Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Island Lecture Series will celebrate the launch of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism, co-edited by Drs. Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings. This event will feature a discussion of the effect of bridges—be they physical or digital—on island life and culture. The lecture and launch will be held from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI. 

Dr. Brinklow will present a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define island life. Dr. Jennings, beaming in from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. PEI contributor Janice Pettit will share her interviews with island residents on how the Confederation Bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 20 years later. The event is free, and all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase. 

Dr. Brinklow is a writer, editor, assistant professor, and coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program at UPEI. She is the author of My island’s the house I sleep in at night and Here for the Music. A resident of Shetland, Scotland’s most northerly islands, Dr. Jennings is an associate professor of Island Studies based at UHI Shetland, where he works with the Institute for Northern Studies. Ms. Pettit was an adjunct professor at UPEI where she taught the Introduction to Island Studies course for seven semesters. She now works for the PEI Public Service Commission. 

The Bridge Effect is published by Island Studies Press with the support of a SSHRC Exchange Publication Award from the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Research at UPEI.