EPISODE · May 28, 2025 · 41 MIN
How a Lost Silo and a 1950s Epidemic Sparked a Remarkable Canadian Novel
from The Backroads Bill Podcast · host North Bay Echo
Author and journalist Christine Fischer Guy joins Backroads Bill to explore the real-life inspiration behind her haunting novel The Umbrella Mender, set during the 1950s tuberculosis outbreak in Moose Factory, Ontario.Through in-depth research, remote travel, and family connection, Christine weaves a story that parallels past and present pandemics — from TB to COVID — and invites readers to rethink how we view medicine, memory, and Indigenous history in the North.Purchase the Umbrella Mender: https://christinefischerguy.com/the-umbrella-mender/00:00 - Intro02:33 - Who Is Christine Fischer Guy? Author, Journalist, Yogini06:18 - What TB in the 1950s Teaches Us About COVID10:45 - Google Earth, Floods & Finally Reaching Moose Factory15:10 - Meeting Elders & Uncovering Firsthand Stories19:45 - The Umbrella Mender: Why a Settler Nurse Tells the Story24:00 - How TB Devastated Northern Indigenous Communities28:30 - Writing Indigenous Characters With Sensitivity & Respect32:55 - Hazel, Gideon & a French Nickname with Meaning36:35 - The Symbolism of the Roofless Silo40:10 - Publishing in Canada: The Long Road to Print47:05 - A New Novel on the Horizon (Spring 2026 Preview!)
What this episode covers
Author and journalist Christine Fischer Guy joins Backroads Bill to explore the real-life inspiration behind her haunting novel The Umbrella Mender, set during the 1950s tuberculosis outbreak in Moose Factory, Ontario.Through in-depth research, remote travel, and family connection, Christine weaves a story that parallels past and present pandemics — from TB to COVID — and invites readers to rethink how we view medicine, memory, and Indigenous history in the North.Purchase the Umbrella Mender: https://christinefischerguy.com/the-umbrella-mender/00:00 - Intro02:33 - Who Is Christine Fischer Guy? Author, Journalist, Yogini06:18 - What TB in the 1950s Teaches Us About COVID10:45 - Google Earth, Floods & Finally Reaching Moose Factory15:10 - Meeting Elders & Uncovering Firsthand Stories19:45 - The Umbrella Mender: Why a Settler Nurse Tells the Story24:00 - How TB Devastated Northern Indigenous Communities28:30 - Writing Indigenous Characters With Sensitivity & Respect32:55 - Hazel, Gideon & a French Nickname with Meaning36:35 - The Symbolism of the Roofless Silo40:10 - Publishing in Canada: The Long Road to Print47:05 - A New Novel on the Horizon (Spring 2026 Preview!)
NOW PLAYING
How a Lost Silo and a 1950s Epidemic Sparked a Remarkable Canadian Novel
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.