On Assignment

Burger King and Writers

There will be no more professional writers in the future. That was the headline for a Globe and Mail story last week, mainly about how free content, e-books and self-publishing are making it almost impossible for authors to make a living. You can read it here.

The power of not knowing

The other day I interviewed Reg Bibby, one of Canada’s leading sociologists. It was for a story on why youth leave the Church and why they sometimes stay. What made the interview so remarkable to me wasn’t what Bibby knew, which was a lot,  but what he didn’t know, which was only a little.

karen sudan flight

A funny thing happened

A funny thing happened to me on the way to this website. When I left for my assignment in South Sudan, this site was well on its way to being complete. When I returned, after six days of touring refugee camps and interviewing the people whose lives have been torn apart by a conflict they didn’t make or choose, I lost the ability to write pithy descriptions of the work I do as a writer.

passport

My Big Writing Challenge

This week, I am off on a writing assignment like I have never had before.
I have accepted an invitation to travel to two refugee camps in South Sudan with Samaritan’s Purse, a charity probably best known for encouraging ordinary Canadians to fill shoe-boxes at Christmas for children in need around the world.

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