Saskatchewan author Garrett Wilson stops in at the Shurniak Art Gallery in Assiniboia on Sunday, April 23 at 2 p.m. to read from his new book 鈥淥utlier, Life, Law and Politics in the West鈥�.
Wilson, originally from Limerick, rose to prominence as a lawyer in Regina. He leaped to fame as an author with the publication of his first book, 鈥淒eny, Deny, Deny鈥� about the murder case of former MLA Colin Thatcher.
Six books later, Wilson brings readers a fascinating and personal view of Saskatchewan history in his new book 鈥淥utlier鈥�. He will be reading excerpts at the Shurniak Gallery and providing an inside peak at some of the most riveting political and legal events in the province鈥檚 past.
Wilson touches on never-before-told aspects of the Western Liberal affairs during the Premier Ross Thatcher days and the murder case of Colin Thatcher. He also gives an intimate version of such high-profile legal events as the Regina Police strike and the David Milgaard Inquiry.
Wilson describes 鈥淥utlier鈥� as a memoire written from a first-person point of view with plenty of behind-the-scenes detail. The book project started just over three years ago, and was launched in November 2016 to a good reception.
Wilson explains that he has a life-long gift for writing and got his start as editor of The Sheaf, the University of Saskatchewan student newspaper. He鈥檚 won three national writing awards.
Wilson brings a unique mix of background and experience to his writing about Saskatchewan and its people. Born in Limerick to a pioneer homesteading Irish immigrant father and a school teacher Nova Scotian mother, he grew up during the dustbowl years of the 1930s.
Wilson studied law at the University of Saskatchewan, graduating in 1954, and with a commission in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was active and prominent in Liberal politics during the 1960s and 1970s, both at the provincial and federal level.
Wilson was also involved in the sports tourism industry throughout northern Saskatchewan, the North West Territories and New Brunswick. Holding a private pilot license, he became well acquainted with the provincial aviation world, particularly the bush flyers of the north. During the 1970s and 1980s, Wilson also owned and managed a 2,000-acre grain and purebred Charolais operation south of Wood Mountain.
