs and education here, as many of their incredible skills and accreditations from their home countries aren’t recognized here in Canada. They also share some of their goals for the future, and their favourite parts of working at Riverside Glen. Thank you to Kehinde, Fumi, PJ and Coretta for sharing your stories!
This interview was originally recorded on February 18th, 2025
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For this episode my guest is Pat Woodford, a relatively new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen, who was given the best possible room the cater to her love of bird watching. Pat has had nearly a full life of bird watching , starting her passion when she met her future husband as a teenager. Pat fits so much life into today’s conversation - she shares an incredibly interesting snippet of history during WWII, living in Dunville near an Airforce Training Facility, where her father would visit on Sundays to invite young soldiers in training, from all over the world, to come to their house for Sunday dinner. She shares of her life growing up immersed in education, her mother even having received a university degree as far back as the 1920s, and Patricia herself studying science in university, and going on to be a high school science teacher (another rare occurrence for her generation). She raised two daughters who pursued high levels of education, which has rippled down to two more generations. With her husband, she literally traveled the world, from the Antarctic, to Africa to Kathmandu and more, to see the world’s animals (in particular the birds). It was a whirlwind of a conversation, I feel like I learned so much! Thank you to Pat for taking me on this journey!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 6th 2025
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For this episode I’m joined by my son Otis, and our guest is Sharryn Smith, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Sharryn is a visual artist, who works primarily in acrylic paint. After suffering a stroke, Sharryn lost the ability to use the right side of her body, as well as some of her memory, and her ability to speak, and had to transition to living in a retirement care facility. She shares today about that transition, of her path to relearning how to speak, how to walk, and how to paint - now having to use her left/non-dominant hand, and painting with her finger instead of a paint brush. Her journey of recovery is very inspiring, and she delivers an important message: you have to keep moving, keep doing things, and you have to do it yourself, regardless of any help you may also receive. There’s no resting for Sharryn! Thank you Sharryn for sharing with us today!
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 30th 2025
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For this episode I interview Aidan Purnell, a regular musical performer at The Village of Riverside Glen. On Jan 23rd I was at Riverside Glen, and my scheduled interview fell through. Aidan was performing for a huge crowd of residents, and I've come across Aidan a number of times on my visits to Riverside Glen. I stuck around to see if he'd be up for chatting with me, and the result was the fantastic conversation you'll hear today! We talk about his experience performing at Retirement Homes and Long Term Care Facilities, but we also get a window into his origin story, first picking up the guitar at age 7, his studies in musical theatre and gerontology, and from his twenties on having a full time career in live music. From his well-researched and carefully selected gear, to his rapport with all the individual residents (remembering each of their favourite songs and adding them to his set list) it's clear Aidan is much more than just an entertainer!
This was a really insightful conversation, and we hope you enjoy it! You can learn more about Aidan (and get in touch with him) on his website, http://purnellmusic.com/ and you can hear some of his music on youtube @purnellmusic and on various music streaming platforms by searching Aidan Purnell. Thank you Aidan for being up for this spontaneous interview!
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 23rd, 2025
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For this episode my guest is Debra Cooper, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Debra has spent a life on the move, born in Canada but spending her young life everywhere from Mexico to Spain to Long Island New York, before finally settling for a longer period of time in Quebec. She's a tough lady, navigating these moves, and surviving a serious car accident and a subsequent period of working as an accountant while raising her three children as a single mom. She's working on settling into her new life at Riverside Glen, and we're glad she was willing to connect with us!
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 16 2025
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This episode features a collection of interviews and radio shoutouts from GCVI students who attended a Tech and Trades Fair and GCVI on November 6th, 2024. CFRU tabled at the event, promoted our own opportunities, and handed students the mic, to capture a snapshot of young high school life. We hope you enjoy it!
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This is a radio special celebrating the recent grand re-opening of the "Conestoga College Living Classroom" at The Village of Riverside Glen . Recorded on December 5th 2024 at Riverside Glen, today's broadcast starts with the speeches recorded at the event, followed by some short interviews with staff and coordinators who help bring the living classroom to life.
About the Living Classroom:
The Living Classroom is a partnership model that integrates education into a long-term care or retirement home to support workforce development in senior living. Students, faculty, and those living, visiting and working in the home engage in a culture of shared learning. The model was first implemented in Ontario in 2009, through a partnership with Conestoga College, the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging and Schlegel Villages.
That first site was The Village of Riverside Glen, and today's recorded celebration marks its' grand re-opening ceremony.
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This episode features recorded speeches and interviews with folks who attended the recent event "Breaking Barriers: Celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities", which took place at the downtown branch of the Guelph Public Library on Dec 3rd 2024. We hear from many incredible disability advocates, including folks from Community Living Guelph Wellington's "People4People" Advocacy group, and from Community of Hearts, and listeners may recognize the voice of Judy Noonan, who contributed to our radio broadcast of the "Feeding Tummies and Souls" event, and who hosted interviews at the Grand Opening and Anniversary parties at Guelph's "Accessible Little Library" (Thank you Judy for all your contributions to CFRU!) Thank you to everyone who attended and shared stories ad perspectives. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
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For this episode my guest was Gerald "Jerry" Guidolin, a very new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen, having only moved in earlier this month. This episode is not to be missed! By the nature of the magic of all the stories from everyone I interview I don't think I could possibly have a "favourite" radio guest, but I can honestly say that I can't remember the last time a one-hour conversation has contained so many entertaining and wildly unexpected pieces of history. Jerry was born and raised in the Ward, and now at 86, with a clear and vivid memory, Jerry shares Ward stories that go beyond anything I'd ever heard (which is really saying something because I've heard a lot of Ward stories). From watching a mafia funeral, to walking the family cow through the Ward, to stories of bootlegged un-pasturized milk and basement butcher shops. It's not all ward stories - Jerry was an electrician and helped build many buildings in Guelph, including the Athletic Centre on campus, as well as Guelph's General Hospital. He also worked in factories, a nuclear power plant, and a mine. I can't believe how many stories he fit into our visit (I tried not to spoil all of them, there are definitely more surprises if you listen). It sure was a fun one! Thank you Jerry for sharing with me! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 21st, 2024
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For this episode I interviewed local music booker and advocate Samir Baijal, in honour of his receiving of the "Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award", recognizing Sam's ongoing commitment to supporting live music. I interviewed Sam about this, and about his career in music booking. More about Samir, and this award:Samir [was recently] awarded the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award, as an advocate, supporter, and champion of the Ontario Folk music community throughout his career, and is in particular an advocate of a more diverse, more welcoming, and more inclusive Folk and independent music community. Sam is the Artistic Director of Hillside Festival (a role he has served in for 26 years) and the Coordinator of Programming at the University Centre at the University of Guelph. The recipients [were] presented with their awards by CBC q host Tom Power at the Ontario Folk Music Awards on Sunday, October 6th, 2024.Folk Music Ontario Executive Director, Rosalyn Dennett shares, “Samir has been a driving force in promoting cultural diversity, environmental sustainability, and musical excellence in the Ontario folk music community through his roles at Hillside Festival and the University of Guelph. He has been a steadfast mentor and advocate of artists and live music workers through his board service and event participation. Congratulations, Samir! Your vision for a greener, more vibrant, and inclusive Folk music community is beautifully honoured by the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award”.
This interview was originally recorded live on Nov 22 2024
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For this episode I interviewed Michelle Peek of "Art Not Shame". Art Not Shame is a local Guelph Non-profit that uses the arts to build community, deepen our access to creativity, increase well-being, and create the conditions for inner and outer systems change. They have a beautiful new expanded location on Wyndham street and offer tons of incredible programs and services. Art Not Shame is one of the many organizations dramatically impacted by the City of Guelph's recent budget deferrals within the Community Investment stream - a funding source that deeply impacts our cultural and wellbeing sectors. On Nov 19th a City Council Meeting happened at City Hall (1 Carden Street) and Art Not Shame was among more than 30 delegates speaking out against deferrals and cuts. While this meeting has passed, you can continue to pressure your councillors by advocating for the importance of these organizations and institutions.
More about Art Not Shame:
"Art Not Shame is a community-engaged, multidisciplinary arts organization serving youth and adults in Guelph and across Ontario. Founded in 2017, we strive toward a world where belonging is unconditional and creative practice is accessible, and both are recognized as fundamental to well-being, community-building, and possibilities for a just future.
Our work bears witness to the power of community-making through the arts, and art-making through community, to not only envision but to enact the more just futures to which we are striving. With a focus on speaking back to systemic forces that perpetuate cycles of shame and the undermining of self-worth (including racism, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, and other intersecting forms of oppression), we seek to shape community by intentionally building supportive and transformative social spaces. We are committed to: Equity-seeking spaces and practices; honouring complex histories and relationships to trauma, loss, privilege, and oppression; the necessity of creative, supportive communities to our individual and collective well-being; offering welcome, without the need for apology, fixing, or saving."
Recently a letter from Art Not Shame and supporters was drafted and circulated to City Council and staff members, and I've included it below.
"I am writing to urge you to reconsider recent budget deferrals within the Community Investment stream that deeply impact our cultural and wellbeing sectors. Organizations like Art Not Shame, which are woven into the fabric of Guelph’s community life, rely on these funds to continue their valuable work in enhancing the well-being and cultural vitality of our city. By investing in programs that advance both wellbeing and culture, the City can make an immediate, positive impact on residents’ quality of life, today and into the future.
The City’s Culture Plan 2030 was developed to foster cultural initiatives that would bring our community together, support diversity, and make Guelph a place of inspiration and connection. However, the budget deferral now pushes all related capital funding out to 2037, risking the Culture Plan’s transformation into a vision without substance. Without investment, we risk losing valuable opportunities to support organizations like Art Not Shame, which embody the goals set out in the Culture Plan by providing accessible and inclusive arts and wellness programs.
Art Not Shame stands at the intersection of wellbeing and culture. Their work offers mental health support through artistic expression, giving residents a space to connect, heal, and celebrate creativity together. This aligns closely with the City’s vision of using culture as a catalyst for social connection and inclusion. Through workshops, community events, and creative programming, Art Not Shame has helped residents of all ages and abilities find community and empowerment through art. They offer meaningful, inclusive cultural activities that benefit Guelph's most vulnerable populations.
Furthermore, initiatives like Art Not Shame are essential to the City’s wellbeing goals. By fostering a sense of belonging, they directly impact community mental health and resilience. At a time when the non-profit sector is being asked to take on more—from hosting city events to addressing food and housing insecurity—long-term partnerships, such as those enabled by Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs), are crucial. With a robust CBA program, the City can form sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with non-profits, allowing them to bring in additional funding, strengthen local initiatives, and create a more resilient community infrastructure. As an example, the Guelph Farmers' Market CBA has already proven successful, bringing in over a million dollars in capital funding that doubled the City’s investment.
Investing in organizations that support both wellbeing and culture is not an extra; it is foundational to creating a city where all residents thrive. Please help preserve Guelph’s wellbeing and cultural vibrancy by reinstating critical funding and supporting the Community Benefit Agreement structure, so organizations like Art Not Shame can continue serving our city."
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter."
The details of the council meeting can be found here: https://pub-guelph.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
This interview originally occurred live on November 18th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Marc Peloso, a resident at the Village of Riverside Glen. Marc grew up in Guelph, and if his name sounds familiar, the answer is yes - he is related to the Pelosos! As a Guelph history lover I recognized the name right away. Marc shares about his family, his career working in advertising, and his twenty year journey with MS. I appreciated him taking time out of his day to share a bit.
This interview was originally recorded on October 29th, 2024
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It’s been a few weeks since I’ve uploaded a new episode, as we had an unexpected run of live episodes in the mix! So I am slowly editing them from the archives and uploading them, starting with this interview with Greg Rhyno! Greg is a local (Guelph) author/musician and old friend Greg Rhyno. Greg and I have known each other for almost 25 years! Spanning his early supply teaching years through to teaching creative writing at the university, and now author of two fiction novels. We connect for this interview in anticipation of the Guelph Book Bash that happened Sunday Nov 3rd from 1-4pm at the Guelph Farmer’s Market, courtesy of Vocamus Press. Greg had only a small window of time during his break from teaching (I literally reached him at his school). To learn more about Greg (and his books) you can visit https://gregrhyno.com/
For the second half of the episode I let Zander McConnell hop back in the studio to give us an update from his time with Project Search.
These interviews were originally recorded on Nov 1st, 2024
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I loved this conversation. For this episode my guest Alex is a grade 11 student at John F Ross, who I met on an outing with The Village of Riverside Glen. Alex has been volunteering there for two years, and Alex's great grandmother was a previous guest on my radio show, which was a cool coincidence I didn't know at the time we met. I thought it would be interesting to interview Alex to hear the perspective of a young person who frequents spends time with the residents at Riverside Glen, to see where we share parallel perspectives, and where things are very different. But the conversation turned out far more fascinating, with Alex having an unusual past, starting with a diagnosis of severe anxiety at age 4, and not attending school for the first time until grade 3, but now excelling in high school. Alex is super interesting and I enjoyed our conversation so much, feeling a lot of kinship while also having a window in a very different experience. I'm enjoying getting to have candid and honest conversations about anxiety. Thank you Alex for being up for this conversation, I hope listeners enjoy it as much as I did!
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 17th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Zander McConnell, our current intern from “Project Search”. Zander has been coming to CFRU every day to work with us, in the hopes of learning transferable job skills, working on recording and editing, public speaking, file management, project management and getting immersed in some cool music and tech in the process. I thought it would be neat to interview him to learn more about him as a person, and to give him an opportunity to speak on mic. We talk about video games, his experience navigating his disability, he interviews me about being a mom, and we reflect on our respective experiences with anxiety. We cover a wide range of topics and we had a great time! We hope you enjoy it!“Project SEARCH is a unique school-to-work training program for students with disabilities. Students are immersed at a host business and get more than 700 hours of hands-on work experience geared to in-demand roles in the local labour market. They learn employability skills and plan their careers with guidance from a teacher and skills trainers.”
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 2nd, 2024
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For this episode I interview Janice Henderson, a recent new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about Janice’s career as a Real Estate Agent here in Guelph, how she started in that profession after her divorce, becoming a single mom to five kids and navigating a work life balance to always be there for all of their events and important moments. In recent times she’s had to adjust again, recovering from a stroke, and a recent dementia diagnosis, which led to her decision to choose Riverside Glen as a home. Janice is a strong believer in working from where you are, to put in the effort to try create the life you are comfortable with, dealing with the things you can’t prepare for, and focusing on the friends and family you want to be with. This was a nice hangout and conversation, we enjoyed each other’s company and I felt honoured to have been one of the first activities Janice has participated in! I’m excited for her days ahead! Thank you Janice for being my guest!
This interview was originally recorded on September 24th 2024
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For this episode I interview Neil and Sheila McLaren, residents at The Village of Riverside Glen. These two may be brand new to living at Riverside Glen, but Neil's mother was a resident twenty years ago, and it was his positive experience and weekly visits back then, that inspired them to look into Riverside Glen for their own care-plans. He played the piano every week when he visited way back then, and upon moving into Riverside Glen was shocked and pleased when a staff member remembered him from all that time ago. These two share some history of their respective upbringings, the point at which singing in the choir and playing music led to them crossing paths, and their fulfilling careers - Neil as a math teacher, and Sheila in computers and curriculum creation. After talking to these two I make the observation that they should consider writing curriculum for aging, and how to navigate the timeline and adjustments of moving through different stages of homes, and care. These two are very inspiring, really having seemed to arrive to this stage of life on their own terms. It's a valuable listen! Thank you Neil and Sheila!
This interview was originally recorded on September 10th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Leo Bock, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Leo is relatively new to the building, having moved to retirement to be close to his wife who is being cared for in Long Term Care. Leo opens up about this stage of life, transitioning to living alone, but surrounded by other residents, navigating the social balance of trying to have meaningful conversations and build connections, while not being sure where folks' feelings on issues land and not wanting to upset or offend people. Leo was born in Israel, and came to Canada as a teenager, and he constantly watches the news in order to stay connected to his homeland, and to stay aware of the turmoil it is immersed in.
He's feeling the heavy reality of the myriad of issues our world is facing, and it's not an easy process, trying to find people to talk to, and to figure out if any other residents are also paying attention to the outside world to the same extent - so it was particularly special that Leo and I were connected with each other and made some extra space together for difficult conversations. This was a very valuable chat for me, and it is an incredible feeling to feel like you were able to connect and make space when it was really needed. Thank you Leo for being willing to be vulnerable with me!
This interview was originally recorded on September 5th 2024
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This radio special was recorded at the 2024 Schlegel Summer Olympics! I followed 6 athletes from The Village of Riverside Glen and their coaches/support/staff on their journey to the host location (The Village of Glen Crossing), and with the help of Kadri we recorded pre and post interviews, recordings from the event, and some interviews Schlegel staff who helped coordinate the event. I hope you enjoy it!
This radio special was originally recorded on July 30th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Bill Cunningham, a younger resident at The Village of Riverside Glen who moved into the facility because he suffers from Epilepsy, and had been living alone, and felt it would be safer to be sure there would be help if he suffered a seizure. Bill talks about his epilepsy, some of the challenges and changes it has meant, his training of his dog Titan, his life before his diagnosis (including his work as a zamboni driver for the University of Guelph), and we spend a lot of time talking about the changes in Guelph over the years (Bill's family goes way back multiple generations in this city!) Thank you Bill for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 18th, 2024
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For this episode I interviewed Norah Spades and Jitterbug James of the band “The Vaudevillian”. The Vaudevillian are a two-piece band covering 1930’s ragtime/blues/jug and/hokum songs, and I caught up with them at their recent performance at The Village of Riverside Glen. Today’s episode features a live recording from their show and a short interview where they share their origin stories, the hustle and grind of busking life that they started in and where they’re headed now. They played this year’s Hillside Festival, their official Hillside set was 12:15 on Sunday July 21st at the Lake Stage, and they also led some workshops throughout the weekend (including Norah’s workshop on how to play washboard).
This interview was originally recorded on July 10, 2024
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For this episode I interview Barb Merkley, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Barb has lived at Riverside Glen for eight years, and she's an integral part of the Village community, with many of the residents and staff feeling like family to her. Her and I became fast friends on our bus trip to the drag races at Grand Bend, and she quickly became a willing guest for radio. Barb shares about Riverside Glen, her friends, and the many activities she's a part of. She shares stories of her family outside Riverside Glen, her career as a nurse, and her beloved husband, who was a huge part of her life. She is open for almost anything and is embracing all new opportunities that come her way. Thank you Barb for your quick friendship and conversation! Here's to many more bus rides!
This interview was originally recorded on July 4th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Harry O'Connell, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Harry shares many glimpses into different stages of life, from his childhood spent in London and summers in Port Stanley, to joining the military, leaving the military due to a boxing injury, getting married, a long career as a stationary engineer, through to having children (and now five generations with even some great-great grandchildren!!). Harry's life is dramatically different now, having lost his wife of 74 years who he had been caring for, and now living in Long-Term Care, but not different as in slowing down - in recent months Harry has done everything from helicopter rides to the CN Tower Edge-Walk to sky diving. The Village of Riverside Glen has been trying to schedule "Bucket list" activities for residents, and Harry has been (literally) jumping at every opportunity. Thank you Harry for giving us a window into your long and full life!
This interview was originally recorded June 27 2024
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For this episode I interview David "Byron" Howat, a resident at @The Village of Riverside Glen. Byron talks about his childhood in Saskatewan (including a rebellious/daredevil stage that could have led to him meeting his end!) his career working in Computer Systems, his family, and his 30 years traveling to Cape Breton with his second wife - Byron has a profound love for that place, and it truly became a second home. Thank you Byron for this lovely chat about your past!!
This interview was originally recorded on June 3 2024
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For this episode I interview a resident, who shares her story of being born and raised in Ireland, leaving school at a young age to become a hairdresser, and following that path upon her arrival to Canada as a teenager. Thank you to this resident for being willing to chat with me and share her story!
This interview was originally recorded on May 9th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Ju Man Chen, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Ju Man is originally from Kolkata, India, and - supported by his daughter Jean - Ju Man shares his story of growing up as part of a small community of Hakka Chinese. He shares of his experiences navigating poverty, and his strong work-ethic, helping to financially support his family by dropping out of school to work at a very young age, and his experience moving with his family to Canada as a young adult. He has an innate ability to take apart and understand how things work, and his ability to learn by doing helped him in his decades long career working at Timberland in Woodstock Ontario. He often worked several jobs simultaneously to support his wife and four daughters, and now is enjoying his abundance of grandchildren, and is trying to learn how to enjoy "leisure". We had a fun hangout, and I can't wait to drive him and his fellow residents to the raceway as their new bus driver! Thank you Jean and Ju Man for spending time with me and sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on May 23 2024
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For this episode I interview Grace Wilson. Her conversation begins with sharing stories from many adventures traveling across the world, in the company of her daughter and her daughter's wife, two young spontaneous, jet-setting Aerospace engineers. When asked where her daughter's exciting/confident/traveling-lifestyle originated, Grace shares some of her own past, and her incredible route through a lifelong career (largely self-taught) in Optometry - and it's clear that Grace was a role model of tenacity and determination! She's an inspiration, and fun company, and I'm glad we got this chance to hangout. Thank you Grace for a fun afternoon!
This interview was originally recorded on May 16, 2024
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For this episode my guest is Elizabeth "Betty" Beard, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Betty has lived closed to 100 years, and shares today about her family, growing up in Toronto and living for a time in Wingham, her musical background, playing the bells, and her family's band "The Beard Family Singers". Thank you Betty for making the time to chat!
This interview was originally recorded on April 4th 2024
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Today I interview Anneke Haan, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Anneke was born in Holland, and moved to Canada when she was three. She grew up in Fergus and Elora, and has lived all around this area, and she shares stories from her journey around these parts, starting a career in nursing before shifting to accounting, and for a time running a crafting/general store in Shellburne. We bond over a shared love of plants, crafts, and spread sheets. She's still adjusting to this new stage of life, and is open about that experience, and her story will likely connect with lots of folks in one area or another. It was an enjoyable chat, and I'm thankful Anneke took the time to connect!
This interview was originally recorded on March 28th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Elaine Beattie, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Elaine was born and raised on Prince Edward Island, before the bridge was built. She shares her story of what life was like on the island, then moving to the exciting city of Montreal to become a nurse, starting a family, and later pivoting to become a United Church Minister. Elaine is the president of the Resident's Council, helping to advocate for her fellow residents, and it gives her a great perspective to share from when giving a window into what life can be like at Riverside Glen. Thank you Elaine for sharing with us!
Original Recording Date: March 21, 2024
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For today's episode my guest is Norah Chaloner, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. I know today's guest won't be a stranger to many of my long-time Guelphite friends, Guelph history-loving friends, and Guelph artist friends - Norah is an incredible fixture in our community! And it was such a treat talking about the history of Guelph and the surrounding area. She shared many Guelph stories I had never heard before, gave some insights into the possible inspiration for the Blacksmith Fountain (my favourite piece of Guelph historic art!) and shared about her advocacy work, working with several community groups to protect and defend the Yorklands Green Hub. This was a great conversation, and I look forward to future visits with Norah. I'm so glad we were connected for this! Tune in, and thank you Nora!
This interview was originally recorded on March 14th, 2024.
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For this episode I interview Hearty Missier, a recent resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Originally from Sri Lanka, Hearty shares stories from growing up, her challenging home life, and how her strong will and outspoken voice carried her through it. I learned so much about Sri Lanka’s class system, how it affected Hearty’s emigration to Canada, who she was allowed to spend time with, and even wild details such as Hearty not being born in “Sri Lanka”, because she was born in 1940, and Sri Lanka didn’t gain independence until 1948, so she wasn’t recognized as being a citizen by birth. Hearty is a real character, quiet and observing when around her fellow residents, and apparently saving her stories for people like me, and I’m very thankful she opened up to me! We laughed a lot. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and educational conversation, and I hope you like it as much as I did!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 22nd, 2024
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Today I had the pleasure of interview Bob Seim, a Guelph-born, history-loving, retired child-psychologist with a myriad of hobbies including horticulture, and maintaining a newsletter devoted to the history of G.C.V.I. I've been very lucky lately with how much of a bond I've been able to form so quickly with my guests - Bob gave me a window into Guelph from his childhood, told through the lens of having grown up in an orphanage, in an era when kids hopped on their bikes and roamed the city till the sun went down. So many stories from Guelph's history that I haven't heard before! So interesting! Hopefully you'll enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Thank you Bob for being willing to share with me - I know it's not something you do all the time!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 8 2024
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Today I interview Roman Kramer, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. I haven't interviewed a lot of folks from Switzerland, and Roman provided a great opportunity for me to learn about Switzerland's history, particularly in relation to WWII. We speak about this, and hear of Roman's journey to Canada, and his successful career as a carpenter, supervising many huge builds in our area. He is also an incredible artist, a car-enthusiast, and we really bonded, as it seems like we have similar ways of thinking, and tackling massive and multifaceted projects. This was definitely a fun one. Thank you Roman for the fantastic conversation!
This interview was originally recorded on January 30th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Tom Wilson, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. We kick off our chat talking about Guelph history, sharing where our respective geography crossed paths, at different periods of time. Tom shares some stories from his at-times-challenging-relationship with his many-decade career on the police force, and his frustrated feelings about where he is at this stage of life. It's very important to me that we create space for folks to share complicated and difficult feelings, and I'm glad Tom felt comfortable opening up to me. Thank you Tom for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on January 6th, 2024
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For this episode I interview Jo-Anne Lowden, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jo-Anne shares stories of early childhood in northern Ontario, her move to the big city of Hamilton to become a Hairdresser in her youth, and raising a family. Thank you Jo-Anne for sharing your story!
This episode was originally recorded on December 12th, 2023
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For this episode my guest is Norman Coolahan, a recent resident in Long-Term-Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Norman had a thirty year career with the TTC in Toronto. So with my background in bus driving, we had a lot to talk about! Listen to learn about the early days of buses and street cars and subways, about Norman’s, life transitioning into Long-Term-Care, and a little about his friend “Freddy” too. Thanks Norman for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 21st, 2023
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For this episode I interview Ed & Sheila Millar, a couple living in retirement at The Village of Riverside Glen. They reflect on their early days in Hamilton, growing up just four blocks apart but never meeting until they were adults. Ed paints a picture of the Hamilton mountain when you could still hunt there, and houses were sparse. He's nostalgic for the days before cellphones, and cherishes the wisdom passed down from seniors.
This interview was originally recorded on November 14th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Francoise Dalcourt, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Francoise takes us back through a challenging childhood, falling sick with Polio as a baby, in a huge family of nine, and a very tough home life. But Francoise is a "tough cookie" as she puts it, and through those challenges she shares about the positive times, finding love, moving to Guelph and starting her own family, and how some of the challenges she lived through brought her closer to her siblings. We bond over a shared love of the beauty of New Brunswick, and a shared love of babies. Thank you Francoise for spending time with me, for being strong and vulnerable and sharing your story!
Original Recording Date Nov 7th 2023
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For this episode my guest is Teresa Langel, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Teresa shares wonderful and hilarious stories of her and her husband's earliest days, meeting at a dance as teenagers, and going on to have five children, and many more grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her story includes a harrowing road trip as a 19 year old to Mexico, perseverance navigating challenges with her body while maintaining a career, family, and getting a university degree, and some adorable tips for managing a kindergarten class full of wiggly children. She's also looking for a magician for an upcoming family reunion, if you happen to know anyone for the gig! I loved speaking with Teresa and am so appreciative of her sharing her story. I hope you enjoy it!
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 24th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Lillian Parker, a resident in Long-Term-Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Lil is utilizing her time at Riverside Glen by helping her fellow residents, and taking part on the Residents' Council, advocating on behalf of residents for a "Social Model of Living". Lil has an incredible disposition, and she speaks openly about her perspectives on life in Long-Term Care, about aging, friendship, health, and even death. When Lil had a stroke a number of years ago, her husband supported her through her recovery, as it took her two years to regain the ability to speak. As her husband's health has declined, Lil has done the same for him, caring for him as he moved into Long-Term-Care at Riverside Glen, and now living with him there, caring for him through his journey post-stroke, and progressing dementia. Lil's attitude towards life's unpredictable challenges is truly inspirational, and she somehow can speak about the reality of death and loss and still make you smile. This is a truly special one. I don't go into these interviews with the intention of asking my guests to open up about heavy topics, as I am a guest in their spaces, and I don't like the idea of bringing up something heavy, then leaving them with big feelings - but I do try to hold space for these things, and when my guests do want to use this opportunity to talk about these things I feel incredibly honoured. Thank you Lil for being willing to share with us!
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 17, 2023
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For this episode I interview Samantha Thai, Senior Library Assistant at Heffner Studio at Kitchener Public Library, and the program coordinator behind the "PRODUCE: HER" sessions. PRODUCE : HER Sessions is a monthly program for women, non-binary, trans, and gender expansive people who are interested in music production and the recording arts. Sam and I chat about this series, some of the motivation behind it, and importance for carving out this space for folks to learn these skills and find community amongst folks with shared experiences. There are two sessions coming up in the series, and both are free (you don't even need a KPL library card for these!) You can register at the attached links. There's also a survey you can fill out to help support the library with their planning for these types of awesome programs. Thank you KLP and Sam and Heffner Studios for connecting with us!October 26: Live Sound with Shannon Lee - https://www.kpl.org/programs-and.../event-listing/event...November 16: A Day In the Life of an Independent Artist with Maya Killtron - https://www.kpl.org/programs-and.../event-listing/event...Survey: https://forms.gle/YXTk4rJDG3Mb3uPH7
This interview was originally recorded on September 22nd, 2023
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For this episode I had a really cool opportunity, getting to interview a guest with "Aphasia", named Rick Cimerman, living in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen . If you're not familiar with Aphasia, Aphasia refers to "trouble with speaking, understanding speech, or reading or writing as a result of damage to the part of the brain that is responsible for language processing or understanding" In this case the Aphasia was the result of a stroke. It was a new challenge for me, navigating how to respectfully edit our interview while preserving the authenticity of Rick's voice. The result is different than what you might typically hear on the radio, but hopefully it will be clear to listeners how much we enjoyed each other's company!
This interview was originally recorded on September 26th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Ann Kuzik, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen in "Emma" - Riverside Glen's "Memory Care Wing". Ann is navigating life with dementia, and is open about this, but is still able to recall and shares stories from her career in nursing, and her long wonderful marriage to her husband who passed a number of years ago. Ann feels fortunate to have had such a good and loving family - something that wasn't always possible for other people her age who's families were affected by the war. Her father survived being enlisted in WWII, and continued after as a teacher and organist in the church, and she was very close with him. Her sister and her are very close, too, having lived together as adults, and supporting each other through the losses of their husbands. And while she's still adjusting to her life at Riverside Glen, she feels very supported by the staff, who she says are amazing. Thank you Ann for opening up to us and sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 25th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Sandra Luebbecke, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen retirement residence. At 54, Sandra may be one of the youngest residents in the building - she is relatively new to the space, having moved to the assisted living area of Riverside Glen to help receive extra support for her body's progression through Multiple Sclerosis. Sandra shares about her relationship with MS, and how her body has changed over the last few decades, her transition from living independently to living in a supervised care facility, getting used to using a wheelchair, and learning when to accept and ask for help. This is one side of her experience at Riverside Glen, but she also recently joined the "Residents Committee", a committee that helps to inform important decisions at Riverside Glen, in terms of programming, problem solving, and giving a voice to the residents to help address issues and respond to their needs and interests. For the past couple of years the committee was run by staff, because there weren't enough residents with the capacity to run it - and Sandra brings her youth, her outside perspective, and a renewed energy to Riverside Glen, which are huge assets for this work. So while she has to learn to adjust to her new life and her changing body, she has an amazing opportunity to contribute in a different way. She's figuring out the balance. And she's checking items off her bucket list, including having recently fulfilled a decades-long dream of skydiving (you can read about that here: https://schlegelvillages.com/.../10000-foot-dive-along... )
Thank you so much Sandra for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 18th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Bill Winship, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen retirement residence. Bill is 96, and his vivid memory gives us a rare and powerful glimpse into the life of a young soldier during WWII, and a fulfulling life of music and dancing after the War. Bill describes life as a young teen, growing up just outside Liverpool at the beginning of the war - he remembers eight days and nights of "Blitzkrieg" where planes flew overhead 24 hours a day, and Liverpool was ablaze for as far as he could see. He remembers the bomb shelters built on the school yard - walking out to the field when they heard the sirens, always carrying a gas mask in a cardboard box and cookies for rations. Bill joined the home guard in WWII at the age of 15, having lied about his age and his partial deafness in one ear. He describes “Hate training”, a process by which soldiers were trained to kill, and taught to hate the German uniform and what was in it. Bill then became a weapons trainer, teaching other soldiers as old as his own father.
But after the war life was beautiful for Bill - he took Ballroom dancing lessons, and he ran a youth club, and taught them how to dance. His parents had been professional musicians - his mother had even performed at a Command Performance in the 1920s for the then-Prince of Wales. She was pregnant with Bill during some of her performances, and gave Bill some of that talent, and as a young adult he joined an Operatic society and ended up performing in the Gypsy Princess and the Gondeliers.
Dancing even played a life-altering role in his love-life, as he met his wife, at a dance on a boat, on the last day of his boat ride immigrating to Canada.
This conversation reflects a rich life that saw beautiful joy and art, and perseverance through one of the most horrific periods in history. We are so privileged Bill has shared it with us! Thank you Bill!
This interview was originally recorded on July 11th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Suta Biswas, the London Ontario needlecraft artist behind Holistic Needlecraft. Today Suta gives us window into her creative process - from the great care she takes sourcing and upcycling high quality cotton fabrics from India, to her unique hand-stitched/patchworked method of creating truly one-of-a-kind, double sided jackets and throw blankets. Her artistic practice stretches all the way back to her grandmother sewing these blankets in India, and now Suta's own family are part of the practice, with her son even accompanying her to handmade markets as the Holistic Needlecraft Salesperson. Holistic Needlecraft embodies the principles of Slow Fashion and sustainability - It's truly special what Suta is creating, and when you hear her vision you'll be even more excited to support and track down these incredible textiles. You can follow her on facebook and Instagram @HolisticNeedlecraft and online at holisticneedlecraft.com Thank you Suta for connecting with us!
This interview was originally recorded on July 6th, 2023
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For this episode I connect with Bill Henry, a new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Born and raised in the Ward in Guelph, Bill gives a glimpse into a changing city, changing married life, many jobs, many kids, and eventually travel. Thank you Bill for letting me interview you!
This interview was originally recorded on June 27th, 2023
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For this episode I interview Greta Riondato , Handel Callender, and Theresa Kretsch , the three artist-coordinators of the Two Rivers Art Camp! The art camp is a one-week camp for children ages 8-14, and is being offered twice, the first two weeks in July - July 3-7th, and July 10-14th. Both weeks will happen at Tytler Public School and the Huron Community Garden in the Ward.
Handel arrived to Canada from Barbados ten years ago, Greta from Italy five years ago, and Theresa from Germany at the beginning of this year. We connected to speak about the motivation behind this camp, what they're hoping to explore, and how their respective relationships with Guelph, and community as has been shaped by their artistic paths as immigrants. Thank you so much to the three of them for taking the time to be interviewed!
More about the camp:
The Two Rivers Art Summer Camp offers a chance to explore creativity through diverse art projects centred around local sustainability and community. By engaging in hands-on activities, participants will discover innovative ways to communicate positive ideas, inspiring hope for Guelph’s Future. At the end of the program, the campers’ artworks will be exhibited in an event titled “We are all related”
This interview was originally recorded on June 14th, 2023
Links to the artists:
Greta Riandato:
www.gretariondato.comInstagram - @greta.riondatoGreta Riondato Portraits on Facebook
Theresa Kretsch
Instagram - @theresa.kretsch
Handel Callender:
https://www.facebook.com/macdaddyguelph/
Here are some photos from the first week:
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For this episode I interview Patricia Boudreau, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen . Patricia hilariously self-describes as a "fat happy kid" in her childhood, and shares glimpses of life in Toronto in the 30s, as an upper middle class family. Lots of trips to see family in Hamilton, and to farms to attempt to hop onto donkeys! Patricia has some interesting insights into how wealth - or even perceived wealth - had a significant impact on the outcomes of families in the 30s, when it came to recovering from health or tragedies, or even competing for jobs. We hope you enjoy the conversation!
This interview was originally recorded on June 13th, 2023
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This episode marks my return to the radio airwaves after a year off for parental leave! For this episode, I interview five storytellers, all of whom were participating in a virtual storytelling/music and poetry event on Thursday June 15th: “Feeding Tummies and Souls: Stories of Lived Experience to Inspire and Engage”. I connected with storytellers Susan Ida Boucaud, Sya VanGeest, Sharon Felker, Judy Noonan, and Barb McPhee, to talk about their respective paths to storytelling, and the power this type of sharing has for them as tellers, and for folks who listen, to give us a glimpse into diverse experiences, and hear about journeys that lead to hope and resilience. This felt like the perfect topic for my return to the airwaves, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This virtual event happened Thursday June 15th on Zoom, and was a fundraiser for the North End Harvest Market. Check out and support the North End Harvest Market! We recorded the storytelling event and will be airing that at some point too, so watch for that!
These interviews were originally recorded on June 6th and June 8th 2023
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This episode is my final-for-now episode of the show, I’m hoping to return to the show later in the year, but have had some exciting life changes that have put the show on hold - I had a new baby!! (Baby is why there was a significant delay in posting this episode, but it’s finally here :) ). In honour of pausing the show, I wanted to interview someone else who - like me - had been working on a pandemic-project-during-the-pandemic, and was connected with "The Pandemy Show" - a "Podcast Uniting Humanity Through Stories of Hope, Connection, and Community in the Face of the Global Pandemy". Hosted by David Edmund, The Pandemy show started in late 2020, and has included interviews with people on nearly every continent of the world, about their experiences during this pandemic. And as you can imagine, there are tons of incredible parallels and common themes shared by the numerous guests of these two pandemic podcasts. So David and I did this mash up episode together - this episode starts with me as a guest on the Pandemy Show as the first half of the hour, followed by David as a guest on Bridging the Social Distance. And it is a fascinating and beautiful window into what the two of us have learned and experienced, and what we have all been living through the past two plus years. We highly recommend you tune in, and are so thankful to David for this amazing collaboration. Check out/listen to/subscribe to the Pandemy Show at pandemyshow.com
Rebroadcasts of Bridging the Social Distance will continue to air on CFRU, and you can check out all the past episodes here at bridgingthesocialdistance.com or in CFRU's archives at cfru.ca
This episode was originally recorded on May 16th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Abigail Lapell, a songwriter currently based in Toronto Ontario. Abigail has just released her fourth album, "Stolen Time", on Outside Music. Abigail and I have shared a label (Coax Records) and I have been enjoying watching Abigail's career unfold, and seeing her increasing success. We talk about Abigail's musical journey since her first release in 2011, and her time spent in the indie-folk scene in Montreal in the 2000s. At album number four, Abigail is on the rise - and I know from experience that a lot of these "successes" we see can hide how much work, perseverance and deflating set-backs happen behind the scenes. There are many perceive victories for Abigail (over a million plays on streaming platforms, festival bookings, successful grants) and today's interview reveals the immense amount of work behind those successes. For every "yes" there were countless no's, for the handful of festival acceptances, there are over 600 festival that said "not this year", and plays on streaming services are fun to watch, but they don't equal bodies in venues. Abigail has released a beautiful album and worked hard to be on the rise, and we hope people will check it out! We look forward to seeing what is coming for Abigail Lapell! She will be playing a show in Guelph on June 26th, and afternoon matinee at the ANAF in downtown Guelph, with Jenny Berkel and Guelph's own "Bird City"(my musical project!) . To check out all the upcoming shows, and her releases, visit
https://www.abigaillapell.com/
This interview was originally recorded on May 9th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Esmerelda Kennedy, a recent new-resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Esmerelda has lived in Guelph nearly her whole life, having immigrated here from Italy at the age of five. Growing up along the speed river, and then in the Ward, Esmerelda shares stories from her early days attending St. Stanislaus next to the Church of our Lady, raising her three daughters as a single mom, and her later, 30-year career as a bartender downtown, starting her own business "Bartender on Call", and then her favourite gig in the Priory Room at the Royal Hotel. We're sending Esmerelda best wishes for adjusting to life at Riverside Glen, and appreciate her sharing her story!
This interview was originally recorded on May 11th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Cormac Culkeen and Dave Grenon of Joyful Joyful, a two-piece music project who have just released their debut, self-titled album on Idée Fixe Records. Joyful Joyful and I are long-time friends, playing music together since the beginning of their musical journey many years ago, and the three of us reunited to talk about this release, and what it means for their project and the days ahead. They speak of the project's undercurrents of love and hope, their love for each other. Cormac and Dave have a beautiful way of showing up for each other despite periods of separation over time and space, and have learned a lot in the years it has taken to arrive to where they are. "It isn’t about content, as much as it’s about how is it that you are going to approach a frail world?" Tune in, and find their music at joyfuljoyful.xyz Thank you, and congratulations Joyful Joyful!
This interview was originally recorded on May 5th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Judy Stark, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Born and raised in Lachine Quebec, Judy shares her story of schooling and work, going from high school into Sir George Williams Secretarial School - she tried out nursing, but felt it wasn't a good fit, however her interest in the medical side of it combined with her secretarial skills, and she started out in the field of "Medical Transcription". Judy talks about a life of balancing working and raising her two sons, her 26 year as a working the front desk at a local Dentist office, and her recent transition to Long-Term Care and how important a person's attitude is in helping adjust. She also shares about her creative pursuits, writing children's stories. Thank you Judy for sharing your story with us!
This interview was originally recorded on April 27th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Florence Eland, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Born in Guelph in 1930, Florence has lived here her whole life, and today she shares some of that history with us - growing up between the country and the city out at Fife road, attending the MacDonald Consolidated School on the University grounds, helping out in the school's big gardens, putting on performances at Memorial Hall, and enjoying the annual picnic that saw the gathering of all the rural schools surrounding the city. Florence shares stories of the neighbouring strawberry farm and the Farmer's Dairy, the old pickle factory, her life as a secretary, coming from a family of thirteen children and raising six of her own. We're so grateful to Florence for giving us a glimpse into Guelph's past!
This interview was originally recorded on April 20th, 2022
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For this episode, in honour of Parkinson's Awareness Month, my guests are Barbara Salsberg Mathews - a multi-disciplinary visual and performance artist, retired teacher, and Board member of the Guelph Arts Council, and Tristan O'Malley - a Grade 1 teacher with a myriad of passions and interests including athletics, and playing music. Both were diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2020, and they got together for Parkinson's Awareness Month to discuss life since their diagnosis': how it has impacted their outlook on their futures, where they have found support and helpful information, and how they have managed to find silver-linings or ways to adapt or manage symptoms to continue exploring their projects and interests while navigating their changing bodies and abilities.
We really appreciate them making the time to connect and opening up about their experiences!
Helpful links/resources for Parkinson's Disease:
Guelph Wellington Parkinson's Support Group: https://psso.ca/support.../guelph-parkinsons-support-group/
Parkinson Canada:
https://www.parkinson.ca/
Michael J Fox -
https://www.michaeljfox.org/
Davis Phinney Foundation - "Every victory counts" - https://davisphinneyfoundation.org/every-victory-counts.../
"My Degeneration: A Journey Through Parkinson's" by Peter Dunlap-Shohl
https://bookshelf.ca/product/view/9780271071022
“Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Now What?” Edited by Liz Voogjarv (Available through the editor - diagnosedwithparkinsonsnowwhat@gmail.com)
And listen to our previous episode with "Theresa Daly" - Volunteer Administrator for the Guelph Wellington Parkinson's Support Group: https://bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com/.../202...
This interview was originally recorded on April 9th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Karim Mosna - Content Producer for the podcast "Lucky Guy", and Lance Darren Cole, the "Lucky Guy" himself! From their Patreon:
"This series explores unscripted antics of working professionally in theatre, unexpected opportunities in film, and challenging pursuits in television while spanning dynamic destinations from Montreal to New York and Barcelona. In the ongoing entertaining life of a creative spirit, one decision leads to the next odd and unpredictable outcome as he wears numerous hats on the road to self discovery and synchronicity."
Jenny interviews Karim and Lance about how they met, when they started collaborating, and what working on a podcast together, while apart, has looked like during this pandemic.
This interview was originally recorded on March 17th, 2022
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April is "Parkinson's Awareness Month", and I will be sharing two new episodes this month aimed to raise awareness about this disease. For this episode, I interview Theresa Daly - the Volunteer Administrator of the "Guelph Wellington Parkinson's Support Group".Theresa has had a 40+ career in health care, starting as a registered nurse. While working in the "Family Life" area of hospitals, working with new parents, caregivers, and people facing long medical journeys ahead, her nursing practice expanded, and she added a masters degree in Social Work - she recognized the emotional, family, financial, and social impact of illness on people, and that there are a myriad of factors that affect how a person can cope with a long-term diagnosis. She started a private practice devoted to older adults and their families facing medical challenges to help them navigate and increasingly complex healthcare system, and provided public education and consultation for Health Care Professionals.In 2014, when she tried to retire, she was giving a talk at the local chapter of a Parkinson's Support Group. The group had 14 members at that time, and no professional support, which was when she volunteered to be their Administrator. In the eight years since the group has expanded to 70+ people with Parkinson's and closer to 140 including their caregivers who she also supports. This group caught her spark - it felt like her whole career pointed her towards this work. Theresa has been incredible at walking with people on their journeys with long-term illnesses.The Guelph Wellington Parkinsons Support Group is part of a network of support, including the national organization Parkinson Canada (parkinson.ca) and the regional Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario (psso.ca). Every single day in Canada 25 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's.Theresa does all her work as a volunteer (also volunteering at the Guelph Humane Society, fostering cats and kittens :) ) and she could use our support! Theresa is looking for volunteers to help with this group, including someone to help co-facilitate the group with her - People with skills in hospitality, social work, computer skills and social media skills, someone to learn how to facilitate meetings, and help the members with Parkinson's get in and out of meetings. So if you are interested in supporting, please connect with Theresa at dalycounselling@rogers.comThank you so much to Theresa for sharing with us, and for the incredible work you do supporting our community.
This interview was originally recorded on March 11th 2022
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This episode marks the 100th interview for Bridging the Social Distance at The Village of Riverside Glen, and I interview Joyce Paul - a retired Salvation Army Officer, who has volunteered at Riverside Glen for 15 years, and is the sister of the late Lloyd Hetherington (Our first Riverside Glen guest for this show, and the resident who initiated this pandemic-era remote interviewing CFRU/Riverside Glen collaboration). Joyce tells us about her career as a Salvation Army Officer. Joyce's parents were Salvation Army officers, and she knew since she was six years old that she wanted to become a nurse through the Salvation Army to go over to help in Africa. That's exactly what she did! After heading to England to train as a Midwife, she then lived in Africa for ten years to help in hospitals. After some time her brother Lloyd joined her, as a principal at a local school, and it was there, through her brother, that she met her husband, who also became a Salvation Army Officer. After Africa, they moved to Canada and got married, and then moved all around Canada, to northern BC, Labrador, and many other places, helping out in hospitals, schools and wherever it was needed, up until retirement when they settled in Guelph.Joyce is a lovely guest with an interesting history, and we're thankful to her connecting to be our 100th Riverside Glen interview!
This interview was originally recorded on March 23rd, 2022
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For this episode, in honour of the "Trans Day of Visibility" I gathered with Emily Gleeson and Kevin Sutton to have an open-dialogue about our respective experiences exploring life outside the gender binary. All three of us identify as "They/them", but I am often "she", Emily at times is any and all of the pronouns, and as Kevin puts it, for them, "gender is a canvas". This conversation reflects how complex this experience is, how there is so much beauty when you start to give yourself space to break out of the molds and assumptions about gender that we are often groomed to accept. It was incredible to have the space to have this conversation centred from our own experiences, in a safe environment to bond over much we are all still learning. We highly recommend you tune in - in particular, if you are a person who ever feels like you drift from what you would think of as a "typical" gender role, you might hear yourself reflected in some of this. These are important conversations, and we are so thankful to Kevin and Emily being open to this dialogue.
The episode features music in behind the dialogue, from Emily's band SWOON, and a live recording of a song of Kevin Sutton's. (Plus one of Jenny's favourite Rae Spoon songs).
Happy Trans Day of Visibility!
This interview was originally recorded on March 29th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Ted Presant, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Ted's life story covers a huge history of farming in the region. Some of his family members attended Guelph Ontario Agricultural College all the way back in the 1910s. Ted shares the story of his grandfather starting a farm in the Blenheim/Chatham area, the "Heart of the Golden Acres" circa 1913, supported by Ted's dad (who attended the OAC to specialize in Horticulture) and Ted's uncles and Aunts. Born in Chatham in 1930 Ted grew up on that farm too, until the return of his cousins and his older brother from the services. With so many more young men in the family ready to help on the farm, Ted's brother attended the OAC with a focus on poultry, and Ted's father branched out to start a new farm with their family in the Brampton area.
Ted takes us through his education, studying first horticulture, then Field Husbandry, with a focus on crops and soils. Further schooling in Montreal brought geology into the mix, and the next few years saw a marriage, more schooling in Ottawa, and summers spent in New Brunswick , using his knowledge of soils and geology to help locate areas for metal mining. After graduation, he returned to Guelph where he spent much of his career creating soil maps and reports of various locations in Southern Ontario, (he also confirmed that some of the best soil for growing fruits and vegetables - second maybe only to Niagara - is located under the QEW). Ted gives us a glimpse into a fascinating history of farming over the past 100+ years in this region, and we are so appreciative to him and his daughter Wendy taking the time to connect.
This interview was originally recorded on March 16th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Jennifer Dorner, Executive Producer of POP Montreal. Jen started her position with this organization in Spring 2020, just as the world was going into pandemic mode. And while starting a new job in arts' event planning, virtually, during a pandemic, isn't necessarily easy, Jen's background as a contemporary visual artist has prepared her with skills to take on this challenge - In contemporary arts you're always having to prepare for the unknown, and when most institutions are used to more systemic ways of doing things, Jen could see solutions in the unusual spaces and creative opportunities .We discuss what this has meant so far for Pop, what has emerged despite the odds, what has changed, and what are we looking forward to. We discuss how Montreal, Quebec, and Canada have responded to this crisis when it comes to funding and supporting the arts. And we discuss the hurdles presented by not knowing what state of pandemic conditions you'll be presenting in months down the line - there are as Jen describes "Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D....all the way to Plan Z". There have been obvious challenges, but there have definitely been silver linings too. One example is how Remote technologies have allowed for incredible keynote speakers from around the world who they may never have otherwise had access to. In general, it has re-framed the choices we make and Jen observes that with climate change, we really do have to be more economical about when we do get together, and recognize that there are other ways of doing things. So while we all hope for a safe return to gathering and enjoying arts and music experiences together, hopefully we will lean into some of these new possibilities and continue those practices as well.Pop Montreal celebrated its 20th anniversary this past fall, and you can find more information about attending or applying to perform at popmontreal.com Thank you Jen for connecting and sharing today!
This interview was originally recorded on Mar 10, 2022
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For this episode I interview Matthew Forbes, Head Seedsperson at Saturday Seed Co. Saturday Seed Co was born in April 2020 - like many of us, the pandemic put a pause to business (Matthew is also the barber of "Matthew's Barbershop") and he turned to his lifelong love of seeds to find a fulfilling and meaningful new way to contribute to community. Matthew and I talk about his role as a "seed curator", from finding seeds from Ukraine, to seeds from local trusted farms, to growing his own plants from gifted seeds in order to reproduce these seeds that have traveled the world to be available here.
He talks about the benefits of starting your planting with open-pollinated, organic, GMO-free seeds, the beauty of backyard gardening and how it can have a different fulfilling purpose for different people, and the magic of a seed itself, this tiny thing that can make so much possible.
We don't want to dig up our gardens and yards just yet (there are many bees and other creatures just starting to wake up) but it's not too early to think about seeds! Tune in for Matthew, and head to saturdayseedco.ca if you want to learn more. Thank you Matthew!
This interview was originally recorded on Mar. 7th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Aaron Senitt, an artist and Kindergarten teacher based here in Guelph Ontario. I interviewed Aaron in anticipation of the launch of his new book, an illustrated essay called "Kreepingarten", that is being published by Publication Studio Guelph (@psguelph).
This thoughtful and whimsical guide "gently argues for the use of Physarum Polycephalum (the “many headed slime”) as a model for human learning." Aaron has lovingly studied Slime Mould, and the ways in which its biomimicry has given his kindergarten students examples of the value of taking care of each other, leaving paths for each other, tending to nature and non-human life forms, and understanding how we as individuals exist independently, but also inseparably from the whole of our communities.
Kreepingarten can be found through the publisher, Publication Studio Guelph (https://www.publicationstudio.biz/studios/guelph/) and will be available locally at the Bookshelf.
Thank you Aaron for sharing this delightful book with us!
This interview was originally recorded on Mar 16th 2022. It was also my 200th interview for “Bridging the Social Distance”! When I realized a couple months back that I was getting close to the 200 interviews mark, I set out to achieve 200 interviews by the two-year anniversary, and the first interviews for this show took place on March 16th, 2020. So we made it! And there are still many to come. Thank you for your continued support!
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For this episode I interview Alida Zergerius, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Alida is the oldest guest I’ve had so far on this show, and will be 104 on her upcoming birthday this year. She attributes her long life, clear memory, and perseverance through difficult periods of history to her strong faith. She shares incredible stories today - her family living through German-occupied Holland during WWII, surviving off 1 litre of watery soup for her whole family, while pregnant, trying to trade her linens with farmers to supplement their diets with tulip bulbs and sugar beets when they could be found (she gave birth to a 3 pound baby during this time, that thankfully survived). Her husband's family having converted from Judaism to Christianity - which ostracized them from their Jewish community and Synagogue, but also led to the removal of their family's name and address in the books in the Synagogue, ultimately sparing them when the Germans used these books to track down and capture all the Jewish people during their occupation. A similar "lucky" technicality of her husband having Jewish blood, spared him when he was picked up along with many other Dutch men to be sent to work in the dangerous German Factories. She shares the story of her husband's life-long aspirations to become a minister, and his path through the seminary to lead his own church service, and help make possible the family's immigration to Bridgetown Nova Scotia in the 1950s. And her stories of adjusting to life in Nova Scotia are hilarious and endearing, (and include a fish in a well). So many incredible stories that span the past hundred years. Alida's memory is a gift to us, and we are so lucky to get to hear these stories today! Thank you Alida!
This interview was originally recorded on Mar 2nd, 2022
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For this episode, to honour her first year here at CFRU, I interview Odesia Howlett, CFRU's Marketing and Outreach Director. Odesia joined us March 1st 2021. Today we get a glimpse behind the scenes to learn more about Odesia, what it was like to look for work during a pandemic, to start at a brand new workplace where you've never met your co-workers in person, to take over a vacant position and create a whole new potential for it in a virtual landscape, the learning curves of starting in radio, and how she's feeling after this first year. It's a fun and informative way to learn more about CFRU, too! So tune in! And congrats to Odesia for an awesome first year!
This interview was originally recorded on March 3rd, 2022
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For this episode I interview Sheila Dantzer, a visual artist and resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Today we get an inspiring glimpse into Sheila's path of teaching and painting. Her love of art dates back to childhood, first manifesting in the decorating of all of her school assignments, to later art classes when she was in grade 7 at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) where her and her fellow students painted on the floors, shown films for inspiration, and led in instruction by members of the Group of Seven, to then attending the "Ontario College of Art". After this first stretch of college she attended teacher's college and she began her lifelong career of teaching. Her first teaching job was in a northern Canadian Cree community, where - she didn't know at the time - her Cree students could attend, and wouldn't be otherwise removed to be taken to Residential Schools. Sheila has always been drawn to the social aspects of new places and new experiences, and making connections with special students, some of her highlights being a focus on working in ESL and Special Education, and teaching at Durham Alternative Secondary school in Oshawa, and her and I discuss the intersection of art, and teaching/connecting, and how one helps the other. During the past twenty years of her living in Guelph, Sheila also became a member of the Guelph Arts Council. Sheila has shared her gifts in many different forms, and has aspirations to find opportunities to paint again at her home at Riverside Glen, and we are sending hopes and wishes for that to come true! Thank you so much to Sheila for connecting with us!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb. 23, 2022
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For this episode I interview Grace Lodder, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Grace is full of incredible stories about history. She also has a heck of a sense of humour. She shares what she loves about Riverside Glen, and what she remembers from her move to Canada.She also talks about life during WWII, and how difficult it was afterward, when the German’s had taken many of Holland’s resources during their occupation. The Germans made the Dutch men build big dykes so that if the English came with their boats they couldn’t land. It was a scary time for Grace, and the other Dutch residents of Holland - if the Germans apprehended Dutch men, they would take them to Germany to work in their most dangerous factories, and their bomb factories, because they knew the English would come with bombs, and they thought the English might not bomb their factories if they knew they were filled with Dutch workers. Grace's father was one of the Dutch men taken to a factory in Germany, and had to rely on secret methods of communication to escape and hide in order to make it home again.It's so important to listen to these stories, and try to learn from history, and we appreciate Grace sharing with us today, and for being such a delight to talk to.
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 16 2022
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For this episode I interview Adrian Stickland - born and raised in Guelph, Adrian has now lived in this city for over six decades! Him and I connect to talk about his history of playing music, his first drum kit, his first band, his first love of the Beatles and his discovery of punk. We compare notes as to our city's past music stores, and music venues, and try to imagine what might lie ahead. Two of Adrian's bands are releasing vinyl this year - "The Dead Souls" (Adrian's Joy Division cover band) and "Maggot Fodder" (a band Adrian was in decades ago, releasing some of this music for the very first time). At the end of today's interview stay tuned for the world-radio/podcast-debut of Maggot Fodder's song "My Wife". Thank you Adrian for taking the time to connect!Also be sure to check out the awesome interview Gracy Go did with Adrian last year on Radiopirg for Black Heritage Month, where Adrian shares some of the history and origins of punk music - you can find it in our archives at https://archive.cfru.ca/.../RadiOPIRG%20-%20February%2025...
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 16th 2022
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For this episode I interview Randy Clayton, a former Guelphite, now-Brantford resident, and retired radio personality and bus driver. When Randy reached out to connect with me (having seen my posts about this radio show in the facebook group "If You Grew Up in Guelph Do you Remember") we were delighted to discover that we both have careers in radio-making and bus driving in common. So we HAD to connect for a radio episode of our own! Randy takes us on his journey to radio making - his start at CFRU in his teens, his passion for sports (and when he was lucky enough to get to do some sports broadcasting), sharing stories of hosting a country radio show at CKPC in Brantford with notable highlight interviews with Roy Orbison, Kenny Rogers, and Sweet Daddy Siki (the country-music-playing-professional wrestler). And then of course he takes us out on his bus in stories, sharing some of the places he's been and funny moments along the way. Bus driving and radio-hosting were Randy's two childhood dream-jobs and it was such a pleasure to get to hear his adventures with both. Thank you Randy for being our guest today!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 10th 2022
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For this episode I interview Jenny Lodder, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jenny and I had a blast talking to each other, making each other laugh, and sharing our love for traveling across Canada. Jenny talks about raising six kids, and her subsequent 27 grandchildren and more than 60 great-grandchildren. And she takes us on a trip through German-occupied Holland during WWII, describing lying in bed at night hearing the boots of the soldiers out for a walk, and scared because you didn't know what they were about to do. She lived with a crawl-space in her house, there to help her brothers and father "go under" and hide when the soldiers came to the door. And when some of her brothers were captured, she describes her brother, detained to work at a manufacturing plant in Germany, every day writing on a piece of paper "we bend but not break". Today's stories are beautiful, haunting, and important, and help give some perspective of today's struggles, as we're reminded of the difficult periods of history people have managed to overcome. We appreciate Jenny so much for sharing and willing to take us on this journey.
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 9th 2022
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For this episode I interviewed Arlene Mulder, a recent new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Arlene has come to Riverside Glen, for a new chapter of life learning to live with Parkinsons, after many decades spent living in and raising a family in Limehouse ON. Right out of high school she got to work at Smith and Stone (a factory many people in the area will be familiar with) and worked right up until the birth of the first of her three daughters. She has a fantastic work-ethic, and a determined spirit, recognizing the value of parents' sharing wisdom and guidance, but not pushing their children to make choices (and how "You can't put an old head on young shoulders" She shares the story of how she met her husband (who emigrated to Canada from Holland as a teen) and their hard work to buy their first house in Georgetown, their further work to build a new family home on a one-acre lot in Limehouse, and the many times over the years that the hard work and patience was able to see them reach life-goals, such as getting a cottage up north, and her husband being able to start his own wood-working business a few years before he passed away.
She's also played the piano since she was twelve years old, having gifted her piano to her granddaughter when she moved. In her interview she shared that her current dream was to play the piano at the sermons at Riverside Glen and we found out that she got to do this just a short time later! Truly beautiful. Thank you Arlene for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on Feb 2nd, 2022
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For this episode I interview Renee "Mei Fei" Elrick. Mei Fei is a recent new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen, and a long-time Guelphite, both her and husband having worked at the UoG (her husband as a Soil Physicist, and her as a Social Scientist). She shares the story of her many homes in many countries over her life - born in Shanghai China, before moving to California and Northwood North Dakota while her father was working with the Airforce in WWII. From there, she went to the University of Wisconsin for school, where she met her husband, who's career would then take them all around the world for research, including stretches of living in Australia, France, and New Zealand. Her first child was born in Australia, two in Guelph, then one in France and she shares some of the differences at that time in these places, when it came to child birth. She's a fascinating guest with many experiences and we're so glad she connected to share them with us!
This interview was originally recorded on January 26th 2022
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For this episode I interview Joan Skelton-Kurisko, an author living at The Village of Riverside Glen. Joan speaks of the role of writing throughout her life, growing up in Toronto but spending meaningful time on the shores of Lake Simcoe at her family's cottages, when the area was still wild and full of nature. Joan realized she was a Northerner at heart, and after graduating from the University of Toronto, settled in North Western Ontario with her husband and still continues to go back when she can. She speaks of the profound impact Lake Superior has had on her writing, and how she uses writing to try to make anarchy of life. You can find her earliest published work under her married name "Joan Kurisko", and her novels and other published work after that point (including her recent short story "The Bear out there" were published under her maiden name of "Joan Skelton" Thank you so much to Joan for being our guest!
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 19th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Ron Langel, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Ron is a very new arrival to the building, his wife and him moved into two different parts of the building, just before Christmas. He talks a bit about this transition, as well as growing up in Welland, first working in the trades as a woodworker/carpenter, then a police officer, before going to Teacher's College and eventually settling into a decades long career as a high school guidance councillor. Some folks may recognize him from his days at GCVI during the 1960's-1980's. He's had a varied life full of surprising experiences, and it's a fun listen! Thanks Ron for sharing with us a lot of interesting history and perspective!
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 12th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Leslie Shapiro, also known as the "Naked Harpist”, or more recently, the “Well-Dressed Harpist". Leslie is an artist/musician/harpist, community builder/activist, and mother, currently attending teacher's college in Toronto. We connect to reflect on the impact this pandemic has had on Leslie's various projects and travels, and to look ahead to the future, pulling from our optimistic tendencies to brainstorm how we could implement some needed changes in the music industry. This is a special, longer-episode - we were about to wrap up when Leslie flipped the script and started to interview me about music, and some really interesting reflections unfolded that we wanted to share. You will also hear a few live-performances of Leslie on the harp. You can find Leslie @thewelldressedharpist on Instagram. Thank you Leslie for making the time to connect!Photo by Ryan McKinnon- Mori
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 6th 2022
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For this episode I interview Bang Ly, National curriculum lead for St John Ambulance's Opioid Poisoning Response Training Program (OPRT).
"Opioid poisonings are on the rise across Canada, including at shelters and other homeless-serving organizations. More frontline workers than ever are witnessing and managing poisonings at their workplace. As a result, there is a growing need for education and access to naloxone*.
*Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses the effects of opioids on the brain. It is an important tool that can save the life of someone experiencing an opioid poisoning.
To help meet this growing need, St. John Ambulance is now offering an Opioid Poisoning Response Training program*. The OPRT is a two-step program that provides training and nasal naloxone to frontline workers in homeless-serving organizations. Some examples of organizations that are eligible for this program include shelters, harm reduction sites, peer support groups, libraries, and more."
Bang and I talk about the important work Bang's team has been doing to address the Opioid pandemic, and the essential role of self-care in supporting this work. We talk about the added effects of a pandemic, and how country-wide facilitated conversations are not only allowing for the sharing of resources and knowledge, but also helping track the migration of drugs across the country. Bang shares some very important insights into how the language we use to talk about these topics can have a huge impact on how they're responded to, and reminds us that "People don't make good choices - people have good choices to make"
It is a fascinating and informative conversation and we hope you find it as valuable as we did.
You can see the available programs at: https://reactandreverse.ca/opioid-response-training-for...
You can follow this work on facebook at Opioid Poisoning Response Community
This interview was originally recorded on January 5th, 2022
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For this episode I interview Dorothy Lloyd, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Dorothy and I chat about Dorothy navigating this pandemic while recovering from a stroke, her goal of learning to walk again, and her learning how to knit with one-hand. Dorothy talks about her childhood in England during the war, her move to Guelph as a young married mom with four children, her life-long passion for sports, and some of the journeys these passions have taken her on. She's a true delight and we are sending her strength and well-wishes for a speedy recovery.
This interview was originally recorded on Dec 15th, 2021
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For this episode I have the privilege of interviewing Dr. Soren Brothers - the inaugural "Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change at the ROM @romtoronto (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto). As far as the ROM can tell, this position is the first of its kind, and today Soren shares some of the potential he sees in this position, some of his goals and aspirations, and the careful balance of sharing this important information with the seriousness it calls for, while leaning into optimism and highlighting ways forward and progress where they can be found.
About Soren (https://www.rom.on.ca/en/collections-research/rom-staff/soren-brothers)
Dr. Soren Brothers is the Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. He is also an Assistant Professor at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. Soren’s research examines the effects of climate change on lakes, and how changes in aquatic systems can influence their greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. More broadly, he is interested in understanding how feedback loops and the transdisciplinary study of lakes can help us better understand and predict global tipping points that may accelerate anthropogenic climate change.
Born in Mississauga and raised in Toronto, Soren has worked on lakes in a diverse array of environments around the world, including the Nunavut tundra, Quebec’s boreal forests, and the Great Lakes. He is leading a Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network initiative to improve understanding of the widespread greenhouse gas impacts of desiccation. He is also passionate about science communication and community outreach and organized a climate change workshop at the United Nations Civil Society Conference in 2019. Before beginning at the ROM in 2021 he was an Assistant Professor of Limnology at Utah State University, and a CREATE program manager and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph, focusing on multiple stressors and cumulative effects in the Great Lakes.
Research Group Website: sorenbrothers.weebly.com
Photo credits: © 2021 Saty Namvar and Pratha Samyrajah
This interview was originally recorded on Dec. 8th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Mary Snyder, a resident in Long-Term-Care at The Village of Riverside Glen . Mary and I have an absolute blast bonding over our shared love of Guelph history, and being "borderline hippies". Mary and her husband's families go back many many generations in Guelph, all the way back to the Tree-cutter who cut down that very first tree for John Galt. We talk about our city's history new and old, reflecting on the tendencies of history books to track the wealthy and the businessmen, and over-look the tree-cutters and farmers and factory workers. We reflect on the changes of Guelph, and some of the silver-linings that come with changes. And we make each other laugh a lot too. This was a delightful conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
This interview was originally recorded on Dec. 8th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Thelma Barbeau, a recent new resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Thelma is 100 years old and six months, and she seems to remember her whole life. She shares stories of being a young wife with a husband in the war during WWII, the depression, raising a family in the -post war years, and how proud she is of everything her family has accomplished. She's a hard worker too - for 22 years she volunteered helping support people with mental health struggles, and she continues to work, her current focus being on regaining her ability to walk after a recent fall. We appreciate the time Marilyn took to share with us today, and wish her luck and strength as she regains her physical health.
This interview was originally recorded on Dec. 1st, 2021
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For this episode I interview Marilyn Knipfel, a new resident in Long-Term-Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. There's a perseverance and positive outlook to Marilyn that's likely helping her navigate having moved during a pandemic, and living with a broken back for the past ten years - and from her stories it would seem like it goes all the way back to her childhood, when she was diagnosed with Spinal Meningitis that left her deaf in one ear, and having to re-learn how to walk. Growing up in and around Elmira, Marilyn has raised a wonderful family, worked as a postal worker for over 30 years, worked at the drive-in theatre, and traveled the world. She has lots to be thankful for :) We're so appreciative of her sharing with us, especially having only just moved and still readjusting to her new life at Riverside Glen. Thank you Marilyn!
This interview was originally recorded on Nov 24th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Vince Kurtz, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Today's chat is all about farming - born and raised on a farm in Ariss, Vince learned everything he knows about farming from helping out from as early as he can remember pulling weeds, through to growing up and running a farm of his own. As an adult he raised beef and sold cash crops, and today he tells us about what some of that was like, and some of the farming practices they implemented. Thank you Vince for taking the time to share with us!
Original recording date: November 17th 2021
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For this episode I interview Barb, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Barb is sweet and soft-spoken, keeping a busy schedule as she stays open to trying new programs at Riverside Glen, while making the time to stay connected with her children and grandchildren. Barb shares a bit about family life, growing up in Toronto, then moving as a teen to Scarborough, attending the dances, meeting her husband, and going on to raise four children. Thank you Barb for taking the time to connect!
This interview was originally recorded on Nov. 10th, 2021
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For this episode, I interview Graham Winter, a recent new-resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Graham was born and raised in Port Credit, has been a Guelphite for 30+ years, and taught high school English in Galt for 30+ years up until his retirement. Born during WWII, with parents that lived and worked through WWI, and older siblings born during the depression, Graham talks about Port Credit during his childhood , and reflects on his parents' and siblings' generation before him, how things changed in education from his own experiences going through school, to his experiences teaching it, and how things have changed again in the time since. Graham and I bond over our shared love of high school english, and shared empathy for a younger generation facing big life choices with fewer clear paths to financial stability. It's an interesting and cathartic conversation and I’m very grateful to Graham for sharing with us!
This interview was originally recorded on Nov. 3 2021
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For this episode I interview Ruth-Ann Robertson, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Ruth-Ann is lovely, a sweet woman with fond memories of her devoted husband. She opens up about struggles in her past, and having undergone shock treatment, which has affected her memory. Despite not being able to recall anecdotes in too much detail, Ruth-Ann welcomed our chat, sharing her love for family and friends, her gratefulness for being safe and supported at Riverside Glen, and the positive feelings she still holds onto through life's challenges. Thank you Ruth-Ann for opening up to us today!
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 27th, 2021
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This is my final Sustainability-Month-Themed show for 2021, and features an interview with Julia Burke. Julia teaches the "Environmental Citizenship" post-secondary course at Canadore College. This is a fascinating and educational conversation about this course, and about recognizing our role in within our global environment and our responsibility to consider our actions and what we can do to mitigate our impact.
About the course, Environmental Citizenship GED100 at Canadore College:
Based on the general principles of national citizenship, environmental citizenship goes beyond national borders to emphasize global environmental rights and responsibilities-to focus on both conservation of and planned sustainable use of our planet’s resources, as well as the recognition that environmental health is a prerequisite to human health. Environmental citizenship is a personal commitment to learning more about the environment and to taking responsible environmental action. This course is a journey into adopting attitudes and behaviours that foster global environmental responsibility.
https://www.canadorecollege.ca/.../environmental-citizenship
This interview was originally recorded on Oct 21, 2021
Additional resources Julia wanted to share:
"The four lifestyle choices that most reduce your carbon footprint" https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/.../four-lifestyle... This article has a very useful infographic showing the high, moderate, and low impact actions and the annual climate savings. The short version is that research has shown the most impactful lifestyle choice to reduce your carbon footprint is to have one fewer child, followed by living car free, avoiding one transatlantic flight, and buying green energy. Often these high impact choices are overlooked with more attention going to low impact actions such as recycling.
Ecological Footprint Calculator by the Global Footprint Network:
https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en
John Francis' Ted Talk: Walk the earth...my 17-year vow of silence (19 min):
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For this episode I interview Gillian Grant, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Gillian shares with us and gives a window into her life, growing up in England, her fun adventures road-tripping with her best friend Ann through Canada and the US, her many wonderful jobs at beautiful hotels in the UK, Canada, and the Bahamas, and just generally having a fun and exciting time with her life. Her health isn't the best in this moment, but she's managing to stay positive through that too. Such delightful stories that we're so thankful to Gillian for sharing! Enjoy!
This interview was originally recorded on October 20th, 2021
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Another episode in honour of October being Sustainability Month, today's episode features Bella Harris, connecting to talk about Guelph's "Palz Trading Zone". Palz is a group in which folks can post items that they have available for trade, or post "ISO" (in search of) items they're looking for, and trade with community members. It allows for items to be re-homed, to reduce waste, and bring new life and value to objects that have ended their usefulness in one home and can be helpful in another. Bella and I talk about the role of trading groups like this in taking steps away from the traditional, financial structures and power dynamics of capitalism, in allowing folks' crafts and creations to become a type of currency outside of money, and the subsequent environmental, social, and community benefits of taking part in it.Palz is a private group you can join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1489544238017638 We encourage you to join and have a look at what folks have to offer - it changes all the time!Thank you Bella for being a guest today and for your work as an Admin!
This interview was originally recorded on October 13th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Ann Okkema, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Ann shares her story of moving here to Canada at 18 after the War, with her mother and father and seven younger siblings, and her boyfriend (who would become her husband a year into their life in Canada). They worked on farms here but after not too long her husband was able to make his dream of owning a bakery a reality, and they successfully ran a Dutch Bakery in Chatham until retirement. Ann is happy to call Canada her home (even if she wasn't so sure back when she was first facing the move), and we are happy she made the time to share with us.
This interview was originally recorded on October 13th, 2021
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For this episode - in honour of October being "Sustainability Month" - I interview Susan Carey of the Guelph Tool Library and the Guelph Seed Library. Susan speaks about the role of sharing and lending economies within sustainability, the incredible opportunities these programs have brought to Guelph in terms of building skill-building, confidence and access to resources, and the potential they present for a future of furthering sustainability and local food access. Worth a listen! The Guelph Seed Library has a private group that can joined on facebook, and you can check them out on Instagram at @guelphseedlibrary, and to join or peruse the tools of the Guelph Tool Library you can visit https://guelphtoollibrary.org/
This interview was originally recorded on October 8th, 2021
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For this episode I interview June Campbell, a recent arrival to The Village of Riverside Glen. June was a delight to talk to, and an absolute wealth of knowledge of the history of Newfoundland, dating back before it was part of Canada. June shares stories of being a child during the war, and her father's role during the war as a police captain in St. John's. She reflects on so much history most of us didn't grow up learning, giving insights to an island that thrived with community and barter while having very little money, and being spread over a vast landscape - it's an important piece of our past that many of us don't know about, and we're so thankful to June for sharing with us.
This interview was originally recorded on Oct. 6th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Susan Ross, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Susan shares her story of growing up with Diabetes - diagnosed at the age of 8, and originally given a life expectancy of 30 years, Susan is now passed 60, has survived cancer, and has continually proven her capacity to defy the odds and keep a positive attitude towards the uncertain times ahead. Thank you Susan for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on September 29th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Karen Norris and Mandy McEwan - both work as part of "PERT" (the Personal Expression Resource Team) at The Village of Riverside Glen. They talk about PERT's comprehensive approach to Dementia-care, a holistic approach that incorporates the resident, their family, and the various team members a resident will encounter throughout the day at Riverside Glen, to better understand the resident as their own unique person with individual needs - needs that they may not always have the means of communicating in words. They discuss the shift away from previous cookie-cutter approaches to Dementia care, and the rewards that come from this challenging and nuanced work. An interesting an valuable conversation, and worth a listen! You can read more about PERT at https://schlegelvillages.com/.../deeper-layer-schlegel...
This interview was originally recorded on September 22nd, 2021
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For this episode I interview Norm Harrison - Norm is a resident of Guelph, a retired City Planner and past secretary of the city's Heritage Committee. I connected with Norm during a trial stay at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk today about Norm's stay there, and the decision ahead for when he decides to leave his own home. We talk about our shared love of Guelph history, about being neighbours, about city planning, the new builds and growing population, and Norm's travels with his wife to her family in Trinidad. Thank you so much to Norm for connecting during his stay at Riverside Glen! We learned so much!
This interview was originally recorded on September 15th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Linda Iacovella, a resident in Long-Term-Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Linda shares stories from her early childhood in Italy, helping her mother by collecting water from the well and helping her father with work on the farm, and all the other tasks required for child to help out in a busy young family. She talks about her immigration to Canada as a child, to be reunited with her father, and what she remembers of that transition. Beautiful stories from a hardworking woman who loves her family! Thank you Linda for sharing with us!
This interview was originally recorded on September 8th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Joe Nesbitt, a resident in Long Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen, and he shares his pride of being a tutor, and a baseball coach, alongside a life of traveling sales and a happy marriage.
This interview was originally recorded on September 1st, 2021
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For this episode I interview Bob Davis, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen, joined by Bob's son Ian, visiting from Australia. Bob recounts a life spent in metal work and engineering, starting as a teenager delivering lunches in factories, getting his degree in Metallurgy, and working various rewarding careers, including his decades long role as Head of Physical Resources at the University of Guelph (@uofguelph) Thank you Bob (and Ian) for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on August 18th, 2021
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For this episode I interview local Guelph dancer Dianne Chapitis. Dianne dances and creates as part of the artist collective "Choir in Motion", and put together a piece called "Psithurism" outside along the river south of York Road. Today we talk about how the piece came to exist, Dianne's history and path through dance, and how this section of river inspired her and co-creator Peter to bring their art outdoors.
The piece includes dance, poetry and music, and was performed Saturday August 28th, and Sunday August 29th along the river, with the audience following the performers down the path. The next performance will take place at the same location, on September 24th at 7pm! If you want to attend, they will meet at that time at the base of Audrey Street, south of York Road. Thank you Dianne for sharing your story of dance today!
This interview was originally recorded on August 12th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Terri Mazer, a resident in Long-Term Care at the Village of Riverside Glen, and she was joined by Rec-team member Nao. Terri was born in Hamilton, and some of her simplest memories are her fondest, like her weekly coffee meet-ups with her friends where they could catch up and gossip. Terri shared that she's over a hundred years old, and worked as a Teletypist as a young woman in WWII - a job that was top-secret during the war. It fascinating to hear the details of a job that she wouldn't have been able to describe at the time, receiving a slip of paper from her Superior, and typing messages into the Teletype Machine that would appear on a different machine somewhere else in the world - not privy to what the message meant, nor how it would impact the War that was happening. Terri felt compelled to help the War effort, but was never a fan of the war and wishes we could understand that we are all human, and resist the urge to fight (a sentiment she hopes we are leaning on during this pandemic). Thank you Terri for sharing your story today!
This interview was originally recorded on Aug 11th, 2021
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Tune in today at noon to CFRU 93.3fm, streamable at cfru.ca, for the newest episode of "Bridging the Social Distance". Today Jenny interview Becca and Tom of CAST Canada. "CAST" - which stands for "Come and Sit Together" is an organization that is brought into spaces to help professionals, corporations and communities better understand the role of trauma and unresolved grief in human suffering and behaviours. They have recently been working with the Village of Riverside Glen and Schlegel Villages to support staff in response to the trauma of this pandemic. Jenny and CAST talk about their practice, and the importance of creating safe and supported spaces for processing heavy feelings, of sitting with grief without trying to "solve it", and they share some of what they have been witnessing as common-themes amongst the experiences of caregivers. They speak to the necessity of remembering to practice self-care and do whatever we can to rejuvenate and recover so we show up in these difficult spaces for the people we love and care for. They also talk about the value of organizations investing in this type of work to support their staff - in times of trauma and loss, but also when we're not in crisis, to try to normalize the act of creating space for big feelings and better prepare us for crisis.You can learn more about CAST Canada at
https://www.cast-canada.ca/
And you can read a bit about their most recent work with Schlegel Villages at:https://schlegelvillages.com/.../perseverance-courage-and...
This interview was originally recorded on August 5th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Doreen, a resident in Long-Term Care at the Village of Riverside Glen (joined by Rec Team member Nao). Doreen provides us with a whimsical trip back through her memories of growing up in St Thomas, and attending the dances in Port Stanley as a teenager around the time of WWII. She and her older sister would ride the electric train to Port Stanley, wander the boardwalk, and people-watch. The dances were full of men in the service, and people from the surrounding towns, and Doreen gives us a glimpse into the magic and fun of this for her and her friends, and also the meaningful social outlet it provided for the men in the service away from their homes and families. This conversation gives a glimpse into some of the nuances of these war days that you don't normally hear about, and Doreen is a treat. She's also super relieved to be fresh out of quarantine! Thank you Doreen for sharing your story with us!
This interview was originally recorded on August 4th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Elaine Charette, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Elaine was a delightful guest full of wonderful facts and beautiful memories - using the quilt, lamps, prints and photographs she has displayed in her room as inspiration, Elaine shares stories of her trip to Iceland with her aunt, where she reconnected with family and learned of many Icelandic landmarks and traditions (which includes and her knowledge of Icelandic horses and "tolting"), her 20+ years working at Guelph Public Library, her wonderful husband the artisan and salesman, and her passion for native plants. She was an active member of "Nature Conservancy Canada" and encourages everyone to check out their work, and consider cultivating native plants in the spaces you have available to plant. You can learn more about their work at https://www.natureconservancy.ca/.../ontario/contact-us/
This interview was originally recorded on July 21st, 2021
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It was SUCH a pleasure interviewing Miss Lynda - Lynda is a resident in Long Term Care at @the villaThe Village of Riverside Glen, and for this interview she was joined by rec-team-member Brandon, and together they talk about the activities and programming in Long Term Care. Lynda immediately got to work when she first moved in to Riverside Glen two years ago, volunteering in support of the staff, helping with paperwork, delivering mail to the residents, running their store, and any other tasks she can find. She spotted a staff member who was consistently working past the end of her shift, and Lynda set out to "be her legs from within her wheel chair". Lynda shares really valuable insights in to life in these spaces, celebrating the independence and purpose she feels volunteering has given her, and also sharing the complex emotions of navigating life through a pandemic, the realities of the moments of isolation, limitations on spaces and activities and waiting for programming to return. But she feels safe and supported and optimistic that we can (and must!) learn from this experience and come out stronger on the other side.
This interview was originally recorded on July 14th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Gloria Mahoney, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Gloria has only just moved to Riverside Glen, but she's lived in Guelph most of her life. Gloria tells us about work, family, her love of cruises, and her and I bond over our shared loved of Maryhill where much of Gloria's family is from. Thank you Gloria for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 7th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Joyce, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about Joyce's life growing up in Hespler, marrying the neighbour boy and becoming a farmer's wife at 19, what has changed and what as stayed similar over the years both in terms of the surrounding countryside, also in terms of our relationships with our neighbours. And we talk about our favourite foods to grow in our gardens! Thank you so much to Joyce for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded on June 30th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Eileen Merritt, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen . Eileen's led what she proclaims to be a simple life, but it's clear it was full of a long and loving marriage to her husband Ivan, living in Grimsby, Stratford and Stoney Creek, raising their three children and traveling across the country together. She gives us a glimpse into some sweet moments, and we appreciate her sharing her story. Thank you Eileen!
This interview was originally recorded on June 23rd, 2021
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For this episode I interview Andrea Bennett, author of "like a boy but not a boy - Navigating Life, Mental Health, and Parenthood outside the Gender Binary" Today they connect about these topics, about mental health and parenthood and how life has been changing and adapting post-book, and how the pandemic has further been impacting these experiences. Jenny reaches Andrea at their current home in a small town on the coast of B.C., where they work from home as an editor, growing a vegetable garden and helping raise their 3 year old child. Thank you Andrea for connecting today!
This interview was originally recorded on June 28th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Henry Adam Svec, author of "Life is Like Canadian Football and Other Authentic Folk Songs". Today we talk about this newly released novel, and the chronicle of this fantastical folk-song-collecting story that Henry has been regaling us with all these years, as it moved through the "CFL Sessions", "Folk Songs of Canada Now" and "LIVINGSTON™". We also talk about the blurry lines that can exist between truths and fiction with writing, that these truths are bent and skewed through our filters as the audience, and how perhaps we are partially culpable when we believe we've been led astray by a story. You can find Henry's book at invisiblepublishing.com and you can follow Henry's projects at henryadamsvec.ca
This interview was originally recorded on June 22nd, 2021
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For this episode I interview Jean Birkett, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jean is 98, lived through the depression, WWII, and even a positive Covid diagnosis during this pandemic. Her father was a prisoner in a Prisoner of War Camp in WWI, and was a guard at one in WWII, and a subsequent illness brought the family to Toronto from Timmins when her father lost his knee. Jean gives us a glimpse into Toronto in these war and post-war years, working at General Electric and Random House, and while this history hasn't always been easy, throughout the loss and hardship she's experienced she understands the role that overcoming hurdles and learning from mistakes has in shaping us, and has felt incredibly supported by her family. She is looking forward to more day trips out into the sunshine, and the arrival of her new teeth so she can finally enjoy hamburger. Thank you Jean for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on June 17th 2021
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For this episode I interview Kim Gadoury, who (at the time of this recording) was planning to swim across Guelph Lake this Saturday June 19th to raise awareness and advocate for the need for a 24 hour food depot and overnight shelter. Kim speaks today about food security, about the stigma that often faces her and other folks living below the poverty line and in geared-to-income housing, and about how hunger and crisis can touch anyone, not just low income people. Kim has wanted to swim across Guelph Lake for years, and was fuelled to finally do it when she read the Ontario Government's recent announcement of a mandated expansion of Guelph's population to 203000 by 2051 - she wants to get folks talking about these issues before we run out of time to address the gaps that already exist. Kim encourages you to consider making a donation to the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition's various amazing food programs.
This interview was originally recorded on June 8th, 2021
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For this episode I interview local artist Sharyn Seibert, about her artwork, and specifically about her paintings inspired by Guelph’s Yorklands Green Hub . Sharyn shares some of the history of this space, the past eight years of advocacy that have gone into raising awareness to protect this land, as well as Guelph’s City Council’s recent monumental decision to give the land a Heritage Designation. You can check out Sharyn’s art at sharynseibert.com, and you can learn more about the Yorklands Green Hub (as well as ways you can get involved) at yorklandsgreenhub.ca. Thank you Sharyn for connecting with us and for your efforts to raise awareness of this beautiful space!
This interview was originally recorded on June 15 2021
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For this episode I interview Billie Florence, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Billie grew up in Arkell, and at 99 years of age, with an impeccable memory, and a passion for local history, this interview is a vivid and delightful glimpse into the past. Billie shares stories of her childhood popularity (she was the one with the pony), of the trolley rides into town for school, her husband in the service during WWII, family life in downtown Guelph running their own furniture business, while reminiscing about the dances, the old buildings, and lover's lane. So many wonderful memories and we appreciate Billie sharing her story!
This interview was originally recorded on June 9th, 2021
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June is recognized as both "Seniors Month" and "Pride Month" and this episode’s intersectional interview touches on both themes - I interview Nikki Machin, the Outreach & Community Development Worker for Gay and Grey MontrealGay and Grey Montreal is a social, mutual aid and sensitization network for English-speaking 2S.L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ individuals over the age of 50 in Montreal and the surrounding area.About Gay and Grey Montreal:"We are committed to reducing isolation and improving the quality of life for 2S.L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ seniors, while promoting appropriate services in a positive, caring environment for 2-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer , intersex, asexual and anyone who identifies as belonging within this rainbow umbrella who live in Montreal and Quebec.
Gay and Grey Montreal promotes a lifestyle where 2S.L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ English speaking seniors can live their lives with dignity in an affirming, inclusive, supportive and healthy environment."This is a powerful and important conversation and we appreciate Nikki sharing so much! Checkout their amazing organization at https://gayandgreymontreal.com/
This episode was originally recorded on June 1st 2021
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For this episode I interview Kelly Kavanagh, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Kelly's a world traveler, starting her adult life in the Northwest Territory then traveling North America, training communities in specialized software. Following that she set out to travel the world. Today Kelly's shares some of her favourites with us. Thank you Kelly for taking the time to connect!
This interview was originally recorded on June 2nd, 2021
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For this episode I interview Ian Roy, an author and creative writing instructor based in Ottawa ON. We connect today to talk about Ian's brand new book, a middle-grade novel called "The Girl Who Could Fly", freshly published by Nevermore Press. Ian talks about his practices as a writer, and about his travels through geography, history, and imagination that culminated in this book. It's pretty magical! You can find more about the book (and Ian) at http://thisisianroy.com/ and https://www.nevermorepress.ca/books/the-girl-who-could-fly Thank you Ian for providing a magical literary escape from this pandemic!
This interview was originally recorded on May 11th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Freda Reid, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Freda grew up outside Arthur, starting life on a farm, and returned to farming when she got married as an adult and moved to Hillsburg. Freda talks a bit about farming life, and she also shares about training and working as a nurse, attending the dances, drumming in the high school band, and working as a bookkeeper with her best friend Maureen. And Maureen is a special story herself - they have been friends for decades, and even at Freda's 90 years, Maureen is still by her side, because by beautiful coincidence they are both residents at Riverside Glen. Thank you Freda for sharing your story! Thank you Maureen for making an appearance and being such a wonderful friend!
This interview was originally recorded on May 26th, 2021
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For this episode I interview cutsleeve , a fantastic rock band based out of Toronto ON, who released their debut EP "The Parts We Could Not Abandon" this past summer, in the midst of this pandemic. They talk about this, the hurdles of navigating releasing an album and tackling online shows when you can't be together, and what they're most looking forward to when gathering can happen again. They also share their interesting origin story: Artist Khanh Tudo's sculpture in the Invisible Footprints Art Installation, embedded with a posted call from Lian (cutsleeve drummer-to-be) seeking Queer East Asian femmes to form a rock band. This band is awesome, their EP is awesome and it was fantastic to get to hear the story behind it. Tune in, and check them out at cutsleeveband.com
This interview was originally recorded on May 25th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Emma Bradley, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Emma is 96 years old, and has memories dating back to when she was a toddler. It's amazing to hear her stories of a childhood in New Brunswick, in a family of eleven children, growing up during WWII. All five of her brothers joined the services, and one ended up in a Prisoner of War Camp in Germany for two years. With three brothers in law also in the services, and her father working in a steel/munitions plant, the war deeply touched her family. Emma shares this, and her path to becoming a teacher, her move to Ontario and some of the stories she remembers from along the way. She's a strong woman too, and recently battled and survived Covid. We are so lucky to have her, and getting to hear stories that are almost 100 years old is such a privilege and we highly recommend you tune in.
This interview was originally recorded on May 19th, 2021
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For this episode, for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, I interview Catherine Livingstone, a University of Guelph graduate, and founder of "The Opal Season" who works as a Dementia care consultant, currently based out of Winnipeg Manitoba. A big part of my working on "Bridging the Social Distance" during the pandemic has been connecting with seniors, using softwares such as Zoom, in order to be able to visit, and share their stories, safely and virtually, despite periods of isolation due to pandemic safety procedures. I wanted to connect with Catherine to discuss how this pandemic is shaping our respective work with seniors, and explore how it may impact our approach to accessibility going forward. You can check out Catherine's work at opalseason.com
A couple other links and references from today's conversation:
Seniors' Centres Without Walls - Ontario: http://www.oacao.org/programs/seniors-centre-without-walls/
Ontario LTC Report PDF: (trigger - pretty depressing to read) http://www.ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/report/pdf/Ontarios_Long-Term_Care_COVID-19_Commission_Final_Report.pdf
This interview was originally recorded on May 14th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Willy Veerman, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Willy's vivid memory of her childhood in Holland takes us on a beautiful trip today. Willy tells us of life on the farm, the river and the bridge, her four siblings, going to school in wooden shoes...then later her journey to Canada, and having six children of her own. This conversation feels right out of a children's storybook at times, with Willy's incredible descriptions of what she remembers, and with her childhood coinciding with WWII, it's an important history lesson too. Thank you Willy for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on May 12th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Ron Leary, a musician based in Windsor Ontario. After decades of working jobs, and even finishing a degree, alongside writing, performing and touring as a musician, Ron has decided to go all in with music. He has scheduled a summer of outdoor shows, and is doing his best to transition to our weird new digital realities, and Jenny and him talk about this, about what's changed for the livelihoods of musicians, and what potential the future holds for them.They talk about their shared love of travelling across Canada, and they talk about Ron's beautiful pandemic-album, "As Long as I Ain't Thinking About the Future" (that he recorded long distance with his friend Dean Drouillard). This is a cathartic conversation that gives some space to the hard reality of the struggle to make a life out of playing music, while still carrying hope and optimism.
This interview was originally recorded on May 5th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Doug and Pat Breckon, a couple who reside over at The Village of Riverside Glen. Doug and Pat both spent their whole careers as Front Line workers, as a Police Officer and a Nurse, and endured many stressful, challenging, and rewarding experiences from their work. They share some of those stories today (content warning - Doug worked as a Police-Diver and accident photographer, and Pat worked in Emergency, so some of the stories are a bit intense, due to the line of work). They share stories of work life, as well as their passion for genealogy, and their experience shifting to pandemic/retirement life. We appreciate them sharing with us so much - thank you Doug and Pat!
This interview was originally recorded on May 4th, 2021
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For this episode I interview John Hofstee, a brand new resident at @the The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about John's transition to Canada from Holland as a teenager, and consequently his transition from high school into the working world. We talk about his transition through careers as he spent years doing distance learning, and we talk about his most recent transition just two weeks ago to living in a retirement facility. He just got through the mandatory isolation period for new residents, and it will be exciting to see how life at Riverside Glen unfolds for him. Thank you John for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on April 27th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Gerard Jansen, another brand new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Gerard tells us of his journey over to Canada from Holland as a young man, finding himself in Guelph to work in the Ward at the Fibre Glass Company. Alongside his hard work was his life's passion for Black Angus Cattle, and caring for his own award-winners. Thank you to Gerard for sharing your story and your passion for the Black Angus! We're sending you well wishes for a smooth transition to Riverside Glen!
This interview was originally recorded on April 7th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Rea Gibson, a new resident over at the Village of Riverside Glen. Rea grew up on a farm in Erin township during the depression, later moving to Guelph as a teenager when his dad became an Auctioneer. After high school he took furniture design at what was known as Ryerson Institute of Technology, which lead to a life of woodworking. His woodworking ventures spanned furniture building (including running his own business), teaching (including building cabins and homes with his students) and wood-shows where he sold his creations and plans. There was always a new and magical place to take his interests, and it was inspiring to hear his story. Thanks Rea for giving us a glimpse into your woodworking journey!
This interview was originally recorded on April 7 2021
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For this episode I interview Roelof Reinders, a brand new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen . Roelof moved to Canada at 21 to start a new life, traveling between farms around Ontario working odd jobs in farming and construction. Him and his girlfriend had broken up when he moved, but when they rekindled their love and became a "hot item" via letter-mail, he returned to Holland, they were married, and they came back to Canada to start their family. Roelof tells the story of starting his own construction businesses, his many moves over the years, and also recounts his childhood memories during the war, when Germany occupied Holland, and it was regular practice for his family to be hiding their Jewish neighbours in their home, prior to being liberated by Canada. It's a beautiful and powerful story and we appreciate Roelof sharing - we're also sending well-wishes for a happy transition to life at Riverside Glen!
This interview was originally recorded on March 31st, 2021
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For this episode I interview Betty Pimmett. Betty is a recent addition to The Village of Riverside Glen , having moved in just a few months ago during the pandemic. Today we talk about this shift in pace, and her attempts to slow down after a life of working, having started her first job at fifteen to support her family, and working constantly for all the years that have followed, "earning and learning" a self education in banking, bookkeeping, at Guelph Humane Society and more. We also talk about her passion for animals, as well as her luck and perseverance, having overcome many close-call with serious health scares. Betty and I may be kindred spirits in our love of keeping busy, and this conversation provided an incredible window into Betty's wisdom, work ethic, and positive attitude. Such a great conversation - thank you Betty!
This interview was originally recorded on March 31st, 2021
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Continuing in the theme of "Sustainability Month", for this episode I interview Crystal Bradford and Liam Kijewski of Wildlife Gardening , a native-plant nursery and landscaping service. Crystal and Liam celebrate their 15th anniversary of this work this year, and today we talk about what that path has looked like, navigating ageism, celebrating the growing interest in native plants, managing the struggles, cherishing the wins, and acknowledging how much further we need to go in terms of plant restoration, and conservation. A deeply fascinating conversation, and one full of lots of tips for folks hoping to try some native-plant approaches in their own spaces. Tune in, and check them out at wildlifegardening.ca
Here are some additional suggested links from Crystal and Liam:
Inaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/
REAP (Resource Efficient Agricultural Production) https://www.reap-canada.com/
Douglas Tallamy https://www.timberpress.com/authors/douglas-w-tallamy
Field Botanists of Ontario - https://www.fieldbotanistsofontario.com/
This interview was originally recorded on March 23rd, 2021
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This episode sees the return of Katherine Finlay at the Village of Riverside Glen. Katherine came on the radio last year to talk about the Java Music Club - today she returns to share her experiences being diagnosed with (and recovering from) Covid while living at Riverside Glen. This has included struggles - being quarantined, worrying about her diagnosis and the deterioration of her physical health, and the reality of being separated from her husband in Long Term Care for long stretches of time. But it is important to Katherine to share the positives she's experienced too - the incredible resilience, patience, and care her and the residents have received from their PSWs, and the time the isolation has given her to work on her incredible history project: a project documenting people she feels have meaningfully impacted the world. This conversation gives a glimpse into the layers and complexities of emotions some of our seniors are facing, it gives a space for Katherine to grieve, but also to acknowledge and celebrate share and we are so thankful to Katherine for opening up about this difficult topic. Tune in!
This episode was originally recorded on March 10th, 2021
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My guest for this episode is Anita Cazzola. Anita just launched a beautiful textile repair service called "Mani D'Oro Mending", and with March being "Sustainability Month" she was a perfect guest! We talk about Anita's path to mending and teaching, the many layers of value in learning this work, and how we should resist the temptation to always buy new and to replace, when we can instead put in the time to save, fix, and repurpose. It's a wonderful conversation we hope you enjoy! You can check out her work at https://manidoromending.com/
This interview was originally recorded on March 9th, 2021
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For this episode I reconnect with Lloyd Hetherington at the Village of Riverside Glen. Lloyd was my first pandemic-era guest at Riverside Glen, and he was the person who initiated our collaboration with Riverside Glen for this radio/podcast project. When they first connected, Lloyd had only just moved into Riverside Glen. We chat now, after a year of him living there, to talk about his transition, what has changed, what he's learned and experienced, and what he looks forward to in the days ahead. Lloyd is a host of the "Stories from the Green bench, elder wisdom" podcast, a podcast produced through Schlegel Villages. Thank you Lloyd for re-connecting!
This interview was originally recorded on February 24th, 2021
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For this episode my guest is AbdulRazaq Aljazaerli, a Syrian refugee living in Cambridge Ontario. Originally from Damascus Syria, AbdulRazaq immigrated here to Canada with his mother, to Cambridge five years ago, after four years as a refugee in Jordan. He has been attending school to learn English, and like the rest of the world, has had many of his plans delayed and put on hold during this pandemic. He is also blind, which further complicates this pandemic (and he has been very thankful for the support of the CNIB Foundation throughout his transition to Canada). He remains positive and optimistic despite the complicated circumstances, inspired by Canada and eager to pursue work, and it was incredible to hear about his experiences navigating so many intersections of obstacles. Thank you AbdulRazaq for connecting and sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on February 16th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Sarah Harris, of St. John's Newfoundland band "Property” We talk about the band's brand new EP "Think Electric", about Sarah's experiences attending university remotely and playing in a band during a pandemic, the "Atlantic bubble", the end of the Atlantic bubble, and what life on the island has been like during this pandemic. You can check out their album at propertyproperty.bandcamp.com
This interview was originally recorded on February 8th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Katherine Akey and Annie Carpenter. Katherine lives in the US, Annie lives in the UK, both are artists and both had their first babies shortly before the world shut down for Covid. The two first met when they were roommates on a boat in the Arctic during an Artist-in-residency in 2015, and they reunited virtually this past summer for "Call Centre", a blogging project coordinated by Allenheads Contemporary Arts (based in Northumberland UK) to document life during the pandemic.
About "Call Centre":
"[Call Centre is] A research project that is inviting people to share their experiences of this time of COVID-19 and how it has impacted on lives and creative processes.
It will engage regional, national and international artists from contrasting rural and urban areas. From their ‘outposts’ the six satellite artists and a writer will focus their research on a variety of areas including home, travel, being stranded, trust, fragility, confinement, politics, the domestic and motherhood."
I was super excited to connect with these amazing artists/new-mothers. You can check out Katherine's work at https://www.katherineakey.com/ and Annie's at http://anniecarpenter.co.uk/ and to read both of their contributions to "Call Centre", along with the blog from the other participants, visit https://www.acart.org.uk/blog
This interview was originally recorded on January 29th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Thirza Armstrong and John Dennis of the Guelph Tool Library. We talk about the philosophy behind sharing vs owning, waste vs re-use, and what our wonderful Tool Library shifts to look like during a pandemic. Some projects have had to pause, lots have had to shift-gears, and other totally new projects have emerged, including their new "Pin a Smile On" campaign, where they've been creating pins for their volunteers to make their smiling faces visible despite masks. We are so lucky to have this incredible organization and access to so many amazing tools here in Guelph! And if you're excited to support the library, they're always looking for more members, more volunteers, and donations of tools. So tune in! And check them out at guelphtoollibrary.org
This interview was originally recorded on Jan 29 2021
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For this episode I interview Kaye Brown, a resident at The Village at St. Clair in Windsor ON. Kaye is a recent survivor of Covid - Today Kaye shares what it is like to be sick, and to start to recover. She also shares the very heavy reality of losing a best friend and fellow resident to the same disease at the same time. Kaye, like many others, has been frustrated by the portrayal of Senior-Care-Facilities in the media, and wants to share some of the very positive perspectives on these spaces too. This is an emotional episode, and also a powerful one - it's important to hear these very real experiences, to understand the layers of what people are experiencing. Thank you so much to Kaye to being open to talking about your experience, your loss, and your recovery. We hope folks will take the time to listen!
This interview was originally recorded on January 20th, 2021
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For this episode I interview Scott Palmer, a resident a The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about Scott's move within the building during Covid, and life in a retirement facility during a pandemic, and we have an in-depth conversation about Scott's career in the Traffic Department at the City of Guelph. You can learn so much about how the traffic systems work by listening to this interview! Scott provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look and we appreciate him sharing! Tune in!
This interview was originally recorded on December 9th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Jean McKenzie, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jean was born in Guelph and has lived here nearly her entire life aside from a small stretch of retirement in Kincardine. Much of that time was spent living out in the country, and farm-life has passed down through several generations, still being carried on by her grandchildren. We talk about farm-life throughout these generations, Jean's marriage to someone she first met in grade school, and Jean's 30+ career in Nursing at Guelph General Hospital, and what changed in the profession over that course of time. Thank you so much to Jean for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on Dec 16th 2020
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For this episode I interview Joyce Auger, a new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. The past two months have meant a lot of significant changes for Joyce - a move to a retirement residence, her first time living in Guelph after spending her entire life in Acton, her first time being separated from her husband (who is now in a different facility for Long-Term Care), and it has meant an adjustment to her progressive loss of her vision. Navigating all of that during a pandemic is not easy, but Joyce and her husband have wonderful devoted children who have been making sure both parents are supported, and Joyce is comforted knowing her family is doing okay. Today we talk about these new hurdles, about our thoughts on this pandemic (and a hopeful soon arrival for the vaccine), about some of her experiences living working and raising a family in Acton, and about spending Christmas with her fellow residents at Riverside Glen. We appreciate so much Joyce sharing her story!
This interview was originally recorded on December 1st, 2020
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For this episode I interview Brian Kwok, owner/operator of Guelph Market. Guelph Market was created to provide a platform for small businesses and independent makers to connect with, and sell their handmade goods to the Guelph Community. The result is like an "Online General Store", selling an assortment of wares with a broad appeal, and items changing and adding as the vendors and seasons change. Brian has used this platform to help elevate lots of independent makers and entrepreneurs, with a special focus on boosting the visibility of BIPOC artisans. Today Brian and I talk about Guelph Market, our shared loved of General Stores, the alternative to brick and mortar store fronts, and how the pandemic has impacted what supporting and buying local looks like. Tune in!!! And check out guelphmarket.com to learn more about this cool project!
This interview was originally recorded on December 7th 2020
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For this episode I interview Wilma Ensing, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Wilma and I talk about her life, her journey over from Holland as a young child, and her transition to life here in Canada including the long, country-walk to school in wooden shoes, and working at her aunt and uncle's Dutch Store. Wilma is strong and she has endured a lot, raising four children as a single mother and working the whole time. Much of that time was very difficult, but her faith and strength got her through it, and she was blessed with an amazing second-husband whom she got to retire and travel with. We appreciate her sharing her story with us.
This interview was originally recorded on November 25th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Joyce Sharp, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen retirement residence. So many incredible stories from Joyce today, she tells us of her journey to Canada, family life with her children and husband in Fergus, working in real estate while her husband did architecture. She speaks openly of her thoughts on this pandemic, and delves into her memories from WWII back in England. This is such an incredible and generous glimpse into Joyce's experiences, and we appreciate her sharing so much! Not to be missed!
This interview was originally recorded on November 18th 2020
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For this episode I interview John Potter, and his daughter Catherine. John is a WWII veteran who lives at The Village of Riverside Glen. I was lucky enough to speak with him on Remembrance Day, and today's conversation follows John through his experiences in the war as a Navy wireless operator on the HMCS Regina - a Royal Canadian Navy revised Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War.
This interview was originally recorded on Remembrance Day, November 11th 2020
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For this episode I interview John Van Esch, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. John's history and work experience is so interesting and unique, and subsequently this interview ventures into so many fascinating topics not previously explored on this show. Having come to Canada from Holland at the age of 18, John started at Biltmore Hats in Guelph, and went on to become a scientist/chemist, and cheesemaker. We talk about his work at Biltmore, Gay Lea Foods, and the University of Guelph, and his adventures in retirement traveling the world volunteering for Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), teaching farmers across the globe. So many good stories! In every kind of place! From teaching a farmer who makes 8 bottles of chocolate milk per day in sterilized beer bottles, to homemade mozzarella and pizza making in a Soviet apartment. It's wild. Thank you so much to John for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded on November 4th 2020
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For this episode I interview Ann Weeks, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen Ann moved to Canada about fifty years ago from Ireland. She's a dedicated gardener, and knits, crochets, and does jigsaw and word puzzles to pass the time. Today she shares stories of work-life in Ireland, where she worked in a tobacco factory, and the girls pooled their pennies each week to buy the latest records to listen to together while they worked. And she shares some of the difficult aspects of living in a senior-care facility, including how hard it is to reconcile loss. She feels very well supported and is keeping herself busy and we're grateful to her for connecting with us!
This interview was originally recorded on October 28th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Lois Wilson, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Lois is an Ontario resident by birth growing up near Mississauga and Brampton in Churchville. She worked for a time at the Churchville General Store before studying to be a secretary, and later becoming a teacher. Her life has been surrounded by close extended family - growing up her family's farm was right next to the farm of her father's brother and sister, and they all grew apples and shared farm machinery and sold produce at the St. Lawrence Market, and later her strong bond was with her nieces, one of whom encouraged her to choose Guelph for retirement-living. There have been difficult losses, but Lois has lots of awesome family to help get her through this difficult time. Thank you to Lois for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on October 20th 2020
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For this episode I interview Madeline Wenman, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Madeline was born and raised in Bristol England. At 98 and a quarter years old, she has many stories to share, that span many significant historic events. She worked in nursing her whole adult life, and met her husband (who fought in the war) when she was treating his sister.
She contributed to the war-effort in England, and worked here in Guelph at our hospitals. Fascinating stories. So much to learn from Madeline! Thank you Madeline for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on October 14th 2020
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For this episode I interview Alice McNutt, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen . Alice grew up in Nova Scotia (outside of Truro) where she lived one house over from her future her husband, her brother’s best friend, and after they married they moved to Toronto to seek work, and lived there for 60 years. Today Alice and I bond over our love of East Coast, and our love of the trip between Ontario and Nova Scotia, especially taking the small backroads. Alice and I both deeply miss hosting friends in our homes, and Alice shares some insightful advice into learning how to downsize and say goodbye to belongings when the time is right. Thank you so much to Alice for connecting with us!
This interview was originally recorded on October 14th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Betty Green, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Betty shares wonderful stories, of growing up in Dromore, a town founded by her Grandfather, who started a farm, post office and general store, which her family went on to run afterwards. Betty has endured a lot of loss and hardship at different points in her life, but she has a wonderful extended family that spreads across this area and Owen Sound, and does an amazing job staying connected. She has also maintained a close relationship with her church in Arkell, and faith, community and family are all helping her navigate these pandemic times. Thank you so much to Betty for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on October 13th 2020
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For this episode I interview Mike Lesperance, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Mike's life has spanned three pretty distinct and different Canadian cities: born and raised in Montreal, Mike moved his family to Mississauga in the 80s following his import-export job, and then moved them family to Fergus, where he went on to own and operate a coffee shop. Today we talk about these three cities' respective night-lives, and Mike's experience navigating living through a pandemic, while balancing Diabetes and Muscular Dystrophy (all while maintaining his sense of humour and love of potato chips). Thank you so much to Mike for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on September 30th 2020
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For this episode I interview Eileen Webb, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about her life - growing up in Burlington when it was just a small town, her family's "Lakeside Dairy", the fun of pouring over the Eaton's Catalogue and gathering around the family radio for the Lone Ranger, and later raising a family on a 100-acre farm in Badenoch (including a period of time with no electricity), and attending the Women's Institute. She has a solid attitude of accepting what life sends her way, and it's helpful for navigating this pandemic too. Thank you Eileen for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded on September 30th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Kay Mighton, also known as cook book author "Kay Spicer". Kay lives in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen, and today we talk all about cooking, the craft of creating cookbooks, and Kay's career and education in cooking. She's a delightful guest, and we hope we get to try her cookies someday!
This interview was originally recorded on September 23rd, 2020
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For this episode I interview David Boyd, a 97 year-old resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen, and author of "Mighty Mouth's Crap Book". David grew up in Norval Ontario. He shares lots of incredible stories today - he fought in WWII, working in radar, locating safe places for Paratroopers to land. After the war he took a summer job installing radar in ships in Halifax. He had several more jobs before he decided to buy horses - when his father had retired and decided to move to B.C., David drove him and his belongings out in a trailer, and returned with horses, one of which was retired from a Hollywood movie. He's lived quite a life, and the pandemic's been difficult, but David has kept his sense of humour and we appreciate him sharing his stories with us.
This interview was originally recorded on Sept 14th 2020
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For this episode, my guest is Tom Baker, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Tom is an inspiring person to talk to about health, healing, and recovery - he's lived through several bouts of cancer and heart attacks, including one only a few weeks back. And while it's not ideal to have major health scares during a pandemic, he has a sense of humour and disposition to get himself through it, and today he talks about that, and stories from growing up in Toronto and Montreal. At the end of the episode you'll hear two very short "mini-interviews" recorded during a Project Serve workshop, as part of a new series CFRU is developing. Tune in!
This interview was originally recorded on September 14th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Elizabeth Hurlbut, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. When quarantine measures hit, Elizabeth - who has several chronic health conditions - had to make the difficult decision to leave her part time job in order to protect her health and the health of her fellow residents. The pause is difficult, and puts the breaks on her hopes of transitioning back to independent living. But it gives her time for her graphic arts, and she's nearly finished her illustrated dictionary of American Sign Language. Elizabeth is good at finding the humour in difficult situations, and knows a heck of a lot about ASL, and both of these come out in our chat today. Thank you Elizabeth for sharing!
This interview was originally recorded on September 9th 2020
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For this episode I interview Jake Klassen, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Jake moved in to Riverside Glen during the pandemic, and because of a subsequent quarantine was stuck in his room for 28 days. So he's very excited to get back outside! Tune in today for his story, of growing up in Dundurn Saskatewan, farming as a conscientious objector during the war, spending his winters building his own farming machinery, and decades later, an inspiring career shift to teaching. Thank you Jake for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on September 8th 2020
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For this episode of "Bridging the Social Distance", I interview Garry Glowacki, curator of "Art Inside Out" - an outdoor exhibit of art created by prison inmates during Garry's time working and running art programs in prisons. You can check it out every weekend in September from Thursday-Sunday, 10am till 6pm at 140 Metcalfe St, corner of Eramosa. This week's exhibit focuses on Indigenous art. This is an inspiring and at times heavy conversation, and the audio is a little dusty, but it's worth a listen. Tune in!
This interview was originally recorded on September 9th 2020
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For this episode I interview Lynne McIntee, Publicity Chair for the Guelph Little Theatre. We talk about theatre's next show, "Cafe Conversations" a performance that is set to air online within the next few weeks, that is based on short stories by local author Marion Reidel. We talk about the Guelph Little Theatre's 85th anniversary this year, and how they've responding and adapting to this pandemic. You can check out https://guelphlittletheatre.com/ to stay informed of upcoming performances, and don't forget to buy a ticket to an online show and support local theatre!
This interview was originally recorded on September 3rd 2020
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This is my 100th episode! For this very special episode, I interview one of my favourite musicians and dear friends, Wax Mannequin. Wax Mannequin is the perfect 100th guest - he's been performing online nearly every Friday since this pandemic began, forming my pandemic soundtrack in the biggest and most meaningful way. A little piece of creative comfort in a time of unknowns. Today we talk about these shows, about Wax's journey to sobriety and how it's impacted his physical and mental health, about creative practices and about our strange brains and how this pandemic may have shifted the world just enough to give our unusual brains a chance to thrive - in Wax Mannequin's words, "Having a strange brain isn't a problem in strange times. It's an advantage. We who -- because of our wiring -- had difficulty internalizing traditional social norms, have had a lot of practice finding our way against some odds. Now there are fewer, more sensible norms. In the new anti-social landscape, do you feel a bit superhuman?" Check out Wax's music at waxmannequin.bandcamp.com, and check out his Friday night concert series on Fridays at 7pm at facebook.com/waxmannequin/live
This interview was originally recorded on Sept. 1st 2020
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This is the 99th episode of this show, and my guest is Juanita Burnett. Juanita is a balcony gardener/ book-addict/ library worker/ communist/ feminist/ karaokeist who lives here in Guelph. She has also been one of the most faithful listeners to this show, so it's wonderful to get the chance to hear her perspective on this pandemic, and the impact it has had on her life and livelihood. Thank you so much for tuning in and for sharing, Juanita!
This interview was originally recorded on August 19th 2020
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For this episode I head to Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen, where I interviews Frances Hansplant. Frances shares stories about her life - her various jobs (including helping with courses hosted on the CBC), her husband John who was an artist, and her travels across this country. There are some tears in this episode, Frances shares some hard memories, so listeners should ready themselves for those emotions. It's very beautiful, and I’m thankful to Frances for sharing her story.
This interview was originally recorded on August 19th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Christine Hames (a kinesiologist and director of the Program for Active Living at Schlegel Villages) and Ally Haffner (a kinesiologist in Long Term Care at the Village of Riverside Glen) and we discuss “PAL” the Program for Active Living.
About PAL: “When we enhance our physical well being, our mind and spirit are lifted as well. In 1996 with this philosophy in mind, Schlegel Villages partnered with the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo to develop the Program for Active Living (PAL). Today in each of our villages, full-time kinesiologists or exercise therapists are available to each resident helping them improve their health and reach their individual goals and aspirations.
The PAL team is a unique collaboration between the three disciplines of kinesiology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. This team conducts assessments in areas of balance, range of motion, mobility, muscle strength and fine motor skills. Based on a holistic approach involving resident and family, an individualized program is developed for each resident to maintain and improve their level of independence.”
Today we discuss this program, and navigating physical health and exercise during a pandemic. For more information about the program you can visit: https://schlegelvillages.com/signature/PAL
This interview was originally recorded on August 18th 2020
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Today Jenny interviews Mary Parker, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Mary is such a delight, so sweet, so funny, and opens up in the biggest way. Mary was born in Cape Breton, and was fostered to a family to help out at a farm. In later years she gave birth to nine children, aspiring to create the family connection she was missing in her youth. Listeners to this episode should prepare emotionally - Mary shares some heartbreaking realities alongside her happy stories. It means so much to have her honesty and perspective, and it’s worth tearing up for the beauty that is her story. Tune in!
This interview was originally recorded on August 18th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview B.a. Johnston, a Hamilton based performer and now children’s author. B.A. is known for dive bar performances that include cheap Canadian beer, and singalongs about GST Cheques, and Deep Fryers in bedrooms, and so perhaps the journey to children’s books isn’t so hard to imagine. His new children’s book is called “Gary the Seagull”, and was inspired by a story he tells his son when they go to the beach. Today we talk about this book, and the changes in plans that have emerged during the pandemic. We talk about his 17 year music career, and about that time someone told him “if you play music for ten years you’ll be famous”. We discuss whether his destiny includes Long-Haul Truck driving or continued driveway performances, whether he’ll return to the dive-bar stage, and if there’ll be a dive bar to return to. You can check out BA’s book at https://nimbus.ca/store/gary-the-seagull.html, and his music at bajohnston.bandcamp.com
This interview was originally recorded on August 11th 2020
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For this episode I interview Barbara James, a resident at the Village of Riverside Glen. Barbara is another new resident who moved during this pandemic, arriving straight from a hospital, and subsequently has had a lot of quarantining. And she admits it would be nice to get to meet some people and make some new friends. But despite this, she’s kept a fantastic disposition, and laughs her way through stories of her youth in Vancouver, her children, her love for her late husband, and the love she found for Guelph. Thank you Barbara for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on August 11th
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For this episode I interview Katrina Bell - Katrina operates a local candle-business known as The Copper Bell, specializing in scent-sensitive candles with witty-pun titles, and she also operates Artisanly, a "local box"/online craft market which sells selections of incredible handmade goods from various artists and artisans in the area. These passions were born out of many things: a change in profession then loss of a job, local markets drying up, an aspiration to be more ethical and thoughtful about sourcing ingredients, supporting other local makers, and avoiding big box stores. And what better time to try to do better at all of these things than during a pandemic? Today's conversation navigates all of these hurdles and ponders what is on the horizon. You can check out Katrina's candles at thecopperbell.ca and find her amazing collections of local goods at artisanly.ca
This interview was originally recorded on August 11th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This episode of "Bridging the Social Distance" is a very moving conversation with Don at The Village of Riverside Glen. Don and his wife have been married for 68 years, starting as high school sweethearts. She lives in Long-Term Care, and Don's in retirement, so they haven't been able to be together for long stretches of this pandemic. His wife has been a huge support for him during his life, sticking with him through his struggles with alcoholism - struggles, which, before this interview, he never shared outside of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). His wife stayed by his side and with the support of AA he changed from the person that he was, to a person that wanted to help other people, and this is what he’s done over the years. Don shares that when he was drinking he couldn’t see anything, or appreciate anything - when he stopped, he could see the wonders of the world. All of this has given him an incredible perspective to carry through this pandemic and it means so much that he has shared this story with us.
This interview was originally recorded on August 4th 2020
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For this episode I interview Bob Wiseman, a musician based in Toronto Ontario, who has just published a book: “Music Lessons”, out on ECW Press.
About “Music Lessons”: “Bob Wiseman believes most things in life are universal or, as Lauryn Hill says, everything is everything. Bearing in mind that advice, Wiseman writes about finding the link between music and daily life, like what is common between Mary Margaret O’Hara hiding around the corner with the lights turned off in order to record herself and his five-year-old insisting he stop hurrying to her dance lesson and marvel at the fluff ball she is blowing toward the ceiling. Each entry is unique and compellingly written, but the themes throughout ― on improvisational music, life lessons and conflict ― are ubiquitous.”
Today we talk about his book, this pandemic, the role of self-editing, and “forgetting the audience”. You can get Bob’s book on his website bobwiseman.com, at the library, or from ECW Press- https://ecwpress.com/products/music-lessons
This interview was originally recorded on August 6th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Glenna Duff, a resident in Long-Term Care at The Village of Riverside Glen. Glenna came to Ontario from Saskatchewan in 1932 with her family when she was three years old, in a Ford Car, with their dog riding on the running board :) She was born in Rockglen Saskatchewan, which is where she got her name.
She’s traveled the world, living three months in Scotland when she was interning as an Occupational Therapist, and Australia, and many other places, but even after all that travel, Ontario remains her very favourite place in the world.
She's anxious to get to spend time out of her room again, to see her family, and to sing with the Glen's "Songbirds" choir. But she's keeping busy with word puzzles, and her time as an Occupational Therapist has given her an extra appreciation for the staff in Long Term Care, and their efforts in keeping everyone safe.
Thank you Glenna for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on August 4th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Kim Boyes, Long-Term Care Neighbourhood Coordinator at The Village at University Gates, and Hilda Melbourne, a Housekeeping Aide in the Emma Dementia Care Neighbourhood at The Village of Riverside Glen, who are two of Schlegel Villages' “CONNECT the Dots” Program facilitators and educators. CONNECT The Dots is a program that has been developed to make sure residents in care facilities are receiving individual, person-centred care. It operates with the credo:
KNOW ME- as a unique human beingBE PRESENT- in all communicationsWALK IN MY SHOES- try to understand how I feelEARN TRUST- be clear, genuine & transparentFOLLOW THROUGH- all the way
Today we talk about this program, and the way it has shaped Hilda and Kim's relationships with the residents they support in their respective facilities, and the value this type of meaningful care can have for anyone, not just seniors retirement residences.
This interview was originally recorded on August 5th, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Joyce Kelterborn, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Joyce is another senior who moved into the residence during the pandemic - after a stretch of time in the hospital, she faced a health reality that didn't leave remaining at home an option. Joyce shares how hard it is to move into one of these facilities when it isn’t your own choice. Her attitude towards adjusting to retirement living is a philosophy that can be handy to consider during this time of a pandemic as well - "It’s not what you had, it’s not maybe what you want, but it’s what you have to put up with in order to survive." She’s starting to integrate and feel more comfortable, and the supportive staff are a huge help. She has found a couple of ladies who, like her, like to knit and crochet, and that's helping too. She can't wait to see the beautiful surrounding neighbourhood when she allowed to go outside and explore. Today she shares stories about her family, spread far and wide, and shows off her incredible memory. Thank you Joyce for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 28th 2020
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For this episode I interview Emily O'Brien, the Founder and Creative Director of Comeback Snacks - a gourmet popcorn company Emily started in federal prison.
Comeback Snacks provides reintegration opportunities and second chances for people who have difficulty finding meaningful employment opportunities when they are released from prison. Today we talk about Emily's journey from her arrest and her time incarcerated, through her entrepreneurial journey and success in developing her business. Emily sought every opportunity to grow and learn during her time incarcerated, and understands the opportunities isolation, freedom from social media, and time with yourself can provide. Tune in for her insights on isolation, coping during uncertainty and the anatomy of a comeback! And visit https://comebacksnacks.com/ to track down her awesome popcorn!
This interview was originally recorded on August 5th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode my guest is Nancy Calverley, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen - and Nancy has lots of stories! Born in Scotland, fostered during the war, and surviving several family hardships after moving to Canada as a young married woman, Nancy has strength and perspective - she marvels at how far the medical world has come since her youth, and while she doesn't love being quarantined during this pandemic, she does see it as an opportunity to use technology to learn about other countries and cultures. She can't wait to be able to get out and use her scooter again, and we hope that day is coming soon. Thank you Nancy for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 28th 2020
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For this episode I interview Pacifico “Puss” Valeriote, a 100 year old resident at The Village of Riverside Glen, born and raised here in Guelph. At 100 years, Pacifico remains a wonderful and charming storyteller - his memory weaves through time, with stories from Alice Street in the Ward, his family’s General Store, and his time in the war, right up to the present where he reflects on the pandemic, and narrates the watching of construction workers in the rain. Pacifico at one point says “I just go with the flow - and sometimes I can’t find flow” - and it’s kind of a perfect metaphor. Sometimes we’re moving forward, sometimes back, and we hope you’ll follow us. Thank you so much Puss for sharing your history.
This interview was originally recorded on July 22nd 2020
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For this episode I interview Ajay Heble, founder of the Guelph Jazz Festival, Director of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation, and artistic director of "IF 2020"
IF 2020 was a 24-hour online improvisation festival that aired starting on Friday August 7th, featuring 100+ unique, original performances by over 150 international artists of all disciplines. Today we talk about this festival, and about the role of improvisation in creative practices, social practices, and during this global pandemic.
To find out more info about the festival you can visit https://improvfest.ca/ You can also listen to an audio stream of the full festival on CFRU 93.3 FM in our archives, starting at 20:00 on Friday August 7th.
This festival has passed, but this is still a very interesting conversation!
This interview was originally recorded on August 5th 2020
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For this episode I interview Dustin Seabrook, also known for his work as "STILL Creates", who is coordinating "Project Isolation". Project Isolation is a video-series that acts as documentation of people’s personal accounts as they navigate their way through the COVID-19 pandemic. There are tons of parallels between my project and Dustin's project, and it makes for a super interesting conversation about the power of creating access, giving people the tools to tell their own story, and how we can use our mediums to capture and share the honest and candid histories of this unprecedented time. Project Isolation was born out of a desire to connect people, and it's a powerful project - to watch the releases so far, or to submit to the project, you can check it out on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/user108319695
This interview was originally recorded on August 3rd 2020
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For this episode I interview Yvonne Boyles, another new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Yvonne, like a lot of the show's recent guests, moved to the village during the pandemic, but not from too far away, just a condo across the road, and before that a whole lifetime spent in Guelph. In fact, Jenny and Yvonne were pretty much neighbours, venturing to a lot of the same places, about fifty years apart. Yvonne shares some moving stories from her past, sharing stories about family life, her cat, and transitioning to living at Riverside Glen. She has overcome so much and it's inspiring! Thank you Yvonne for allowing yourself to be vulnerable with us, and giving us a glimpse into past Guelph!
This interview was originally recorded on July 22nd, 2020
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For this episode I interview Mary Haggarty and Katherine Finlay at The Village of Riverside Glen about the "Java Music Club" - one of Riverside Glen's signature programs.
About the Java Music Club: “JAVA Music Club is an evidence-based mutual support program that provides a safe environment for residents to discuss a wide range of topics.” The goal of the club is “To build a culture of mutual support in each neighbourhood, and to decrease loneliness and depression in [the] Villages” - which is an important goal, especially when according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, rates of depression in Long Term Care homes are estimated at 44%
Mary is the program facilitator of this club at Riverside Glen, and Katherine is a participant, and today they talk about the value this program has, and the infrastructure of support it helps the participants of the club provide for each other as they navigate the very real emotional challenges of transitioning into a senior-care stage of their lives.
This was a powerful conversation. Thank you so much Mary and Katherine!
This interview was originally recorded on July 29th 2020
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For this episode I interview Geoff Royston over at The Village of Riverside Glen. Today Geoff takes us on a trip through his life, his various adventures with airplanes, and his career that spans toolmaking, teaching, and even working on the Avro Arrow. He's a heck of a guy, and at 98 years old there's a lot of wonderful history to share. Tune in! Thanks Geoff!
This interview was originally recorded on July 15th 2020
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For this episode I interview Justin Nace. For the past fifteen years Justin has been working in music, mainly as a front-of-house-audio engineer and tour manager, most recently for bands such as Andy Shauf and Alvvays. When the global pandemic hit, and tours everywhere were cancelled for the foreseeable future, that took Justin off the road along with the rest of the bands, and fresh off a tour, he went into a fourteen day quarantine. Weeks turned into months, and with no end in sight, Justin found new time for domestic pursuits, and found himself dusting off a lingering hobby, making fresh pasta for friends and family. And so Menalon Fresca was born! He's still in Toronto, he's still looking ahead to the future of music, but in the meantime he's feeding his community - check out @menalonfresca on Instagram
This interview was originally recorded on July 23rd 2020
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For this episode I connect with Wesley Anderson at The Village of Riverside Glen. Wes grew up in Jamaica, and worked as a pharmacist before beginning a career as a teacher here in Canada. We talk about his past, and about this pandemic - about the current challenges around navigating school and remote learning, and our shared desire for a vaccine. Wes brings 90 years of life experience and a perspective as someone who worked in both education and medicine, and it was a neat conversation. Thank you Wes!
This interview was originally recorded on July 14th 2020
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This episode explores the topic of supporting people living with dementia, and how we can adapt to the additional challenges presented by this global pandemic. For this conversation I interview Heather Luth, Dementia Program specialist for Schlegel Villages, and Tara Rosenow, who is the Neighbourhood Coordinator for the "Emma Neighbourhood" - the memory care wing of The Village of Riverside Glen. Both of these team members work to implement the "Living in my today" care philosophy, which "supports people living with dementia as they tap into their strengths, express themselves and enjoy the comfort and security of friendships in a place where they experience acceptance and belonging." Thank you Heather and Tara for giving us a glimpse into this work!
This interview was originally recorded on July 15th 2020
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For this episode I interview Frances Poirier, another new resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Frances was born and raised in Middleport, went to school in Brantford, and helped out at her family's General Store in Onondaga. Later as she was raising a family, she took over the General Store once more, and she was hard working woman, as the General Store offered a bit of everything - she was the butcher, the grocer, and the gas station attendant. Her store also acted as the post office, and if someone received a letter and wasn't able to write, she'd help them write a reply.
She moved to Guelph to be closer to family, but got here right in the middle of this pandemic, so she hasn't been able to visit with any of them in person yet - we're all hoping there are safer days ahead and that visiting will soon return.
She also wanted us to know that she is only 4'9", in case that helps frame her history :)
Thanks for connecting, Frances!
This interview was originally recorded on July 14th, 2020
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This interview is the furthest journey yet, taking us all the way to Gisborne New Zealand, where I interview Nikki O'Connor. New Zealand has caught the attention of the world, with a firm, quick response to Covid 19, and now the island of nearly 5 million people is Covid-free, and life has returned to a kind of normal. It's inspiring and hopeful to see a population recovering, and fascinating to get a glimpse of life in New Zealand, as we talk about our respective countries' responses to this global pandemic, and our shared fandom of New Zealand's amazing Prime Minister.
This interview was originally recorded on July 14th, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode my interview heads to The Village of Riverside Glen, where I speak with a very new resident, June MacMillan. June was a teacher in Mount Forest for ten years before switching modes to parenting and working her family’s dairy farm. She had been living in a retirement facility in Maryhill when the pandemic led to that space closing, and June having to re-locate. It’s a special challenge to move during a pandemic, to a new home with so many new people, and especially when meeting those new people is limited in terms of the times and spaces you can do it in, but June has the best attitude - she actively engages in activities and still finds a way to continue her love of walking (while still staying on the premises), and she has set out to learn a new name every day. Thanks June for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on July 8th, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Todays episode travels to Nova Scotia, where I connect with Gabe and Tucker. Gabe and Tucker co-own Outlaw Country Tattoo, an LGBTQ+ friendly tattoo shop, which recently has been able to re-open. They form the band "Holy Crow" which just released a new album called "Gater", that they wrote and recorded during the pandemic. They also live in two different parts of the same house. Today we talk about this album, about the tattoo industry, and about Gabe and Tucker's unique and beautiful decade long friendship. Check out their wonderful new album at holycrow.bandcamp.com
This interview was originally recorded on July 9th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I return to The Village of Riverside Glen, this time exploring the learning opportunities for Personal Support Work. Supporting our seniors at retirement and Long-Term Care residences through this global pandemic has been an undeniably stressful and intense situation, but one potential positive aspect to that is that it has drawn attention to the roles of PSWs, and the ongoing need for people to pursue this line of work. Today I interview Sarah Pottier, Chair of the PSW and Supportive Care Program with Conestoga College, and Hubrecht Quist, Director of Nursing at the Village of Riverside Glen. We talk about the Personal Support Worker Education program at Conestoga, and more specifically the "Living Classroom" - an immersive learning experience where students learn to be PSWs working directly with residents at Riverside Glen. You can find out more about the Living Classroom at https://livingclassroom.ca/ and more about the Personal Support Worker program at https://www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/personal-support-worker
This interview was originally recorded on July 1st, 2020
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For this episode, I interview Dave Snider, a local musician, delivery driver, and recent graduate in Early Childhood education. He's also the host of the CFRU show "Eternal Rhythm" that airs Wednesdays at 8pm. Plus he just released a beautiful new album, the "Dave Snider/Crops Split" out on "OwnSound Recordings". And today we talk about all of these things, about music, about the future of Early Childhood education, and what schooling and childcare may look like as we continue through this pandemic, about the growing need for delivery drivers, about a world of options and difficult decisions. Tune in! And check out Dave's new album at https://ownsoundrecordings.bandcamp.com/a…/dave-snider-crops
This interview was originally recorded on June 29th 2020
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For this episode I return to The Village of Riverside Glen where I interview resident Beth Leach, and I return to China via Beth's stories. Beth has an incredibly interesting past, with complex struggles with citizenship. Beth was born in China, and so was her father, but with her father coming from an English family, and her mother coming from the United States, Beth had constant challenges around where she was allowed to live and work. At age eleven, the war pushed her family out of China, and to the United State via India, and upon arriving by boat, her and her mother were not initially allowed onto US soil. Despite these set backs, Beth has lived a rich life, traveling and studying around the world. It's a fascinating journey and we are so lucky to be given a glimpse into it.
This interview was originally recorded on July 8th, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
I have been spending a lot time hearing from the residents at The Village of Riverside Glen and has been enjoying it so much. Today I get to share from a different perspective, interviewing Heather Culford, a Guelph resident who's mother resides in the Dementia Care Neighbourhood at the retirement centre. This time has been challenging for all of the residents and their loved ones - for months loved ones couldn't visit at all, and now thankfully there are distanced visits possible outside, with masks, and more than six feet apart. But even these forms of visits come with challenges: Some residents have difficulty hearing, and rely on reading lips, which they can't do from behind masks. Some have vision issues, and find it hard to recognize their masked loved from from a distance.Talking to Heather for this episode highlights another experience - when a loved one's memory, creates the sense that these visits may not have happened at all. That was a big concern of Heather's, but she is discovering that there's another side to this too - in some cases, memories and realities blend, and they may even feel like they're being visited all the time, by people from throughout their life, not limited by time or space. Some of these seniors remain oblivious to the severity of our global pandemic. It's a complicated and heavy perspective to consider, but there are lots of beautiful and unique aspects within it. Thank you so much to Heather for sharing.
This interview was originally recorded on June 23rd, 2020
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This episode features an absolutely delightful guest, Tony Ferraro, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Tony's stories of old Guelph go straight to the heart - he came to Canada as an Italian immigrant, lived in the ward, and worked and met his wife at Biltmore Hats. He became the most devoted husband, determined she would never want for anything, even traveling to her area of Riverside Glen when they lived in separate parts of the building, to help her with her meals. Since her recent passing, he's only wore shirts with breast pockets, so he can carry a photo of her at all times. He's such a special fellow. Thank you Tony for sharing your story!
This interview was originally recorded on June 23rd, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today's episode travels all the way to the East coast of China, where I interview Susan McGregor Irwin, a Canadian ex-pat who lives and works in China as a childbirth educator and doula. Susan shares how China is responding to the global pandemic: while there is currently a second wave of Covid, the wide-spread implementation of masks, the literal lock-downs of gated communities, and the tracking of all residents, has lead to China being arguably one of the safer places to be. But the strict safety measures comes with challenges, as Susan's family experienced when her teenaged daughter tried to return to China from her first independent trip to Canada this spring. Everyone's safe and sound, but these are important stories to hear, and we deeply appreciate Susan sharing her insights from across the world.
This interview was originally recorded on June 29th, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This episode features Janet and Larry Hamilton, a couple residing at the Village of Riverside Glen. Being a couple in close quarters in quarantine is bound to test the patience of anyone, but having been together for 58 years, and with experience sharing small spaces on cruise ships when they've traveled the world, these two have things figured out, and are in good spirits. When the quarantine's over they're looking forward to getting to see their family for closer visits, the return of country drives, and a trip to see the final construction of their son's cottage.
This interview was originally recorded on June 17th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today I return to The Village of Riverside Glen where I interview Jack Stevenson, a retired cattle farmer. Jack is honestly just the sweetest, and my insatiable curiosity leads to this being a decidedly informative episode. Jack used to have his own cattle farm, and simultaneously worked with cows at the University of Guelph, and therefore is no stranger to the importance of quarantine to prevent outbreaks. He brings such a good disposition to these trying times, and it was a real treat to talk to him. Thanks Jack for taking the time! #ElderWisdom
This interview was originally recorded on June 17th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today I interview Saleema Nawaz, an author based out of Montreal Quebec.
Saleema's incredible new novel is called "Songs for the End of the World", and it is beautiful, moving, and eerily realistic - as it centers around a global pandemic. The surreal part of this is that Saleema finished writing it over a year ago, long before we were living through one.
Years of research make this book not only authentic and believable, but somehow also hopeful and inspiring. And while it may seem odd to escape from a real life pandemic into a fictional book that teleports you into another one, it was perfect - you are truly rooting for these very human characters as they aspire to pull through and keep each other safe. It's a wonderful read for these trying times.
From the book:
"How quickly he'd forgotten a fundamental truth: the closer you got to the heart of a calamity, the more resilience there was to be found."
You can find out more about her amazing novel at https://www.saleemanawaz.com/
This interview was originally recorded on June 18th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Marlene Lehman, a resident at The Village of Riverside Glen. Marlene is a bright light in a time of increased isolation. She keeps her eyes and heart open for fellow residents who may need a friendly ear, and despite the time in quarantine, has found a myriad of activities to get her through. When she couldn't attend mass in person, she used the internet to digitally travel to masses around the world. When a museum exhibit about the liberation of Holland that she was planning to contribute to got delayed, she spent more time with the artifacts and the memories, learning things about her father that she hadn't known before. The photo albums have been out more, and her and her fellow knitters are continuing to knit squares for their blankets for hospice. It's a beautiful image, many people kept apart, knitting squares that join together to form a blanket. Marlene thinks so too. She could also use some more yarn, so please consider donating yarn to the Village of Riverside Glen!
This interview was originally recorded on June 16th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
June is Senior's Month in Ontario, and Pride Month in Canada, and today's episode explores the intersection, with an interview with Brad Lawrence at The Village of Winston Park, and Kadri Phillips at The Village of Riverside Glen, about the past and present of "Pride" at their respective retirement facilities. This was a deeply interesting conversation: on the surface, it may seem like a simple act to hang a rainbow/pride flag in a retirement centre, but in reality Brad set out to start that process in 2017, and has only this year succeeded in raising it. Riverside Glen is following Brad's example, and are having Pride celebrations for the first time just this year. And there are so many important factors as to why it takes time to see this progress - this generation of seniors who reside in these facilities grew up in a very different time, where topics of identity, sexuality and gender were not spoken of as openly. It is so important to establish these facilities as safe spaces for both future and present residents, and Brad and Kadri are doing an amazing job navigating how to ease these residents into considering perspectives they've maybe never been given space to discuss. This is hard and important work and thank you so much for Brad, Kadri, and the rest of your supportive staff for taking it on!
This interview was originally recorded on June 27th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode of "Bridging the Social Distance" I am continuing to honour Senior's Month, this time by sharing the perspective of frontline staff. Colleen Fawcett has been working as an RPN at The Village of Riverside Glen for ten years. During that time she's seen many outbreaks and illnesses, but nothing on this scale of a Global Pandemic. There are many challenges: keeping everyone safe and in good spirits, showing positivity to residents while wearing a mask, balancing long work days and added tasks, and especially trying to relay information to loved ones when they're not allowed to visit in person. Colleen works in the Dementia Care Neighbourhood, which adds additional challenges around communication for residents. But there are so many beautiful things that have developed, in terms of the staff supporting each other, the community supporting the centre, and the residents - even the ones who have difficulty speaking or hearing - gathering (at a safe distance) in their common spaces to show how much they care for each other. The efforts of Colleen and her fellow employees are just incredible, and it was inspiring to get a glimpse into this difficult and essential work.
We hope you'll give this a listen - this is a heavy topic, but it's also comforting and beautiful and so important.
Thank you so much to all the front line workers who are taking care of our seniors!
This interview was originally recorded on June 16th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
During this episode, Joan takes us on a local trip down memory lane. Jenny reached Joan at her home at The Village of Riverside Glen on Joan's 89th birthday, and even though it was Joan's birthday, her story was the gift given to us: born and raised in Guelph, and nostalgic about all things old-Guelph, this interview will go straight to the heart of anyone who loves this city. What a gem. Another perfect story to honour "Senior's Month". Happy birthday Joan! #ElderWisdom
This interview was originally recorded on June 10th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Chelsey Edwards, a Programming Coordinator for Parkwood Gardens Neighbourhood Group, and Criminal Justice and Public Policy grad from the University of Guelph. As Chelsey and the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition (GNSC) work on creating a "summer experience" for students online this summer, she hopes she can create something as fun and bonding and meaningful as a Summer Camp. But the internet is a scary and unsupervised place, and utilizing it for good opens up all of the potential dangers too. For some of the youth she works with, this may be their first foray into the internet, and thankfully, Chelsey takes that very seriously. During this interview Chelsey dives into her experience navigating and mitigating online experiences, the amazing opportunities the internet has provided, and the lack of real education about it. We talk about this, about poverty and financial literacy, about the long term financial repercussions this pandemic will have, and we talk about our shared love of the GNSC. We had some connectivity issues but hopefully you can listen through the occasional crackle to hear the wisdom :)
The attached photo is of Chelsey's mom, and the incredible masks her mom makes.
This interview was originally recorded on June 11th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I return to The Village of Riverside Glen, where I interview Norm Jary, former Mayor of the City of Guelph, and broadcaster for CJOY. At 91 years of age, Norm has done an incredible job keeping himself educated about Covid 19, and is taking every precaution, deeply appreciating the steps Riverside Glen has taken to protect its residents. We talk about this, and about his life - Norm is very proud of holding the longest term of mayor in Guelph's history, and shares several standout highlights from that career, from his marriage, and from his time as a radio broadcaster.
This interview was originally recorded on June 10th, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Thirza Armstrong, host of "The Crow's Nest", a podcast Thirza's been hosting on behalf of the Guelph Tool Library, that we've had the pleasure of airing on our CFRU airwaves. With the Crow's Nest, Thirza implores us to listen as they "chat with folks about community resilience and how the world’s lost without it, the importance of skill sharing and how you’re missing out, and the timeless 21st century hot topics: sustainability and self sufficiency."
This was an endearing conversation, stumbling through the parallels of these hosts' attempts to create space, leave space, collect stories, and learn about their communities, about how much can be learned from listening, and the balance needed in a sharing economy: we may show up to borrow, but what we lend or give is just as valuable.
You can check out the podcast at https://thecrowsnest.substack.com/
This interview was originally recorded on June 4th 2020.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Bridging the Social Distance continues to celebrate Seniors' Month by returning to The Village of Riverside Glen, this time to interview resident Doug A Gilmour. Doug has written a book chronicling his life, called "A Successful Life: Overcoming Adversity with Persistence", and based on this interview it sounds like Doug has done just that. He's experienced a lot of hardship, and a lot of loss - including the loss of several close family members, and the loss of his arm at a young age - but it's provided incredible opportunities to see what he's capable of, and to see his community come together to support him. Sometimes going through difficult situations gives you a perspective on what's possible - which is an inspiring concept to lean into during a global pandemic.
This interview was originally recorded on June 9th 2020.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
The last episode, I interviewed a teacher - today, we hear from a student's perspective. Owen Mulkins-Brown is a grade nine student at GCVI. He's also a bit of a radio and story-sharing alumni, having participated in several projects with CFRU when he was a student at Willow RD PS, and acting as a host for last year's "Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries". So when looking for a student's perspective, I thought of Owen right away.
Grade nine is a major shift for any student, and navigating a global pandemic and quarantine during your first year in high school is not likely to make things much easier. But Owen sees a lot of plus sides within these strange days: more sleep, more control over his schedule, more walks, more time for other activities. And yes, more time alone, more time to reflect and more time to miss friends. But Owen's incredible knowledge of history gives him some important perspectives: he knows how important it is for us to follow guidelines, and do what we can to stay safe and help each other. He's doing an incredible job adapting.
Owen's advice: "Stay Safe. Stay Inside. Wear masks. Social Distance. And talk to people - make sure you don't go insane".
This interview was originally recorded on June 3rd 2020.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Kelly McCullough, a high school teacher at the Upper Grand District School Board. Kelly helps run urbanartsguelph.ca MADE with her colleague Jeff Bersche, an arts-focused experiential learning course here in Guelph. And since experiential learning steps outside the classroom...Jenny really wanted to explore what that might mean for students during a quarantine. Are kids who take to venturing outside the traditional classroom structure more resilient when asked to shift to a totally new reality? Is this more experiential, or simply more isolating? How are kids coping? What does this look like for students graduating? We talk about this, about the very real challenges of emergency learning, about the occasional positive highlights to come out of this strange time, and our collective hope that students will brave this global pandemic okay and receive the support they need. Find out more about MADE at https://www.urbanartsguelph.ca/
This episode was originally recorded on May 28th 2020.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Owen Pallett - Owen just released a beautiful new album "Island". And so we chat about this, and wonder about the future of music, reflecting on how we got here. We talk about recording, about the time between albums, and how our concept of time has shifted over the years - how some artists, when we discovered them as teens, seemed frozen in a state where it was hard to fathom them continuing to release as current active artists, how some of the most influential music came from friends that have all but vanished from the public eye but stay imbedded in our minds as we create, no matter how much time has passed. We talk about the past of touring, the future of touring, the very real work, the very real reward, and the very real worry that it may not come back. And we talk about the role of video games, of friends, of consumption, of space, of cooking, of exercise and repetition in quarantine, and the effect this all has on our mental health - where we survive, and where we thrive. You can check out Owen's new album at https://owenpallett.bandcamp.com/album/island
This interview was originally recorded on June 3rd 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Danielle Gehl, a community herbalist and nature connection educator, who runs Eramosa Herbals - a community apothecary and medicine making practice.
Today we talk about plants, their healing properties, and their capacities to support and augment our lives as we move through this difficult time. There are no miracle plants that have all the answers. But there are plants that can help strengthen us, help calm us, help settle our minds and bodies, and help fight against viruses. They are but one piece of a balanced approach to our health, and Danielle encourages us to not be too hard on ourselves - we are all sharing a traumatic experience, so we should be kind to ourselves, lean in to what's working, educate ourselves, and if we feel up to it, explore the outdoors and see what we can find.
This interview was originally recorded on May 20th 2020.
Some additional resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ykSOpkDd-ZJ-Lgi9xKbWH7R8_ZPqMF14WuUVLEOtx7E/edithttps://www.longspellherbs.com/boil-roots/
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This episode begins a series within a series of this show, featuring seniors sharing stories from within quarantine.
My first guest is Lloyd Hetherington. Lloyd moved into The Village of Riverside Glen the day before they went into total quarantine. From the inside, Lloyd has experienced nothing but positivity and support and care from the staff. On his own, prior to the pandemic, taking care of himself had become a struggle, and he feels he is far safer where he is now. Inspired by the stories of his fellow seniors, and the hard work of the front line-essential workers, Lloyd was disheartened that every story he saw of seniors' centres portrayed in the news has been one of fear, illness and isolation. Riverside Glen currently has no cases of COVID. He was interviewed by the media, and his quote was shortened to a short sound-bite that misconstrued Lloyd's story, further perpetuating a sad narrative. So he reached out to the recreational staff at Riverside Glen, and requested the opportunity to share his story, and the stories of his fellow residents for radio. They reached out to me, and for the next few weeks many of these stories will find their way onto CFRU's airwaves and onto this show.
Lloyd was wonderful for kicking off this idea, and he brings many good stories along with him. Lloyd is a self-described "child of the world", with an exciting life including more than a decade living in Zambia. He feels like seniors can have a tendency to minimize the value of their stories and wisdom. He understands that it's a very real challenge, maintaining a sense of self, and letting yourself be vulnerable to forming new relationships together. But he feels it is so important, and wants to share that. He thinks there are lessons to be learned from this pandemic: We are not islands. The world has thrived after past disasters, but it can't stay in a constant state of thriving, it needs to pause and to heal. We could look for doom and gloom, but there are bright spots as well. We're very excited to share his story.
This interview was originally recorded on June 2nd 2020.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today's episode features an important interview with three of the coordinators of GBHS:Guelph Solidarity Protest to Support Black Lives Matter: Kween (a board member and heritage manager for Guelph Black Heritage Society), Barbara (who oversees the instagram page "Guelph Care about Black Lives), and Desiree, (a community member who, along with another community member Tara, came up with the initial idea for the protest.)
It was extremely generous of these three women to coordinate time within their busy schedules to share information on this event, and their insights into the relevance and urgency of addressing the racism that exists here in our own city.
I don't want to paraphrase any of the powerful information these women shared; I hope you will take the time to listen. Even if you are unable to listen to this episode prior to the event on Saturday, or unable to attend the event itself, the episode is still worth making time for - the women draw attention to some ongoing actionable steps we can take, including donating to local advocacy groups (such as Guelph Black Heritage Society), supporting local business owned and operated by BIPOC, educating ourselves, and authentically listening to the stories of folks with these lived experiences.
The event is Saturday June 6th from 2-5 pm. I will post a link in the comments, if you search "GBHS:Guelph Solidarity Protest to Support Black Lives Matter" you will find the event. Here is the information copied from the event itself:
"Guelph Black Heritage, Kween, Desiree and Tara in support of The City of Guelph bring to you Guelph Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protest.
(Please read all below COVID-19 precautions and guidelines that must be followed to participate in this march)
We in the Guelph-Wellington Community will peacefully march in solidarity for the lives lost to police brutality, institutionalized racism and hatred. People of all races and backgrounds will come together to show our solidarity against anti-blackness and injustice.
Police will not be invited to this March for the safety of our BIPOC’s. MORE DEMANDS AND DETAILS to come.
SATURDAY JUNE 6th, 2020 - MEET 2PM at Guelph City Hall.updates on schedule to come
We will peacefully protest for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, D'andre Campbell & all those before whose names we know and those names we do not know of.
This is a PEACEFUL MARCH AND PROTEST to raise awareness of the lives lost in violence, to show our solidarity for the families and communities most impacted, to express that as the community WE are NOT just "not racist"- WE are active ANTI-RACISTS.
We at Guelph Black Heritage Society are bringing all we can in our commitment to work for better race relations in Guelph during this historic time. There are no sidelines from which to watch. All organizations and citizens that care about justice have a responsibility to join this worthy endeavor, and we are no exception. We are answering the call from our members, allies, and hearts to move Guelph forward, stronger together.
Black and racialized members of our community are grieving. The lives that have been lost, reported and not, have carried with them the weight of their injustices.
PROVIDED on SITE: Thank you to our MANY outside DonationsExtra MasksSanitizerFirst AidWater, Juice, Ice PopsBIPOC Security and Police LiaisonsPins and StickersExtra Bristol Board and MarkersGBHS Liaisons and Volunteers to answer Questions - look for us in #BlackLivesMatter T-Shirts
DAY OF INCLUDES:1. Opening Speakers, Spoken Word and Artists2. March (route update to come)3. Ending Appreciations
SAFTEY INFORMATION:If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home. (We are working on setting up a designated Car Parking area to be included in the route TBA)You MUST wear a mask. Please wear one that covers your nose and mouthMaintain social distancing of 2 meters from each other throughout the marchMarch in groups of 5 or lessMaintain a distance of 6 feet between each groupPlan ahead for essential needs, care and supplies*BIPOC Volunteers will be on site helping to maintain the social distancing
LOOKING TO SUPPORT:Donate MasksWater BottlesFirst Aid VolunteersSet Up and Take DownLegal Support for BIPOCDonate*Create Signs
CONTINUE THE CAUSE: Support local Black initiativesTO DONATE: visit www.guelphblackheritage.ca or e-transfer to info@guelphblackheritage.com
This interview was originally recorded on June 3rd, 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Aimee Copping.
Aimee is a musician/songwriter/performer known as Transstar.
She is the founder/coordinator/instructor extraordinaire for "Blackball" - an electronic music program for marginalized communities.
She is also a producer/engineer/coordinator for "Pros and Cons" - a recording project that works with inmates at correctional institutions.
Pros and Cons just released TWO brand new albums. And Transstar is in the stages of a new EP. And while these achievements would be more than enough to warrant a radio interview, Aimee utilized her platform as a guest on this show to spread awareness of some of the struggles facing trans people; locally, in the US, during a pandemic and ultimately also just every day. It was eye-opening to see how many barriers there are to overcome to just even get to be "ordinary", let alone to get access to the additional support systems you may need as a trans person navigating a global pandemic. This was an important conversation, and Aimee was an eloquent guest. You can check out Aimee's previous EP "Famous Door" and stay up to date with her new musical release at transstar.bandcamp.com You can check out the Blackball project at Aimee's blog, http://blvckbvll.blogspot.com/ and you can learn about (and download the new releases) from "Pros and Cons" at https://prosandconsprogram.com/
This interview was originally recorded on May 28th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Josh Bean, a woodworking-visual artist and festival and events specialist for the city of Waterloo.
Josh had just left his work on stress leave, when the COVID pandemic sent everyone else home too. So he’s working on healing, but it’s a strange time. Today we start our interview spiralling out about dog videos and apps. We have a lot in common, in terms of how our brains work, and you’ll get a glimpse into some of that in this conversation. Our obsessive compulsive tendencies when it comes to bagging groceries. Our anxieties around efficiency and process. The value we place in the little bit of control we do have, the things we can plan for, and our systems. Our tendency to take on many hobbies and interests and projects without dropping any of the previous ones, and how that changes during a pandemic. Our pondering the line between art and craft, artist and worker. And we question: How do you stay home, keep yourself safe and sane, and keep your friendships and connections going, while still following all the recommended quarantining? What could support look like for folks struggling with anxiety and mental illness, right now, and going forward? What is art without an audience? We don’t have the answers, but it’s an interesting conversation. You can follow him and his art on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joshmbean
This interview was originally recorded on May 21st 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview local musician Andrew Collins. Andrew's current musical project is called "AMC Gremlin" and he just released a fantastic new album called "Heavy Dust". What's it like to release an album during quarantine? This continues to be an interesting discussion to have, it seems to be a bit different for everybody. Andrew was determined to do better at self-promotion this time round, he had researched all of the contacts of all the community radio stations, made some videos, did some pre-releases...he was even going to try to book himself some shows. But he's coping okay during this unusual turn of events. We discuss our mutual struggle to get music planning together, the disappearing blogs and surge in personal playlists on streaming platforms. We talk about his move from a chosen form of isolation in south-northern Ontario to a globally mandated version. We talk about the long-gone days of artists releasing "best ofs", and the future of performance (perhaps the bars will be replaced by yards?). Lot's to think about. You can check out Andrew's awesome album at https://amcgremlin.bandcamp.com/
This interview was originally recorded on May 21 2020
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For this episode I interview Cheryl Misener, a Health Care System Navigator here in Guelph. Right before this Global Pandemic, Cheryl was poised to launch her brand new business, "Cheryl Misener - Your Guide Through the Medical Maze", aimed to support seniors and their caregivers navigate geriatric and palliative care systems. For now the business' future and the timelines are uncertain, but COVID has the potential to change the landscape of medicine and senior-care, and on the other side, we will need all the support we can find to navigate our paths forward. Find out more about Cheryl at http://www.cherylmisener.com/
This interview was originally recorded on May 20th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode of "Bridging the Social Distance", I interview Maica, a musician in Montreal QC. Before the COVID quarantining, Maica was almost done her degree in Speech Pathology, and had a job lined up for when she finished her placement. When all the placements were cancelled, and degrees were put on hold, Maica responded to a call for all willing medical students, and started working at a Long Term Care Facility. We talk about this very intense time, and Maica's sudden work and life shift - the workers at the facility are overwhelmed and exhausted, and Maica's doing everything she can to support them, and the residents. There are many cases of COVID. But some folks have recovered, too, and Maica knows her freshness in this line of work puts her in a unique position, where she can bring new energy and perspective. She's also accessing therapy and exercise to stay as strong and healthy as possible.
It was incredible and eye-opening to have this conversation, and Maica is making an amazing contribution of support as a front line worker. It's not really leaving Maica with a lot of space left for making music, but you can check out her beautiful albums at maicamia.bandcamp.com
This interview was originally recorded on May 18th 2020
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For this episode I interview Anna Mērnieks-Duffield, a musician and Arborist living in Toronto ON. We talk about Anna's own musical project Beams, and the bands she plays in (Ace of Wands and The Fern Tips) and how her identities as a musician, wife, and arborist fit into a quarantine. It's all a balance - she's still working full time at her day job during the quarantine, but she's working on other stuff too - she's working on herself, making more room for trust and healthy relationships, appreciating having a less chaotic schedule, and working on an internet television show with Ace of Wands, too. Check out her various projects at: https://beamsbeams.bandcamp.com/, https://aceofwands.bandcamp.com/ and https://ferntips.bandcamp.com/
This interview was originally recorded on May 16th 2020
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For this episode I interview Brodie Schwendiman, owner operator of The Casbah in Hamilton, and member of the "Hamilton Music Advisory Team". Brodie's been hosting live music for over a decade. And while the music scene has shifted, and recent years have seen a drop in attendance amongst the younger generation, no one creating or supporting music was prepared for a global pandemic, and an immediate end to all live in-person shows with no end date in sight. And yes, some musicians have been able to keep a presence online...but what happens to the spaces we've grown up playing in, that we love, trust, and are created and maintained by people with years of devotion and experience? If we lose these spaces during the pandemic, will we ever be able to rebuild anything like them?
Music venues were amongst the first spaces to have to close their doors, and will likely be among the last to be able to re-open. Going forward we'll have to assume that spaces will have a much lower capacity, and stricter guidelines around health and safety. The current business models of most venues depend on bodies in a room. The ripple affect of the loss of music venues is huge, touching many different industries beyond just the owners or the performers. If we want to return to being able to gather together to watch music, we need to completely re-think how we fund these spaces, and find new collective solutions.
To keep up with what Hamilton's doing to support these conversations: www.hamilton.ca/music
You can find out more about Brodie's venue the casbah, and the "Indie Rock Relief" benefit he has set up at https://casbahlounge.ca/
For conversations happening at the global scale, www.saveourstages.com
This interview was originally recorded on May 15th 2020
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For this episode I interview Liv Carrow, a social worker and musician living in Moline Illinois. Liv was in the middle of buying her first house, when the Global Pandemic hit. And it still went through, but it made for a bizarre and unusual experience, with complex feelings. It's very exciting to get to own your own home, a first home, and settle into a town with the commitment to stay. It's a privilege to not have to be subject to the complicated struggle and political weight of paying rent. It's strange to have a new place, and not be able to fill it with furniture from thrift stores, and with your friends and family. And as a social worker, it's a balancing act, trying to work from home, trying to work to support people who are trying to tuck therapy back into their lives, who can't leave their houses to do that, and trying to make safe spaces and boundaries in your new home for those intense emotions, and your own emotions. These are some of the things we talk about. So tune in! You can check out Liv's lovely music at https://livcarrowmusic.bandcamp.com/
This interview was originally recorded on May 14th 2020
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For this episode I interview Paterson Hodgson, a Toronto based musician, visual artist and activist. Paterson had a bunch of shows lined up for her band "So Young", but then the Global Pandemic ended live shows for the foreseeable future. It also affected her income as a visual artist, a big part of which is illustrating concert posters. So it was a shift she wasn't expecting, but it hasn't slowed her down - what was time spent creating is currently time spent politically organizing: Paterson is a significant contributor to the Keep Your Rent Toronto movement, fighting to secure housing as the basic human right that it should be. You can check out Paterson's music at https://soyoung.bandcamp.com/ her art at https://patersonhodgson.com/ or follow her on instagram @patersinister
This interview was originally recorded on May 14th 2020
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This episode features Cam Wells, host of the radio show "Handi-Link", a show that covers disability stories. The show is usually recorded at CJAM-FM in Windsor ON, and Cam has recently returned to the airwaves, after having set up a home recording studio. We talk about some of the newest interviews he's been hosting, and about the unique experiences of disabled folks in the times of a Global Pandemic. We talk about the people who access and depend on ODSP for support - in many cases, quarantining has added additional expenses for folks on ODSP. Plus, a lot of folks on ODSP work part-time jobs to help subsidize their living expenses, and by extension are amongst the thousands of people who have taken a financial hit by loss of employment during COVID. So there are added costs, and reduced income...but folks on ODSP are not eligible for CERB. ODSP pays roughly $750-$1500 a month to an individual living with a disability. CERB is currently paying $2000 a month. But in order to access the emergency relief benefit and temporarily receive a higher amount of money, a person would have to cancel their ODSP, and risk not being able to access it again. There is a lot to be inspired by, talking to Cam, and hearing stories of perseverance amongst the folks he's interviewing. But it is clear, on a federal and provincial level, that folks are being left behind and financial support still has a long way to go. Check out “Handi-Link” at http://www.cjam.ca/supercali/show_event.php?id=96
This interview was originally recorded on May 14th 2020
Added note post interview: new information has been found since this interview, and it sounds like (thankfully) folks on ODSP will not necessarily lose their benefits by applying for CERB, but that there will be a correction/adjustment when CERB stops being given out.
This is how it was explained to me by Cam: “According to Ken Pope an ODSP expert attorney, what happens is those on ODSP are obliged to apply for CERB - which is a greater amount than ODSP - which ill produce a long term offset once ODSP is back to normal as calculations will indicate there was an overpayment in the form of CERB. There is a lot of misinformation out there but it appears as though it won't cause long term loss, just a shift in amounts”
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For this episode I interview Ruhee Dewji, a musician (and software engineer) in Toronto ON. Ruhee and Jenny get to the heart of their current ponderings and anxieties, exploring their creativity, where it is or isn't taking them, and what the "other side" of this may look like. If a person isn't able to perform music in their apartment due to having neighbours, and isn't able to play live because that isn't a thing, are they still a musician? Do we cease to exist if we aren't producing? Or does COVID count as a pause, freezing musicians and artists in suspended animation and retaining their status throughout this unfortunate period? Do we get to focus on "all the things we could be doing, pretending that we would be doing them, even if we aren’t doing them? How do we manage our internal critic, and WHY does that critic get an opinion on our talent when there's no one around to hear us? If we don't see another human being, do we still matter? What can we do to feel better? Ruhee's teaching herself to knit! And that seems to be helping. These are the sorts of things we talk about. Tune in! And to see some of what Ruhee's created, visit ruheedewji.com
This interview was originally recorded on May 6th 2020
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This episode features Heather Houser - Heather is an author, she's the Chair of "Planet Texas 2050", and she’s an Associate Professor of English at The University of Texas at Austin. Heather's new book "Infowhelm" is being released on Columbia University Press in June 2020, and while it was written prior to this Global Pandemic we've found ourselves in, there are incredible parallels. About Infowhelm: "How do artists and writers engage with environmental knowledge in the face of overwhelming information about catastrophe? What kinds of knowledge do the arts produce when addressing climate change, extinction, and other environmental emergencies? What happens to scientific data when it becomes art? In Infowhelm, Heather Houser explores the ways contemporary art manages environmental knowledge in an age of climate crisis and information overload."
We talk a lot about this book, and Heather's thoughts on COVID - has Heather's work and research prepared her for this pandemic? Maybe, in a way: her work as a professor has given her the opportunity to build community while taking in and processing heavy feelings, and she sees great strength in people admitting to and sharing their vulnerabilities and emotional experiences in this moment. She encourages us think about why we feel the way we do, and to account for our feelings and responses as a means to prepare us: going forward, we can hide, or we can move forward in the world and think of other futures or outcomes we may want to see come out of this.
You can find more info about, and pre-order Heather's book here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/infowhelm/9780231187336
This interview was originally recorded on May 5th 2020
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For this episode I interview Chris Cummings, who performs under the name "Marker Starling" - Marker Starling just released a delightful new album called "High January", released on Tin Angel Records, and recorded with help from members of the band "Stereo Lab" We talk about his record, and the future and past of our music scenes, we talk about the closing of venues and the loss of spaces, nostalgia, and his desire for massive government funding for the arts. We also talk about his prediction for a "Roaring 2020's" on the other side of COVID. You can find Marker Starling's new album at tinangelrecords.bandcamp.com
This interview was originally recorded on May 5th 2020
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For this episode I interview Kat Herbinson, a neuro-diverse relationship coach who recently relocated to Victoria B.C. Kat was adventuring her way across the United States on route to her new home in B.C. when the pandemic hit, and she had to escalate her trip. As stressful and unusual as it must be to begin a new life from within quarantine, Kat had lots of amazing insights into ways we can work to cope with these unusual times. Things such as structure - without structure, the floating feelings and ambiguity of anxiety gets amplified, creating more and more moments where we wonder "what we should be doing", which feeds feelings of "productivity shaming". She also feels we should take a harm reduction approach to consumption, and that we build trust in ourselves whenever we take care of ourselves. This was an insightful conversation and we hope you enjoy it! You can learn more about Kat's practice at relationshipwell.com
This interview was originally recorded on April 28th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Tyler Clarke Burke, a graphic artist and children's author living in Toronto ON. Tyler is slowly recovering from what is likely COVID - she hasn't been officially tested, but it was rough and scary, and thankfully she seems to be on the other side. We talk about this, about the scary reality of this illness, and we talk about a lot of other things too: we talk about failure, "Failing Up", the "Warrior gene", A.D.H.D, and our respective strange brains. We also talk about empathy, how difficult it can be to fathom feelings from within isolation and how important it is. This was a powerful and meaningful conversation that went a lot of interesting places, that may resonate with folks with busy brains. So tune in! Tyler has a children's book coming out this October, and you can find out more about this and her other projects by visiting http://www.tylerclarkburke.com/ or follow her on instagram, @tcbtcbtcb
Attached photo is a classic day of "home schooling" at Tyler's.
This interview was originally recorded on April 28th 2020
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For this episode I interview Morgan Murray, an author living in Cape Breton NS. Morgan is about to release his debut novel, "Dirty Birds". Because of a global paper shortage, the publication has been delayed. Because of a global pandemic, there's no physical launch, or tour. But it's a fantastic book, that can exceed all the limitations of these times. It will teleport you from a tiny town in Saskatewan, to a remote, bird-covered island in Labrador, to the Plateau in Montreal, through the perspective and terrible poetry of the protagonist, "Milton Ontario" (a person, not a place). Morgan and Jenny talk about his book, and we talk about what a launch looks like in quarantine - with so much potential time to read and discover new art, could a quarantine elevate a brand new author? We can hope! The book is tentatively set to come out on June 29th, and you can find out more details at http://morganmurray.ca/
This interview was originally recorded on April 28th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Lauren Stein. Lauren is an expressive arts therapist, Hebrew priestess, author and improv coach who lives here in Guelph. We talk about how as extroverts, there are benefits to the increased use of online social networking platforms in terms of reconnecting us to our friends from afar and the opportunities to connect with people from around the world around very specific shared interests. But the increase in the speed and availability of these technologies can take a toll on our mental health, and should be balanced with time outdoors, in nature, away from screens. We acknowledge how incredible it is that folks are sharing how they’re doing, and checking in more, and that we are seeing amazing advancements in terms of undoing the stigma of mental health - but these are challenging times and we need to make sure we’re still taking care of ourselves as best we can, and Lauren has some pretty neat strategies for this. Lauren’s first book “Fun at Work” about improv in the workplace, comes out on June 15th - you can sign up for her newsletter at slightlybetter.ca to follow along and find out more about all of Lauren’s projects.
This interview was originally recorded on April 23rd, 2020
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For this episode I interview Olivia Vale, a Wedding and Event photographer living in Austin Texas. With the announcement of quarantining measures in response to this global pandemic of COVID-19, Olivia had a barrage of cancellations for photography gigs - the Mayor of Austin was preemptive in cancelling South By Southwest and while it saw backlash at the time, it is now clear he likely prevented a major outbreak in doing so. But with the cancellation of that festival, and other events and weddings, Olivia saw nearly a third of her annual income immediately vanish. It didn’t just delay her gigs - it also delayed her own wedding: Olivia would have been married this April, and has had to postpone till next year. So we talk about this: So what does an optimistic extroverted photographer do in a time of no events? What does “Social Distancing” look like in photography, when a high-quality zoom can get you closer to your subjects, but is faced with backlash from viewers who are uneasy by the closeness? What is the role of a photographer in capturing and archiving this unusual time? Olivia in continuing to run an online photo contest “Photo_fantastico” which you can find at https://www.photofantastico.com/, and you can follow Olivia’s own photography at oliviavale.com or on instagram at @Olivia_Vale_photographer
This interview was originally recorded on April 22nd, 2020
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For this episode I interview Katie Ewald, a pilates instructor and dancer who lives here in Guelph. Katie has spent years teaching people how to manage stress in their bodies, how to move through trauma, and how to connect with your surroundings to focus and relax. This looks a little different when you have fewer places to move in, and more time alone with yourself and your thoughts, and it's hard when the panic and concern is so valid and universal. But Katie has some great tips on practices we can work with, as we try to find relief wherever we can.💕
This interview was originally recorded on April 14th, 2020
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For this episode, I interview Clinton St. John, a visual artist and musician living in Calgary Alberta. We talk about his new album with his band "Florida B.C.", and about their decision to embrace the quarantine and release it early (in June) rather than wait till the fall. We talk about what finishing a semester of arts school is like when you can't attend classes. And we talk about graphic novels, our shared love, and his own plans for a memoir.
This interview was originally recorded on April 27th 2020
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This episode features Guelph's own David J Knight. David is an artist, musician and archeologist - creator of "Tales of a Guelphite" and songwriter under the name "A Single Voice". Just before we went into quarantine mode, David had set up an exhibit of his art at the Bullfrog Mall branch of the Guelph Public Library - it is still on display, but in a closed library. That seems like bad luck, but in an even worse coincidence, the last time David had an art exhibit up, 9-11 happened. It's an odd pattern, but David creates outside the boundaries of particular "release dates" so he's keeping a positive attitude. He's releasing music on his soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/david-j-knight) that spans twenty years of production, he's drawing, and he's gardening. We talk about this, about the parallels between archeology, music and drawing and how they're all "recordings", the significance of discovering a cornerstone, and how to know when you've "removed enough dirt" to share what you've found.
This interview was originally recorded on April 14th, 2020
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This episode features Kelly Hardcastle Jones!!! Kelly who used to create wonderful radio for CFRU, and now creates amazing podcasts from her home in Charlottesville Virginia. She has a brand new podcast called "Social Distance Assistance" that she co-hosts with her eight year old daughter June. So of course we had to connect to talk about it! Kelly and June's podcast is inspired by Mr. Rogers - specifically his mom, who used to tell him that during times of trouble, you look for the helpers.
Kelly is excited to see the creative problem solving people are doing to come together at a time when you're not allowed to be together.
She's even MORE excited to see if this is a moment that is going to expose systemic failures and then actually drive us to confront them.
We acknowledge that there is a certain calmness that is present right now in spite of the heavy realities. And it may be the calm before the storm, but it may also be the calm before the revolution.
This interview was originally recorded on April 14th 2020
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For this episode of "Bridging the Social Distance" I interview Mathias Kom of The Burning Hell. Mathias and his band were in the middle of their first ever tour to Australia when the W.H.O declared COVID a pandemic, and the sudden risk of being stranded, and having their travel health insurance cancelled, forced them to cancel the rest and rush back to Canada. I reached him at his home on P.E.I.
We talk about the COVID days - Mathias never imagined the apocalypse would look like everyone baking bread and cutting their own hair.
We talk about Basic Income, and giving Socialism a fair shot.
And we talk about the struggle with the music scene even outside of COVID, the dwindling crowds...wondering if, on the other side of this, will it be worse? Will people be scared to gather? Or will they be more excited than ever to come out, lamenting that they took it all for granted before?
This interview was originally recorded on April 13th 2020
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The newest episode of "Bridging the Social Distance" travels all the way to Italy, where Jenny interviews Anselmo Luisi - drummer&percussionist and Damon Arabsolgar of the band Mombao, and their manager Isacco Zanon, who also works as a Social Worker in psychiatric rehabilitation. Mombao had a new music release and tour scheduled for India and Nepal, when COVID halted that plan, and the quarantine has separated the three of them to three different parts of Italy: their creative workarounds for spending time "together" are bizarre and wonderful (including creating a band in the game "Rust"). Damon and Anselmo studied Economics in Arts and Communication, and this was an incredible conversation, finding out about some of the realities of the struggles in Italy right now, but also the struggles in Italy in general when it comes to trying to make a living making music.
This interview was originally recorded on April 12th 2020
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For this episode I interview local musical wonder Scott Merritt.
Scott is a musician/songwriter/producer/creator living here in Guelph. We talk about the news, and where we find our trusted sources: Scott still subscribes to a paper newspaper: he reads the New York Times and recreates a "Sunday morning" where time slows down because the stores are closed. We talk about music: where does a musician find motivation to create when you don't feel driven to perform, or don't know when you'll be able to again? And we talk about John Prine.
Scott works from home, so in some ways his COVID days aren't too different, maybe a few additional intentional trips upstairs to keep his wife Sue company. But he's watching the world, and contemplating the days to come, working on music (that hopefully we'll get to hear someday :) )
This interview was originally recorded on April 10th 2020
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For this episode I interview Dave Del Rizzo of CFUZ 92.9FM - Peach City Radio in Penticton British Columbia. Peach City Radio is a small local station in B.C., the newest radio broadcast licence in the NCRA. But for a little station, they're ahead of the curve in technology - even before they had to close their doors to the public, they had set up amazing software to operate their station remotely, and because of this they can stay on the airwaves during the pandemic. Radio stations have been deemed "Essential services" which is a powerful designation - we talk about this, the importance of locally produced alternative media, and just generally geek out about all things radio.
This interview was originally recorded on April 10th 2020
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For this episode I interview Olive von Topp, an empowerment coach, burlesque performer and educator who lives and works here in Guelph. When COVID-quarantining put a halt to public gatherings, Olive sprung into action online - while it's not ideal to have screens between us, in some ways it increases accessibility, and because of people like Olive von Topp people can continue to stretch, dance and express themselves with their bodies, even if we are stuck in our homes. Olive von Topp. Olive is currently offering many incredible online classes and workshops - You can find info about these at olivevontopp.com
This interview was originally recorded on April 14th 2020
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Today I interview the one and only john southworth! John recently released an album spanning the last sixteen years of his career - a curated collection of songs never before featured on other albums. It was special to have the opportunity to let people know about this beautiful work. We reflect on the spaces his music has come from, and the thread he found through these songs that tied them all together despite them having maybe not quite fit before. Past ideas have a new sound in these strange days, and it's nice to slow down and listen. (The new release "South Seas" was only available till April 20th - perhaps you could ask him nicely to make an exception? But he has MANY other incredible albums too at johnsouthworth.bandcamp.com)
This interview was originally recorded on April 4th 2020
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In this episode I interview Gern F. Vlchek (also known for his previous project The United Steel Workers of Montreal) Gern is a bartender, author, and songwriter for The Vlcheks, living in Montreal. He has been re-releasing his most recent book "Hypsterville" one chapter at a time each day on his facebook page, and the Vlcheks have a brand new body of work, that is being released in the form of a new video each Wednesday on the Vlchek's youtube channel. While the quarantine is intense and different from the usual bartender schedule, Gern has hit a stride, and is exploring what we can do with the new shifts. The photo attached is what Gern sees when he looks out the window of his apartment and closes his eyes.
This interview was originally recorded on March 31st 2020
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In this episode I interview local cartoonist legend Seth! In a lot of ways this practice of social distancing doesn't change Seth's day to day - he was already a person who worked from home, alone in a basement studio - the biggest shifts are having his wife home from her work, and having little to distinguish a weekday from a weekend. But the future of his projects could look very different, and the future of comics and publications is very uncertain. As are a lot of things. We talk about this, and what it could mean for the future of art...but we definitely also talk about zombies :) Tune in!
This interview was originally recorded on March 27th, 2020
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For this episode of Bridging the Social Distance, I return to New York, this time to Brooklyn, where I interview musician/performer/children's educator Dan Costello. Dan is in the stages of releasing a new record, now facing the reality of that being a fully digital experience. He's also juggling homeschooling while facing the sudden evaporation his own school-based program/business "Yo Re Mi". It's a lot! The impact of this is wild and complex. You can check out his music at dancostello.bandcamp.com, his program by visiting yoremikids.com.
This interview was originally recorded on March 28th, 2020
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For this episode I interview Anne Marshall of Junia Matchmaking Services. COVID may mean social distancing, but does it HAVE to be the end of dating, or starting new relationships? Not necessarily! Today Anne uses her expertise in matchmaking, online dating, and social media to explore what new love can look like in the time of COVID
This interview was originally recorded on March 26th 2020
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This episode features Monte Fenske, a local factory worker and co-parent of his eleven year old daughter. I met Monte through karaoke - he's been spending this past year branching out to expand his social circle, singing and performing comedy and improv. All of that has taken a pretty big shift at this point, but he's making it work.
This interview was originally recorded on March 26th 2020
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In this episode of "Bridging the Social Distance" I interview my step-sister Caitlin Hurst, who lives in New York City. Caitlin is a publicist, working from home during this time, quarantined with her partner in Queens, one of the areas of the city hit the hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak. New York as described by Caitlin is so different than anything we've come to associate with the city - Every university asked for a full evacuation, meaning tens of thousands of young people have left the city. Many people who have homes elsewhere have left too. What's left is a New York full of almost exclusively people for whom it is their only home, and during this time that home is an intense and potentially dangerous place to stay. But despite the hard realities, we try to find some potential silver linings, imagining the shifts that may come when New Yorkers -folks used to spending every waking moment out on the town- spend quality time in their actual homes, slow down their schedules, and experience quiet where it is usually impossible.
This interview was originally recorded on March 31st, 2020
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Today's new episode of Bridging the Social distance interviews psychotherapist Shane Smyth of Spacious Mind Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre. Shane is based out of Guelph, but during this interview I reached him in a small Cree community in Northern Quebec. We talk about the role and space for counselling and support in times of crisis, the process of trying to adapt to online for platforms for therapy, mindfulness, ADD, and lots of other interesting topics. Shane shares a quote, how we "can't remember the future", and don't yet know the full potential we have for caring for each other. While recognizing the heaviness of our current situation, we also explore the positive possibilities, including moving away from the patriarchy towards the feminist concept of the sharing of power.
This interview was originally recorded on March 25th 2020
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This episode features Guelph's own Scott McGovern of Ed Video Media Arts Centre. Scott and I catch up about what our respective organizations are hoping to do in terms of maintaining a platform for artists and community members during this time, and ponder what the future of art might look like: should we be fighting to retain the forms of art we love, or leaning into new possibilities? Where do we find the balance?
This interview was originally recorded on March 24th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Mervyn Horgan, an Associate Professor in the department of Sociology & Anthropology at the University of Guelph. If you think it would be interesting to talk to a sociologist about the potential outcomes of social-distancing, you would be right! We discuss what shared space looks like in a climate of quarantine, how social dynamics shift when we're universally impacted by a global crisis, and the importance of archiving our social histories.
This interview was originally recorded on March 24th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview Nao O'Connor: The two of us originally met when CFRU tabled at the Tech and Trades event at G.C.V.I last year. Nao originally arrived to Guelph from Tokyo Japan as an international exchange student, intitially only planning to stay for that school year. But he fell in love with our city and now calls Guelph home, relocating - and releasing a brand new album with - his musical project Sober Sound Record, and studying at Mohawk College. College is now remote, his co-op placements in limbo, and Nao's choice is not an easy one: while he stays in touch with his family and friends back in Japan, he's aware that he can't return for the foreseeable future, or else he likely won't be allowed to come back to Canada. We talk about playing music, and why we love Guelph, and you'll get to hear the whole new album interspersed throughout the interview.
This interview was originally recorded on March 22nd 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This episode features Robert Dayton - an artist/comedian/performer also known as "The Canadian Romantic". Robert has been calling Los Angeles home for the past year, but had to make the difficult decision to suddenly return to Canada, for fear of otherwise being stranded in the US with no healthcare and no vehicle. For the first half of this episode my interview with Robert catches him on March 17th while he's still in L.A., hurriedly packing his bag, hoping to make it to the vet then the airport for a last-minute flight to Canada. The second half is an interview from March 20th, after Robert is safely settled and quarantined with his cat at his brother's house in Surrey B.C. This was a really difficult choice for Robert - having returned to Canada he's not sure if or when he'll be able to return to his life and home and friends in L.A. But had he stayed in the U.S. without healthcare or access to a vehicle, he may have seen the city shut down around him leaving him with very few resources.
This is a hard time financially for a lot of livelihoods, but not just because of COVID - part of what we talk about is how when it comes to working in the arts, and trying to afford to live in big cities, the hard times have been encroaching for awhile.
This interview was originally recorded on March 17th and March 20th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview musician, instructor, voice actress and artist Kat Burns, aka KASHKA over in Prince Edward County. Kashka, like many musicians, was immediately hit by this crisis in a myriad of ways. We talk about what support could look like, the ways we're trying to find security, and also lean into the fact that this really is really hard. The episode is also full of lots of Kat's amazing music.
This interview was originally recorded on March 18th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today's episode features an interview with Ana Sanfrutos Cano, an Art Curator who coordinates Hybrid - a Contemporary Art Festival in Madrid, Spain. Ana is in lockdown in out in the country, working remotely on future projects based around "Social Togetherness", wondering what these projects might look like on the other side of this pandemic. It was scary but important to hear reports of the reality of what is happening in Spain right now - hopefully it will help emphasize to us here that we need to do whatever we can to do to flatten the curve.
This interview was originally recorded on March 19th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This episode features Susie Stauffer - she is the Neighbourhood Support Worker at Onward Willow NG & Community Centre, part of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition. The work these organizations do ALL of the time is so important. Guelph is so lucky to be structured on this model, distributed clothing, food, as well as access to services. And it's realllllly difficult to continue in the wake of a pandemic - the needs ramp up, and so do the risks. Susie and I talk about what support could look like, about the incredible resilience we've witnessed within marginalized communities.
This interview was originally recorded on March 17th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today's episode travels all the way to England, where I speak to Dom Stingas Paczko - Dom and I originally connected about eight years ago, through one of Dom's amazing projects: a music magazine and label called Choose My Music Records. Dom LOVES Guelph music and has given our little city an incredible platform over in England.
In England they have closed the schools for the remainder of the school year. In some ways, England isn't so different than Canada in terms of how they're approaching these things, same types of closures us at this point, and there are a lot of similar fears, too - at the time of our interview some folks were still gathering at pubs, and Dom suspects they're looking at a total lock down imminently.
This interview was originally recorded on March 18th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Today's interview is with Barbara Salsberg Mathews, a local artist and performer, who is in Quarantine after having returned from a cruise to Cambodia and Vietnam. The cruise was organized over a year ago, and was meant to be eleven days - five days in and they were hurried home. It was interesting to hear the different ways other countries are dealing with this crisis - in some cases some of the smaller places are taking it even more seriously, aware of how devastated their health care systems would be by an outbreak.
Barb is keeping positive, despite it all, and is offering free online mime lessons each day to pass the time :) You can find her daily public posts on her facebook page.
This interview was originally recorded on March 17th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
For this episode I interview local-to-Guelph mom-in-tech, Ruth Morton. Ruth and her husband both work in tech and are able to continue working from home at this time, and and are sharing this space with their twin eleven year old boys. Between "Family Saturdays" online, Minecraft, and dog walks, they're making it work.
This interview was originally recorded on March 17th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
Photo credit: Chris Healey
This episode I speak with Crickett Wilder, who recently relocated from Guelph to Dawson City to work at the Dawson Women's Shelter. Crickett has wise words for folks who also experience anxiety ("Avoid survival websites!"), and made some neat observations about things helpful to learn right now, such as "What does six feet look like"? We also talked about how awesome it would be for us all to create an assets inventory. And how we should listen to Indigenous folks. It was an inspiring conversation! I hope you enjoy it!
This interview was originally recorded on March 16th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
This episode features Robin Cecelia Posluns, a local to Guelph Children's Entertainer. We talk about the immediate impacts this has had on her livelihood, the way in which this may permanently change the health practices involved in facepainting and Henna, the ripple affect of event cancelation, and our shared dreams of a universal basic income.
Robin can be found at https://www.facebook.com/kittyfacepainting
The interview was recorded on March 16th 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com
In this debut episode I interview Barry Rooke, the Executive Director of the NCRA - National Campus and Community Radio Association, in Ottawa ON. We talk about what's going on for Barry during this time, as well as the role of Campus and Community radio in the climate of a global pandemic. If you are interested in being interviewed for this show, please reach out to me at mobile@cfru.ca
Interview Recorded March 17 2020
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bridgingthesocialdistance.substack.com