Writing With a Broken Tusk
Writing With a Broken Tusk began in 2006 as a blog about overlapping geographies, personal and real-world, and writing books for children. Since March 2024, Jen Breach (writer, VCFA graduate, and former student) has helped me curate and manage guest posts and Process Talk pieces on this blog.
The blog name refers to the mythical pact between the poet Vyaasa and the Hindu elephant headed god Ganesha who was his scribe during the composition of the epic narrative, the Mahabharata. It also refers to my second published book, edited by the generous and brilliant Diantha Thorpe of Linnet Books/The Shoe String Press, published in 1996, acquired and republished by August House, now part of Reading Is Fundamental, and still miraculously in print.
Posts on this site reflect personal opinion and commentary protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Rubber Ducks: the Power of Symbols
When Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (he didn’t like to be called a dissident) was alive, rubber ducks were often used as symbols of his fight against corruption. When he died (possibly murdered, possibly tortured and starved until his body couldn't take it any more) in February 2024, ducks showed up as symbols of protest against the regime responsible, one way or another, for his death. Whether by association or coincidence, rubber ducks have also been used by protesters in Thailand, and briefly, via Hong Kong, on Chinese social media.