I was delighted last week to read a wonderful review of The Power of Names in Psychology Today. The author of the piece, Molly Castelloe, Ph.D., is a psychologist, writer and actor who obtained her doctorate from New York University in theatre and psychoanalysis. Her blog, The Me … [Read more...]
What Does Your Name Say about You? [U of T] Alumna Mavis Himes delves into the hidden meanings and social weight of what we call ourselves
This article was first published in U of T Magazine in December 2016 and is re-posted here with full permission. Why are some first names such as Michael and Olivia popular year after year, but you never meet anyone named “Seven” or “Soda”? What we call ourselves – and why – … [Read more...]
When a Given Name No Longer Fits the Person You Have Become: Thoughts on a Recent Episode of Out in the Open with Piya Chattopadhyay
As I have written in previous blogs, there are people who choose to change their name for a variety of reasons. Some people select a new name for entertainment and commercial purposes, such as pennames, pseudonyms or even mononyms; some for political purposes in response to … [Read more...]
My Interview with Joseph Planta at thecommentary.ca
Since 2004, Joseph Planta from Vancouver has been interviewing artists, writers, academics and professionals from a wide variety of fields on his online show, The Commentary. I was delighted to have had this interesting radio interview with him on various aspects of my new book, … [Read more...]
A Recent Radio Interview on CBC’s Here and Now (Toronto)
A few weeks after The Power of Names was published, I had an opportunity to speak with Mary Wiens of Here and Now (CBC). We talked about the many ways in which names infiltrate our lives without any conscious awareness. I also discussed what it means to truly “inhabit your … [Read more...]