In the 1970s and ‘80s, Ken Homer broadcast a series of weekly essays which were heard throughout the Maritimes on the CBC’s daily audio potpourri known as “Radio Noon.” Like the show itself, the essays featured a wide array of topics including commentary on the flora and fauna of western New Brunswick, local and national history, current and cultural affairs, literature, and music—in short, they reflected the eclectic interests of their author. Not surprisingly, what was of interest to Homer was also of interest to his wide audience, and his weekly musings came to be anticipated keenly by listeners. Covering a period of approximately six years and comprising over 250 episodes, this series of Ken Homer’s radio essays served to enhance the local and regional acclaim of this CBC journalist as an historian, conservationist, naturalist, teacher, and commentator. With Homer’s dulcet-toned voice, erudite diction, omnivorous curiosity, and deep literary knowledge, along with his quaint sign-off, “This is Ken Homer in Upper Woodstock,” the broadcasts were treasured for their ability to convey simple truths about the world around us and the people we encounter in it. They were homilies for a secular world. This collection brings together 52 of these now classic essays along with biographical information, photographs, and original artwork by noted artist Michael McEwan."--