OOE ARTIST FEATURE: TWO HOMEGROWN BOOKS FROM THE CAPITAL ARE PERFECT CANDIDATES FOR UNDER THE TREE

Mystery writer Mike Martin, a 25-year resident of Old Ottawa East (OOE), has co-edited a new mystery anthology. A Capital Mystery launched on October 15 featuring 21 stories by Ottawa-area mystery writers. The stories are all set in the National Capital Region with contributions from Brenda Chapman, Barbara Fradkin, Katie Tallo, as well as several new and emerging writers.

“There is a vibrant writing community in Ottawa,” Martin says. “I think it’s because Ottawa is largely an educated community with a number of universities, many professionals, and people who write for a living.”

The anthologies’ stories are as varied as Ottawa itself. “They’re set in places like Greely, Manotick, Barrhaven, and Parliament Hill…from downtown to the suburbs, to the country. They range from light to dark in tone, they’re not overtly violent, and there are some dark/hard themes. They would appeal to anybody who likes a good story.”

“Ottawa is a dichotomy,” Martin says. “We have the professional, political capital, but we also have serious problems with addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues. We held the launch at the old Nicholas Street jail. It is a beautiful space. But it also underscores that the city has a darker underbelly.”

Within the collection, an heiress befriends a salesgirl at Ogilvy’s department store in 1955. They fall in love with the same man. An unknown assailant terrorizes a quiet suburban neighborhood in Riverside South. An upmarket restaurant in downtown Ottawa is plagued by threats from a poison pen forcing the proprietor, chef, and a former vice cop to fend off disaster.

Most of the featured authors are members of the Capital Crime Writers mystery-writing group. The group provides opportunities for newer writers to practice their craft. They hold monthly meetings and provide support and mentorship. Martin likes to stay connected to the local authors and enjoys giving back. “The idea of an Ottawa mystery anthology has been circulating for a while. One of the sparks for the project was the fact that the Capital Crime Writers run a short story competition every year. We got them involved, got some sponsors, and brought on editor Bernadette Cox to do the heavy lifting. For the contest, the authors had to be from the Ottawa area, and the stories had to be set in Ottawa or broader Ottawa. We put the call out and the stories started pouring in.”

“We had 150 people at the launch and great support from the local community and media. Many Canadian mystery writers have supported the project, including Louise Penny. This anthology shows the depth of the mystery writing capacity in Ottawa.”

On the eve of Remembrance Day, Ottawa-based writer, speaker, photographer, explorer (mostly by bicycle), and former politician David Chernushenko launched his new book Standing with Underdogs: A family journey, personal quest & universal story at Abbotsford House in the Glebe. He wore his father’s Navy sweater to the reading/celebration. Broadcaster and voice actor Mike Giunta introduced the author at the event at which Chernushenko shared several passages from the book and spoke of it in the context of the present-day war in Ukraine.

At its heart, Chernushenko says, the non-fiction memoir asks: “why am I so viscerally affected by Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine when I have never been to Ukraine and don’t even speak the language?” It explores how his Ukrainian roots have influenced his life’s course, the work he does, and the causes he champions. The book also includes the family memoir penned by his Aunt Raya Juchymenko, his father’s only sibling, who is now in her late 80s.

“My Aunt Raya is the only remaining member of the family who endured a harrowing wagon-train journey across Ukraine in 1943, five years in a displaced persons internment camp from 1944-49, and the challenges of starting a new life in a new country and language in southern Alberta in 1949.”

His aunt’s accounts, which Chernushenko describes as detailed and insightful, were entirely new to him because people in his family didn’t share much. “They just wanted to move on and look forward, not dwell on the past.” His aunt first spoke of it with him during COVID. Once he read her work, he felt that the story had to “go bigger.”

“It set me off on a journey of re-immersing myself in my own memories and exploring how their story became our story and influenced my life. Who we are as a partly Ukrainian-Canadian family. This book is a hybrid. It’s personal. It’s political. It’s funny. It’s angry!

“The story involves trauma, resilience, determination, stoicism, humour and optimism. Standing with Underdogs is my deep dive into what makes me support so many ‘minority’ causes in my life, speaking against misplaced power, for fact, truth and, yes, underdogs! It also attempts to explain why this horrible war on Ukraine feels so personal.

“War is hell. My grandparents and father were traumatized by it. How did we get here as a world?”

Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to humanitarian charities for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Both books can be found at Singing Pebble Books on Main Street, and at other independent bookstores throughout Ottawa.

Author Tanis Browning-Shelp (http://www.browning-shelp.com) pens her Maryn O’Brien Young Adult Fiction series, published by Dog-Eared Books, from her home in Old Ottawa East. Contact tanis@browning-shelp.com if you have information about artists or art events that you believe would enrich our community members’ lives.