Millions of immigrants were attracted to the Canadian West by promotional literature from the government in the late 19th century to the First World War bringing with them visions of opportunity to create a Utopian society or a chance to take control of their own destinies.

These papers from "The Creating Word" conference at the University of Alberta look directly at the challenges facing English teachers in the 1980s. Eleven notable educators address topics of rhetoric, deconstructionism, transactional analysis, creative writing, reader-response theories, language arts methodology, and computer technology.

On 5 July 1899 Hilda Blake, a 21-year-old maidservant in Brandon, Manitoba, who had come to Canada from England ten years earlier as an orphan immigrant, shot and killed her mistress. Two days after Christmas she was hanged, one of the few women in Canadian history to die for her crime. Blake unintentionally left a remarkable documentary record, ranging from Poorhouse records, courts dockets of custody and criminal cases in which she was the central figure, popular, journalistic, and professional assessments of her character, and a poem, 'My Downfall', that she penned in Brandon Gaol while awaiting execution. To explain why Hilda bought a gun and why she fired it, Kramer and Mitchell employee both historical and literary techniques. The result is a richly textured story of late Victorian social, cultural, and political life. This remarkable book - part mystery, part historical detective story - uncovers Hilda Blake's life, from her origins in Norfolk, England, to her tragic death. It also examines the lives of other principals in the story: successful Brandon businessman Robert Lane and his wife Mary, the murdered woman; Lane's business partner, Alexander McIlvride; Police Chief James Kircaldy; A.P. Stewart and his wife, Letitia Singer Stewart, the family for whom the 12-year-old orphaned Hilda first worked as a domestic servant; Rev. C.C. McLaurin, the Baptist minister who knew Hilda and counselled the condemned woman in her final days; social purity activist Dr Amelia Yeomans, who petitioned for clemency; Governor-General Minto, who urged the Laurier government to stay the execution, even Clifford Sifton, the MP from Brandon, federal minister of Immigration, and the most powerful western Liberal in the Laurier cabinet, for whom the case was a potential minefield. As the authors write, 'We tell a story because only a story can expose the real workings of a culture, and only a story can express our protest against time.'

A visually rich, historically epic tale of cattle ranching in southern Alberta, focusing on multi-generational family-owned ranches that are still in existence today. In the 1880s, a group of fledgling cattle ranchers descended on the plains of southern Alberta. They were drawn by the promise of the West, where the grass seemed endless and they could ranch under the arch of the Chinook-the warm Pacific wind that swooped down the eastern slopes of the Rockies to melt the snow and clear the land for year-round grazing. They came with wild optimism, but their ambition was soon tempered by the brutal reality of a frontier land. Ranching under the Arch is a tale of survival, perseverance, and prosperity in the face of struggle, loss, and loneliness. Following over a dozen ranches still in operation that have roots dating to the late nineteenth century, historian D. Larraine Andrews recounts the culture that developed around this unique vocation. These ranches have endured as vibrant enterprises, sometimes into the fifth generation of the same family, sometimes with new faces and dreams to change the focus of the narrative. Drawing from historical archives, diaries, and personal accounts, and illustrated by informative maps, fascinating archival imagery, and stunning contemporary photography, Ranching under the Arch is an epic portrait of the "Cattle Kingdom" and its place in Alberta history.

Twenty-two-year-old William Blake is less than thrilled when Barack Obama is elected to a second term in 2012. A senior at Quinnipiac University, William is known for his staunch conservative political views. Despite his overwhelming disappointment with Americas new direction, William remains focused on finding a job as a high school teacher after graduation. William is the perfect recruit for a network of charter schools started by The Movement, a shadowy libertarian organization. After he accepts a job teaching social studies and history at a charter school, William is lured into The Movement by its charismatic leader Edward Birch, and a beautiful and experienced member, Tabitha Couture. As William becomes further immersed into the conservative crusade, he eventually receives an offer he cannot refuseone that will help him transform the landscape of American public education and eventually lead him to libertys wrath. Libertys Wrath shares the story of one mans exploration of the role of freedom in the twenty-first century after he joins a conservative movement with a lofty mission.

This collection of articles and extracts from books and periodicalsdescribes in detail the opportunities in Western Canada for Britishwomen emigrants. By 1900 there was a great demand both for wives andfor workers in a variety of occupations. 'Women Wanted' was themessage conveyed by Canadian officials, journalists, andpublic-spirited women who travelled across Canada and reported on theirfindings.