James Hees

Join former CBC journalist James Hees at Audreys Books for a special meet and greet and book signing featuring his memoir, Born to be Mild.

There is something fitting about returning to CBC Radio, this time on the other side of the microphone. James Hees recently joined CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM with Tara McCarthy to talk about his memoir, Born to be Mild, and to look back on a life and career that have given him no shortage of material. A former CBC journalist, James spent years telling other people’s stories for radio and television. In Born to be Mild, he turns that attention on himself, revisiting the unexpecte

Listen to CBC Radio Monday morning at 6:50 as Edmonton AM host Tara McCarthy interviews Born to be Mild author, James Hees.

Born to be Mild is what James Hees calls a “misremembered memoir,” a darkly humorous look back at a youth spent standing uncomfortably close to danger. Told with sharp wit and self-deprecating humour, Hees revisits the remarkable characters, near misses and unexpected turns that ultimately shaped his life.

Born to be Mild, a memoir of sorts, makes its mellow debut in three days. It's a coming-of-age story of a mild child's metamorphosis in the not-so-mild wild west. Head to my website to learn more: authorjameshees.com.

T minus four days to launch. The book is ready for lift off. All systems are go! Born to be Mild will rocket into orbit Monday August 10. You will find a link on my website: authorjameshees.com.

My coming of age memoir Born to be Mild will be published later this summer. In the meantime, I'm hoping to seduce you with a sample of Pocketbook Prophylactics, one of the chapters in the book. Go to authorjameshees.com to learn more. As I shifted into third, Susan moved right beside me, left arm around my neck, right hand on my leg. Rather than savouring the moment, I obsessed. ‘What did I do with that rubber I had’? Ever since I was 14, I stashed a condom in my wallet. So

Eddie Money was not only a rock and roll icon because of a string of hit songs, he was also known for his comedic manner. I had a face-to-face encounter with Eddie and his comical nature when he was one of the headliners at a rock concert put on by the radio station I was working for. I've written about it in my book, Born to be Mild. Here's an excerpt: "I was in a hotel elevator crowded with rock stars. We were headed to a top floor suite where the group Heart was having an

Every time wildfire smoke dims the summer sun and makes it harder to breathe, I think back to being surrounded by the forest fire my crew and I were fighting when I was a teenager. We were in a mountainous area of British Columbia called the Wildhorse. The event is chronicled in my soon to be published book, Born to be Mild. Here's a sample: We lugged the 60 pound millstones we called piss cans up a steep hill to a thick grove of trees at the edge of the fire. Wading through

I'm excited to be able to tell you my book will finally be launched in July! Born to be Mild has been a labour of love for more than a decade. Sometimes disturbing and often hilarious accounts of incidents I experienced while making my way from the poor side of a small town to receiving journalism awards in the Big Apple. More information coming this week.

Some memoirs are written to celebrate a life. Others are written to explain one. In Born to be Mild, James Hees does neither. Instead, he tells stories. With the keen eye of a journalist and the timing of a seasoned storyteller, Hees introduces readers to a cast of unforgettable characters, improbable situations, and moments that are by turns funny, unsettling, and surprisingly moving. His humour is rarely loud. More often, it emerges from the contrast between ordinary people

At first glance, the title Born to be Mild sounds like a contradiction. After all, the memoir recounts a life filled with close calls, questionable decisions, colourful characters, and situations that often teetered on the edge of disaster. Yet the title is more than a play on words—it reflects the personality at the heart of the story. Unlike the fearless adventurers often celebrated in coming-of-age tales, James Hees never saw himself as a risk-taker. Growing up in a poor n

In Born to be Mild, former CBC journalist James Hees reflects on a life spent standing uncomfortably close to danger. Growing up in a working-class community in