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Joel Balsam

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Category: Portfolio

January 16, 2023 joelbalsam online, Portfolio, Print

Toronto Life: The Homesteaders of Mount Forest

One of my favorite stories ever. I interviewed the Murph-Ariens at their off-grid homestead in Ontario and channeled their life story in an as-told-to feature. Read it at Toronto Life.

November 21, 2022 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

Globe: Is Nickel Making These Quebecois Sick?

Concern about contaminated air causes tension in a small town at the heart of Canada’s push to be a leader in a green economy. Read the multimedia feature in the Globe & Mail.

June 17, 2022 joelbalsam online, Portfolio, Print

Globe & Mail: Saving Quebec’s Chorus Frogs

Another feature for the Globe & Mail's climate desk. This time, it's about Quebec's tiny chorus frogs and the fight to save them before they're silenced. Story here.

June 13, 2022 joelbalsam online, Portfolio

Gastro Obscura: What Happened to Montreal’s Legendary Melon?

A century ago, Manhattan residents with a hankering for dessert might flick on their finest frock coat, get a table at a white-tablecloth restaurant, and order a juicy slice of Montreal melon for $1, or around $30 in today’s currency. But then it disappeared. Here's what happened, for Gastro Obscura (branch of Atlas Obscura): story here.

December 31, 2021 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

Lonely Planet: France 14

Lonely Planet just released a guidebook I updated: France! I did the section on Lyon & the Rhône Valley. Buy it here.

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person

Can a river have rights? I drove up to Quebec's Côte-Nord region with photographer Stephanie Foden to find out how and why the Ekuanitshit Innu pushed to make the Magpie River a legal person. The story appeared on the front page of the Globe & Mail newspaper and was released online as a multimedia feature. … Continue reading Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person

November 6, 2020 joelbalsam online, Portfolio

CBC: The psychology behind pandemic decision making

Plenty of people (including myself) made huge life decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic – why? I interviewed Bruce Feiler, author of New York Times' bestseller Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age and Derek J. Koehler, a professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo. Read the story over at CBC Life.

August 17, 2020 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

CBC: Thinking About RVing? Here’s What You Need to Know to Hit the Road

My first story for CBC Life is about RVing in Canada.

August 14, 2020 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

Thrillist: Retro Motels Are Having Their Moment

With road trips making a serious comeback due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, retro motels are also roaring back. Read the story over at Thrillist

May 5, 2020April 29, 2020 joelbalsam Portfolio

Horizon Guides: Inside Armenia’s Shipping Container Cities

Thousands still living in makeshift shipping container homes over 30 years after Armenia's devastating Spitak earthquake. Read my feature at Horizon Guides (photos by Stephanie Foden): https://horizonguides.com/journal/inside-armenias-shipping-container-cities

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Older posts
On February 20, 1943, a Purépecha farmer was working his cornfields when the ground beneath him began to shake. Then, sparks and ash spewed out the ground and the farmer ran for his life. Over 9 years, the youngest volcano in the Americas arose from the ground and completely consumed two towns in lava and ash. All that remains is a stone church in a bed of jet-black lava rock. Fortunately, all the villagers escaped.

Twitter

  • @vivekmjacob BONJOUR! 1 month ago
  • Could nickel dust in the air of a Quebec City neighborhood be making residents sick? Read my latest climate feature… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 months ago
  • Louisiana's swamp-dwelling Rougarou has scared kids for decades, but now it needs our help. This story for… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 months ago
  • In July, I had the opportunity to go to the #MarquesasIslands and came back with a custom tattoo that means a lot t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 months ago
  • Shared my excitement about the #FelliniMuseum in #Rimini for @fodorstravel fodors.com/world/europe/i… 4 months ago
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Recent Posts

  • Toronto Life: The Homesteaders of Mount Forest
  • Globe: Is Nickel Making These Quebecois Sick?
  • TIME: The Dream of an ‘Internet Country’ That Would Let You Work From Anywhere
  • Globe & Mail: Saving Quebec’s Chorus Frogs
  • Gastro Obscura: What Happened to Montreal’s Legendary Melon?

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Joel Balsam
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