Canada and Elsewhere

Will Ferguson recounts the small, revealing moments of a travel-writing career in this funny, eclectic collection of essays—and opinions—on Canada, the writing life and the world beyond.

From the Arctic Circle to the mud pools of New Zealand, Will Ferguson has spent a career chasing stories that reveal as much about Canada as they do about the world. Canada and Elsewhere brings together his funniest, sharpest and most surprising adventures—collected here for the first time. Ferguson brings readers on a journey, from a tiny theatre town in rural Alberta to the haunted (and horse-grazed) shores of Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia. He weighs the benefits and drawbacks of the Confederation Bridge, wanders the jumbled cultural mixture of Montréal’s neighbourhoods and confronts his queasy relationship with Scottish whisky.

In between, Ferguson muses about the defining elements of Canadian culture and offers readers some writerly advice. He ponders the merits of selling out to advertisers, Canada’s national reputation for peacekeeping and the most frequently asked questions in literary interviews. He also offers his thoughts on the real questions: What’s the most Canadian condiment? The best contender for a national bird? And why didn’t he get the handyman gene? With his trademark humour and a sincere appreciation for Canada and beyond, Ferguson roams through a life of travel, writing and the moments in between from a distinctly Canadian point of view.