New books from city authors Ganley, Goyette
Two local authors, and Examiner columnists, are launching their latest works about Peterborough this Wednesday. The book launch is being held in the Nexicom Studio at Showplace from 5 to 6 p.m.
Positive Community: Columns from the Peterborough Examiner 2015-2018 by Rosemary Ganley and Politics in the Patch: Three Years in the Life of a City Hall Columnist by David Goyette are both compilations of the authors’ weekly Examiner columns.
“It’s a celebration of all things Peterborough,” said Ganley.
Writing their columns in a digital age made collecting the entries easier for Ganley and Goyette, with minimal editing before they were ready to publish.
“After I got through three years of writing them, as a collective, these columns now take on a different character,” said Goyette.
Positive Community and Politics in the Patch are both concerned with politics, culture and life in the city, but the authors comment on their community from their own viewpoint.
“I see them as a record of a three-year chapter in the political history of Peterborough,” said Goyette, who has a long history in municipal politics. “When you’re writing about politics, you’re effectively writing about values.”
For Ganley, reaching the 100column milestone was part of the inspiration to compile her weekly column into a book, which chronicles and comments on positive events in Peterborough and Canadian culture. The optimistic feel-good tone of Ganley’s column was a natural inclination for her, and it filled in a niche that is often left empty.
“I never wanted to give a dire and dark message to the young,” said Ganley. “I believe that good news encourages other good news.”
At Showplace on Wednesday night, Ganley and Goyette will each invite two guests to discuss their relationship with the forthcoming books, and the relationship that they have with the authors.
Instead of the typical book launch readings, where the author would choose a passage from their own work to present to the audience, Ganley and
Goyette will select a column from each other’s book and read it aloud.
The launch will also feature a question and answer period with the authors, a portion of the night that Goyette said is an important part of working as a columnist.
“As columnists, we’re creators of debate, said Goyette. “We spur on debate and we believe obviously that it is a healthy part of democracy.”
Copies of Positive Community and Politics in the Patch will be available for purchase on Wednesday night for $20.