“Across Canada By Story: A Coast-to-Coast Literary Adventure"

A performance by Doug Gibson at Canada House, in support of The Canada Room campaign at the University of St Andrews

Doug Gibson attended the University of St Andrews in the 1960s and was President of the Students’ Association.  From 1968 until he retired he worked in various roles in the Canadian Publishing industry and was responsible for editing most of Canada’s major authors including Alice Munro, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature.

After he retired in 2007 he became an author himself, publishing two books of anecdotes about the writers he had edited which in turn have become the source for two shows that have travelled across Canada and to places like Mexico and China.

Doug’s performance of “Across Canada By Story: A Coast-to-Coast Literary Adventure" at Canada House on 19 April will contribute to a campaign, led by him, to support and name ‘The Canada Room’ in the redeveloped Students’ Association building (‘The Union’) at the University of St Andrews.  The redeveloped building is home to nearly 200 student societies - more per head than any other university in the UK – and includes two purpose-built rehearsal rooms, one of which will be named ‘The Canada Room’.

The Canadian High Commission has very kindly agreed to host Doug’s performance at Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London SW1Y 5BJ on Tuesday, April 19 at 6pm.  A voluntary donation of £20 in support of The Canada Room is suggested.

You can donate to The Canada Room campaign by selecting Canada Room from the Designation drop-down menu on our online donation form.

As Doug says:

“As a former President of the Union I know just how important the Union can be in providing memorable student experiences.  In fact, I am astonished how many of my own happiest memories of my St Andrews days involve sitting and chatting - and arguing - in the Union, while eating, or drinking coffee, or possibly something even stronger.  Looking back I can see how much my happy hours in the Union helped me towards my then-unlikely career as a Canadian book publisher, where I would end up publishing Pierre Trudeau and Alice Munro.

“I hope you like the idea of supporting students at St Andrews in this way, while at the same time securing a small piece of Fife for Canada!”

Please also RSVP by April 8 to CanadaTrafalgarSquare@international.gc.ca and if you are planning to attend the event, please be sure to bring photo ID.

The University of St Andrews is grateful to Doug Gibson and the Canadian High Commission for their support.