Taken by the Muse: On the Path to Becoming a Filmmaker

by Anne Wheeler

Laced with humour and revelation, Anne Wheeler's creative non-fiction stories tell of her serendipitous journey in the seventies, when she broke with tradition and found her own way to becoming a filmmaker and raconteur.

Join this celebrated screenwriter and director as she travels south of Mombasa after calling off her wedding; attempts to gain acceptance in a male-dominated film collective; travels to India to visit friends who are devoted to a radical Master, and ultimately discovers her sense of purpose and passion close to home, sharing stories that would otherwise be lost about ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Taken by the Muse: On the Path to Becoming a Filmmaker is a must-read for anyone open to exploring the possibilities of who they are and what they might do with their lives - and for those who love a good story told with integrity and warmth.

Genres: Memoir

254 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2020

About the author

Alberta-born Anne Wheeler earned degrees in mathematics and music, while performing in theatre whenever possible. Her first films were documentaries, but by the 1980s, she was making Canadian features such as Bye Bye Blues, The Diviners, Better than Chocolate, and Loyalties, winning numerous national and international awards. A master storyteller, she has garnered seven honorary doctorates, an Order of Canada, and a Lifetime Achievement Award (being the first woman to do so) from the Directors Guild of Canada. She lives in White Rock, BC, and continues to write, direct, and mentor younger filmmakers. A creative non-fiction collection, Taken by the Muse: On the Path to Becoming a Filmmaker, will be released May 2020.

Reviews

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard the author Anne Wheeler via Zoom earlier this year when she was guest speaker at StarFest, the annual literary event hosted by St. Albert Public Library in Alberta, and she was so interesting that I ordered her book. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, this is one book that could have been twice as long.

Each chapter describes a different incident in Wheeler's early career as a film-maker. Since she was a very adventurous young woman, some of the incidents were hair-raising -- going through an icy northern lake on her snowmobile, for example. I'm hoping there is a sequel because I'm sure she continued to have many fascinating experiences in her long and admirable career. I have known about her for several decades because of her brilliant movie titled Bye Bye Blues, based on her own mother's experiences as a piano player during the Second World War.

Although she specialized in the visual arts, she is a very engaging writer as well. Anne Wheeler is a trailblazer for women everywhere and I'm proud that she is also a fellow Canadian.

[Michele Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Wheeler is a legend. I didn’t even know who she was before she visited STARFest and now I can’t get enough! What struck me most was the level of freedom and self sufficiency she enjoyed in the 1970s which seems unimaginable now.

[Lynnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a gorgeous series of memoirs by Anne Wheeler. Every one was more inspiring than the last.
Check out her films too. Bye, Bye Blues, The Diviners, Better than Chocolate and Loyalties

[Glynis Whiting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most engaging memoir I’ve read in ages, this collection of short stories moved me to laughter and tears. Written with humility and insight, Anne Wheeler makes us realize that “coming of age” isn’t limited to teenagers. Set in the 1970s, she takes us on a wild journey through her twenties. I read it twice and got even more out of it the second time. It will be an eye-opener for readers who are in their twenties now, as well as anyone who enjoys a good yarn with complex characters and some heart stopping tension.

[Lyn Zuberbuhler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Wheeler has written the most engaging memoir that I have read in years. Born and raised in Alberta, she recounts the adventures and life lessons which formed her view of the world and solidified her belief that film is an excellent way to tell the stories of everyday people leading their lives.
I have been aware of her film making abilities since the 1980’s when she wrote and produced “Bye Bye Blues”, telling the story of her mother during the Second World War. Anne’s father, a physician, was captured by the Japanese and Anne’s mother lived with the uncertainty of his survival while raising her family in rural Alberta.
Anne learned her craft in Edmonton as part of a film collective, Filmwest, and then as a free lance director for the National Film Board. Her documentaries. Augusta” and “Great Grand Mother” available on the NFB site stand the test of time and are worth viewing. Anne tells the stories of women with compassion but is fearless in representing them as strong, vital members of society who were instrumental in settling the West despite often brutal conditions. A book compiled from the information gleaned for this documentary, “A Harvest Yet to Reap” , has stayed with me for years. Letters, dairies, and in person interviews were used to tell the stories of women on the prairies and the hardships they faced.
Anne writes with humour and insight about her traveling and adventures and how these formed her focus.
A great book to read, share and discuss how “finding oneself” often leads us back home.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a contemporary of Anne Wheeler and grew up in Edmonton as she did, this is a must read. Her vignettes of the wild days of her twenties are infinitely enhanced by being familiar with the geography, weather and culture of the time. Wheeler refused to embrace the female “norms” of white middle class girls in the 1970s and each story presents her personal rebellion, whether she’s in Alberta, Africa or at an Ashram in India. These adventures also inform her film making and her drive to make films that tell meaningful stories. There’s no doubting her bravery and commitment to doing it her way.
Wheeler is a great storyteller and as a filmmaker, she knows and shows the value of a good edit. If there is a criticism of these stories, it might be that the structure and trajectory of each is almost identical - Anne has an existential crisis, does not know where she’s headed, goes anyway, works her way through various obstacles and comes out largely unscathed on the other side. Yet, the stories are still real page turners!

[Luise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trailblazing filmmaker Anne Wheeler takes us on a wild ride through her formative 20’s with stories of her adventures in Africa, India, and the early days of film making in Western Canada. Along the way she meets some remarkable “ordinary” women and discovers her calling in preserving their extraordinary, profoundly moving life stories. This rollicking good read will make you laugh, cry and be amazed.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a series of short stories. The majority of the stories are the author's life when she was a young woman and two stories are by an immigrant and an Indigenous woman. Every story was riveting. These stores loosely trace the history of the author in film making. The other two stores are life long ago and woman's role in those times.

[Ellie O'Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

As clear and detailed as her films, Taken By the Muse is the mentor on her mentors. And her adventures are astonishing and fun.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not familiar with Anne Wheeler an Alberta film maker. The stories were humorous, heartbreaking, gripping, self-searching and learning to be true to yourself as a human.

[Elise Persephone · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many incredible quotes in here, but I will leave them to be discovered page by page.

Thank you Anne Wheeler!

[Gisele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually never read books like this but I really enjoyed it. A very good story teller

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book that I found by accident, and the stories will stay with me for a very long time.