Winner of the 2009 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour The cops wanted to shoot me, my bosses thought I was a Bolshevik, and a local lawyer warned me that some people I was writing about might try to test the strength of my skull with a steel pipe. What more could any young reporter hope for from his first real job? The night Mark Leiren-Young drove into Williams Lake, British Columbia, in 1985 to work as a reporter for the venerable Williams Lake Tribune, he arrived on the scene of an armed robbery. And that was before things got weird. For a 22-year-old from Vancouver, a stint in the legendary Cariboo town was a trip to another world and another era. From the explosive opening, where Mark finds himself in a courtroom just a few feet away from a defendant with a bomb strapped to his chest, to the case of a plane that crashed without its pilot on board, Never Shoot a Stampede Queen is an unforgettable comic memoir of a city boy learning about—and learning to love—life in a cowboy town.

The Green Chain looks at the past, present and future of forestry through interviews with environmentalists, loggers, scientists and others. Raw log exports, environmental devastation, making a living . . . all are discussed in this exploration of the problems facing our forests, and the possible solutions. It's an emotional topic, especially in British Columbia, where Greenpeace and the Raging Grannies were born but where the economy has been fuelled largely by forestry. Both the logging industry and the environmental movement are facing unprecedented challenges, and the world is watching to see how BC and Canada respond. Mark discusses the topic with 22 eloquent, knowledgeable and passionate people, including: ForestEthics and PowerUP Canada founder Tzeporah Berman; activist Severn Cullis-Suzuki; author John Vaillant (The Golden Spruce); former Greenpeace executive and Greenspirit founder Dr. Patrick Moore; poet laureate and former logger George Bowering; Forest Products Association of Canada president and CEO Avrim Lazar; union spokesman Wade Fisher; documentary filmmaker Velcrow Ripper (Fierce Light). The book also includes the screenplay for Leiren-Young's award-winning film The Green Chain.

Getting three trucks and two horses stuck in the mud on "a good road" into BC's wild, remote interior was just the start of Bruce Watt's hilarious adventuresand it was his honeymoon, too. When the newly married Watt moved there in 1948 to take up ranching, he was a just a kid in his early 20s. He and his wife fell in love with Big Creek, three hours southwest of Williams Lake, and its wildlife, beautiful landscapes and quirky, down-to-earth people. Despite the tough work and difficult conditions, they put down roots and stayed, raising a family of five, along with herds of cattle and horses.

Like all great adventures, this one starts with someone trying to get a girl. After all, King Meneleaus didn't go to Troy for the baklava. Playwright, journalist, comedian and bestselling author Mark Leiren-Young recalls his teenage escapades in this hilarious memoir and coming-of-age story. A geeky bully-magnet, Mark was seventeen and wanted to be a playwright, but even more than that, he wanted to impress Sarah, the girl he’d pined for since elementary school. It’s 1980 and, thanks to Doug Henning, magic is hip, so Mark hooks up with Randy, a stoner magician, and Kyle, an ambitious young actor, to chase fame—and the women of their dreams. Seeing a chance at having all of their desires come true, they risk everything to create a show they know will be like Star Wars on stage. But is getting a date worth having your head cut off?

From one of the world's most controversial campaigners, This Crazy Time is the No Logo of the NEW environmental movement, an essential must-read that combines Bill Bryson's personable style and humour with Naomi Klein's hard-hitting activism and research. Passionate, profound, inspiring and funny, Berman is inspiring people from all walks of life to get off the sidelines and fight the good fight--and win. This unique book--part manifesto from a leader, part humorous activist memoir from a soccer mom--offers a wryly honest, behind the scenes, ultimately uplifting look at the state of the planet. For almost 20 years, Tzeporah Berman has been one of our most influential environmentalists. A founder of ForestEthics and PowerUp Canada, she was instrumental in shaping the tactics and concerns of the modern environmental movement. In her early 20s she faced nearly one thousand criminal charges and 6 years in prison for her role organizing blockades in Canada's rainforest. With ForestEthics she took on Victoria's Secret with a photo of a chainsaw-wielding lingerie model, convincing the catalogue manufacturer to stop using paper made from old-growth forests. She then transformed her tactics and sat down with CEOs and political leaders to reshape their policies and practices. She participated in saving over 12 million acres of endangered forests, including Canada's Great Bear Rainforest, and has campaigned against the development of Canada's oil sands. In her new role at Greenpeace International she is fighting the problem of our time: climate change, including researching the impacts of the Gulf Oil Spill and protesting oil drilling in the Arctic. As a concerned mother, her book is an impassioned plea for a better world.

A rich and diverse tapestry weaving together the many voices, narratives, skills, and talents of women up and down the coastal Pacific Northwest who devote their lives and careers to the sea. Beckoned by the Sea celebrates coastal women from northern BC to northern California who work on or with the sea. The twenty-four women featured in this inspiring and fascinating book represent a variety of industries—from conservation, commercial fishing, and marine biology to safety and rescue, tourism, and the arts. Weaving together elements of social history, culture, geography, and environmentalism, author Sylvia Taylor draws on in-depth interviews, meticulous research, and her own experience as a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat. Beckoned by the Sea investigates the myriad ways in which women have contributed to the marine industries that sustain the people and shape the culture of North America’s west coast—and reveals how the sea itself has touched the lives of these women by giving them not just a livelihood but an infinite source of inspiration and personal fulfillment.

Get into the holiday spirit with these magical stories of family and friends… giving and sharing… joy and blessings! Prepare to be inspired by these tales of giving, gratitude, and kindness. You’ll also pick up some creative ways to make your own holidays even more special, with new plans for family fun, gift ideas, and recipes. These 101 real-life personal stories are filled with the cheer of the season. They’ll leave you smiling and eager to share the holidays, from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah to Christmas and New Year’s. We didn’t forget the kids either. The stories in this collection are “Santa safe,” meaning that they keep the magic alive even for precocious readers. And your purchase will support Toys for Tots as well, creating miracles for children all over the U.S.

A completely satirical yet oddly practical guide to surviving and thriving in Canada’s westernmost province. So you’ve arrived in British Columbia. Perhaps you’re just passing through; perhaps you want to stay a while. You may even be contemplating making British Columbia your home. What you need is a well-researched, clearly written, and comprehensive guide to living and even prospering in Canada’s westernmost province. This isn’t it. However, the information contained in this book will allow you to experience British Columbia with minimal damage to your health and well being. Having lived in nearly every province in the country before settling in BC, Ian Ferguson can say with great authority that things work differently here. So differently, in fact, that visitors and newcomers from other parts of Canada may put themselves in physical (or social) peril if they try to dress, act, drive, work, vote, or socialize in the same ways as they would in Ontario, New Brunswick, or (god forbid) Alberta. With practical advice, little-known facts, and personal anecdotes, Ferguson tackles everything from how to recognize a local (and differentiate the various types of facial hair that delineate the male British Columbian) to how to survive both natural and unnatural disasters (whether it’s a light dusting of snow on the southern tip of Vancouver Island or a full-blown hockey riot) to how BC has been governed through the ages (like the time a bootlegger was put in charge of prohibition). Illuminating, hilarious, and only mildly offensive (if you have no sense of humour), The Survival Guide to British Columbia will make you question why you ever came here in the first place.

The eleventh installment of Canada's annual volume of essays showcases diverse nonfiction writing from across the country. Culled from leading Canadian magazines and journals, Best Canadian Essays 2019 contains award-winning and award-nominated nonfiction articles that are topical and engaging and have their finger on the pulse of our contemporary psyches.

Canadian winters are notorious! But this collection will warm your heart, brighten your day, and lift your spirits with its 101 stories about embracing and making the most of those long winter months. Winters in Canada are tough, but so are the people! Any Canadian – from east to west coast; from city to rural – will love the 101 stories in this new collection about embracing those long winter days and making the most of them. Filled with amusing and encouraging stories about weathering the cold, creating warm memories with family and friends, and playing great winter sports.