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Ann-Marie MacDonald, Charter of Readers' Rights and Freedoms
The Next Chapter

Ann-Marie MacDonald, Charter of Readers' Rights and Freedoms

"It's very much about the abyss of Greek tragedy opening at your feet in the aisle of the grocery store."-- Ann-Marie MacDonald
CBC Radio ·
From the cover of "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy

In this episode (originally aired October 20, 2014): 

* Ann-Marie MacDonald on Adult Onset 
* Ruth Moody on All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
* Jason Proctor proposes a Charter of Readers' Rights and Freedoms, which is seconded by Robert Priest, Vivien Shotwell, Kate Pullinger, and Ben Kaplan
* George Murray, author of Whiteout, on being Poet Laureate of St. John's, NL

BONUS:

Shelagh's extended interview with Ann-Marie MacDonald:

(Guntar Kravis)
​Ann-Marie MacDonald's first novel Fall On Your Knees was published in 1996 and it was a big hit. It was the kind of book people shared and cheered for. When it was picked by Oprah for her uber successful book club, there was almost kind of a collective "You go girl!  Chalk one up for the Canuck."  Her second novel The Way the Crow Flies was well received too. That was ten years ago. Now the wait for a third has ended with the publication of her new book Adult Onset. 

Ann-Marie has always used her life for inspiration and raw material, and that continues in Adult Onset.  It features a protagonist whose biographical details are very similar to Ann-Marie's personal history and current life. The story unfolds over the course of a week in the life of a well-known writer who is married to a woman with whom she has two children. An ageing pitbull rounds out the family.

When Ann-Marie spoke to Shelagh about Adult Onset, she was extremely forthcoming about the parallels between the novel and her life.  Her candour, coupled with her razor-sharp wit and profound insight, made for a riveting conversation.  
We hope you enjoy this full-length, unedited version of Shelagh's extended conversation with Ann-Marie MacDonald.


 

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