Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Author. Mentor. Editor.

Gail Anderson-Dargatz

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Gail Anderson-Dargatz

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WhaleWhoChanged

“In the future everybody will have a podcast for fifteen episodes.”

- Andy Warhol

At least I think Warhol said that. I’m sure I read it on Facebook…

I took my first run at podcasting in 2007, back when it was about as mainstream as CB radio and had fewer listeners. I’d written and directed a movie about the challenges facing Canada’s forests in the 21st Century, and I saw podcasts as a way to carry on the conversation outside of the theatre.

I had a blast. It was like having my own radio show without any team to help me out or, you know, any form of payment. Okay, it was like having a mainstream radio show in 2017.

I contacted friends in radio-land, asked them to recommend a recorder and started interviewing cool people about environmental issues.

I already worked as a journalist so interviewing cool people wasn’t new to me, but choosing the people I wanted to talk to and not having to convince an editor they were worth covering was a treat. And since this was my show I only talked to people I really wanted to meet.

With the exception of BC’s Minister of Forests pretty much everyone I approached for an interview was happy to spare an hour—or two—to talk. I discovered that people -- even famous people -- liked being interviewed for podcasts because podcast interviews are long enough to allow them to explore ideas, share stories and not worry about reducing complex concepts to cute sound bites.

So… I interviewed people. I imported the interviews into Garage Band on my Mac—which was easy enough that, um, I could use it. I added an intro and a bit of music and I was done. The Tyee agreed to host the series and—this was the best part—someone there knew how to upload it to iTunes and was game to pick up the hosting fee for storing the audio file online.

The best interviews were collected into a book: The Green Chain: Nothing is Ever ClearCut - and I suspect the podcast reached more people than the movie had. I not only hit it off with some of my guests, but partnered with one of them—Tzeporah Berman—to write a book together.

Cut to 2017. I’m working on another movie and a book about killer whales and, in my research, I’m discovering how close the Southern Resident orcas are to extinction. I want to find out how to save the orcas… the oceans… our planet… Time to launch a podcast.

Testimonials

Leila Marshy

"I've been writing my whole life, but in the past two years I can say that Gail has pretty much taught me everything I now know. I am convinced that without Gail's ministrations, my novel The Philistine would not be enjoying its current success"

-- Leila Marshy, author of The Philistine and 2026 winner of TWUC's Danuta Gleed Literary Award for My Thievery of the People.

Leila Marshy

Christine Fischer Guy

"Gail’s model suited me right down to the ground, exactly the right combination of close reading, thoughtful feedback, and enough space to work these questions through in my own time. She’s an intelligent and experienced manuscript midwife with an uncanny ability to see to the heart of what I was trying to do. I appreciate her guidance immensely!"

-- Christine Fischer Guy author of The Umbrella Mender (2014) and The Instrument Must Not Matter (2026).

Christine Fischer Guy

Tara Gereaux

"Gail is an incredible editor. She has an innate ability to understand what I’m trying to do with my writing and to help me see what I need to do to get where I want. The best part about working with her is her supportive, encouraging approach. She’s a writer, she gets it – she knows how hard writing can be – but when I’m working with Gail, it always feels a little bit easier and a little more fun. Can’t recommend her highly enough."

-- Tara Gereaux has published two books of fiction and was the recipient of the Colleen Bailey Memorial Award from the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts, and a REVEAL Indigenous Art Award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation.

Tara Gereaux

Matthew Hooton

"Gail's developmental edits were superb. Her attention to the manuscript's structure, to themes and emotional resonances, and to the character creation were at once challenging, sophisticated and encouraging. And she draws on a range of excellent resources. I've not seen anything quite like it in twenty-five years in the industry."

-- Dr. Matthew Hooton, author of Deloume Road, Typhoon Kingdom, and Everything Lost, Everything Found, longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize 2025. Dr. Hooton is a lecturer at the University of Adelaide.

Matthew Hooton

Jessica Waite

"Gail is the total package: brilliant writer, keen-eyed editor, ace story architect, and warm genuine human. The structural foundation she taught saved me years of floundering in the dark. Thank you Gail!"

-- Jessica Waite, author of the Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards,  one of The Globe and Mail's best 100 books of 2024.

Jessica Waite

Darcy Friesen Hossack

"By the end of the first draft, I'd rediscovered colour in a world that had faded to black and white. I can not thank Gail enough."

-- Darcy Friesen Hossack, Danuta Gleed runner-up and Commonwealth Prize-shortlisted author of Mennonites Don't Dance  and Stillwater.

Darcy Friesen Hossack

Kelly S. Thompson

"Not only did Gail help me to polish my prose, but she also showed my how to believe in my own work, how to play, how to explore language with the writer's tools. What a gift, to have someone champion your work in a way that makes you, the writer, feel seen."

-- Kelly S. Thompson, national bestselling author of Girls Need Not Apply: Field Notes from the Forces.

Kelly S. Thompson

Lise Mayne

"Time Enough became the novel I longed to create thanks to Gail’s expert advice and encouragement. Gail helps writers find the heart of their own story, the mark of the very best teachers. I highly recommend her as a professional mentor and a sincere guide."

-- Lise Mayne, author of Time Enough.

Lise Mayne

Elle Wild

"Gails fiction course was the best class I have ever taken. Full stop. Her notes and analysis were invaluable and I still use the creative exercises she shared with us."

-- Elle Wild. #1 bestselling author of Strange Things Done and winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel.

Elle Wild

Maia Caron

"Perhaps there's no greater proof of a manuscript editor's work than when the writer they mentor gets a publishing contract, but what I found most valuable was applying Gail's insightful comments when I began to plot a new book."

-- Maia Caron, author of Song of Batoche

Maia Caron

Daniel Griffin

"Gail has been a great help to me for many years, reading my novels and stories and providing practical, clear and meaningful feedback. Her focus on the structure of a story, its arc, the conflict that drives it and the development of characters and their transformation has been invaluable."

-- Daniel Griffin is the author of Stopping for Strangers and Two Roads Home.

Daniel Griffin

Nerys Parry

"(Gail's) greatest gift is her passion. She truly loves the craft and throws her heart into her work as not only a teacher but also as a coach and inspiration to aspiring writers. She always knows just how far to push you without breaking you, and if you let her, she can help you become a far better writer than you ever imagined..."

-- Nerys Parry, author of Man & Other Natural Disasters, a finalist for the Colophon Prize and tied for seventh in the Giller Prize Reader’s Choice Awards.

Nerys Parry

Jennifer Manuel

"Gail has a firm grasp on what effective mentorship looks like: supportive, challenging, fully engaged. Immediately Gail got to the heart of my novel’s problem and then worked with me to find possible solutions, pushing my craft to a higher level and deepening my understanding of narrative structure. It was nothing short of a shattering breakthrough.”

-- Jennifer Manuel, author of The Heaviness of Things That Float

Jennifer Manuel

Liisa Kovala

"Working with Gail during an early stage of my historical fiction manuscript was like taking a masterclass. Both my novel and my skills as a writer improved through her guidance. Best of all, Gail is not only knowledgeable about everything to do with writing, she is also delightful to work with."

-- Liisa Kovala, author of Surviving Stutthof: My Father's Memories Behind the Death Gate and Sisu's Winter War.

Liisa Kovala

Emily De Angelis

"Gail was knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind as she coached me through the process. Her feedback validated my journey and help me to move forward with my story in countless meaningful ways..."

-- Emily De Angelis, author of The Stones of Burren Bay.

Emily De Angelis

Maggi Feehan

"Gail is nothing short of an editing genius. She has the rare ability to give feedback laced with compassion, appreciation and respect... that will inspire you to go back to the page and transform your narrative, words and characters in truly remarkable ways."

-- Maggi Feehan, author of The Serpent's Veil

Maggi Feehan

Kimmy Beach

"I'm so happy I chose Gail as my first foray into the world of hiring an outside eye. I've loved her work for ages, and hoped her insight would take my new project where it needed to go. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude (and work!). Thank you, Gail. You 'get' me."

-- Kimmy Beach, author of The Last Temptation of Bond.

Kimmy Beach

Chris Tarry

"Working with Gail has become the measure by which I rate every workshop I've taken, or will ever take. And she has set the bar impossibly high. To study with Gail is to understand the plight of the Apprentice Writer, to take solace in her direction, and to witness one's growth in virtually real time."

-- Chris Tarry, four-time Juno Award winner and author of How to Carry a Bigfoot Home.

Chris Tarry