CBC Archives

You must sign in to leave a comment on this clip.

Celebrated journalist

Broadcast Date: April 29, 1964

At the time of this 1964 interview, June Callwood has established herself as one of the most prolific and versatile magazine writers in the country. She has written about a variety of topics — everything from the Avro Arrow, to Marilyn Bell's historic swim, to the birth control pill. Despite her lack of formal education, Callwood seems undaunted by difficult subjects, even one as tricky as a profile of cantankerous journalist Gordon Sinclair.

She tells CBC's Brian McFarlane how, despite their "wary" first meeting, she managed to ask the irascible Sinclair some tough, personal questions.

Celebrated journalist

• In 1945, Callwood left her job at the Globe and Mail when she was pregnant with her first child, but found herself bored at home. In 1947, Callwood decided to take flying lessons to pass the time. Her flying instructor was a woman named Violet Milstead, Canada's first woman bush pilot. Callwood wrote a profile of Milstead and sold it to Liberty magazine for $50. That was the beginning of her freelance writing career.

• During Callwood's heyday as a magazine writer in the 1950s, her fresh beauty led to her posing in a Blue Bonnet margarine ad.
• In 1958, Callwood had three difficult science-based articles published in a period of five months. One was on the universe, the second on the birth control pill and the third on a special engine being built for the Avro Arrow.

• When Callwood was pregnant with her youngest child, she began thinking about why some emotions develop more than others. She wrote a series on the topic for Maclean's magazine, which later became her first book called Love, Hate, Fear and Anger (1964). Both professionals and the general public hailed the book. The book even found its way into psychology courses.

• Callwood has written over 30 books. Some of these include:
Portrait of Canada (1981)
Emma: Canada's Unlikely Spy (1984)
Twelve Weeks in Spring (1986)
Jim: A Life With AIDS (1988)
Trial Without End (1994)
The Man Who Lost Himself (2000)
• At the time of this interview Callwood and Frayne had four children: Jill, Jessie, Brant and Casey.

Celebrated journalist

Medium: Radio

Program: Assignment

Broadcast Date: April 29, 1964

Guest(s): June Callwood

Host: Bill McNeil
Interviewer: Brian McFarlane

Duration: 5:11

Last updated:
Oct. 2, 2007