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Sam Forster

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Canadian American writer
Sam Forster
Born (1996-12-17) December 17, 1996 (age 28)
Edmonton, Canada
NationalityCanadian, American
EducationUniversity of Alberta ,
University of Toronto
Occupation(s)writer, journalist, cultural critic and war correspondent

Samuel Forster is a Canadian American journalist and cultural critic whose 2024 book, Americosis, was awarded the Sutherland House Prize for non-fiction.

Early life and education

Forster has a Bachelor's of Arts from the University of Alberta and a master's degree from the University of Toronto.

While in Toronto, Forster was a graduate associate at the centre for ethics where he researched the application of neuroscientific evidence in criminal court proceedings.

Early Career

Forster has contributed to various print and digital publications, including Canada's National Observer and City & State, primarily writing about culture and economic affairs.

In 2022, Forster worked for The Buenos Aires Times, an English-language newspaper owned by Perfil.

During the spring of 2023, Forster travelled throughout Ukraine, covering the Russo-Ukrainian War as a correspondent for The National Post and Unherd.

In the aftermath of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, while reporting on pro-Palestine demonstrations in Montreal, Forster published video footage that became the centre of controversy in the Canadian media. Responding to the footage, Canadian Minister of Immigration Marc Miller released a public statement expressing serious concern: "Disgusted and ashamed to see these scenes glorifying death and terror, in Montreal, the city I love and the city I represent. Hamas is a terrorist organization and nobody should glorify their bloody cowardly violence." Alberta member of parliament Mike Lake also responded to the footage, condemning the protestors.

In the winter of 2024, Forster travelled to Lebanon and Israel to report on the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict for The Spectator.

Americosis

In January 2024 Forster released his first book, Americosis, which received the first Sutherland House non-fiction prize.

The American Spectator praised Americosis for its creative ambition, noting that "like the documentarian Frederick Wiseman, Forster possesses a kind of cinema verité style for his subject."

Seven Shoulders

Forster's second book, Seven Shoulders: Taxonomizing Racism in Modern America, generated significant international controversy upon its announcement due to Forster's immersive journalistic approach. The work chronicles Forster going undercover as a black man while traveling across the United States in order to document modern forms of racism. Forster cited the work of prominent civil rights leader and Martin Luther King Jr. ally John Howard Griffin, who wrote a similar book titled Black Like Me, as literary inspiration. Black Like Me is widely regarded as one of the most important literary contributions of the Civil Rights movement, with Griffin receiving overwhelming praise for his journalistic efforts to expose the realities of the Jim Crow South to American whites.

In a public statement issued after the book's release, Forster emphasized the importance of engaging with black writers and leaders on the issue of race relations, pointing out that Seven Shoulders features interviews with multiple black subjects. He also clarified that the work was meant to be understood as a piece of gonzo journalism rather than as a conventionally structured non-fiction book.

Canadian Affairs

In August of 2024, Canadian Affairs announced that Forster had joined the outlet as a staff reporter. In a public statement posted to X, the outlet's publisher Lauren Heuser said, "We're incredibly excited to welcome @ForsterSam to our team. Sam has the intrepid nature we look for in our reporters."

References

  1. Posted, Bob Armstrong (2023-01-28). "Transit rides land author book prize". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  2. Forster, Sam (2024-05-30). Seven Shoulders: Taxonomizing Racism in Modern America. Slaughterhouse Media. ISBN 979-8-218-43305-5.
  3. Maimann, Kevin (June 2, 2024). "Black scholars criticize white writer's 'dehumanizing' use of blackface to write book on U.S. race relations". CBC Canada.
  4. Chen, Stacy S.; McCoy, Liam G.; Forster, Samuel; Brenna, Connor T. A.; Lipsman, Nir; Das, Sunit (2022-01-02). "Continuums of Capacity, Binaries of Guilt: The Sociopolitical Role of Neuroethics in Criminal Justice". AJOB Neuroscience. 13 (1): 25–28. doi:10.1080/21507740.2021.2001082. ISSN 2150-7740. PMID 34931954. S2CID 245354989.
  5. Forster, Samuel. "Samuel Forster | Canada's National Observer: Climate News". www.nationalobserver.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  6. "Samuel Forster - CSNY". City & State New York. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  7. "Beyond Local: Alberta writer defends donning blackface for new book after intense backlash". Rocky Mountain Outlook. 2024-05-31. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  8. Forster, Samuel (July 29, 2023). "Canadian demining equipment joins battle against unexploded ordnance in Ukraine". The National Post.
  9. Albuquerque, Jenel Treza (Jun 1, 2024). "Who Is Sam Forster? 'Seven Shoulders' Author Slammed For Disguising As Black Man". Times Now World.
  10. Hopper, Tristin (October 11, 2023). "FIRST READING: The 'pro-Palestinian' rallies that explicitly celebrated mass-murder". The National Post.
  11. Miller, Marc (October 8, 2023). "X Post".
  12. Lake, Mike (October 8, 2023). "X post".
  13. Forster, Sam (2024-04-08). "Why Blue Line peace is proving elusive". The Spectator World. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  14. Forster, Samuel (March 24, 2024). "In Israel's evacuated north, lives suspended and upended: 'We face barrages of rockets almost every day'". National Post.
  15. Whyte, Kenneth (July 2, 2022). "Kenneth Whyte: Canada Council is abusing its mandate with its bonkers exclusion of fact-based nonfiction". The National Post.
  16. Larson, Thomas. "Americosis: Riding to Nowhere ... In Public - The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator | USA News and Politics". The American Spectator | USA News and Politics. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  17. Wise, Alana (June 7, 2024). "With Maybelline Mocha and an Afro wig, white author explores 'Blackness' in a new book". NPR.
  18. Marcus, Josh (2024-05-30). "Backlash after white writer publishes book about traveling US 'disguised as black man'". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  19. Callas, Brad. "Twitter Rips White Writer Who 'Disguised' Himself as Black Man for Book on Race". Complex. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  20. Reporter, Mandy Taheri Weekend (2024-05-29). "White journalist who "disguised" himself as Black faces backlash". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  21. Forster, Sam (June 2, 2024). "X Post". X.
  22. Heuser, Lauren (August 21, 2024). "X post". X.
  23. "Samuel Forster". CANADIAN AFFAIRS. 2024-10-30. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
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