On September 15th, well-known Saskatoon writer and cultural commentator Craig Silliphant will release a new book of non-fiction humour called, Bunnyhug Cynic.
In Bunnyhug Cynic, Craig Silliphant serves up a collection of comedic essays about pop culture, the crushing absurdity of existence, and the glory days of Bonanza Steakhouse.
With irreverent humour, Gen X cynicism, and rock n’ roll prose, Silliphant muses about God, swearing as an art form, and what Gord Downie’s death meant to Canada. He spends a weekend with the Stanley Cup, questions why we’re still Saskatchewan Roughrider fans, and nurses a grudge for an overplayed Bob Seger hit. He’s attacked by a murder of crows, cursed by cheap furniture, and exasperated by everything from censorship to Gen Z fashion to the modern multiplex.
At the heart of the book is the standout essay Salad Bar Days, a nostalgic and hilarious tribute to his teen years bussing tables at Bonanza.
Bunnyhug Cynic is a prairie-spun salad bar of truth bombs, with croutons of cultural critique, smothered in a rich comedy sauce. It’s in the vein of writers like Chuck Klosterman, David Sedaris, and David Foster Wallace, with a deeply Saskatchewan point of view.
Craig Silliphant is an award-winning writer, film and music critic, broadcaster, advertising strategist, and filmmaker. His first book, Exile Off Main Street, was a non-fiction history of Saskatoon’s music scene. His second book was a short story collection called Nothing You Do Matters. Both are local best-sellers. He has freelanced as a writer and commentator in both mainstream and underground outlets, including CBC, CTV, Post Media, Rawlco Radio, CFCR, Shaw/Rogers TV, and more. He was also writer and co-producer on the award-winning Global Television documentary, Stolen Sisters, about missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife, son, and daughter.
Bunnyhug Cynic is available in Saskatoon or online at Turning the Tide, McNally Robinson, and Amazon.ca (including Kindle format).