The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism, a book co-edited by Drs. Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings, will be launched at the Institute of Island Studies’ Island Lecture Series presentation on February 27. Featuring a discussion of the effect of bridges—physical or digital—on island life and culture, the event will take place from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI. 

Dr. Brinklow will take 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. Presenting virtually from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, Dr. Jennings will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. Janice Pettit, PEI contributor, will share her interviews with Island residents about how the Confederation Bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 20 years later.

The event is free; all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase. 

Dr. Brinklow is a writer, editor, assistant professor, and coordinator of the UPEI Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program. 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. Janice 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 was 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. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.