Greetings!
🍁 Fall 2024 🍁
October 7th, 2024
Hello Friends!
I'm excited to announce the release of Bad Artist, now available in stores and online. Approximately four years ago, my friends in my writing group (and my former MFA classmates) felt compelled to create a book for those disheartened by the creative process's obstacles and the constant push to produce or monetize creativity. As I struggled with my creative product project, finding time to write amidst the obstacles of daily life, I recognized I came from substantial privilege. I wondered how those with more significant obstacles were able to create. We put out a call asking this question and received a flurry of essays that make up the now-published anthology; please pre-order the book if this interests you because it will help us a lot.
And what's next?
At the moment, my novel is on the back burner. Instead, I am crafting a follow-up book/guide to The Scientist and the Psychic. After my book's release, I received numerous messages, emails and letters remarking that my mother had "changed their lives." I wondered what her teachings gave to those individuals and the 10s of 1000s of other students and clients. Guided by Insight is the answer to this question. I combed through my mother's journals, class notes and instruction manuals to compile her teachings and wisdom to bring her message that helped so many to discover and utilize their intuition, resulting in enhanced creativity, improved relationships and the transformation to a more joyful, prosperous life. It's the book my mother aspired to write but never got the chance to finish before she died in 2021. I plan to offer the book at cost, so sign up for my email newsletter to be notified when it becomes available.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Christian
Learn More About The Scientist and the Psychic.
About my site
Welcome to my corner of the internet.
My name is Christian Smith. I’m a research scientist and author based out of Toronto, Canada.
What can you expect here? I believe that writing is the engine of thought, and I will share stories about the fascinating subjects I encounter.
You will read about science, but presented in a different way.
Gone are the endless data points, statistical measurements and stuffy textbook regurgitations. In their place, you will find a focus on understanding and relevance.
Broadly my interests lie with science communication that focuses on cancer biology and the field of “brain plasticity,” which is the remarkable ability of the brain to heal, remodel and reorganize itself in the face of challenge.
I discovered plasticity research while writing The Scientist and the Psychic, where I witnessed remarkable feats of intuition and found out about individuals with seemingly miraculous abilities. More on that later. 😉
First, a snapshot of me:
Five-Bullet-Bio
Born in Brampton, Ontario, and alternately raised between Vancouver and the Toronto area. I currently live in Barrie, just north of Toronto.
A perpetual student who accidentally spread academic degrees across the decades of my life: Honours Bachelor of Science - Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Guelph (1993); Doctor of Philosophy - Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto (2007); Master of Fine Arts - Creative Nonfiction, University of King’s College (2017). What’s next for the 2020s? It’s anyone’s guess!
Day job: Research Operations Manager of a Brain Tumour Research Centre in Toronto. Our lab studies how malignant brain tumours move and spread in the brain and we are developing techniques to deliver new drugs to inoperable brain tumours.
Author of a nonfiction book and currently working on a novel tentatively called Mirage of Feathers.
Avid reader, digital scientific illustrator, love to geek out over technology, and I’m obsessed with anything Star Wars.
Interests
Personal Interests
I love science, writing, and I taught myself to draw digital scientific illustrations. It’s only natural that I dwell within the intersection of all three: Science Communication.
Technology and Gadgets
Productivity and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)
Discovering the extraordinary: I am interested in the spectrum of human capabilities. In addition to my own mother’s remarkable ESP abilities, I’ve come across a woman who can smell disease before it’s diagnosed, a man who sees the world in mathematical designs and a woman who can see detail from a mile away.
Making sense of the paranormal.
Professional Interests
Cancer biology - understanding the biology of human brain tumours and how to target their genetic vulnerabilities.
Educating the community and raising awareness of brain tumours by sharing our discoveries and ongoing studies in brain tumour research.
Recent Obsessions
📚 Favourite books 📚
Fiction
The Man Who Saw Seconds by Alexander Boldizar
“The Man Who Saw Seconds” by Alexander Boldizar hooked me from page three with its unique premise and relentless pacing. The story centers on Preble, an ordinary man with an extraordinary ability to see a few seconds into the future. This talent becomes a curse when a subway confrontation goes awry, and Preble’s split-second decision to dodge a bullet results in another man’s death. As government agencies scramble to exploit Preble’s gift for military research, he must navigate a treacherous path to protect his family, questioning the cost of his abilities and humanity. I want to run out and buy dozens more copies as gifts for the coming holidays.
For fellow writers: "Read like a writer" craft notes: Without spoiling anything, I would say this book is a literary achievement to emulate for those writers striving to write action sequences that evoke a movie-like experience for the reader, from page three onwards, the author crafts an exciting story to create a thrilling and suspenseful experience, including the best gunfight and chase sequence I have ever read in a book.
NonFiction
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
Johann Hari is a genius. He has put into words and articulated everything I have been feeling without even knowing it. He delves into how the screens we rely on daily and their demon children, social media apps, have conspired to destroy our focus and attention. The good news is he provides some ways to fight back, which is why the first draft of this update is being written by hand on a yellow legal pad and transcribed using Otter software. I have a feeling more people will be moving back to analog experiences as part of mindfulness practice.
🎥 Favourite media 📺
🎥 Movie 🎥
Leave the World Behind (Netflix)
My favourite movie last season was Leave the World Behind, directed by Sam Esmail. I watched this movie twice over two days. It has so much baked into it that I needed to see it a second time to capture it all. It's about a cyber attack that paralyzes the US. When I discovered it was based on a book by Rumaan Alam. I immediately went out and bought the book. I'm not the only one. Barack Obama had picked it for one of his annual summer book list selections and even backed its development with a producing credit for the Netflix adaptation starring Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali.
I watched an interview with the director, and he said something remarkable and disturbing. Esmail felt he was exaggerating and overdramatizing when he adapted the script, but Obama responded that he was only off by a few minor details and that he thought the script was close to how a crisis would unfold in real-time. At that, Esmail says, "The fact he said that scared the fuck out of me."
📺 Television Series 📺
Murder at the End of the World (Hulu/FX)
If you’re looking for a gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the last minute, look no further than A Murder at the End of the World. This series was created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij and became my top pick of last season. Set in a secluded retreat in Iceland, the show follows amateur detective Darby Hart, played brilliantly by Emma Corrin. Her character's journey will keep you engaged and connected as she navigates a twisted web of deceit and danger. When a mysterious death occurs, Darby’s hacking skills and keen understanding of human nature are put to the test in an environment where every guest—and even the host, billionaire Andy Ronson—becomes a potential suspect.
The series excels in building suspense, with each episode peeling back layers of intrigue surrounding Ronson’s secretive “Retreat” project. But when you think you’ve figured it out, the true culprit is revealed to be more unexpected and disturbing than anyone.
The finale leaves viewers contemplating the ethical implications of AI’s role in our lives and raises haunting questions about accountability in an increasingly automated world. A must-watch for fans of mystery and tech-driven drama!
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Photo credit: Lucas Oleniuk, licensed through Getty Images