Part Two of my wonderfully insightful interview with Canadian comedian and author Ron James. Ron has just released his first book: All Over The Map; Rambles and Ruminations From The Canadian Road.
Author Archives: sidney
Square Peg: When Words for Loneliness Don’t Fit
Late one night when he couldn’t sleep, John Koenig wrote up a definition that hadn’t existed before. It was the word Sonder. It’s the awareness that everyone around you is the main character of their own story and he posted this word on his website for the book that he hoped to write one day. That book became The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. The word Sonder became the most famous entry. What’s in a name that everyone can recognize but all of us know it in different ways. Is there a better name than just calling it “loneliness?”
Colour Me Lonely: Connecting through Comics
Comic book artists need long periods of time in solitude when they aren’t interrupted to create. And in those periods of isolation, their lived experiences and the way they see the world takes form in pencil, then colour. They draw characters and give them form and personality visually giving a shape to loneliness that neatly fits into a square frame and speaks directly to their audience of one.
Short Stories in Television (Annie Murphy, Squid Game, Matt LeBlanc & The Queen’s Gambit)
We regret to inform you, this week marks the final episode of our 2021 season. So, we thought we’d do something a little different. Over the past two years, we’ve come across several fascinating rejection stories that weren’t long enough for a full episode, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less packed with insight. Join us this week for ‘Short Stories in Television’ – the inspiring pint-sized rejection stories of Annie Murphy, Matt LeBlanc, Squid Game and The Queen’s Gambit.
The Unbearable Lightness of Leaving: Digital Nomads
What was once a too-huge world has become smaller these days, and offices can be anywhere, and nowhere at the same time. The Beat generation as written about in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is long settled and gone. But in their place, a new generation of nomads-digital ones-emerged.
Ron James, Part 1
Part One of my wonderfully insightful interview with Canadian comedian and author Ron James. Ron has just released his first book: All Over The Map; Rambles and Ruminations From The Canadian Road.
Telescopes and Turkeys: The Loneliest Inventions
From the telescope to the ostrich pillow, Playboy centrefolds and interactive posters that kiss you back, these are our picks for some of the loneliest inventions.
Rejecting Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad holds the Guinness World Record for highest-rated television show of all time. But back when creator Vince Gilligan was first pitching the series, it was rejected by four major networks. This week, we tell Gilligan’s story. From being told no one in their right mind would let a show about crystal meth air on television, to showrunning one of the most beloved series in history.
Happily Ever After: Escaping The Forest of Loneliness
Fairy tales are stories that matter to those alone and those wanting an escape. Because they are all about isolation–the hero or the heroine are often cast out on their own. They seek refuge in forests that seem dark and threatening. But in those scary, unwelcoming places, they find the unexpected and the occasional magic.
Too Many & Not Enough: Loneliness in China (Encore Episode)
In the most populous country in the world, it’s still a lonely place when you are just one.