Author explains why he wrote ‘To Antoine’
How does one go about writing a novel? For author Erwin J. Wiens, the idea for his book To Antoine came to him about 30 years ago and haunted him for about 10 years before he began to do some serious research. The first draft was finished nine years ago. In the 1950s, Wiens’s parents…
Novel examines Mennonite ethics in Second World War
E.J. Wiens has written a powerful story that explores the question of Mennonite collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War. Hesets this question within the broader context of Mennonite history and helps the reader to understand the nuances and moral discrepancies faced by Mennonites who fled Russia (present-day Ukraine) in 1943. The book…
Bridges over fences in Saskatchewan
Bridges Over Fences provides in story form an impressive portrayal of first-hand experiences of non-Indigenous populations interacting with, and living next to and among, Saskatchewan’s Indigenous populations located on historically established reserves. These are first-hand accounts of people who met, conversed, negotiated property and farming arrangements, and contracts with Saskatchewan’s Indigenous and Métis neighbours. Author/editor…
Pastors meet for coffee and books
“We marked up our books like crazy with the things we wanted to talk about,” says Tany Warkentin, pastoral leader at Springridge Mennonite Church in Pincher Creek. A group of five pastors in southern Alberta have been meeting at quaint coffee shops to discuss books on topics of interest. The group consists of Caleb Kowalko,…
‘Our blood can change things in your country’
MJ Sharp, a young Mennonite peacemaker from the United States, was killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo five years ago. This book by Marshall King explains not only how and why he died, but it also tells the story of his remarkable life. Although Sharp was not working for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)…
Not just a book of big ideas
Four panels on page 108 of Jonathan Dyck’s graphic novel Shelterbelts are stuck in my mind. I’ve studied these black-and-white images so closely that they appear something like a photo negative when I close my eyes. The first is a wide shot of poplar trees in a field of grass; the second is a medium…
Overcoming the fear of not being believed
Five years ago, a congregant of First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg asked David Driedger about church policy addressing sexual abuse and harassment between members of a congregation, following an incident with another congregant. Driedger, leading minister of First Mennonite, began searching for resources, but “quickly found out this was a gap.” He could not find…
A peacemaker’s guide to Revelation
Menno Media: Jeremy, your book Upside-Down Apocalypse is being referred to as a peacemaker’s guide to the Book of Revelation. What prompted you to write about Revelation? Jeremy Duncan: I have always been drawn to the nonviolence of Jesus. The way that he is able to address complex and volatile situations without capitulating to the…
Laughs at book launch
After several years of pandemic-induced Zoom book launches in B.C., satirist Andrew Unger winged his way to Abbotsford to face a living, breathing audience at the Mennonite Heritage Museum on April 2. Unger is the writer of The Daily Bonnet, an immensely popular online column that has spawned a print book, The Best of the…
‘I wanted to know more about it’
When Marion Roes began researching her family history, she came across some surprises connected to her family’s business. Intrigued, she tried to find out more about local undertakers, but there was almost no material available. So she began collecting information and doing interviews. Her book, Death as Life’s Work: Waterloo Region Undertakers and Funeral Businesses…
