Sean Patrick Dolan is a retired teacher and guidance counsellor. Since 2000, he has written professionally for the education community. He has worked on textbook teams at the Oxford University Press, has written columns and features for Canadian School Counsellor magazine, and has been both writer and editor for CBC News in Review.
A comprehensive look at the inspiration behind My Father's Secret—the Air India tragedy of 1985. Mr. Dolan speaks about both the writing process, the history used to tell his story, and how the Air India tragedy should have—but failed to—leave an indelible mark on Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
Using Fiction to Bring History to Life
Imagine if the Irish Republican Army, in the wake of the Bloody Sunday attack in 1972, issued a call to action in the diaspora. Imagine if a group of Canadians responded to the call by bombing a British passenger flight travelling from Toronto to London, killing everyone on board. Inspired by the Air India bombing of 1985, Sean Patrick Dolan uses fiction to re-imagine this terrible event. The presentation provides a compelling look at a dark episode in Canadian history along with an exploration of the creative writing process.
