Tag Archives: Laurie Brinklow

Island Lecture Series and Book Launch | The Bridge Effect with Laurie Brinklow, Andrew Jennings, and Janice Pettit

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Lecture Series on February 27 will celebrate the launch of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism co-edited by Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings. This event will feature a discussion of the effect of bridges—be they physical or digital—on island life and culture. The lecture and launch will be held from 7-8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, UPEI campus.

Brinklow will present a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define island life. Jennings, beaming in from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. While PEI contributor, Janice Pettit will share her interviews with island residents on how the Confederation bridge has affected “the island way of life” twenty years later. The event is free, all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase.

Laurie Brinklow is a writer, editor, Assistant Professor, and the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program at the University of Prince Edward Island. She is the author of My island’s the house I sleep in at night and Here for the Music. Andrew Jennings lives in Shetland, Scotland’s most northerly islands. He is an Associate Professor of Island Studies based at UHI Shetland, where he works with the Institute for Northern Studies. Janice Pettit was an adjunct professor at University of Prince Edward Island where she taught the Introduction to Island Studies course for seven semesters. She now works for the PEI Public Service Commission.

The Bridge Effect was published by Island Studies Press with the support of a SSHRC Exchange Publication Award from the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Research at UPEI.

Meet the Speakers

Laurie Brinklow is a writer, editor, Assistant Professor, and the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program at the University of Prince Edward Island. Her research focuses on islandness and island identity, including the power of place and story. She is the author of My island’s the house I sleep in at night and Here for the Music.

Andrew Jennings lives in Shetland, Scotland’s most northerly islands, famous for their Nordic cultural inheritance that inspires his research and teaching. He is an Associate Professor of Island Studies based at UHI Shetland, where he works with the Institute for Northern Studies.

Janice Pettit holds a Diploma in Public Administration, a Bachelor of Business Administration, and a Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS). She was an adjunct professor at the University of Prince Edward Island where she taught the Introduction to Island Studies course for seven semesters. She is currently a Staffing and Classification Consultant with the PEI Public Service Commission. Her research interests continue to focus on bridge impacts on islands and islanders.  

Press Release | Island Lecture Series and Book Launch

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Charlottetown, PEI (January 9, 2024)—

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Lecture Series on February 27 will celebrate the launch of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism co-edited by Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings. This event will feature a discussion of the effect of bridges—be they physical or digital—on island life and culture. The lecture and launch will be held from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, UPEI campus.

Brinklow will present a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define island life. Jennings, beaming in from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. PEI contributor Janice Pettit will share her interviews with island residents on how the Confederation bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 26½ years later. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase.



Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca

Charlottetown, PEI (January 9, 2024)—

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Lecture Series on February 27 will celebrate the launch of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism co-edited by Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings. This event will feature a discussion of the effect of bridges—be they physical or digital—on island life and culture. The lecture and launch will be held from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, UPEI campus.

Brinklow will present a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define island life. Jennings, beaming in from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. PEI contributor Janice Pettit will share her interviews with island residents on how the Confederation bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 26½ years later. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase.

Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca

Seminar/Webinar: The Bridge Effect: A Case Study of Prince Edward Island, Canada, with Some Implications for Gozo [May 24th]

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The Bridge Effect: A Case Study of Prince Edward Island, Canada, with Some Implications for Gozo
Laurie Brinklow, Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island 
May 24th, 2023 at, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. ADT (4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. CEST)

The idea of a permanent link joining the mainland to Prince Edward Island, on Canada’s Atlantic coast, goes back to 1887 when a Canadian Senator suggested the government lay an iron subway across the floor of the Northumberland Strait; the price tag was $5 million. A few years later, they suggested a $12 million tunnel. Neither came to fruition, but over the next century, the conversation continued until 1989, when a plebiscite was held to determine whether or not Islanders wanted a “fixed link.” The vote was close: 59% in favour, 41% against. Thus the way was paved to build the Confederation Bridge, a $1 billion 12-9-kilometre-long bridge across the Northumberland Strait. It opened on May 31, 1997, as the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered waters.  

Bridging an island is often a polarizing subject: an islander can cherish the bounded flavour that an island provides or can valorize the benefits of a link―for instance, the convenience and monetary benefits of transporting people and goods on- and off-island. A permanent link might even allow an island to remain a viable place to live. This presentation tells the story of Prince Edward Island’s bridge and its socio-cultural, economic, and political impacts on the Island in the 25 years since it opened. A conversation about how these lessons might apply to Malta and Gozo will follow.  

Click here to register!

Meet the Speaker

Dr. Laurie Brinklow is an Assistant Professor of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, where she is the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) Program and Chair of the Institute of Island Studies. A writer, editor, and former book publisher, she is a graduate of the MAIS program (2007) and has a PhD in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Tasmania (2015). She is particularly interested in the power of place, story, and identity in creating vibrant island communities. She has published in several academic journals and books and is the author of two books of poetry, Here for the Music (Acorn, 2012) and My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press, 2021). She is the Government of Iceland’s Honorary Consul for Prince Edward Island and President of the International Small Island Studies Association (ISISA). 

PEI-Tasmania collaboration world premiere: Atlantic String Machine, with guest Hannah O’Donnell, performs song cycle by Tasmania’s Don Kay and PEI’s Laurie Brinklow

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Charlottetown, PEI (May 4, 2023) —

Four poems from Laurie Brinklow’s PEI Book Award-winning poetry My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press/Walleah Press) have been set to music by one of Tasmania’s best-loved composers Don Kay.

Now, Prince Edward Island’s award-winning string quintet, Atlantic String Machine, with guest soloist Hannah O’Donnell, will perform the song cycle’s world premiere on Saturday, May 13, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in Charlottetown as part of the final concert of their 2022-23 season entitled “Coming Together.”

Kay and Brinklow connected when the writer’s Island Studies PhD research brought her to Tasmania. As part of her program, she interviewed the composer and wrote a poem for him based on the interview. Kay then took “So it begins at Hastings Bay,” plus three more of the Tasmanian poems, and created a song cycle for mezzo soprano and string quintet. Kay has composed works for opera and theatre, symphony orchestra, and choirs that have been performed around the world. In 1991, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the arts. He is now retired from a post at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.

Says Brinklow, “I’m absolutely thrilled that this island-to-island collaboration is coming to the world stage. It demonstrates the cyclical nature of art, and how inspiration works, with Don describing to me how he writes music from nature, then me putting it into words, then Don writing music based on what I wrote, then my ASM friend and Hannah interpreting his score. It’s pure magic. And having Atlantic String Machine do the world premiere here is a dream come true.”

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite, or at the door.

Register on Eventbrite

Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca

Dr. Laurie Brinklow named President of ISISA

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Charlottetown, PEI (July 11, 2022)—

At the International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA) General Meeting in Zadar, Croatia, June 17, Laurie Brinklow was acclaimed President of ISISA. She succeeds Godfrey Baldacchino who had served in the role for eight years. 

Serving on the new Executive for the next four years are Sarah Nimführ (Vice President), Anna Baldacchino (Secretary), Andrew Jennings (Treasurer), and Ordinary Members Rosemarie Azzopardi, Aniça Cuka, Ayano Ginoza, and Adam Grydehøj. Tomislav Oroz joins as a Co-Opted Non-Voting Member. 

Thanks go to the outgoing executive committee, in particular President Godfrey Baldacchino and Vice President Beate Ratter, for their hard work and contributions over the years!  

The Executive looks forward to planning the next ISISA conference in 2024, the location for which is yet to be confirmed.  

For further information, or to become a member of this pre-eminent Island Studies organization, please check out isisa.org or follow us on Facebook. 

Want to hear more about what went on at ISISA 2022? Check out our update!

MAIS Program Well-Represented at Two International Conferences 

Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca