Forward Thinking Speaker Series

In a talk about his new novel Beatrice and Croc Harry, Lawrence Hill discussed writing for both children and adults, the formation of racial identity, the artistic challenges he faced in using humour to explore sensitive subjects, and the joys of playing with language and inventing words for readers of all ages.
You can also watch this interview that EPL did with Lawrence Hill for Freedom to Read Week:

About Lawrence Hill

Lawrence Hill is the author of ten books of fiction and non-fiction. In 2005, he won his first literary honour: a National Magazine Award for the article “Is Africa’s Pain Black America’s Burden?” published in The Walrus. His first two novels were Some Great Thing and Any Known Blood, and his first non-fiction work to attract national attention was the memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada. But it was his third novel, The Book of Negroes (HarperCollins Canada, 2007) that attracted widespread attention in Canada and other countries.

Hill is a professor of creative writing at the University of Guelph, in Ontario. He helped create the annual common reading program "Gryphons Read" featuring BIPOC and queer writers at the the University of Guelph, and recently, in concert with Walls to Bridges, taught a third-year undergraduate memoir writing course in the Grand Valley Institution for Women, a federal penitentiary in Kitchener, Ontario.

The spread of conspiracy theories and harmful misinformation is a defining characteristic of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has led to deaths, decreased vaccine acceptance, financial loss, increased stigma, health policy challenges, and added to the chaotic information environment. We must counter this “infodemic” – especially on social media – with evidence-based communication strategies. Debunking works!

About Timothy Caulfield

Timothy Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science and health policy issues has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic and writing awards and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Trudeau Foundation, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He contributes frequently for the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, and Happiness (Penguin 2012) and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash (Penguin 2015). Caulfield also has a strong social media presence and is the host and co-producer of the documentary TV series, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.

You can watch the replay of this event HERE.

The mayors' of Alberta’s largest cities, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, of Edmonton, and Mayor Jyoti Gondek, of Calgary, discussed their strategies for climate action. The talk was moderated by Laura Lynch, journalist and host of What on Earth.

Thank you to our event partners, the City of Edmonton, Calgary Climate Hub, Edmonton Climate Hub and our media partner Edify Magazine.

Moral Courage means listening instead of labelling those with whom we disagree. Irshad Manji believes listening to opposing views is important to better understand who we are as individuals. If you missed her thought-provoking talk on Thursday, Feb. 18, you can watch it here.

Recipient of Oprah Winfrey’s first Chutzpah Award for boldness, Irshad Manji is the author of Don't Label Me: An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times and is the founder of Moral Courage College, opens a new window, which teaches people how to do the right thing in the face of fear. She is also the Director for Courage, Curiosity, and Character at Let Grow, opens a new window, a New York-based nonprofit that builds intellectual independence and emotional resilience in kids. A prize-winning professor, Manji currently lectures with Oxford University’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights.

You can listen to our interview with Irshad Manji on our podcast, Overdue Finds.

Stemming from her award-winning book Seven Fallen Feathers, opens a new window, the story of seven Indigenous high school students who mysteriously died in Thunder Bay, Tanya Talaga creates an intimate experience for her audiences. She imparts audiences with in-depth knowledge on Indigenous culture and history, while leaving them empowered through a hopeful message that we can learn from our past and set forward on a new path for our nation based on inclusivity and equity.

An award-winning journalist and author, and the First Ojibway woman to deliver the CBC Massey Lectures, Tanya Talaga is an acclaimed storyteller. Her book Seven Fallen Feathers, a national bestseller that introduced us to seven Indigenous high school students who mysteriously died in Thunder Bay, won the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize. In her powerful keynotes, Talaga shares Indigenous stories from across Canada and the world, humanizing the legacy of residential schools and colonization and sharing her hope for a more inclusive and equitable future.

You can listen to our interview with Tanya Talaga on our podcast, Overdue Finds.

Customer Service = Profit. So many companies either don’t understand this rule, or need help implementing it. Great companies know it’s not enough to have customers leave satisfied – the key is to have them leave happy. That is a step beyond service. Superb customer service creates intense customer loyalty and fuels referrals. This presentation included inspiring stories from around the world, and examples of incredible and unexpected customer service ideas that your audience can implement immediately.

Terry O'Reilly has written three books including, The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture, This I Know: Marketing Lessons From Under The Influence and his latest is My Best Mistake about people who made catastrophic career decisions - but it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to them. The book launches in October. He has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising & Design Club of Canada, and has been granted Honorary Degrees from three Canadian universities.

You can listen to our interview with Terry O'Reilly on our podcast, Overdue Finds.

Mayor Don Iveson

In a few decades, over two million people could be calling Edmonton home. Our growth is a reflection of our economic strength and quality of life, but growing sustainably, not just growth itself, should be our main goal. That is where Edmonton’s City Plan comes in. Mayor Don Iveson was joined by young Edmonton leaders Kaelin Koufogiannakis and Robyn Taylor to  discuss what it takes to build the Edmonton of tomorrow, including how we can plan for a city that will attract talent and offer generations of Edmontonians a good quality of life and a bright economic future. This presentation can also be viewed online:

You can also listen to our interview with Mayor Don Iveson on our podcast, Overdue Finds, opens a new window.

John Douglas

JonBenet Ramsey, Amanda Knox, and Charles Manson—what could these three possibly have in common? They are all cases investigated by our next Forward Thinking Speaker, John Douglas. As the youngest instructor to join the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, Douglas’ keen eye to identify key characteristics and patterns of criminals quickly led him to become widely recognized as a top authority in criminal profiling.

Since his retirement from the FBI in 1995, Douglas has remained active as an author, speaker and independent investigator. His book Mindhunter was recently made into a Netflix series. On Monday, Oct. 28 John Douglas will joined us for our fifth Forward Thinking Speaker Series event of 2019, The Mindhunter's Journey.

You can listen to our interview with John Douglas on our podcast, Overdue Finds.

Dr. Chris Nowinski

Former WWE wrestler Dr. Chris Nowinski suffered a serious concussion that threatened his health and cost him his career. After visiting with Dr. Robert Cantu, Dr. Nowinski realized there was a lack of awareness among athletes, coaches, and even medical professionals around concussions and brain trauma. This led him to write the critically acclaimed book, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis in an effort to educate the world about this serious public health issue. In 2012 the book was adapted for the popular documentary film of the same name, Head Games. As the co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation with Dr. Cantu, Dr. Nowinski aims to solve the sports concussion crisis through education, awareness, policy and research. On Tuesday, Sept. 17 Dr. Nowinski joined us us for our fourth Forward Thinking Speaker Series Event of 2019.

You can listen to our interview with Dr. Chris Nowinski on our podcast, Overdue Finds.

Anthony Ray Hinton

Anthony Ray Hinton was released in April 2015 after spending 30 years on death row for crime he did not commit. He was released with the help of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), of which he is currently a Community Educator. Mr. Hinton was one of the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama history and among the longest serving condemned prisoners to be freed after presenting evidence of innocence. Mr. Hinton is the 152nd person exonerated from death row since 1983. On Wednesday, June 12, Mr. Hinton joined us for our third Forward Thinking Speaker Series event of 2019.

You can listen to our interview with Anthony Ray Hinton on our podcast, Overdue Finds.

It's Time: A Conversation about Domestic Violence in Edmonton

With the Edmonton Community Foundation and in partnership with the City of Edmonton, It's Time: A Conversation about Domestic Violence in Edmonton began with a screening of the CBC documentary The War at Home. The film was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Ward 2 Councillor Bev Esslinger and featured:

• Executive Director of Aboriginal Counselling Services Association of Alberta, Sue Languedoc
• Community Advocate and survivor, Johanna Baynton Smith
• City of Edmonton’s new Branch Manager and previous CEO of YWCA Edmonton, Jackie Foord
• Co-founder and Executive Director of the Women's Centre for Social Justice, Nneka MacGregor

Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble is an assistant professor at University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications. Dr. Noble’s academic research focuses on the design of digital media platforms on the internet and their impact on society. Her work is both sociological and interdisciplinary, marking the ways that digital media impacts and intersects with issues of race, gender, culture, and technology design. Dr. Noble’s best-selling book on racist and sexist algorithmic bias in commercial search engines is entitled Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism.

Neil Gaiman

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books, Neil Gaiman is known for works such as contemporary fantasy novel American Gods, young adults’ story Coraline and children’s novel The Graveyard Book. His Sandman comics have been called groundbreaking. He is known as a creator of not only fiction and comics, but also of screenplays, song lyrics, poetry, journalism and multimedia works. A self-described “feral child who was raised in libraries,” Gaiman describes his varied art as: “I make things up and write them down.”

The Road Less Travelled by Candy Palmater

Candy Palmater is a comedian, activist, broadcaster and host of The Candy Show. Candy speaks from the heart, using stories telling of her life experience. Through words of guidance and personal stories, Candy shares her passionate perspective on equity, self-acceptance and the love of reading.

Lessons from the Den: The Journey to Success

Arlene Dickinson is one of Canada’s most renowned independent marketing communications entrepreneurs. Dickinson is best known to Canadians as one of the venture capitalists on the award-winning CBC series Dragons’ Den, The Big Decision and marketing expert on Recipe to Riches. She is the author of two books: the number one bestselling book, Persuasion and the best-selling release, All In.

Jen Kish: Canadian Grit on the Pitch

Edmontonian and one of the best female sevens players in the world, Jen Kish was the captain of the team that recently won Bronze at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. In addition to numerous championships, Jen is a passionate advocate for supporting youth engagement in the sport of Rugby and supporting the fight against Cancer. Jen discussed leadership in sport, diversity and inclusion, and inspiring young athletes to take to the pitch.

Marie Henein: Reflections on Justice and Leadership

During Freedom to Read Week, EPL hosted lawyer Marie Henein as part of the Forward Thinking Speaker series. As a lawyer, Marie sees her role not to judge the guilt or innocence of the accused, but to ensure that the legal truth prevails. Whether or not we agree with Canadian law, Marie works to uphold every person’s fundamental right to a defense. Weaving in her experience with the Canadian legal system, she shared her experiences with justice, social change, intellectual freedom and finding success as a woman in a male-dominated industry.

Anita Sarkeesian: The Real World of Online Harassment

Anita Sarkeesian is a media critic and the creator of Feminist Frequency, a video webseries that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives. Her work focuses on deconstructing the stereotypes and tropes associated with women in popular culture as well as highlighting issues surrounding the targeted harassment of women in online and gaming spaces. You can hear an exclusive interview with Anita Sarkeesian on Edmonton Community Foundation's The Well Endowed Podcast.

Building Harmony with Choir! Choir! Choir!

Choir! Choir! Choir! is the international singing phenomenon that exemplifies the best of creativity, collaboration and community-building. Founders Nobu Adilman and Daveed Goldman talked about these themes—but they made audiences experience their message through song on December 11, 2017.

George Takei: 80 Years of Wisdom

George Takei presented to over 1,600 people at the Shaw Conference Centre on November 29, 2017. Mr. Takei shared pearls of wisdom and captivating stories from his 80 years. His experience spanned from being a child wrongly imprisoned with his family in an internment camp for four years, to being openly gay and an advocate for the LGBTQ community, to his successful career as an actor and now his role as a social media guru with over 10 million Facebook followers.

Women in Politics

Former Prime Minister the Rt. Honourable Kim Campbell and former Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan were part of the Women in Politics panel hosted by Paula Simons on September 26, 2017. They chatted about their remarkable careers and experiences as women taking prime positions in what is otherwise an underrepresented role for women.

"Hello, How Are You?": Combatting Urban Isolation

Andre Picard's "Hello, How Are You?": Combatting Urban Isolation took place on Monday, May 22, 2017 at the Chateau Lacombe. Picard explored the isolation that often occurs in urban settings and how, as a community, we can come together to build connections. Watch the entire presentation below:

A Conversation with Joseph Boyden

EPL hosted A Conversation with Joseph Boyden on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the ATB Financial Arts Barn. The presentation included an introduction with Elder Wilson Bearhead (Nakota) a member of the Wabamun Lake Indian Band in Treaty 6 territory. Joseph Boyden discussed his life to date as a writer, including recent events.

A Conversation About Reconciliation

EPL was proud to host Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners Chief Wilton Littlechild and Dr. Marie Wilson on February 28 at the Ramada Conference Centre Kingsway. The event was moderated by Honourary Witness Shelagh Rogers.

Mayors' Forum: Building Strong Communities

Mayors' Forum: Building Strong Communities took place on December 7th, 2016. The event was moderated by Paula Simons and featured Mayors Don Iveson and Naheed Nenshi answering questions from Edmontonians. Watch the entire presentation below:

Sir Salman Rushdie: Freedom of Expression

Sir Salman Rushdie: Freedom of Expression took place on Tuesday, October 11th, 2016 at the Chateau Lacombe. One of the most celebrated authors of our time and a brilliant provocateur, he’s penned a handful of classic novels, influenced a generation of writers and received a Queen’s Knighthood for his service to literature.

Paula Simons: Digital Disruption and the Discourse of Democracy

Paula Simons: Digital Disruption and the Discourse of Democracy took place on Thursday, September 15, 2016 in the Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre. Paula shared how the world of journalism has and is evolving, especially in the midst of our social media revolution, and how these two worlds converge.

Championing Equality: LGBTQ (ac)counts in Sports

EPL presented Championing Equality: LGBTQ (ac)counts in Sports on Wednesday, August 24, 2016. The panel conversation featured:

• Brian Burke, President of Hockey Operations for the Calgary Flames Hockey Club and an advocate for LGBTQ equality and acceptance in the NHL community and beyond
• Olympian speed skater, Anastasia Bucsis, who has competed in 46 World Cups, six World Championships and two Olympic Games

Moderating the session was the University of Alberta’s Dr. Kris Wells, Assistant Professor and Director of Programs and Services at the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services.

Karina LeBlanc: Making Every Moment Count

Karina LeBlanc: Making Every Moment Count took place in the Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre on Saturday, July 9th, 2016. Karina LeBlanc is the longest serving player in Canadian soccer history and has proudly represented Canada in three Pan American Games, four FIFA Women’s World Cups and two Olympic Games, including the 2012 London Summer Olympics where she helped lead team Canada to a historic bronze medal win. Pulling from her childhood experiences to her time as a professional athlete, she spoke to how sport can be one of the many ways that can empower us to believe in ourselves.

Dr. Tim Beatley: Becoming a Biophilic City

EPL presented Dr. Tim Beatley on June 2nd, 2016 in the Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre. Dr. Beatley is an internationally recognized sustainable city researcher and author, and is the Project Director for Biophilic Cities. Much of his work focuses on the subject of sustainable communities and creative strategies by which cities and towns can fundamentally reduce their ecological footprints, while at the same time becoming more livable and equitable places.

Fear Inc.: Confronting Islamophobia in North America

EPL presented Dr. Reza Aslan as part of the Forward Thinking Speaker Series on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. Dr. Aslan has a Ph.D. in world religions and is considered the foremost expert in his field. Since the Syrian refugee crises began, Dr. Aslan has been an outspoken advocate for Islam, educating the masses on CNN and Fox News about the fallacies that fuel Islamophobia. His presentation gave ideas on strategies to stop Islamophobia.

Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard: Empowering Canada's Aboriginal Women

Dr Lavell Harvard enlightened audiences on the challenges, such as violence and abuse, Canada’s indigenous women face on the road to finding vibrant fulfilling lives in December 2015. While in some cases the realities are bleak, Dr Lavell Harvard shared ways that Edmontonians can help to make a difference. Ending a cycle of violence and creating promising futures needs the support of our communities coming together to find solutions. Whether you’re a single parent, university student, prominent business leader or simply a passionate Edmontonian wanting to make a difference, Dr Lavell Harvard’s presentation left you with concrete ways to support Canada’s indigenous women.

View the slides from her powerful presentation or watch the entire presentation below:

Lorne Rubis: The Workplace Community 2015-2020

Many business models are being disrupted. Companies like Uber, Airbnb, Netflix, OpenTable and others are changing the customer experience. Subsequently what disruptions can we expect to happen in the workplace? How will work communities and work itself likely change in the next 5 years? Lorne Rubis, Chief People Officer at ATB Financial shared his insights on today's workplace and where we are headed. Watch the entire presentation below:

Gordon Neufeld: Raising Children in a Digital Era

Dr. Gordon Neufeld is a developmental psychologist with over 40 years of experience with children, youth and caregivers. He graced our EPL audience in June 2015 when he spoke about raising children in the digital era. He is an international speaker with a widespread reputation for making sense of complex problems and for opening doors for change. Dr. Neufeld devotes his time to teaching and training others.

Roméo Dallaire: Freedom to Lead

Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire held a powerful presentation on leadership, risk-taking, difficult ethical situations and the role intellectual freedom and freedom of expression has played in his leadership and throughout the world. This presentation was hosted in February 2015 as part of EPL's celebration of Freedom to Read Week.

Margaret Wheatley: Whatever the Issue, Community is the Answer

On Monday, Dec. 8, 2014 a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with internationally acclaimed speaker and advisor to Fortune 100 companies Margaret Wheatley was held. She presented the principles that make for healthy community engagement so that the citizens and leaders of Edmonton can learn from their successes and continue to build a thriving and resourceful community. Watch the entire presentation below:

Dr. Gabor Maté: Growing Edmonton with Compassion and Social Inclusion

Dr. Maté has extensive experience working with patients in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and has championed a compassionate approach to supporting vulnerable populations. In November 2014, Dr. Maté spoke about compassion, addiction and inclusion, and what Edmontonians can do to support their fellow citizens.

Delivering Happiness

Why is happiness becoming a buzzword in successful organizations today? Because it inspires passionate, motivated and engaged employees! Building on the best-selling book by Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, the Delivering Happiness Company has worked with major corporations across North America and around the world. A dynamic presentation was held by Sunny Grosso in October 2014, coaching and Culture Chief at Delivering Happiness™ and leader of the DH@Work team. Sunny used the success story of online shoe retailer Zappos to offer tips on how to inspire passion and purpose in your organization create a positive, sustainable culture.

Chasing Dreams: George Kourounis Live

On Tuesday, September 16th, 2014, EPL welcomed global explorer, adventurer and storm chaser George Kourounis for a free speaking event for EPL cardholders in the Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre.

In front of a jam packed crowd, George Kourounis wowed the audience with his presentation, Chasing Dreams. He covered his journey into a volcano, his intercept of the world's largest volcano, going into the flaming gas crater in Turkmenistan and being in the middle of Hurricane Catrina. Following the event, George Kourounis did a Q&A session with the audience and took pictures with some very happy attendees. Watch the entire presentation below: