MaudCast S02E03 Melanie Fishbane and Images of Montgomery as an Author

MaudCast S02E03 Melanie Fishbane and Images of Montgomery as an Author

In this episode, host Brenton Dickieson sits down with scholar and fiction writer, Melanie J. Fishbane to talk about how Mel brings together the creative and the critical in dialogue with L.M. Montgomery’s life and work. At the centre of their discussion is Mel’s literary YA historical fiction, Maud. They discuss Mel’s research and discovery process, getting to the heart of how Lucy Maud Montgomery--”Maud” to her friends and family--became a living character in Mel’s imagination. They discuss Mel’s artistic and character choices, including the difficult conversation about Montgomery and indigenous peoples she encountered, especially in her year in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Mel’s choices in the novel, we see--including an elegant moment of drawing the question to the surface--are informed by sensitive research, scholarly insight, writerly instinct, and the ethical choice to seek consultation. Listeners to this episode will appreciate an in-depth discussion about the writing process, and hear about Melanie’s scholarly work, including a recent paper bringing together two Annes--Anne Frank and Anne of Green Gables--woven together thoughtfully with Melanie’s own writerly perspective. Listeners will also enjoy conversation about great books, journaling, the perils of workplace cats, and the importance of coloured pens.

Podcast Description

The MaudCast is the podcast of the L.M. Montgomery Institute. In the MaudCast’s quest to discover cutting-edge scholarship about the life and works of Lucy Maud Montgomery, we welcome to the microphone leading academics, emerging scholars, local researchers, and imaginative readers and writers from around the world. Hosted by Dr. Brenton Dickieson, we broadcast from the beautiful campus of the University of Prince Edward Island. 

The MaudCast Team

Host and Founding Producer: Brenton Dickieson

Founding Co-Producer: Kate Scarth

Technical Director: Kristy McKinney

Researcher: Abbey McRoberts

Researcher: Alyssa Gillespie

Researcher: Keziah Stoltz

Visual Design: Heidi Haering

Web Coordinator: Melanie J. Fishbane

MaudCast Media Contacts:

Find the MaudCast on Twitter and Instagram @LMMIMaudCast

L.M. Montgomery Institute Website: https://www.lmmontgomery.ca/ 

L.M. Montgomery Institute Twitter: @LMMI_PEI

Kindred Spaces Research Collection Online: https://kindredspaces.ca/ 

The Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies: https://journaloflmmontgomerystudies.ca/ 

Brenton Dickieson Twitter: @BrentonDana

Brenton Dickieson website: www.aPilgrimInNarnia.com 

Brenton Dickieson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdickieson/  

Guest Social Media Links:   

Twitter: @MelanieFishbane

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieJFishbane/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanie_fishbane/ 

Website: https://melaniefishbane.com/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15505239.Melanie_J_Fishbane 

Susato’s “Selection from The Danserye: III. Les Quatre Branle” performed by the UPEI Wind Symphony, directed by Dr. Karem J Simon, available for purchase here: https://upeiwindsymphony.bandcamp.com/album/the-danserye.

 

Adapted Closing Quotation:

“May you, dear readers, create stories that come from the dark corners of your soul, giving voice to your rainbow valleys, shining waters, and disappointed houses too” (Melanie J. Fishbane, Maud: A Novel INspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery, p. 366).

Research References from the Show:

Fishbane, Melanie J. Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery. Toronto: Penguin Teen Canada, 2017.

Fishbane, Melanie J. “Two Annes, Many Annes: A Writer’s Reflection on Reading Anne of Green Gables and The Diary of a Young Girl.” Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies, 18 July 2021, https://journaloflmmontgomerystudies.ca/reading/fishbane-two-annes-many-annes. 

Fishbane, Melanie J. “‘My Pen Shall Heal, Not Hurt’: Writing as Therapy in Rilla of Ingleside and The Blythes Are Quoted.” In L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911–1942, edited by Rita Bode and Lesley D. Clement, 131–44, 290–91. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2015.

Dickieson, Brenton D.G. “Befriending the Darkness: L.M. Montgomery’s Lived Theodicy in Anne’s House of Dreams.” Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies, 25 Oct 2021, https://journaloflmmontgomerystudies.ca/reading/Dickieson/Befriending-the-Darkness. 

Special thanks to the Robertson Library at UPEI and all of our community partners.

The MaudCast is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.