I remember well sitting at my desk looking out to Lake Banook in Dartmouth, NS and realizing that the original idea for my PhD dissertation was too big, and that I was going to have to hone in on contemporary reading groups instead of following my interest in historical ones. There just wasn’t enough room in one book. More importantly, I didn’t have the historical expertise that I felt was necessary. My idea was to create a book that I could be a part of but one that I didn’t have to write on my own. I contacted scholars I’d met at various SHARP meetings, and invited them to share their work in a collection that I would edit. From Salons to Cyberspace, which was the original name of the collection, was well received by those I contacted. I easily found an editor at a Canadian university press the next summer, but that’s when work on my PhD really became intense and I was up for reappointment (the end of my probationary period) at MSVU. Salons to Cyberspace went onto the back burner even though most of the contributors were prompt and professional in writing their chapters. Over the next few years, I was wrote a proposal for and was granted monies to build the Atlantic Canada Communication Issues Research Lab. Danielle Fuller and I also began our funded international project called Beyond the Book. During my first sabbatical, I was able to really dedicate time and effort to what, by that time, had become “Salons”. But by then, I’d lost an author who wanted her work published elsewhere, and I had two editors at the press I was working with leave. I began to lose sleep over the collection because there were careers at stake.

In 2010, and after two rounds of reviews and revisions, the press I was working with declined the collection. There wasn’t enough Canadian content in it, which made it impossible to acquire publishing subsidies through the Aid to Scholarly Publishing Program. Two readers were extremely supportive of our work, but one wasn’t, and, in today’s Canadian scholarly publishing world that meant the press wasn’t willing to take a chance on our book. I could have paid $5000 to cover the costs, but that would have meant teaching extra classes and taking away time from all of my other research work. Instead, I sent the manuscript to Palgrave Macmillan, and within 14 months, we’ve got our book out into the great big world. From Paula, the publisher, to Ben, the editorial assistant, and from Barbara, my editor to the Holly, the Author Care Co-ordinator, I feel that the final part of this publishing process has been a joy.

I’m hopeful that students, researchers and anyone else who may be interested in reading, reading practices, reading history and reading research will find the essays useful and appealing. There’s a lot of solid work represented in this book–not only mine but, that of three student assistants and well-respected researchers and writers who I’m lucky enough to have had on this crazy ride with me. Thank you, Julie, Leslie and Janine. Thank you Betty, Bob, Jenny, Anna K and Anna I, and, thank you Daniel, Linsey, Danielle and Claire.

I practice Ashtanga Yoga with Cathy Guest, but when I began practicing with Neena Shahani in Vancouver more than 13 years ago, we did a form of Hatha Yoga that provided the gentle foundation for breath, asana (posture) and mind/body connection that guides me today. When I moved to Halifax, I wore out Brian Kest’s Power Yoga videos. These days, when I’m in the city, I’m fortunate to join Krista, Sherry or Amanda at Halifax Yoga for a Baron Baptist-inspired Vinyasa Flow class. There, I’ve also done teacher training with Coeli Marsh and Kathryn Budig. When I’m with my friend and research partner, Danielle, we do yoga in hotel rooms, visit her yoga studio or do Eion Finn’s video that was filmed in VanGroovy. One of my favourite memories is of doing a love-themed crazy ass yoga class at Laughing Lotus in New York City. When I’m home down south, I practice a mixture of traditions with Mario Corella at his studio at Rancho Cerro Largo. I think these experiences have all added to the joy I feel for yoga, and when I hear someone saying that such and such tradition isn’t good, or that someone is making too much money from yoga, or that wine and yoga shouldn’t be associated with one another, it makes me a bit sad because I learned early on that judgement is not necessary in yoga.

I think that yoga has the power to change lives, if even to bring joy to someone’s otherwise humdrum life. And, there are examples of where it is doing much more. There’s yoga in prisons, there is yoga in war zones, and yes, there is yoga in wineries. Who cares? It is what it is, and it can be what YOU want it to be. I say we should be tut-tutting about other things, not about what’s right and wrong in the world of Ohms.

While I really was nervous, I am thankful to everyone at OCLC for giving me the opportunity to think about literacy from different perspectives, and to “try on” some new ideas and explore some old ones from Beyond the Book research project.

Ok, I lie.

I get really nervous before talking in front of anyone. Really, really nervous.  Then, I take a deep breath, and do a forward bend. I’m serious. I do a uttanasana no matter where I’m at, and sometimes, it is quite uncomfortable doing a forward bend in a university toilet considering their size! I’m not sure if it’s the bend or that I have to laugh at myself that makes me feel better. Whatever the process, it’s the result of serenity that I long for and usually get.

I’m usually ok during a presentation once I get going because I usually know what I’m talking about. If it’s a lecture or presentation for a class, I’m often providing a synopsis of information that I’ve studied for years and years, and updating during the previous months. If it’s a public presentation, I’m usually presenting findings or thoughts about research I’ve had my head in for maybe five years. In the last two years, I’ve shared my ideas on social media, which as you know, hasn’t been around a whole long time. It’s these presentations that make me feel most nervous because I know there will always be someone in the room who knows more about social media than I do. There might even be a lot of someones who know a whole hell of a lot more than I.

That idea of not being the expert, or not knowing all there is to know, about social media is a fine admission I think. How can we possibly keep up with everything there is to learn when changes in technology seem to happen by the hour? Some days, I don’t even want to open my email from Mashable–by far the best aggregator of social media news–because I know I won’t have enough time to explore all the stories. So, as I tell my students, I just have to admit defeat and leave it to the experts. That’s where librarians come in.

Librarians are literacy experts. At its most basic level, literacy is knowing how to read, discuss and navigate information, and librarians are experts in helping us search, sift, synthesise and share information. I’ll be talking about this at an upcoming Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Canadian conference. I’m going to share some of our Beyond the Book findings about community and its role in helping people to navigate through the copious amounts of information during different stages of life. I will highlight how people view libraries and the role of librarians as they make big and not-so-big life changes. I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any thoughts or memories of libraries or specific librarians? How important are they to you, and especially to you today in this world of easy access to information? I’ve got a lot to say but I sure could use the help of all of you in my community. It’ll help me to know that you’re behind me as I stand to deliver my keynote. After I’ve done my forward bend.

If you are a teacher, it would be great to hear what motivates you. My teaching statement is below, and it illustrates why I’m excited about the next two months.

My Motivation for Teaching & Learning

My teaching philosophy is rooted in my own enjoyment of discovery. I make several assumptions based on these personal sentiments: Learning is fun; learning is active; learning is personal; and, learning is collaborative.

There are four objectives that guide the way I approach teaching and learning facilitation, whether the course has 280 students in it, or eight, and whether the class meets in a virtual environment or in face-to-face classroom. These objectives are as follows:

• I want students to leave the course feeling as if they have fulfilled the learning objectives set out at the beginning of the term. These objectives are determined by: myself and based on my understanding of the discipline, field and area of inquiry; my colleagues; and the students themselves
• I want the students to experience the joy of inquisition and seeking new knowledge
• I want the students to learn to question, think and solve
• I want each student to experience his or her own voice

Yes, I guess I do. At Cathy’s urging, I’ve decided to lead an eight week yoga class at her lovely, serene Sail Loft Studio. I’m looking forward to discovering the parallels of teaching in the university classroom and in the yoga studio. I hope I can lead others to finding the joy in themselves that yoga can give.

If you’re in the area, you’re welcome to come along on this journey with me.

Here is the promo copy for my class:

Frivolous Fridays

Join DeNel Rehberg Sedo for a special Friday night happy hour beginning April 8. After a long work week, nothing can be sweeter than knowing there are two days of bliss ahead. Let this creative and dynamic flow class help you transition into the weekend. We’ll restore, enliven, align and observe from 5:00-6:30 with awareness, laughter and music. Suitable for advanced beginners and intermediate students.

Sail Loft Studio, #2105 Rte 329, The Lodge, 857-1224

This morning I received an email from the Conservatives about the very same issue. (I’ll post it below.) Of course, I’m a bit miffed that I’ve got email coming to my work account, and that the letter is to a ‘sir or madame’ (at least the Liberals attempted to get my name right). But really, it’s got me thinking about the new level of focused campaign communication enabled by the Web, data mining and the lack of cyberspace privacy. The Internet use billing issue is only one issue, albeit an important one in my mind. I suspect every issue–or, at least, the ones with the most money at stake–has a team behind it crafting ‘the message’, creating the e-mail address distribution list from the various petition sites, and hitting send. I wonder if they’ve got folks who are going to respond to the messages? (If I can ponder what all the capital discourse in the email means for us, I think I will go ahead and respond just to see what happens.) In the meanwhile, I think I’ll start planning a more intense segment on privacy and ethics for my social media classes. I’d really like to know if you think it’s ok for professional communicators to use personal email addresses that were provided in good faith, and without knowing they would be available for distribution, to target political communication, or any promotional purposes for that matter. I’ll use your thoughts as fodder for discussion in my classes (consider that fair warning, ok?!)

-Here’s the offending note-

Dear Sir or Madam:

Thank you for expressing your concerns regarding usage-based billing (UBB)
for Internet services.  It is essential that I hear the views of Canadians
on the issues that matter.  Prime Minister Harper and I have been clear
that we cannot support imposing a UBB business model on wholesale Internet
service providers.

Our government recognizes that the Internet and digital technologies are
an increasingly important part of everyday life—including driving
innovation, commerce and social interaction. As the government develops
Canada’s first comprehensive Digital Economy Strategy, we need to look
carefully at how issues like UBB affect the big picture.  We will be
guided by our long-standing policies of encouraging competition and
investment, increasing consumer choice, minimizing regulation and allowing
market forces to prevail.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has
chosen to examine these concerns that the government shares with a large
number of Canadians.  Details of the CRTC consultation are available at
www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2011/r110208.htm.

When the CRTC reaches a final decision following its consultations, the
government will carefully assess the CRTC position to ensure that it is in
line with the best interests of Canadian consumers and encourages
competition among internet service providers.  I will be recommending that
any decision counter to these foundational principles be reversed.
You can find the latest news on the government’s Digital Economy Strategy
and related issues at www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/h_00008.html.

Once again, thank you for writing.  I trust that this information is
helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Clement

Anyhoo, to the point of my post, and I want to make it quick because it’s close to shutting down time and I have a margarita waiting for me…

Two days after signing the petition, and ready to close down my email to have said margarita, I open my account one last time to find a note from “Michael Ignatieff”. “Hmm, that’s interesting,” I say to myself. I’m not a registered party member in Canada and I’m  a registered Democrat in the US. “How’d I get on this list?” I wondered as I opened the message. I should have read the subject line. It was right there. By signing my name to the campaign, I sent a note with my address to a variety of politicians. I guess they have every right to mail something back to me, and to put me on a list. I even wonder if one of our students isn’t behind this. Plus, the campaign seems to be working. So why does the Liberal bumf bug me so much? I’m not sure, maybe because I think the Liberals should have done something before they saw a bandwagon to hop onto; maybe it’s because I’m sick of the peeing contests “Michael” and “Stephen” keep having at Canadians’ expenses; maybe I’m just grumpy (I didn’t get to go for my swim today). Still, I’d like to hear what you think. Here’s the note in its entirety:

Denel — [Someone should point out to him/her/them that I cap my "N"]

It’s another step towards an open and competitive internet in Canada, and it’s thanks to you.

Late last night, news broke that Tony Clement will ask the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to reverse their decision on usage-based internet billing – a decision that allows internet service providers to impose download limits and new fees.

Our work is not yet done. We need to keep up the pressure until the CRTC’s decision is reversed once and for all.

Canadian families and businesses need open, affordable, unlimited internet access. The future of our economy depends on it. The Conservative government should have known that from the start.

When messages like yours reached us this past weekend – on Twitter and Facebook, by email, phone and fax – my Liberal colleagues and I knew what we had to do.

On Tuesday morning, we sided with you against the CRTC’s decision. By the end of the day, Liberal MPs on the Industry Committee had already begun an investigation. Then, yesterday, we kept the pressure on the Conservative government during Question Period in the House of Commons. At tonight’s meeting of the Industry Committee, Liberal MPs will tell CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein to reverse course.

This isn’t the first time that you’ve stared down the Conservatives over an open internet — and that’s why tens of thousands of you visited our action page at http://www.liberal.ca/ubb/, to join our digital policy email list and help carry the fight into Parliament.

This is your movement. You rallied on Twitter. You wrote emails and called Tony Clement’s office. You made the difference.

We all know that there are wider issues at stake here. After five years of Stephen Harper, Canada still has no digital plan. The Conservatives’ proposed copyright bill contains unfair digital lock provisions. Canadians are less connected and face higher internet costs than citizens of other OECD countries. And don’t even get me started on the long-form census.

Liberals have been engaged on these issues. In 2009, we worked with the Openmedia.ca / Save Our Net Coalition on Net Neutrality, a position that we support wholeheartedly. Last fall, we announced our Open Government Initiative, which will make government data accessible to all Canadians.

At the heart of our digital policy is a core Liberal value: we must make Canada more competitive and more innovative. That means expanding high-speed internet access to every region of the country, fair and equitable wholesale access, and transparent pricing.

We must build a digital strategy for Canada that embraces the energy, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovative creativity of consumers, businesses and digital influencers like you.

We’ll keep the pressure on the Conservatives in Parliament to make sure they follow through and reverse the CRTC’s decision on usage-based billing. This victory is just a taste of what we can accomplish, if we continue this fight together.

I hope you’ll join the Liberal Party’s digital policy email list at http://www.liberal.ca/ubb/. Let’s build a more open, more competitive future for Canada.

Thank you for being engaged.

Michael Ignatieff

And thank you, dear readers, for letting me vent.

Jose Clamente: San Agus's youngest guitarist

For the fourth year in a row, the Main Squeeze and I find ourselves living in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico for a couple of months. I know how fortunate we are to be able to leave the icy frigidness of winter in Nova Scotia to work and write here, so I thought I’d take a few moments to publicly note what I love best about San Agustinillo. In the tradition of David Letterman–without the cheekiness–here’s my top ten. For now.

10. Chickens and other livestock sharing the public roadways with their human counterparts.

9. To-my-door delivery of warm, homemade corn tortillas. Ten for ten pesos, or about $.90.

8. A week’s worth of fresh (and I mean fresh) veggies for five dollars.

7. Beer for $1.50; margs for $3.

Geez, do you see a theme here? Maybe it is because I’m jotting this all down at lunchtime. I think I’d better switch gears.

6. Smelling fresh blooms alongside the wafts of ocean breeze coming up the hill.

5. Looking out my window and seeing not one, but three birds of different colours.

4. Working not more than eight hours. Snorkeling after work and then visiting my favourite villagers.

3. Swimming with M and A in the crashing waves, and being able to live to talk about it afterwords over a nice glass of white wine.

2. Listening to the landscaper/worker Antonio singing traditional Mexican folk songs out loud during the day. Off-key.

1. Waking up and wondering which pair of shorts I should wear for the day.

I know this isn’t a profound post, but hey, it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want with it. Besides, I’m hopeful I can convince some of my friends–who I know read this–to live their dream. I am.

Sunset from our perspective

One of my favourite students of all time, Ben, recruited his parents to tell the story of his coming out as part of the It Gets Better movement (that’s what I want this to become–a movement). I think you’ll enjoy hearing their story of love and acceptance. While I know it’s not this easy for many young people coming out, I think it’s worthwhile to see if you’re a parent, especially, or if you generally just love young people. Kudos to the Boudreaus. Thanks for sharing.