The Last Best West: An Exploration of Myth, Identity, and Quality of Life in Western Canada

There is something quintessentially Western Canadian that distinguishes and separates living in this region from all other parts of Canada. But what does it mean to be Western Canadian ? What meanings do the terms the West and being a Westerner invoke?

To answer these questions, the authors lay out a variety of approaches and unique research initiatives, with a novel focus on the following:

- small urban centres

- rural education

- regional representations and identities

- theatre

- literature and film

- visual representations, and

- quality of life issues

Informed by the contributions of noted Canadian academics, the ten varied works in this collection cumulatively offer a unique panoramic understanding of Western themes.

W.F. Garrett Petts is a writer and teacher. He is the co director of CURA (Community University Research Alliance) and Associate Professor and Chair of English and Modern Languages at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. He is the author of several books, a contributor to CBC Radio and the curator of two gallery installations.