Not So Boring Conversations

Low frequency sounds by large industrial machines have been recorded throughout North America from a 36 Hz tone produced by a cooling tower at a local DaimlerChrysler casting plant in Kokomo, Indiana to a vacuum pump used by CalPortland to offload cargo from ships in West Seattle. These constant droning sounds (called Hums) can affect surrounding neighborhoods keeping people awake at night, causing headaches and other ailments which can lead to stress and anxiety for those forced to live with it. Windsor, Ontario, Canada has its own hum. A 35 Hz sound believed to be coming from across the Detroit River affecting residents on the Canadian side. I spoke with Mike Provost a member of the The Windsor/Essex County Hum group and one of the many residents affected by the hum about his experience and what his group is doing about it.

Originally drawn as a mascot for a failed comic book fanzine and named after a spelling mistake Cerebus the Aardvarks comic book adventure ran for 300 issues. A 6,000 page tale about a lovable earth pig, starting as a parody of Conan the Barbarian and in time turning into a story about life, love, beliefs, loneliness and death. Dave Sim, the man who drew and wrote all 300 issues with amazing detailed background work by Gerhard showed us that comic book characters can age and grow with their audience. Mr. Sim has had his ups and downs and has gotten himself into trouble with his political and religious views but for 27 years he did Cerebus his way, from book 1 to book 300 and has left us a story unique in the comic world. I spoke to Mr. Sim by phone at his home in Kitchener Ontario about starting out in the comic book world interviewing writers and artists, to the journey of Cerebus and about his future project The Strange Death of Alex Raymond.

We all see something that we would like to change for the better. However we tell ourselves we lack time, experience or money. We have excuses. Tamara Kowalska saw something that needed to be changed and did it. No excuses. From a chance encounter with a homeless teen to establishing and becoming the director of the Windsor Youth Centre Tamara has shown that you can make a difference in your community, you can take action. Tamara and her staff have created a home for the homeless and at risk youth in Windsor. A place they can be safe, get help and be treated with respect. I spoke with Tamara at The Windsor Youth Centre about the help her and her staff provides and how challenges in our life can help us be better.

Writing can be a powerful tool. Writing can give people the ability to express themselves, to introduce other cultures and ideas, to deal with loss and grief and to sometimes just tell stories about dogs collecting golf balls. Pamela Goldstein spent a large part of her life helping people as a nurse but now having published many short stories and with several manuscripts at the ready, Pamela is now a writer. Not content with just changing her life with writing Pamela has helped create the Windsor International Writers which holds workshops and conferences for aspiring writers from around the world. She was also instrumental in the creation of a summer camp for young writers that helps children use their tools to tell their stories. I talked with Pamela (and her dogs) at her home about the power of writing and the future of the Windsor International Writers.

Micheal J. Krym is a busy man. A published author, playwright, philosopher and actor Micheal creates art with a tragic Eastern European style which hopefully requires a Western audience to think about the world around them a little different. Not content to make just "feel good fiction" Micheal wants to create art that has something to say, to leave his mark. I got the chance to talk with Micheal outside a local cafe about his past works like his book Eidos: A Search for Home, his present play Okno and his future projects.