a new biography shocks L.M. Montgomery fans around the world…
University professor emerita Mary Rubio spent more than two decades doing research for Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings, a biography of the internationally acclaimed Canadian author. Since the book’s 2008 publication, Rubio has spent many hours in media interviews discussing the author’s tortured life, which was so unlike that of Anne Shirley, the character Montgomery created in her iconic Anne of Green Gables.
During her lifetime, Montgomery published 22 books of fiction that have since been translated into many languages and published around the world. She also kept extensive journals from the time she was 14 and had a passion for photography.
Retired from U of G’s School of English and Theatre Studies, Rubio is one of the pre-eminent Montgomery experts in the world, having been asked by Montgomery’s son, Stuart Macdonald, to edit his mother’s personal journals. Rubio and University professor emerita Elizabeth Waterston edited and published five volumes of The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery. The original journals and Montgomery’s handwritten diaries are owned by the University of Guelph Library, which is home to the largest collection of Montgomery memorabilia in Canada. It includes manuscripts, scrapbooks, handiwork, photo albums, legal and business papers and letters.
The Gift of Wings is an intimate narrative that covers Montgomery’s entire life and is based on extensive interviews with people who knew her best, including her son, friends, maids and relatives. The book reveals new information about Montgomery’s childhood, her love life, her legal fights as a world-famous author and her difficulties with marriage, motherhood and her celebrity.
The book was shortlisted for the 2009 British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, Canada’s largest literary non-fiction award.
U of G scholars integrate the arts and humanities into our concept of life…
● lead institution in a $2.5-million project to explore the creative process of musical improvisation and its influence on social issues
● home to one of the most vibrant visual arts communities in Canada
● developer of the Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project
● a renowned Scottish studies program and the largest Scottish library collection in North America
● creative writing program produces award-winning authors.
Students give Guelph a thumbs up
The University of Guelph is tops in Canada when it comes to overall student satisfaction and quality of education, according to the annual University Report Card published in November by the Globe and Mail.
U of G was also ranked No. 1 among all schools in Canada or tied for the top ranking in several key areas, including student services, campus atmosphere and food services.
“I believe our student satisfaction stems from the fact that engagement is fundamental on this campus, both in and outside of the classroom,” says president Alastair Summerlee. “It has created a shared recognition of our civic and cultural responsibilities and the role each of us has to play among our students, faculty and staff.”
40 years of thanking the Scots
The University’s Scottish Studies Colloquium celebrated its 40th anniversary in the fall. Over the years, U of G has continued to be a leader in Scottish studies and has the largest Scottish studies collection in the world outside of the United Kingdom.
“Our teaching, research and outreach are enhanced through our wonderful archival collection on Scottish history and literature,” says Prof. Graeme Morton, who holds Guelph’s Scottish Studies Foundation Chair. “It’s great that we continue to receive donations to help build up this resource, and the annual fall colloquium is our thank you to the Scottish-Canadian community for its support.”
Everyone wants to be popular
The need for popularity is driving young adults to disclose more personal information on Facebook than they normally would reveal, according to a new study by psychology graduate students Emily Christofides and Amy Muise and Prof. Serge Desmarais.
They surveyed 343 Facebook users and found that the majority (76 per cent) were concerned about privacy and information control, yet they still disclosed a great deal of personal information such as birthdays, hometowns and intimate photographs.
The nature of the social networking website could be a contributing factor, says Christofides. The Facebook template creates “norms” regarding what specific information to disclose based on what others have disclosed. People may choose to leave out revealing information, but few do because they want their site to be popular with other Facebook users.
Student heading to renowned drama school
University of Guelph drama student Nigel Gough has been accepted into the world-renowned master’s program at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. The school is one of the colleges of the University of London and has maintained a reputation for the finest theatre arts training in the world for more than a century.
Before enrolling at U of G, Gough attended the Etobicoke School for the Arts and Inglenook Community School, an alternative high school in Toronto, and worked with the Kensington Youth Theatre.
Art tells the agriculture story
In a natural pairing at the University of Guelph, agricultural policy professor Craig Pearson and Judy Nasby, director and curator of the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, have co-authored a book that combines controversial farm issues and fine art.
In The Cultivated Landscape: An Exploration of Art and Agriculture, the authors explore history and current events in agriculture, including the rise of industrial farming and the environmental impacts of food production. That story is mirrored in the book’s reproductions of more than 70 paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs depicting western agriculture from the Middle Ages to today.
“It’s a powerful way to look at how society has looked at agriculture,” says Pearson, referring to the use of artworks to illustrate such controversial topics as genetically modified foods and the globalization of farming.
Guelph students and faculty recognized
● Fine art professor Diane Borsato was one of seven people to receive 2008 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council for the Arts. An integrated arts and visual artist, Borsato has become known for her relational gestures and eccentric experiments. She regularly exhibits videos, photographs and drawings that document her activities.
● Jeff Latosik, one of the first graduates of the University of Guelph-Humber’s creative writing MFA program, was a finalist for the Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. The award has a proven track record of identifying young developing writers. Many past finalists have gone on to become household names in Canadian literature.
*Jason Wilson, a history PhD candidate, was nominated for a 2009 Juno Award in the Reggae Recording of the Year category for his first solo album, The Peacemaker’s Chauffeur. He and his band, Tabarruk, were nominated in the same category for their album Jonah in 2002.
Radio delivers the climate change message
Nigerian farmers are listening and learning from a radio drama developed by Guelph professors and students to give advice on dealing with the impacts of climate change.
Radio is a good educational tool in oral cultures, where the spoken word is much more powerful than anything written on paper, say Profs. Helen Hambly and John FitzSimons, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development. Their 26-episode drama keeps listeners entertained with story lines about love, jealousy and death, while the characters deal with issues such as maintaining soil fertility, how to use intercropping, proper seed storage and efficient water-harvesting techniques.
Donation expands MSAC collection
The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre is the proud recipient of a donation of 31 works by the late Evan Macdonald, a master draftsman, printmaker, book illustrator and painter. His daughter, Flora Spencer, made the donation of artworks, which span the period from 1948 to 1967 and are all depictions of Guelph and surrounding area.
Macdonald was born to one of Guelph’s founding Scottish families and took pride in documenting his community. His work celebrates industry while advocating for the preservation of history and culture.
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Guelph Matters Now
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This is Our Time
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Animal and Human Health
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Environmental and Social Responsibility
Arts and Humanities
Expand Human Knowledge
International Co-Operation
Mobilize Leadership
Prof. Mary Rubio
English and Theatre Studies
"our community defines us • engaged U of G students • Scottish heritage • social networking • dramatic flair • art and agriculture • talent recognized • radio communicates • an artist’s legacy "
