In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy - Canadian Time Machine Podcast

Today, a podcast was released titled, "In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy" as part of Season 3 of Canadian Time Machine, a series produced by The Walrus Lab. The episode was created to honor the 150th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birth. In the 15-minute-long podcast, Angela Misri speaks with Kate Macdonald Butler, who is L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter.

They talk about L.M. Montgomery's legacy and how people see themselves in Anne of Green Gables. They mention how immigrants to Canada and ADHD and neurodivergent communities have found kinship with Anne Shirley. Kate Macdonald Butler talks about how she learned about her grandmother through conversations with her father. She feels that her grandmother is closer in terms of personality to Emily Starr from the Emily of New Moon series than she is to Anne Shirley. Kate Macdonald Butler also discusses how both L.M. Montgomery and her husband struggled with depression. Lastly, she talks about the new commemorative coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in celebration of Montgomery's birthday and legacy.

Give the podcast a listen through the links below.

Websites:
In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy - Canadian Time Machine podcast and English transcript at The Walrus
In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy - Canadian Time Machine podcast at Apple Podcasts

Image credit:
Image from The Walrus.

Created November 20, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience

Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience is a new show produced in celebration of L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday. The show was created by Alicia Toner and Mike Ross as a "song cycle," a collection of songs performed in sequence. Behind the Veil is made up of songs that blend Lucy Maud Montgomery's journal entries, letters, and poetry with original songwriting. Produced by Harmony House, the concert aims to pull back the veil to reveal L.M. Montgomery's true spirit and to celebrate her life and love of Prince Edward Island.

The show premieres today on November 15, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. The ensemble cast features Julain Molnar, Brielle Ansems, Carlie Howell, Alicia Toner, Mike Ross, and Garrett Sherwood. Five additional performances will take place on November 16th at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., on November 22nd at 8:00 p.m., and on November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for the 2-hour concert cost $40.00. Harmony House is located at 19814 Route 2, Hunter River, PE C0A 1N0.

You can listen to Alicia Toner and Mike Ross discuss the show in an interview by Matt Rainnie on CBC Mainstreet. It sounds like such a special event!

Official Website
Harmony House

Image Credit:
Image advertising Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience from Harmony House.

Created November 15, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

#Maud150 Events at Acadia University

Later this month, two #Maud150 events will take place at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada to commemorate L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday.

The first is a speech by Dr. Brenton Dickieson of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). He will present a talk titled, "Friends, Lovers, and Revivalist Shudders: L.M. Montgomery and Baptists" in the Reading Room of the Vaughan Memorial Library on November 18, 2024 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. The speech is free and open to the public.

Here is the description of the talk from the Acadia University website:

Acadia celebrates L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday with a free talk titled "Friends, Lovers, and Revivalist Shudders: L.M. Montgomery and Baptists" by Dr. Brenton Dickieson (UPEI) in the Reading Room of Vaughan Memorial Library from 7-8 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

One of L.M. Montgomery’s more vividly drawn characters had “a holy horror of Methodists.” The main characters in the Anne series are thoroughly Presbyterian, but Montgomery has some fun playing with the cultural differences between the various Protestant denominations. The Cavendish Baptist church was part of Montgomery’s everyday life growing up, and she found herself frequenting the Baptists during her latter years in Toronto. Despite these connections, there were times when Montgomery’s journals reveal something like “a holy horror of Baptists.” From broken engagements to a threat of police action, a peek at Montgomery’s imagination of “Baptists” invites us to think about particular cultural moments in Eastern Canadian history and to enjoy her peculiar sense of religious humour that shapes our religious social imagination.

As a theologian of literature, Dr. Dickieson (UPEI) writes the popular website, A Pilgrim in Narnia, which explores the intersections of faith, fantasy, and fiction. With more than 2,000,000 views and fostering significant networks within the scholarly and readerly worlds of C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, Brenton has created a powerful platform for considering the literary, spiritual, and theological interest of some of our most famous world-builders, including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, and others. Brenton also is the host of Maudcast: the official podcast of the L.M. Montgomery Institute at University of Prince Edward Island.

The second #Maud150 event is a mini-conference that will be held at the university. On November 25th and 27th, the honours and master's students enrolled in the course on "Adapting L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables" will host a mini-conference and present their research on L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables to the community. The conference will take place from 4:00-5:20 p.m. on November 25th and 27th in BAC203. This event is open to the public according to Acadia University's calendar of events.

Image Credit:
Poster advertising Brenton Dickieson's speech from Acadia University.

Created November 15, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Cornelius Leard House for Sale in Lower Bedeque, Prince Edward Island

For a period of six months in 1897 and 1898, L.M. Montgomery boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Leard while she taught school in in Lower Bedeque, Prince Edward Island. During the time, Montgomery was secretly engaged to Edwin Simpson, but she found herself attracted to the Leard family’s oldest son Herman, according to her journals.

The Cornelius Leard House was formally recognized as a historic place in 2010. At different points in time, the house was run as a museum, a bed and breakfast, and a restaurant. It is currently for sale for $99,000 CAD and in need of care and major repairs. You can learn more about the home in this video by CBC News.

Image credit:
Screen capture from the CBC News website.

References:
Cornelius Leard House. Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=19168.

Home where 'Anne' author L.M. Montgomery had a forbidden romance is up for sale. (October 25, 2024). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6546552.

Created October 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Why People Still Love Anne of Green Gables on The Current Podcast

On September 3, The Current with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio released a podcast episode with a segment on "Why People Still Love Anne of Green Gables." The episode's synopsis reads: "This year would have been the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famed P.E.I. author of Anne of Green Gables. We talk to some islanders and 'Anne fangirls' who are excited to celebrate both the author and her creations."

On his visit to Prince Edward Island, Galloway interviews Judith Graves and Linda Lowther. Judith Graves compiled and edited The Annethology, a collection of short stories inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Linda Lowther is on the committee responsible for Anne of Green Gables tourism in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, and she helped create The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour.

The interview covers a variety of topics relating to why Anne of Green Gables is timeless and why they love Anne. They also discuss adaptations of the story on screen and the economic importance of Anne of Green Gables-related tourism on Prince Edward Island. Lowther talks about The Literary Tour and things people might not know about L.M. Montgomery, such as her love of photography, scrapbooking, fashion, and nature. Graves discusses the concept behind The Annethology and the inventive short stories in the volume that take Anne on new journeys. This leads to a conversation about "Anne purists," "woke Anne" and "Anne fatigue."

It's a fun interview. Give it a listen!

Websites:
The Current with Matt Galloway on YouTube
The Current with Matt Galloway podcast at CBC

Image Credit:
Screencapture of The Current Podcast on YouTube.

Created October 4, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Stratford Festival Commissions a New Play Based on Anne of Green Gables

Last month, the internationally acclaimed Stratford Festival announced that they are developing a new play based on Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. The new adaptation is by playwright Kat Sandler, who will also direct the production. The play will premiere at the Avon Theatre as part of the Festival's 2025 season.

Founded in 1953, the Stratford Festival is a theatre festival that runs from April to October each year in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. The Festival is renowned for its productions of Shakespeare's plays, and it also presents a variety of other plays and musicals. The Festival has featured many talented actors over the years, including several who starred in adaptations of L.M. Montgomery works, including Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, Jackie Burroughs, Sarah Polley, and Charmion King.

The new Anne of Green Gables play is a Stratford Festival commission sponsored by The Schulich Foundation. The Stratford Festival's website describes the play as follows:

"Is there a Canadian title with more global recognition than Anne of Green Gables? More than 56 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into 30 languages.

Anne of Green Gables by Kat Sandler is a bold adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's timeless tale of imagination, resilience and the transformative power of love. Set in the picturesque village of Avonlea, it follows the adventures of Anne Shirley, an irrepressible orphan with a vivid imagination and an unyielding spirit.

Sandler, who will also direct, is known for her deeply funny yet poignant plays and has written and directed extensively across Canada. She has enormous affection and respect for this story and wants to bring it vibrantly to life for another generation. The story of an outsider, an orphan, who finds happiness and wins the hearts not only of her adoptive family but of her doubting community is a story for the ages."

In a recent CBC News interview with Kat Sandler and Keith Barker (the Stratford Festival's director of new play development), the pair talk about reintroducing Anne Shirley's timeless story to a new generation of viewers. Barker states that they aim to be true to the novel, which he says, "reads beautifully" and "it's accessible, it's funny, it's smart." Sandler comments on the story's timeless themes saying, "Love, belonging, chosen family, community, loss, class — like, these are really big, big themes with high stakes." Sandler hopes that her adaptation reflects these themes.


Official Website:
Stratford Festival

Image Credit:
Screencapture of part of the Stratford Festival's 2025 Playbill featuring Anne of Green Gables.

References:
How the Stratford Festival wants to reimagine 'Canadian epic' Anne of Green Gables for a new era. (2024, September 8). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6502563.

Ryan, Carolyn. (2024, September 8). Renowned Stratford Festival commissions new Anne of Green Gables play. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-anne-of-green-gables-stratford-festival-1.7313342.

Created October 1, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Rare Anne of Green Gables Book at the Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair

The Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair is taking place this weekend at the City College of New York in New York City. The fair opened yesterday (September 27, 2024), and will continue through September 29th.

Among the many rare items offered is a first printing of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery in one of five surviving jackets from 1909 or earlier. The book is valued at $40,000.

What a special treasure for a book collector.


Location:
The Great Hall, Shepard Hall,
City College of New York,
160 Convent Ave,
New York, NY 10031

Official Website:
Fine Book Fairs

Image Credit:
Photograph of select books featured at the The Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair from Fine Books & Collections.

Reference:
Empire State Rare Book & Print Fair Opens Today. (2024, September 27). Fine Books & Collections. Retrieved from: https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/empire-state-rare-book-print-fair-opens-today.

Created September 28, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Support an Anne of Green Gables Product Idea at LEGO IDEAS

Today, I read a post by CivEng_NY on Reddit about a wonderful LEGO IDEAS project. Iyan Ha has proposed and designed an intricate Anne of Green Gables LEGO set. It has exceptional detail, and the design involves 2,935 bricks and has 5 minifigures.

This product idea has a chance of becoming a real LEGO set, but only if it has 10,000 supporters. After it reaches this goal, the idea will undergo an expert review by LEGO before the project is approved for production. This morning, Iyan Ha's Anne of Green Gables project idea had 1,366 supporters.

I signed up to support the project, and you can too. Let's help make this idea a reality!

Visit the Anne of Green Gables project page at LEGO IDEAS to sign up as a supporter.

Here are a few additional images of the project. Iyan Ha studied many references to design the Green Gables house. The model allows you to act out scenes from the novel both outside and inside Green Gables. In the scene below, Matthew Cuthbert brings Anne Shirley to Green Gables by carriage and Marilla meets them at the door. The model has such lovely details like the blooming Snow Queen.



Here, Anne Shirley accidentally serves her bosom friend Diana Barry currant wine instead of raspberry cordial, and Diana gets drunk. Oops. I love the expression on Diana's face.



Here is an image of the 5 minifigures: Matthew Cuthbert, Marilla Cuthbert, Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, and Diana Barry. Anne is breaking her slate over Gilbert's head, while Diana looks on in dismay.



I've highlighted a handful of the images of Iyan Ha's project. You can view all 15 images at LEGO IDEAS, and sign up to support the project.

Official Website:
Anne of Green Gables Product Idea at LEGO IDEAS by Iyan Ha

Image Credits:
Images of the Anne of Green Gables Product Idea by Iyan Ha at LEGO IDEAS.


Created September 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Studio 100 International to Remaster Anne of Green Gables Anime Series

AnimationXpress reported today that a German company called Studio 100 International is currently "remastering" the Anne of Green Gables (1979) anime using AI-assisted technologies to transform these series to full HD with a 16:9 widescreen format. The company specializes in entertainment for children and families. According to a press release from the company, it is undertaking the initiative as part of its "Heroes of Childhood" licensing campaign to breath "new life into its iconic classic series." Along with remastering Anne of Green Gables, they plan to remaster several other classic animated series from the 1970s, including Alice in Wonderland, Sinbad, Vic the Viking, Pinocchio, Nils Holgersson, Heidi, Marco (3000 Leagues in Search of Mother), and Maya the Bee.

By using AI-assisted technologies, Studio 100 International aims to create visual information needed to adapt the animated content to a widescreen format. They explain that the scenes will then be refined manually to maintain the integrity of the original. The audio for each series will be reconstructed to support different language versions for global distribution.

Studio 100 International will present the first remastered episodes for this project at MIPCOM in Cannes, which takes place from October 21–24, 2024.

Tampering with the early productions of Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata, who went on to establish the beloved Studio Ghibli, has caused outcry in the anime community according to an article by Paris Geolas at CBR. Geolas writes, "The usage of AI in Studio Ghibli works in particular has been strongly objected to given Hayao Miyazaki’s clear disapproval of the medium when it comes to animation. Many animation studios now use CGI and sometimes AI to enhance the animation or increase output within tight deadlines, but Studio Ghibli has always been faithful to using hand-drawn frames, contributing to the studio’s unique and beloved art style."


Image Credit:
Screencapture from Anne of Green Gables (1979) Anime.

References:
AnimationXpress Team. (2024, September 24). Studio 100 International to present remastered classic series like ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Heidi’ at MIPCOM. AnimationXpress.com. Retrieved from: https://www.animationxpress.com/animation/studio-100-international-to-present-remastered-classic-series-like-pinocchio-and-heidi-at-mipcom/.

Geolas, Paris. (2024, October 2). Studio Ghibli Founders' Earliest Anime Works Get "Cutting-Edge AI" Remasters. CBR. Retrieved from: https://www.cbr.com/studio-ghibli-first-anime-ai-remaster-controversy/.

Studio 100 International Remasters Classic TV Series in Full-HD and 16:9 for the First Time. (2024, 24 September). Press Release. Studio 100 International. Retrieved from: https://media.studio100international.com/media/sites/2/2024/09/d30fc09701-240924_pressrelease_s100int_classics-remastering_final.pdf.

Studio 100 International Unveils Full-HD and 16:9 Remasters of Beloved Classic TV Series. (2024, September 24). FormatBiz. Retrieved from: https://www.formatbiz.it/dettNews.aspx?id=11905.


Created September 24, 2024. Last updated October 3, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Green Gables Gal Clue in USA Today Crossword Puzzle

Check out today's crossword puzzle at USA Today. Titled "Lace Up," the September 23, 2024 puzzle was constructed by Stella Zawistowski and edited by Amanda Rafkin.

The clue for 24 Down is "Green Gables gal."

I'm sure all the Anne of Green Gables fans out there won't have to puzzle long over this clue!


Image Credit:
Screencapture of USA Today Crossword Puzzle from September 23, 2024 constructed by Stella Zawistowski and edited by Amanda Rafkin.

Created September 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

L.M. Montgomery's 150th Birthday Events in Norval, Ontario

Over the coming months, there will be several events held in Norval, Ontario to celebrate L.M Montgomery's 150th birthday.

September 29, 2024 - Culture Days
Visitors are welcome at St. Paul's Anglican Church (14 Adamson St.), The Norval Studios and Gallery (Parish Hall, 16 Adamson St.), and the Caretaker’s Cottage (404 Draper St.), located next to the Manse where L.M. Montgomery once lived.

October 19, 2024 - Find my Fictional Maud: A Conversation with Melanie J. Fishbane
A book talk and signing with Melanie J. Fishbane, author of Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery, will take place at 2 p.m. at the Norval Studios and Gallery. Read this article to learn more about with Fishbane's book and the event.

November 23, 2024 - The Kitchen of L.M. Montgomery
John Ota, author of The Kitchen, will give a book talk and sign copies of his book at 2 p.m in Parish Hall. Ota's book examines famous kitchens in history, and his speech will explore three of L.M. Montgomery's kitchens. Ota has visted L.M. Montgomery's kitchens in Norval, the Leaskdale Manse, and the Toronto Manse and welcomes questions from the audience. Read this article to learn more info about Ota's work and the event.

November 30, 2024 - Montgomery Christmas Sale
A Christmas sale will take place on L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday. St. Paul’s Anglican Church and St. Elias The Prophet Ukranian Church (10193 Heritage Rd.) will host church bazaars from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Janet Wilson, author of Maud of Green Gables, will have a book signing at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. The Norval Studios will be open for shopping on November 30th and December 1st from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Read more about these events at Halton Hills Today.


Image credit:
Book covers of Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane, The Kitchen: A Journey Through History in Search of the Perfect Design by John Ota, and Maud of Green Gables: How L.M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World by Janet Wilson.

References:
Tanweer, Mansoor. (November 18, 2024). Author to entertain Norval guests about Lucy Maud Montgomery’s kitchens. HaltonHillsToday.ca. Retrieved from: https://www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/author-to-entertain-norval-guests-about-lucy-maud-montgomerys-kitchens-9802934

Tanweer, Mansoor. (October 17, 2024). Author coming to Norval for chat about Lucy Maud Montgomery. HaltonHillsToday.ca. Retrieved from: https://www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/author-coming-to-norval-for-chat-about-lucy-maud-montgomery-9648514

Tanweer, Mansoor. (September 11, 2024). Norval celebrating Lucy Maud Montgomery's 150th birthday. HaltonHillsToday.ca. Retrieved from: https://www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/norval-celebrating-lucy-maud-montgomerys-150th-birthday-9473840

Created September 17, 2024. Last updated November 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Article on Rediscovering Jane of Lantern Hill at JSTOR Daily

In an article entitled "L. M. Montgomery’s Plain Jane," which was published yesterday by JSTOR Daily, Emily Zarevich discusses L.M. Montgomery's overlooked novel Jane of Lantern Hill. Zarevich poses the question, "What’s it like to be the forgotten child of a celebrity?" Despite receiving positive reviews, Jane of Lantern Hill never gained the same recognition as L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. While Anne has been celebrated and adapted numerous times for television, film, and stage, there is only one film adaptation of Jane of Lantern Hill directed by Kevin Sullivan in 1990.

Zarevich highlights some of the scholarship on Jane of Lantern Hill that highlights the novel's feminist undertones and drawing parallels between Jane's struggles and Montgomery's own life. Likewise, Jane has similarities to Anne Shirley. Both Anne and Jane are optimists, and both are "young women compelled to assert themselves in a stifling atmosphere that offers them no legal rights or agency."

Maybe it's time for a Jane re-read.


Image credit:
Screencapture from JSTOR Daily.

Reference:
Zarevich, Emily. (2024, September 13). L. M. Montgomery’s Plain Jane. JSTOR Daily. Retrieved from: https://daily.jstor.org/l-m-montgomerys-plain-jane/

Created September 14, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com