Friday Special Blend
Friday January 16th, 2026 with Susan Johnston. Gianluca Petti. Micah Petti. Lia Kiessling
Echo Makers. James Raffan's new bio of Craig Macdonald and the Historical Map of Temagami

In our first hour, Susan speaks with explorer and writer James Raffan and his new bio of Craig Macdonald and the spectacular Historical Map of Temagami. Echo Maker was published by Dundurn Press in the fall of 2025. About the book: "James Raffan’s biography of Craig Macdonald and how the Historical Map of Temagami came to be is a remarkable tale. In the mid-1960s, Macdonald began interviewing and travelling with Indigenous trappers and travellers. He became familiar with Anishinaabemowin and built a lasting bond with the traditional knowledge holders. Returning year after year to map the land, Macdonald painstakingly plotted traditional placenames, original shorelines, elevations, and traditional summer and winter travel routes — including the documentation of more than twelve hundred canoe portages and winter snowshoe trails. His map is unique in the Canadian cartographic canon, and its genesis is a story that has never been told, until now."