Before You Read a Profile: A Checklist for Canadian Personalities

Start with what the piece is built from

Every profile rests on a pile of material, and the first thing I check is what that pile is made of. A good piece about a singer, a novelist or a woodworker draws on work you can find yourself: albums, books, screenings, gallery shows, published interviews, a stall at a craft fair. If the writer never tells you where the details come from, treat the piece as pleasant noise rather than reliable reading.

At the Ledger, profiles under Canadian Personalities are drawn from public work. That means we describe what a person has released, written or made, and what they have said openly. We do not claim private conversations we did not have, and we do not dress up guesses as insight. When you read any profile, ask whether you could trace each major claim back to something real.

This habit takes a minute and saves you from a lot of flattering fiction.

• Can the work be found, heard or seen by the reader?
• Are sources named in plain words?
• Does the writer separate what is known from what is assumed?

Look at how quotations are handled

Quotations carry a profile, and they are also where careless writing hides. A line in quotation marks should have a clear home: a published interview, a liner note, a talk that was recorded and shared publicly. If the quote floats free with no setting, be cautious. If it sounds too neat, be a little more cautious.

Our rule is simple. We quote only words that exist in the public record, and we say where they appeared. Where we paraphrase, we paraphrase fairly and keep the meaning intact. We would rather give you a modest, accurate sentence than a dramatic one the person never said.

When you meet a quotation, ask yourself whether it reads like speech or like an advertisement. Real people hesitate, qualify and wander. A voice that is always polished may have been polished by someone else.

• Is each quotation tied to a stated source?
• Does the tone sound like a person, not a press release?

Check the tone: admiration is not the same as care

Warmth is welcome in a profile; flattery is not. A piece that calls everything brilliant and every album a masterpiece tells you about the writer's enthusiasm and little about the subject. Look for specifics instead: the instrument that carries the second verse, the way a novel handles a small-town setting, the reason a potter chose a particular glaze.

Writing with care, as our summary of this section puts it, means respecting the person while still being honest about the work. Not every project lands, and a fair profile can say so gently. It can also leave out what is none of our business, such as family troubles or health matters that the person has not chosen to share.

If a profile makes you want to listen, read or visit, it has done its job. If it only makes you feel you should already know the name, it has not.

• Are praise and detail balanced?
• Does the piece respect what the person has kept private?

Ask whether it is meant to last

Some pieces are tied to a single week and fade quickly. Others hold up for years because they explain a body of work rather than a headline. Before you commit your reading time, consider which kind you are holding. An evergreen profile will still make sense next spring: it explains who the person is, what they make and why it matters to those who care about Canadian music, film, books or craft.

We lean toward the lasting kind. A profile in the Ledger should help a reader who arrives cold, perhaps a friend you forward it to, and still leave something for those who already know the name.

If a piece depends on news you cannot verify, or on a moment that has already passed, it is probably not the right one to spend an evening with.

• Would this still read well in six months?
• Does it help a newcomer as well as a fan?

Notice who is writing and what they gain

Know the byline. A writer who has covered Canadian stages for years will bring context that a first-time visitor cannot, and that context is worth more than a long list of adjectives. Equally, look for any link between writer and subject. A friendship, a business tie or a paid arrangement does not make a piece worthless, but it should be stated.

I have spent two decades in theatres, halls and festival fields, and I try to say plainly when a performer is someone I have followed for a long time. Readers deserve to weigh that for themselves.

If a piece is paid for by someone, it should say so near the top. Silence on the matter is itself a signal worth noting before you trust the praise.

• Is the writer's background clear?
• Are any ties or payments disclosed?

Decide what you want from the reading

The final item on the list is about you. Do you want an introduction to someone new, a deeper look at an artist you already enjoy, or ideas for what to watch and hear this autumn? Each need points to a different kind of piece. A short portrait suits a first meeting; a longer survey of a career suits a keen follower.

Mid autumn is a good time for this kind of reading. Evenings are longer, concert halls are filling their calendars, and many of us are choosing what to borrow from the library or add to a weekend plan.

Pick the profile that answers your question, and put the others aside for another evening.

• New acquaintance or old favourite?
• Quick portrait or longer look?

A profile is worth your evening when it rests on public work, quotes honestly, treats its subject with care, lasts beyond the week and declares who wrote it and why. Run through these questions before you settle in, and you will spend less time on pieces that flatter and more on those that teach you something. That is the standard we hold ourselves to in every profile we publish.