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Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore

Photo: Paul Lawrence Photography

Christopher Moore was honoured with life membership in the Union in 2019. He has been called Canada's most versatile writer of history. He is the author of many books, twice a winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, a contributing editor for Canada's History magazine, and the creator of blog posts, radio documentaries, guidebooks, educational software, and reference works on Canadian topics. He has been called "an historian who always writes with grace and intelligence" (Michael Bliss, The Beaver), "a wonderful popular historian" (John Fraser, National Post), and "obviously no slave to political correctness" (Jeffrey Simpson, Globe and Mail). Dalton Camp called 1867 "just about the best book on our history I've ever read." Moore was national chair of the Writers' Union of Canada in 1999-2000 and was a director of Access Copyright, the Canadian copyright licensing collective, from 2001 to 2007. He lives in Toronto with his wife Louise. He comments on historical topics and national issues, and speaks to audiences across the country.

City:
Toronto, ON
Province:
_none

Publications

1867: How the Fathers Made a Deal. McClelland and Stewart, 1997.
Canada: Our Century. with Mark Kingwell: Doubleday, 1999.
The Illustrated History of Canada. co-author. Key Porter, 2002.
Louisbourg Portraits: Life in an Eighteenth Century Garrison Town. McClelland and Stewart, 2000.
The Big Book of Canada: Exploring the Provinces and Territories. illus. Bill Slavin. Tundra Books, 2002.
From Then To Now: A Short History of the World. Tundra Books, 2011

Awards

Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction for Louisbourg Portraits, 1982.
Mr. Christie's Prize for The Story of Canada.
Secretary of State's Prize for Excellence in Canadian Studies for The Loyalists: Revolution, Exile, Settlement, 1985.
Awards from the Ontario Historical Society and the Canadian Historical Association.
Governor General's Literary Award in Children's Literature, Text for From Then to Now: A Short History of the World, 2011
National Magazine Award nominations for essays in The Beaver, Canada's History, Literary Review of Canada, 2009. 2010, 2011
Links:
Website
http://www.christophermoore.ca
,
Blog
http://www.christophermoorehistory.blogspot.ca
,
Eligible for National Public Readings Program:
Yes

WITS

Presentation Description

Using "The Story of Canada," "Champlain," "1867: How the Fathers Made A Deal," and other works by me and by other writers, my presentation links curriculum topics on Canadian history to my work and to students' own lives. I always try to link our personal histories and family origins to link our own lives to Canadian history. For younger audiences, the theme is often stories, characters, places; for older students I often take up themes of  democracy, rights, and the Canadian tradition of how we govern ourselves. 

Presentation Length:
45 min.
Genre:
Non-Fiction, Canadian History
Grades:
6-12
Audience Size:
flexible
Workshop Description:

Can do writing workshops linking research, writing about history, and memoir, but these I always like to design in consultation with the teacher.