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Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange
In Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange, Stuart McLean and his long-time radio producer, Jess Milton, have collected their favourite stories from a decade of their much-loved show. This is a wise, wonderful collage of rituals and romance, road trips and guitar licks, Saturday-night hockey games and Sunday morning pancakes. A story about an exploding outhouse sits right beside one about a lost love because that’s just what happens in life. Sad things are all tangled up with funny things and sweet things, too.
The voices in these stories are private and personal. Reading this collection is like joining a dinner party hosted by Stuart himself.
The voices in these stories are private and personal. Reading this collection is like joining a dinner party hosted by Stuart himself.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2013
12 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Stuart McLean
106 books267 followersLibrarian Note: There was more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
From the Vinyl Cafe web site: Stuart McLean was a best-selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre.
Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards.
Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993.
Stuart's books Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Dave Cooks the Turkey, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe and Extreme Vinyl Cafe have all been Canadian bestsellers. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart was also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and, most recently, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.
Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Stuart was a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honored by: Nipissing University (EdD(H)); University of Windsor (Lld) and Trent University (DLH). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008.
Since 1998 Stuart has taken The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada, playing in both large and small towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Close to one million people listen to The Vinyl Cafe every weekend on CBC Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio and on a growing number of Public Radio stations in the United States. The program is also broadcast on an occasional basis on the BBC.
From the Vinyl Cafe web site: Stuart McLean was a best-selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre.
Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards.
Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993.
Stuart's books Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Dave Cooks the Turkey, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe and Extreme Vinyl Cafe have all been Canadian bestsellers. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart was also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and, most recently, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.
Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Stuart was a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honored by: Nipissing University (EdD(H)); University of Windsor (Lld) and Trent University (DLH). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008.
Since 1998 Stuart has taken The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada, playing in both large and small towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Close to one million people listen to The Vinyl Cafe every weekend on CBC Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio and on a growing number of Public Radio stations in the United States. The program is also broadcast on an occasional basis on the BBC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 18, 2016
This will be a short review. I don’t have a lot to say about Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange. If you are familiar with the Vinyl Cafe, then you know what the Story Exchange is. If not, then while you might still enjoy this book, it probably won’t have the same resonance for you.
There are some gems of stories in this book. I’ve heard most of them (because I’ve listened to The Vinyl Cafe for that long, and some have been re-broadcast because they are just that good). Reading them, however, is a treat. I do enjoy Stuart McLean’s voice and his storytelling habits; however, some of these stories shine simply through the power of their writers’ words. Not all of these stories are equally funny or touching; a few seem merely silly or elicit a bit of a shrug from me. But there are more than enough in here to make the book worth reading. Plus, the stories really are short. Reading this in little spurts, one or two stories at a time, is very easy.
In fact, I’d say breaking up your reading of this book isn’t just easy but almost required. I slammed this back over two baseball games (I read between innings and during pitching changes, of which we have lots in this college league). You try paying attention to a baseball game when you’re holding back tears! Not all of these stories are heartbreakers, but there are enough in here to routinely make my eyes water. That includes my all time favourite story exchange story (and there are many I’m overly fond of), titled here “A Proposal of Hope” from Michael Gallagher.
I’ve previously mentioned how I would listen to the Vinyl Cafe when walking through the country market while I lived in England. One day, this very story was featured. I listened while picking out fresh fruits and veg for my week … and then I started crying. In the middle of the Bury St Edmunds marketplace. Because seriously. I’m not an overly-sentimental or soppy person, although I do cry at the end of a fair number of romantic movies (or the series finale of Chuck). Nevertheless, of all the stories that made me tear up in this collection, “A Proposal of Hope” is the one that sucker punches you. It’s the happy ending, I think, that twist that makes you realize good things do occasionally happen.
Those of you who have heard this story will understand why. If you haven’t, you can listen to Stuart’s telling of it in an episode from July 2014—it starts at the 11:30 mark and is about 6 and a half minutes long; it is well worth that time.
This is, of course, what the Story Exchange is all about. If Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe are a celebration of the best qualities of Canadian culture, from storytelling to music to the history of our country, then the Story Exchange is a celebration of the stories within all of us. We may not all be writers; we may not all have the talent, time, or inclination to record our words. But all of us have stories within, experiences worth sharing. McLean offers an outlet for that, a wonderful outlet, and this book collects some of those worthy tales. In this digital age there is much talk of “curating content”. Well, this is curated content at its very best.
While I don’t want to give the impression that every single one of these stories is uplifting or positive, that is the general tone I get from this collection. The few stories that have a sense of wistfulness or regret are worthy and interesting. And, in general, there is much to be said for books that make us meditate on the darker parts of life. Overall, however, this is a nice way to balance out those books. Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange is a repository of bright moments in the lives of Vinyl Cafe listeners all over Canada and the States. It’s just a really nice book to read.
There are some gems of stories in this book. I’ve heard most of them (because I’ve listened to The Vinyl Cafe for that long, and some have been re-broadcast because they are just that good). Reading them, however, is a treat. I do enjoy Stuart McLean’s voice and his storytelling habits; however, some of these stories shine simply through the power of their writers’ words. Not all of these stories are equally funny or touching; a few seem merely silly or elicit a bit of a shrug from me. But there are more than enough in here to make the book worth reading. Plus, the stories really are short. Reading this in little spurts, one or two stories at a time, is very easy.
In fact, I’d say breaking up your reading of this book isn’t just easy but almost required. I slammed this back over two baseball games (I read between innings and during pitching changes, of which we have lots in this college league). You try paying attention to a baseball game when you’re holding back tears! Not all of these stories are heartbreakers, but there are enough in here to routinely make my eyes water. That includes my all time favourite story exchange story (and there are many I’m overly fond of), titled here “A Proposal of Hope” from Michael Gallagher.
I’ve previously mentioned how I would listen to the Vinyl Cafe when walking through the country market while I lived in England. One day, this very story was featured. I listened while picking out fresh fruits and veg for my week … and then I started crying. In the middle of the Bury St Edmunds marketplace. Because seriously. I’m not an overly-sentimental or soppy person, although I do cry at the end of a fair number of romantic movies (or the series finale of Chuck). Nevertheless, of all the stories that made me tear up in this collection, “A Proposal of Hope” is the one that sucker punches you. It’s the happy ending, I think, that twist that makes you realize good things do occasionally happen.
Those of you who have heard this story will understand why. If you haven’t, you can listen to Stuart’s telling of it in an episode from July 2014—it starts at the 11:30 mark and is about 6 and a half minutes long; it is well worth that time.
This is, of course, what the Story Exchange is all about. If Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe are a celebration of the best qualities of Canadian culture, from storytelling to music to the history of our country, then the Story Exchange is a celebration of the stories within all of us. We may not all be writers; we may not all have the talent, time, or inclination to record our words. But all of us have stories within, experiences worth sharing. McLean offers an outlet for that, a wonderful outlet, and this book collects some of those worthy tales. In this digital age there is much talk of “curating content”. Well, this is curated content at its very best.
While I don’t want to give the impression that every single one of these stories is uplifting or positive, that is the general tone I get from this collection. The few stories that have a sense of wistfulness or regret are worthy and interesting. And, in general, there is much to be said for books that make us meditate on the darker parts of life. Overall, however, this is a nice way to balance out those books. Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange is a repository of bright moments in the lives of Vinyl Cafe listeners all over Canada and the States. It’s just a really nice book to read.
June 10, 2018
Time now for the Vinyl Café Story Exchange
Stuart McLean
In Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange, Stuart McLean and his long-time radio producer, Jess Milton, have collected their favourite stories from a decade of their much-loved show
They have to be true. And they have to be short…but after that they don’t have to be anything at all; after that it’s up to you.
Letters/ Notes
146: Jiggin’ for Squid
He was looking for seagulls, which (Ray) said always knew where the squid were swimming.
149: Over the Rainbow
Nick was trying to play “Over the Rainbow.”
151: A Tiny Silver Birdcage
The first word I wrote, at the age of five, wasn’t my name. It was ‘Canada.’
155: Teaching the Dancer to Pull
157: The Big Move
160: The Rescue
162: On the Sunny Side of the Street
165: Discovering Dieppe
So, as we discovered, the people of Dieppe haven’t forgotten what some very brave Canadians did, so long ago – they just chose simple gestures of kindness to express their gratitude.
168: Picnic, Postponed
It didn’t matter that I didn’t know his name; we knew each other as people. That’s what was important.
173: Dogging Saturn
The world is big…and bigger still, if like Ian, you want to include the black holes, and the nebulae, and Saturn.
176: Meeting the Queen
Two things impressed him and caused him to become emotional as he told me the story. First, he said, the Princess had immediately responded to him in French. Second, she’d said she would remain standing because Alphonse was a higher rank than she was.
178: Mary’s Piano
181: Twice in a Lifetime
We remain amazed at the coincidences that caused our paths to cross not once but twice, on two snowy January evenings.
183: Spit Bugs
185: Culture of Kindness
From the beginning, I noticed that the culture was one of kindness, not bureaucracy or efficiency.
I wept with deep gratitude for this wonderful place and the people who understand about love, and fun, and capability, and dignity long past remembering.
188: Freudian Slip
190: Bird Dog
Sometimes things work out just as you hope.
192: Standing, Proudly
I often take for granted the life I have here in Canada
195: Birthday Suit
201: A Proposal of Hope
I believe the turning point had more to do with that modest, pretty ring than anything else. Not because of me or what I did or didn’t do, but because of what that little ring represented: hope
Michael Gallagher, Hope, Maine
205: Nightcrawler
Apparently fathers all over the neighbourhood were out worm hunting that night.
I hope their children are as grateful for their dads as I am for mine
#HappyFathersDay
207: A Cathedral of Fence Posts
…in a cathedral of fence posts and Harleys, and together we gave thanks to God.
210: Plus One
…that young diplomat who introduced the Queen of England to the Queen of the Night.
212: Tall Order
Her life was about to change course – for the better. She had her passport.
217: Away in a Manager
…feeling blessed to have part of this birth, on a Christmas Eve, in a remote stable.
220: Stepping Out
223: Treed
Tree planters are known for being a lot of things….but I’d like to add one more item: generous, very generous.
226: No Ordinary Cat
I miss him of course. But to this day I maintain that it wasn’t an accident.
229: A Current of Kindness
Conquering the grand wilderness of Canada in a canoe is both unimaginably challenging and stunningly beautiful.
…wondering what I’d done to deserve the generosity of these total strangers.
…simple beauty of generosity.
235: Mac and Cheese
238: A Model Boyhood
242: After the War
…filled with a sense of awe and respect for the indomitable quality of the human spirit.
245: Christmas Eve
248: Riding the Runners
251: Love Story
254: A Reunion
257: Adrift in Peace River
I went back to my room to call the cop I’d dealt with and ask him to take my care off the wanted list. You can’t imagine how humble I felt.
261: Postmarked
“Don’t go past the mailbox”
Canada Post tells me that a mailbox needs fifty letters a day to remain viable.
I believe that the culture and history of a neighbourhood deserve to be protected.
263: The Old Buick
I sat in the back, behind the driver’s seat, my seat on all those road trips.
269: Fire and Ice
…thankful for the unexpected blessing of a Calgary Chinook on New Year’s Day.
272: Sitting, Still
We live in a world hypnotized with forward motion. That old town hall has chosen to let the world rush right on by.
274: SKYTRAIN JUSTICE
And that was that: one man taking SkyTrain morality into his own hands. One man willing to stand up for what was right, while the rest of us remained silent
277: THE WEBS WE LEAVE
Ian said the UPS driver probably didn’t notice the spider’s web.
But I think the driver just hadn’t ever read Charlotte’s Web.
I am reading it again.
279: THE GIFT OF GOODBYE
282: MISDIRECTION
284: A CHRISTMAS PRAYER
… made even more joyful by the memory of the four little faces in that humble cottage way out there in the bush. By that, and by their faith in the spirit of Christmas.
287: AND THE BAND PLAYED ON
290: PUDDING IN THE POST
293: THE LIVES OF OTHERS
To my astonishment they told me that that moment in the plaza was the first time they had ever seen their son laugh.
I had learned an important lesson that day. I learned what impact seemingly insignificant gestures can have on the lives of others
#TimeNowForTheVinylCaféStoryExchange #VinylCafé
#StuartMcLean
Well done online version:
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Aisen, Jeff, 57
Armstrong, Allison West, 41
Armstrong, Kurt, 98, 223
Arnal, Colette, 193
Avern, Ben, 257
Baltensperger, Brenda, 149
Bottos, Sister Trina, 52
Buchanan, Don, 293
Calderwood, Michael, 146
Campbell, Angus, 66
Cayley, Clare, 229
Chambers, Carl, 157
Chandler Allingham, Janet, 176
Cook, Mary, 261
Cowan, Jim,180
Craigie, Barbara, 277
Cross, Mark, 118
DeCourcey, Dawn, 195
de Pencier, North, 114
Drybrough, Vicki, 235
Dryden, Judy, 71
Everitt, Wendy, 127
Fairweather, Robert, 210
Fraser, Charlotte, 248
Friedland, Bob, 8, 43
Fry, Margreth, 168
Fuller, Rod, 3
Gallagher, Michael, 201
Glass, Cheryl, 130
Goddard, Peter, 238
Grout, Susan, 226
Gunn, Nancy, 104
Halstead, Peggy, 132
Hamilton, Margaret, 95, 135
Harper, Doug, 106
Haselden, Rollie, 89
Hay, Harley, 141
Haynes, Ian D., 47
Hembling, Dawn, 155
Henderson, Heather, 123
Hickox, Stuart, 287
Hughes, Anne, 263
Hutton, Sheila, 254
Ibarra, Diego, 63
Ickes, Tony, 120
Jackson, Matthew, 10
Jensen, Paul, 183
Johnson, Nigel, 93
Jones, Bryn, 60
Kelsall, Jill, 251
Koch, Maureen, 190
Leeper, Marlene, 217
Levine, Tyler, 165
McIntosh, Betty, 59
McNaught Marion, 245
Mehew, Willy, 20
Millar, Phil, 38
Miller, Betsy, 50
Mills, Terry, 178
Mittendorf, A.J., 116, 188
Mohamed, Islam, 25
Morrison, Jennifer, 79
Mosher, Al, 212
Nanders, Alan, 242
Nolan, Glenn, 91
Ogden, Mindy, 274
Olson, Barbara, 13
O’Neil, Bethanne, 36
Palmer, William LaMar, 284
Parker, Neil, 207
Perkins, Norm, 279
Perodeau, Ann, 185
Rakchaev, Cathy, 269
Raymond, Ruth, 76
Robinson, Susanne, 111
Sachno, Robert, 160
Sacks, Deena, 16
Schwartz, Sandra, 73
Smith, Maureen and Tony, 34
Smith, Steve, 282
Sutherland, Ann, 45
Sweetland, Leah, 173
Thomson, Margaret, 19
Tice, Jane, 290
Urquhart, Emily, 83
Vallis, Enid, 5
Vilches, Kala, 87
Walmark, Karyn, 205
Walsh, Leslie, 23
Walton-Roberts, Margaret, 220
Watson, Netty, 162
Watson, Sheila, 101
Weinhold, Martin, 151
Winterhoff, Thomas, 68
Wood, Irene, 31
Wotherspoon, Rod, 272
Stuart McLean
In Time Now for the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange, Stuart McLean and his long-time radio producer, Jess Milton, have collected their favourite stories from a decade of their much-loved show
They have to be true. And they have to be short…but after that they don’t have to be anything at all; after that it’s up to you.
Letters/ Notes
146: Jiggin’ for Squid
He was looking for seagulls, which (Ray) said always knew where the squid were swimming.
149: Over the Rainbow
Nick was trying to play “Over the Rainbow.”
151: A Tiny Silver Birdcage
The first word I wrote, at the age of five, wasn’t my name. It was ‘Canada.’
155: Teaching the Dancer to Pull
157: The Big Move
160: The Rescue
162: On the Sunny Side of the Street
165: Discovering Dieppe
So, as we discovered, the people of Dieppe haven’t forgotten what some very brave Canadians did, so long ago – they just chose simple gestures of kindness to express their gratitude.
168: Picnic, Postponed
It didn’t matter that I didn’t know his name; we knew each other as people. That’s what was important.
173: Dogging Saturn
The world is big…and bigger still, if like Ian, you want to include the black holes, and the nebulae, and Saturn.
176: Meeting the Queen
Two things impressed him and caused him to become emotional as he told me the story. First, he said, the Princess had immediately responded to him in French. Second, she’d said she would remain standing because Alphonse was a higher rank than she was.
178: Mary’s Piano
181: Twice in a Lifetime
We remain amazed at the coincidences that caused our paths to cross not once but twice, on two snowy January evenings.
183: Spit Bugs
185: Culture of Kindness
From the beginning, I noticed that the culture was one of kindness, not bureaucracy or efficiency.
I wept with deep gratitude for this wonderful place and the people who understand about love, and fun, and capability, and dignity long past remembering.
188: Freudian Slip
190: Bird Dog
Sometimes things work out just as you hope.
192: Standing, Proudly
I often take for granted the life I have here in Canada
195: Birthday Suit
201: A Proposal of Hope
I believe the turning point had more to do with that modest, pretty ring than anything else. Not because of me or what I did or didn’t do, but because of what that little ring represented: hope
Michael Gallagher, Hope, Maine
205: Nightcrawler
Apparently fathers all over the neighbourhood were out worm hunting that night.
I hope their children are as grateful for their dads as I am for mine
#HappyFathersDay
207: A Cathedral of Fence Posts
…in a cathedral of fence posts and Harleys, and together we gave thanks to God.
210: Plus One
…that young diplomat who introduced the Queen of England to the Queen of the Night.
212: Tall Order
Her life was about to change course – for the better. She had her passport.
217: Away in a Manager
…feeling blessed to have part of this birth, on a Christmas Eve, in a remote stable.
220: Stepping Out
223: Treed
Tree planters are known for being a lot of things….but I’d like to add one more item: generous, very generous.
226: No Ordinary Cat
I miss him of course. But to this day I maintain that it wasn’t an accident.
229: A Current of Kindness
Conquering the grand wilderness of Canada in a canoe is both unimaginably challenging and stunningly beautiful.
…wondering what I’d done to deserve the generosity of these total strangers.
…simple beauty of generosity.
235: Mac and Cheese
238: A Model Boyhood
242: After the War
…filled with a sense of awe and respect for the indomitable quality of the human spirit.
245: Christmas Eve
248: Riding the Runners
251: Love Story
254: A Reunion
257: Adrift in Peace River
I went back to my room to call the cop I’d dealt with and ask him to take my care off the wanted list. You can’t imagine how humble I felt.
261: Postmarked
“Don’t go past the mailbox”
Canada Post tells me that a mailbox needs fifty letters a day to remain viable.
I believe that the culture and history of a neighbourhood deserve to be protected.
263: The Old Buick
I sat in the back, behind the driver’s seat, my seat on all those road trips.
269: Fire and Ice
…thankful for the unexpected blessing of a Calgary Chinook on New Year’s Day.
272: Sitting, Still
We live in a world hypnotized with forward motion. That old town hall has chosen to let the world rush right on by.
274: SKYTRAIN JUSTICE
And that was that: one man taking SkyTrain morality into his own hands. One man willing to stand up for what was right, while the rest of us remained silent
277: THE WEBS WE LEAVE
Ian said the UPS driver probably didn’t notice the spider’s web.
But I think the driver just hadn’t ever read Charlotte’s Web.
I am reading it again.
279: THE GIFT OF GOODBYE
282: MISDIRECTION
284: A CHRISTMAS PRAYER
… made even more joyful by the memory of the four little faces in that humble cottage way out there in the bush. By that, and by their faith in the spirit of Christmas.
287: AND THE BAND PLAYED ON
290: PUDDING IN THE POST
293: THE LIVES OF OTHERS
To my astonishment they told me that that moment in the plaza was the first time they had ever seen their son laugh.
I had learned an important lesson that day. I learned what impact seemingly insignificant gestures can have on the lives of others
#TimeNowForTheVinylCaféStoryExchange #VinylCafé
#StuartMcLean
Well done online version:
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Aisen, Jeff, 57
Armstrong, Allison West, 41
Armstrong, Kurt, 98, 223
Arnal, Colette, 193
Avern, Ben, 257
Baltensperger, Brenda, 149
Bottos, Sister Trina, 52
Buchanan, Don, 293
Calderwood, Michael, 146
Campbell, Angus, 66
Cayley, Clare, 229
Chambers, Carl, 157
Chandler Allingham, Janet, 176
Cook, Mary, 261
Cowan, Jim,180
Craigie, Barbara, 277
Cross, Mark, 118
DeCourcey, Dawn, 195
de Pencier, North, 114
Drybrough, Vicki, 235
Dryden, Judy, 71
Everitt, Wendy, 127
Fairweather, Robert, 210
Fraser, Charlotte, 248
Friedland, Bob, 8, 43
Fry, Margreth, 168
Fuller, Rod, 3
Gallagher, Michael, 201
Glass, Cheryl, 130
Goddard, Peter, 238
Grout, Susan, 226
Gunn, Nancy, 104
Halstead, Peggy, 132
Hamilton, Margaret, 95, 135
Harper, Doug, 106
Haselden, Rollie, 89
Hay, Harley, 141
Haynes, Ian D., 47
Hembling, Dawn, 155
Henderson, Heather, 123
Hickox, Stuart, 287
Hughes, Anne, 263
Hutton, Sheila, 254
Ibarra, Diego, 63
Ickes, Tony, 120
Jackson, Matthew, 10
Jensen, Paul, 183
Johnson, Nigel, 93
Jones, Bryn, 60
Kelsall, Jill, 251
Koch, Maureen, 190
Leeper, Marlene, 217
Levine, Tyler, 165
McIntosh, Betty, 59
McNaught Marion, 245
Mehew, Willy, 20
Millar, Phil, 38
Miller, Betsy, 50
Mills, Terry, 178
Mittendorf, A.J., 116, 188
Mohamed, Islam, 25
Morrison, Jennifer, 79
Mosher, Al, 212
Nanders, Alan, 242
Nolan, Glenn, 91
Ogden, Mindy, 274
Olson, Barbara, 13
O’Neil, Bethanne, 36
Palmer, William LaMar, 284
Parker, Neil, 207
Perkins, Norm, 279
Perodeau, Ann, 185
Rakchaev, Cathy, 269
Raymond, Ruth, 76
Robinson, Susanne, 111
Sachno, Robert, 160
Sacks, Deena, 16
Schwartz, Sandra, 73
Smith, Maureen and Tony, 34
Smith, Steve, 282
Sutherland, Ann, 45
Sweetland, Leah, 173
Thomson, Margaret, 19
Tice, Jane, 290
Urquhart, Emily, 83
Vallis, Enid, 5
Vilches, Kala, 87
Walmark, Karyn, 205
Walsh, Leslie, 23
Walton-Roberts, Margaret, 220
Watson, Netty, 162
Watson, Sheila, 101
Weinhold, Martin, 151
Winterhoff, Thomas, 68
Wood, Irene, 31
Wotherspoon, Rod, 272
December 10, 2017
Stuart McLean is recognized as one of Canada’s most engaging story tellers. He spent years on the radio and in public appearances across the country, entertaining audiences with stories that helped bring people together from the far reaches of the vast Canadian landscape, people with different jobs, lives and perspectives. He helped Canadians get to know one another, share laughter and tears, good times, bad times and funny times. Yes, definitely lots of funny times.
Not everyone has the gift of telling stories. It is a skill of using not only words but a voice that pulls in and engages listeners. Stuart enjoyed telling stories as much as he did listening to them and this is what this segment on his show The Vinyl Café was all about. As both a writer and a teacher, he wanted to listen to other people’s stories, give them the opportunity to share them with others and enjoy the satisfaction from knowing those stories were appreciated.
McLean has published this volume as part of the tenth anniversary of the segment of the Vinyl Café called Story Exchange. In the first chapter of the book, he and his producer Jess Milton describe how the segment came to be and then present their personal favorites in chapters collected under the years they were broadcast.
The stories are private and personal, funny and sweet, sad and happy. But each reveals an important moment in someone’s life. Sometimes they are simple and small things, but somehow, somewhere in someone’s life, they had an impact. They help explain Canadians to others and perhaps to themselves, describing what they feel about things, what they think about and what is important to them.
It is difficult to pick favorites, there are so many. There is a lesson about the true nature of gifts, of pansies, robin’s eggs and birch trees. One story describes a soldier in the Philippines standing guard on a supply depot, who comes upon a young boy about to steal something. Suddenly discovered, the terrified boy makes a flip comment at the soldier as he races past him, making the soldier laugh. The soldier lowers his gun and lets the boy escape, avoiding the shooting he was mandated to carry out.
Another tale describes the experience of a young hitchhiker picked up by a long haul trucker on the Trans Canada who is racing against time to deliver his cargo. The hiker, desperate to pee, must make an extraordinary effort to finally experience relief, sending the trucker into gales of laughter. And then there is the history teacher, helping his students learn about the Holocaust who delivers a powerful message by engaging them in the living experience of standing up for themselves when others are silent.
In another story, a writer experiences both delight and surprise when she discovers a picture of her long lost father at an antique show. Another tells of an entire railcar bursting into spontaneous carols on a late Christmas Day in 1970 as the night train hurtles from Thunder Bay to Sudbury. A man reminisces about the sound of bagpipes on a long ago but not forgotten night and how that music stopped him from pulling the trigger and ending his life. And an English immigrant to Canada consumes an entire bowl of brown sugar, mistaking it for the porridge he ordered for breakfast. Another considers the power of memories and how the perceived dreariness of farm life when he was young, now in his later years brings happy memories of cold winter mornings, blowing snow drifts and warm steaming cinnamon buns.
A Canadian Forces chaplain performs a biker wedding, a customer at a deli enjoys a long overdue picnic with his long term server and a Canadian diplomat in Japan unknowingly brings a young starlet from adult films to a garden party to meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. And there is a sad but moving story of how Boo Boo a beloved cat kindly helped his owner make a difficult decision about the future.
These one or two page stories all describe moments that are much larger than the words that appear on the page. They are about something that lies behind the words, something that people connect with and believe is true.
We all miss Stuart McLean, a man who was connected to my family in different ways. He and my brother were friends and hung out together during summer months at the lake where we rented a cottage. My son, a professional photographer, was assigned to shoot Stuart for one of his last public appearances and spoke to him by phone a short time before his death. And I have listened to hours and hours of his radio shows, usually when driving somewhere in the car. And I have read most, if not all of his books.
He was gone too soon. But we were lucky to have him. He gave us words to think about and thoughts to ponder.
This is another great book to add to the collection of his work.
Not everyone has the gift of telling stories. It is a skill of using not only words but a voice that pulls in and engages listeners. Stuart enjoyed telling stories as much as he did listening to them and this is what this segment on his show The Vinyl Café was all about. As both a writer and a teacher, he wanted to listen to other people’s stories, give them the opportunity to share them with others and enjoy the satisfaction from knowing those stories were appreciated.
McLean has published this volume as part of the tenth anniversary of the segment of the Vinyl Café called Story Exchange. In the first chapter of the book, he and his producer Jess Milton describe how the segment came to be and then present their personal favorites in chapters collected under the years they were broadcast.
The stories are private and personal, funny and sweet, sad and happy. But each reveals an important moment in someone’s life. Sometimes they are simple and small things, but somehow, somewhere in someone’s life, they had an impact. They help explain Canadians to others and perhaps to themselves, describing what they feel about things, what they think about and what is important to them.
It is difficult to pick favorites, there are so many. There is a lesson about the true nature of gifts, of pansies, robin’s eggs and birch trees. One story describes a soldier in the Philippines standing guard on a supply depot, who comes upon a young boy about to steal something. Suddenly discovered, the terrified boy makes a flip comment at the soldier as he races past him, making the soldier laugh. The soldier lowers his gun and lets the boy escape, avoiding the shooting he was mandated to carry out.
Another tale describes the experience of a young hitchhiker picked up by a long haul trucker on the Trans Canada who is racing against time to deliver his cargo. The hiker, desperate to pee, must make an extraordinary effort to finally experience relief, sending the trucker into gales of laughter. And then there is the history teacher, helping his students learn about the Holocaust who delivers a powerful message by engaging them in the living experience of standing up for themselves when others are silent.
In another story, a writer experiences both delight and surprise when she discovers a picture of her long lost father at an antique show. Another tells of an entire railcar bursting into spontaneous carols on a late Christmas Day in 1970 as the night train hurtles from Thunder Bay to Sudbury. A man reminisces about the sound of bagpipes on a long ago but not forgotten night and how that music stopped him from pulling the trigger and ending his life. And an English immigrant to Canada consumes an entire bowl of brown sugar, mistaking it for the porridge he ordered for breakfast. Another considers the power of memories and how the perceived dreariness of farm life when he was young, now in his later years brings happy memories of cold winter mornings, blowing snow drifts and warm steaming cinnamon buns.
A Canadian Forces chaplain performs a biker wedding, a customer at a deli enjoys a long overdue picnic with his long term server and a Canadian diplomat in Japan unknowingly brings a young starlet from adult films to a garden party to meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. And there is a sad but moving story of how Boo Boo a beloved cat kindly helped his owner make a difficult decision about the future.
These one or two page stories all describe moments that are much larger than the words that appear on the page. They are about something that lies behind the words, something that people connect with and believe is true.
We all miss Stuart McLean, a man who was connected to my family in different ways. He and my brother were friends and hung out together during summer months at the lake where we rented a cottage. My son, a professional photographer, was assigned to shoot Stuart for one of his last public appearances and spoke to him by phone a short time before his death. And I have listened to hours and hours of his radio shows, usually when driving somewhere in the car. And I have read most, if not all of his books.
He was gone too soon. But we were lucky to have him. He gave us words to think about and thoughts to ponder.
This is another great book to add to the collection of his work.
August 4, 2017
I really loved this book. Some of the stories made me laugh and some made me cry (one made me ugly cry), and some stories caused no strong reaction one way or the other - but I enjoyed them all. I loved the glimpses into other people's lives - it's like when you walk down a street at night and can see into people's living room windows and you feel for a brief moment like you're sharing a moment of their lives #canada150
May 13, 2025
When I picked up this book to read it, I hadn’t realized that it doesn’t contain stories by Stuart McLean, but a series of brief two- to three-page vignettes submitted by his listeners. And they are all delightful, ranging from the sidesplittingly hilarious to the charmingly homey to the deeply touching. It was well worth the read!
August 6, 2017
As you can obviously tell.... it was a very quick read that are all short stories but written in from VC listeners. Some are sad some are funny!!! I needed a good uplifting message and a VC story always does it!!! Lots of love Stuart 💗😇💗
September 1, 2019
A warm and wonderful collection of short stories, all submitted by Vinyl Cafe Readers. I literally laughed and cried. If you need a break from the world of crappy ,mean people read these stories . You will feel good again about humanity.
February 8, 2020
Pick it up, put it down or read it from cover to cover. There are over 100 mostly feel good letters that Stuart McLean received over ten years of The Vinyl Cafe. These listeners letters celebrate the lives, learnings and hopes of ordinary people.
May 11, 2017
Personal stories that were sent in to the Vinyl Cafe from listeners. All of them very enjoyable. The kind of book you can pick up anytime and be entertained.
October 30, 2018
not my favourite
January 4, 2022
Another wonderful book in the Vinyl Cafe collection.
April 27, 2022
I cried my way through this wonderful collection of stories from Canadians. Some sad, some funny, but all deeply touching.
July 22, 2023
Excellent good feel book of short stories. The only thing that would have made them better was Stuart McLean himself reading them to us.
December 5, 2023
Really cute and wholesome idea/read
December 16, 2023
Man, what a cool little book. I laughed, I cried and just about every emotion in between. Highly recommended this thing just be prepared for a rollercoster of feelings.
June 25, 2024
Oh my goodness, I just loved these short stories that were submitted and collected. What made them even more special was visualizing them read by the story teller himself Stuart McLean..
July 11, 2019
Wonderful sharing of personal stories about life !
March 3, 2017
A treasure that makes you appreciate the tiniest things.
February 12, 2014
The simplest stories are sometimes the best stories. McLean's Vinyl Cafe stories always seem to capture a little piece of the essence of what it is like to be Canadian, but these stories come from Canadians, from the people they happened to, and the people who consider them important. Some are funny. Some are sad. You never quite know what you're going to get each time you start a story. And that's what makes it beautiful.
February 10, 2014
A collection of stories from listeners of the Vinyl Cafe. These stories are all short but have a meaning behind them, whether its funny, serious or just something a person has noted in their lives or the lives of others. The stories on this collection are some of the favorites of Stuart McLean and his producer over the last 10 years. A great collection of stories that will make you laugh, make you cry and make you go "huh" at times. Very well done.
August 20, 2014
I love the CBC radio show 'The Vinyl Cafe' and try to listen to it every week at work or I download the podcasts to listen to it whenever. One of my favourite parts is of course the segment with the story exchange so I decided to give it a try.
Some stories were sweet, others sad, some humourous, but all enjoyable to read.
Some stories were sweet, others sad, some humourous, but all enjoyable to read.
April 2, 2015
If you enjoy the Vinyl Cafe you will know how this works. Listeners are invited to send in their stories; they have to be short and they have to be true. They will all be read, some of them on air.
A delightful anthology. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, some of them brought a tear to my eye and many I wanted to share with specific people.
A delightful anthology. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, some of them brought a tear to my eye and many I wanted to share with specific people.
September 27, 2013
This was a great book. It brought me to tears numerous times, it made me laugh out loud, it made me extremely proud of where I live. Most importantly, it made me realize that the world isn't as nearly as bad off as I thought. This is a great read to restore your faith in people.
October 15, 2013
It was okay, even cute sometimes, but definitely not what I was expecting. Most of the stories are just stories, and as a writer, I always expect some sort of a punch line or a lesson in the end. I do, however, admit that several touched me deeply, and I am grateful for picking up this book.
March 4, 2015
A collection of letters written in to A Canadian radio show for their story exchange. The two rules are that the story must be short and it must be true. So we end up with a collection of 2-3 page long anecdotes. Some are funny, some are sad, many were meh, in my opinion.
January 5, 2014
Heartwarming stories. Some made me laugh. Many got me all choked up.
Thanks, Stuart McLean for inspiring people to share.
Thanks, Stuart McLean for inspiring people to share.
January 7, 2014
Beautiful stories. Heartfelt and humorous. Sad and sentimental. True and Canadian.
Another great volume from this wonderful broadcast!
Another great volume from this wonderful broadcast!
February 1, 2014
Loved this book - a collection of true stories that made me laugh and cry.
October 14, 2014
Just what you would expect. Great stories some to make you laugh and some to make you cry.
November 11, 2014
A really interesting compilation of stories sent to Stuart over the years, fun and engaging.
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