The writer and former editor of Chatelaine Rona Maynard discusses her new memoir Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World (ECW Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta.

Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World by Rona Maynard (ECW Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Starter Dog

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the better books of the season is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while now. Anybody that knows Rona Maynard, knows in recent years, she and her husband Paul added a dog in the family. Casey, through Rona’s accounts on Facebook, is more than a pet, and he’s added so much to their lives, especially Rona’s, who when Paul brought up the subject of getting a dog, refused. In Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World she recounts how Casey found his way into Rona and Paul’s home, especially Rona’s heart. We see a person transformed, and what’s enjoyable to read is her outlook on life and the people that she encounters along the way; people she might not have had any interaction with were it not for Casey. Rona joins me now to discuss the book, and more. She first appeared on the program in 2007 when her memoir My Mother’s Daughter (another great book) was published. She appeared a few times after that, though it’s been nearly twelve years since she was last on. I’ve always liked her frank, clear voice, over the phone or on the page; a lot of people read her editor’s note in Chatelaine between 1995 and 2004 when she was its editor. Something like one in four English-speaking women in Canada read that magazine then. She is a noted public speaker and lecturer on memoir and mental health. She was honoured by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health for her advocacy on mental health, that began with a column she wrote in 1997 where she discussed her depression. Visit www.ronamaynard.com for more. This new book is published by ECW Press. We spoke late last week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Rona Maynard; Ms. Maynard, good morning.

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