John DeMont

John DeMont is a Canadian writer and journalist from Nova Scotia. Born in Halifax, DeMont has written for several publications in Canada and works as a columnist and senior editor for The Chronicle Herald. His books have twice won the Evelyn Richardson Memorial Non-Fiction Award at the Atlantic Book Awards: in 2010 for Coal Black Heart and in 2018 for The Long Way Home.

Biography

DeMont was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a journalist, he has written for several publications in Canada such as PNI Atlantic News, Canadian Geographic, and The Walrus. DeMont spent 10 years working at Maclean's as the Atlantic bureau chief, and works as a columnist and senior editor for The Chronicle Herald, a Halifax-based newspaper.

In his 1998 book The Last Best Place, DeMont recounts his travels outside of Nova Scotia and the ways in which the province had changed in his long absence.

DeMont's 2009 book Coal Black Heart covers the history of coal mining in Nova Scotia, particularly in Cape Breton. The book was the winner of the Evelyn Richardson Memorial Non-Fiction Award at the 2010 Atlantic Book Awards.

In 2013, DeMont released A Good Day's Work, a book covering traditional jobs in Canada such as lighthouse keepers and milkmen. DeMont's ancestors were variously coal miners and steelworkers, including his grandfather who began working in the coal mines at the age of 11. DeMont described his family history in traditional labour jobs as the inspiration for the book.

His 2017 book, The Little Tree By the Sea, is a children's picture book about the Halifax Explosion and the associated tradition of the Boston Christmas Tree. The book was written with his daughter, Belle DeMont.

DeMont released his memoir, The Long Way Home, in 2017. The book explores DeMont's life as a journalist and his historical connections to Nova Scotia. The book was well-received by critics, being listed among five "must-read books for October" by Maclean's in 2017. The book was the winner of the Evelyn Richardson Memorial Non-Fiction Award at the 2018 Atlantic Book Awards.

Publications

Books

• — (1989). Hong Kong Money: How Chinese Families and Fortunes are Changing Canada. Toronto, ON: Key Porter Books. ISBN 978-1-5501-3164-2. OCLC 22863151.
• — (1991). Citizens Irving: K.C. Irving and His Legacy. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-2614-0.
• — (1998). The Last Best Place: Lost In The Heart Of Nova Scotia. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada. ISBN 978-0-3852-5604-9. OCLC 36838633.
• — (2009). Coal Black Heart: The Story of Coal and Lives it Ruled. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada. ISBN 978-0-3856-6504-9. OCLC 275842251.
• — (2013). A Good Day's Work: In Pursuit of a Disappearing Canada. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada. ISBN 978-0-3856-6506-3. OCLC 843520534.
• —; DeMont, Belle (2017). The Little Tree By the Sea: To Boston With Love. Lunenburg, NS: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-7727-6069-9. OCLC 975051782.
• — (2017). The Long Way Home: A Personal History of Nova Scotia. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-2511-2. OCLC 1011916359.

Selected articles

• — (10 November 2022). "Discovering my grandfather's war". PNI Atlantic News. Postmedia Network.

Recognition

• 2010 Evelyn Richardson Memorial Non-Fiction Award for Coal Black Heart
• 2018 Evelyn Richardson Memorial Non-Fiction Award for The Long Way Home

References

Sources

• Wordsworth, Araminta (23 October 1989). "Hong Kong's well-heeled refugees". National Post. Toronto, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Smith, Dan (13 January 1990). "The Hong Kong-Canada connection still a mystery". The Toronto Star. Toronto, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Hunt, Russell (12 October 1991). "Worthy effort on Irvings". The Gazette. Montreal, QC. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Ingram, Anne (16 October 1991). "'Citizens Irving' traces life, times of famed family". The Daily Gleaner. Fredericton, NB. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Romahn, Jim (9 November 1991). "Story of Irvings exaggerated, but readable". Waterloo Region Record. Kitchener, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Cox, Carol Anne (April 1998). "The Last Best Place: Lost in the Heart of Nova Scotia (review)". Quill & Quire. Toronto, ON: St. Joseph Media. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Rowe, Dan (March 2009). "Coal Black Heart: The Story of Coal and the Lives It Ruled (review)". Quill & Quire. Toronto, ON: St. Joseph Media. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Portman, Jamie (10 May 2009). "Nova Scotia's black heart: Journalist John DeMont lifts the lid off cruel coal industry". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Flinn, Sue Carter (15 April 2010). "Atlantic Book Award winners". The Coast. Halifax, NS. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Coyle, Brian (28 September 2013). "Author John DeMont contemplates vanishing lines of work". The Toronto Star. Toronto, ON: Torstar. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Marchand, Philip (11 October 2013). "Open Book: A Good Day's Work, by John DeMont". National Post. Toronto, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Beauchemin, Raymond (12 October 2013). "Doing work 'the time-honoured way' isn't dead in Canada ... yet". The Gazette. Montreal, QC. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Ubelacker, Sheryl (19 October 2013). "A lament for Canada's vanishing jobs". The Leader-Post. Regina, SK. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Medley, Mark (21 October 2013). "Risky business". National Post. Toronto, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
• Montgomery, Mark (24 October 2013). "Canadian author on disappearing professions". Radio Canada International. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• "John DeMont: "A Good Day's Work"". CBC Radio. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Bethune, Brian (15 November 2013). "Stories about the milkman, family rancher, drive-in movie owner—but not the lighthouse keeper". Maclean's. Toronto, ON: St. Joseph Communications. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• "Five must-read books for October". Maclean's. Toronto, ON: St. Joseph Communications. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• "The Long Way Home". CBC Books. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Donaldson, Emily (November 2017). "The Little Tree by the Sea: From Halifax to Boston With Love (review)". Quill & Quire. Toronto, ON: St. Joseph Media. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Schiefer, Nancy (1 December 2017). "Book Review: Nova Scotia book is part history, part memoir". Stratford Beacon-Herald. Stratford, ON: Postmedia Network. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Patrick, Ryan B. (5 December 2017). "John DeMont explores the deep history and heritage of Nova Scotia in his new memoir". CBC Books. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Langille, Erin Beth (January 2018). "The Long Way Home: A Personal History of Nova Scotia (review)". Quill & Quire. Toronto, ON: St. Joseph Media. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Cody-Rice, Edith (27 January 2018). "The Long Way Home: A Personal History of Nova Scotia by John DeMont". The Millstone. Almonte, ON. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• Thorne, Tara (11 May 2018). "Your 2018 Atlantic Book Award winners". The Coast. Halifax, NS. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
• "Author spotlight: John DeMont". writers.ns.ca. Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

Further reading

• "The Halifax Herald has gifted writer John DeMont & the CBC has his brother, Phil DeMont". The Macdonald Notebook. Halifax, NS. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

External links

• John DeMont at Goodreads
• Articles by John DeMont at PNI Atlantic News
• John DeMont interviews at SaltWire Network – via YouTube