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| First Name | Bill |
| Last Name | Waiser |
| Member Since | July 27, 2011 |
| City | Saskatoon |
| State | Saskatchewan |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch Affiliation | Member at Large (no branch affiliation) |
| Website | www.billwaiser.com |
| @billwaiser | |
| Bio | Historian Bill Waiser is author of more than a dozen books. His A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan before 1905 won the 2016 Governor General’s literary award for non-fiction. Bill has been appointed to the Order of Canada, awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, named a distinguished university professor, and granted a D.Litt. |
| Publications | Waiser is the author, co-author and/or co-editor of sixteen books: with Geoff Cunfer, eds., Bison and People on the North American Great Plains: A Deep Environmental History (College Station: Texas A&M University Press 2016). A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan before 1905 (Markham: Fifth House Publishers 2016). Winner of the 2016 Governor General’s Literary Prize for Non-Fiction and the 2016 Saskatchewan Book Award for Nion-Fiction with Stuart Houston, Tommy’s Team: The People Behind the Douglas Years (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2010). Short-listed for the 2011 Canadian Authors Association Lela Common Award for Canadian History Portraits of an Era: The Aerial Photography of Howdy McPhail (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2009). Feature story on CBC TV’s “The National,” 21 November 2009 broadcast Who Killed Jackie Bates? Murder and Mercy during the Great Depression (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2008). A short-list finalist in three categories (Book-of-the-Year award, Non-fiction award, and Saskatoon Book award) at the 2008 Saskatchewan Book Awards. The Canadian National Institute of the Blind is doing a braille transcription of the book. Everett Baker’s Saskatchewan (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2007). Short-list finalist in the Non-fiction category at the 2007 Saskatchewan Book Awards Tommy Douglas (Toronto: Fitzhenry and Whiteside 2006), The Canadians Series Short-list finalist in the Children’s Literature category at the 2007 Saskatchewan Book Awards Saskatchewan: A New History (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2005). Winner of the Clio Prize, Canadian Historical Association and a short-list finalist for the Dafoe Book Prize. In a laudatory review in the Globe and Mail, Ramsay Cook claimed that Saskatchewan had found its historian. The University of Saskatchewan distributed copies of the book to all schools and libraries in the province. Waiser presented a special pre-publication copy to HRH Queen Elizabeth II at a private ceremony in Saskatoon in 2005. All Hell Can’t Stop Us: The On-to-Ottawa Trek and Regina Riot (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2003). Awarded the Non-fiction prize at the 2003 Saskatchewan Book Awards. with Paul Dederick, Looking Back: True Tales from Saskatchewan’s Past (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 2003). with Blair Stonechild, Loyal Till Death: Indians and the North-West Rebellion (Calgary: Fifth House Publishers 1997). A finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-fiction. Park Prisoners: The Untold Story of Western Canada's National Parks, 1915-1947 (Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers 1995). The New Northwest: The Photographs of the Frank Crean Expeditions, 1908-09 (Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers 1993). with D. Debrou, eds., Documenting Canada: A History of Modern Canada in Documents (Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers 1992). Saskatchewan's Playground: A History of Prince Albert National Park (Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers Ltd 1989). The Field Naturalist: John Macoun, the Geological Survey and Natural Science (Toronto: University of Toronto Press 1989). |
| Other Memberships | Waiser has given over 250 talks on Canadian topics to schools and libraries, conventions, clubs and organizations, public ceremonies, and conferences (from the Association of University Architects to the Aquatic Toxicology Workshop to the Japanese Association of Canadian Studies to the International Master Gardener Conference to the Royal Society of New Zealand to the UofS Alumni Association in Great Britain). Known for his informative and entertaining presentations, Waiser seeks to provide a better understanding and appreciation of Canadian History. He is particularly concerned with taking the story of Saskatchewan to a wider audience. Between 1999 and 2001, Waiser served as researcher and on-camera host for “Looking Back,” a CBC Saskatchewan Television weekly production. Each episode examined some little known or little understood aspect of Saskatchewan history in a five-minute segment that was aired during the early evening provincial news broadcast. The series won a CBC English Televison Award and an honourable mention,Chris Awards, Columbus International Film and Video Festival. The series was reproduced in DVD format by Sask Learning for distribution to all schools in the province. A book about the series was also published. Waiser also had a regular CBC Saskatchewan radio program ( “Saskatchewan Centennial Stories”) during the province’s centennial year. Print versions were published by the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association. He returned to radio in 2016 and did a weekly History clumn, “Mining the Past,” for CBC Radio Saskatoon. Waiser is also a frequent contributor to radio, television, and print media, including interviews with Peter Gzowski, Vicky Gabereau, Shelagh Rogers, CBC’s The Sunday Edition, the Globe and Mail, and Maclean’s Magazine. Waiser is at present writing a bi-weekly column, “History Matters,” for the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix (every second Tuesday on p. A2). |
| Awards | In 2017, Waiser was named a member of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour. This recognition complemented his appointment to the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2006), his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2007), and his award of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2005). Waiser won the 2016 Governor Generral's Literary Award for Non-Fiction for A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan before 1905. |
| Genres | Biography & Memoir, Freelance, History, Nonfiction |
| Available For | Readings, Presentations, Workshops, Book Club Meetings, Speaking Engagements |
| Services Offered | Freelance Writing, Storytelling |