Stephen P. H. Butler Leacock was a Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist. Between the years 1915 and 1925, he was the best-known English-speaking humorist in the world. He is known for his light humour along with criticisms of people's follies.
The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self-published in the previous year. The silver medal, designed by sculptor Emanuel Hahn, is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock (1869–1944) and is accompanied by a cash prize of $25,000 (CAD). It is presented in the late spring or early summer each year, during a banquet ceremony in or near Leacock’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario.
William Stener Ferguson is a Canadian travel writer and novelist who won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel 419.
Gregory Gallant, better known by his pen name Seth, is a Canadian cartoonist. He is best known for his series Palookaville and his mock-autobiographical graphic novel It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken (1996).
Andrew Stuart McLean, was a Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. Often described as a "story-telling comic" although his stories addressed both humorous and serious themes, he was known for fiction and non-fiction work which celebrated the decency and dignity of ordinary people, through stories which often highlighted the ability of their subjects, whether real or fictional, to persevere with grace and humour through embarrassing or challenging situations.
The Vinyl Cafe is an hour-long radio variety show hosted by Stuart McLean that was broadcast on CBC Radio and was syndicated to approximately 80 U.S. public radio stations through Public Radio International. It aired on Sunday at noon EST and Tuesday at 11:00 pm EST on CBC Radio One and Saturday at 9 am EST on CBC Radio 2. The program is also available as a podcast, although the podcasts are usually just McLean's stories for studio episodes because of copyright restrictions on recorded music. CBC Radio also formerly aired a separate weekday afternoon program, under the title Vinyl Cafe Stories, which consisted of two previously recorded Dave and Morley stories per episode.
Canadian humour is an integral part of the Canadian identity. There are several traditions in Canadian humour in both English and French. While these traditions are distinct and at times very different, there are common themes that relate to Canadians' shared history and geopolitical situation in North America and the world. Though neither universally kind nor moderate, humorous Canadian literature has often been branded by author Dick Bourgeois-Doyle as "gentle satire," evoking the notion embedded in humorist Stephen Leacock's definition of humour as "the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life and the artistic expression thereof."
Eric Patrick Nicol was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper The Province. He also published over 40 books, both original works and compilations of his humour columns, and won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour three times.
Terry Fallis is a Canadian writer and public relations consultant. He is a two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, winning in 2008 for his debut novel The Best Laid Plans and in 2015 for No Relation.
Vinyl Cafe Stories (1998) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released in 1998 by Vinyl Cafe Productions.
The Vinyl Cafe On Tour (1999) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.
Vinyl Cafe Odd Jobs (2001) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.
Vinyl Cafe Inc. Coast to Coast Story Service (2002) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.
A Story-Gram From Vinyl Cafe Inc. (2004) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.
Home from the Vinyl Cafe (1998) is Stuart McLean's second volume of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. It was the winner of the 1999 Stephen Leacock Award for Humour.
Vinyl Cafe Diaries (2003) is Stuart McLean's fourth volume of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. It made the 2004 Stephen Leacock Award for Humour shortlist, and was the winner of the 2004 Canadian Authors Association Award.
Vinyl Cafe Notebooks: a collection of essays from The Vinyl Cafe (2010) is Stuart McLean's ninth book and each one has been a Canadian bestseller. McLean has sold over 1 million books in Canada. Unlike the other "Vinyl Cafe" books, these are not "Dave and Morley stories".
The Vinyl Cafe Family Pack (2011) is a 4-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.
Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe (2012) is Stuart McLean's fifth book of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. It debuted at #1 in The Globe and Mail’s bestseller list. It is the only book in the Vinyl Cafe series to have its own theme music, selected by CBC Radio listeners and written by Ottawa band The PepTides Stories included in Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe:
