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Minister Faust is an Edmontonian writer, high school English teacher, union delegate, broadcaster, community activist and orator who has spoken before crowds in the tens of thousands. A founding member of the Living History Group (LHG) of the Council of Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage (CCACH), he has worked for years in Edmonton's Afrikan communities on cultural and justice issues. Minister Faust has done organising and artistic work in Afrikan communities across Canada. A national-award-winning community broadcaster on CJSR FM-88, Minister Faust has been hosting progressive and Africentric radio since 1989 and is well known as host and producer of The Terrordome: The Afrika All-World News Service and Asiko Phantom Pyramid (see below). His debut novel, The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad, has been hailed by The New York Times Review of Books, and short-listed for the 2004 Philip K. Dick prize, the 2004 Locus Best First Novel award and the 2004 Compton-Crook award, and ranked on four top ten lists of 2004 novels (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, January Magazine, SFSite.com), The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad is Minister Faust's first published novel, based on a screenplay he wrote in 1995. His second novel, From the Notebooks of Doctor Brain (February 2007, Del Rey/Random House), has already met acclaim, receiving a starred review from Publishers Weekly amid other praise. Novels are not the author's only literary output; Minister Faust has written drama and sketch comedy for the stage, and wrote and directed his first play in Montreal, 1987, at the age of 17. A regular contributor to Edmonton's Vue Weekly (see Selected Writings), Minister Faust has also written for Alberta Views, See Magazine and The Globe & Mail, and has produced stories for CBC, including for the Saturday pop-culture programme Definitely Not the Opera, Commentary and Outfront. He appeared on an installment the national television programme of ZeD TV performing his own poetry, and headlined the 1991 and 1992 Young Poets of the Revolution festival in Toronto, and has also performed in Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal and Kansas City. RADIO Since 1989, Minister Faust has been one of the only radiophonic voices of the Afrikan community in Western Canada. His NCRC national award-winning news programme The Terrordome is a beacon of progressive politics and Africentric information and has featured Minister Faust's interviews with major figures such as... In politics, political analysis and media analysis: Ralph Nader Noam Chomsky Angela Davis Michael Parenti Vandana Shiva Onaje Mu'id of N'COBRA Steven Lewis Dick Gregory Nafeez Ahmed (The War on Freedom: How and Why America was Attacked September 11) Karl Evanzz (The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad) Janine Jackson of FAIR-CounterSpin Scott Taylor (Esprit de Corps Magazine) Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians John Judge In Africentric historical analysis of Ancient Egypt: Martin Bernal (Black Athena: The Afro-Asiatic Roots of Classical Civilisation) Richard Poe (Black Spark, White Fire: Did African Explorers Civilise Ancient Europe?) In the world of literature: George Elliot Clarke (Whylah Falls) Nalo Hopkinson (Brown Girl in the Ring) Austin Clarke (The Painted Hoe) Eden Robinson (Monkey Beach) Steven Barnes (Lion's Blood) In television and film: Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide, St. Elsewhere) J. Michael Straczinski (Babylon 5) Peter Raymont (Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire) Jennifer Abbott (The Corporation) Reginald Hudlin (The Great White Hype, BET) Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Mira Furlan (Babylon 5) In music: Chuck D. (Public Enemy) Gil Scott-Heron Michael Franti (Spearhead) Ice-T Professor Griff The Dream Warriors Digable Planets |