"Canadiensis": Our Substack Newsletter

Dear Readers,

In April 2025 Dr. Arianna Dagnino and Dr. Stefano Gulmanelli launched "Canadiensis. Letters from Cananda", a bilingual (EN/IT) and at times trilingual (adding French to the language mix) newsletter exploring Canada in the 21st century — a nation navigating profound internal transformations while confronting the challenges posed by the second Trump presidency: https://canadiensis.substack.com

In May 2025, Arianna and Stefano set out on a 75-day, 21,000-kilometre coast-to-coast reporting journey, travelling from Vancouver, BC, to St. John’s, NL, and back. Their goal was simple yet ambitious: to listen. Along the way, they gathered voices, stories, and perspectives from Canadians of all walks of life — artists, entrepreneurs, fishermen, farmers, academics, newcomers, Indigenous leaders, youth, and retirees — capturing how people across this vast country imagine their present and future.

WHAT IS CANADIENSIS AND WHO WE ARE

What began as a travel-reporting expedition has evolved into an ongoing journalistic and cultural project. The weekly postings have continued long after their return, offering readers a panoramic and nuanced portrait of Canada at a defining historical moment. Written in English, Italian, and at times French, the newsletter bridges cultures and expands access to conversations that are often confined within provincial borders.

Each issue blends literary journalism, field reporting, cultural commentary, and photographic storytelling. Topics range widely: the climate crisis as lived in coastal and rural communities; the tensions and hopes of multiculturalism; the shifting realities of higher education; rural revitalization and urban alienation; Indigenous cultural resurgence; the complexities of migration; and Canada’s strategic posture in a world marked by geopolitical uncertainty — especially in relation to the United States under Trump.

The project gives particular attention to places and people often overlooked by mainstream media: remote towns, minority communities, independent creators, and local voices who illuminate how national and global events reverberate in everyday life. Through these encounters, the newsletter traces the threads that bind Canadians together while acknowledging the fractures, contradictions, and unresolved questions that mark this period.

At its core, the newsletter is an invitation: to slow down, to observe, to consider Canada not only as a political entity but as a mosaic of lived experiences and shifting identities. It speaks to readers who seek thoughtful, contextualized analysis — beyond headlines, beyond stereotypes, beyond entrenched narratives.

Whether you are Canadian, connected to Canada through heritage or interest, or simply curious about the social and cultural transformations of a northern democracy in turbulent times, this newsletter offers insight, depth, and a human-scale perspective.

Join us as we continue mapping the country — one story, one encounter, one horizon at a time: "Canadiensis. Letters from Cananda," https://canadiensis.substack.com

Arianna Dagnino was born in Genoa, Italy and studied Russian in Russia, wrote her Master’s thesis in the United States (earning her degree from the University of Genoa), authored a novel inspired by her years in South Africa, and completed a PhD in Comparative Literature in Australia. She is a writer, professional journalist, and researcher at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. – www.ariannadagnino.com

Arianna Dagnino in Lumsden, NS

Stefano Gulmanelli holds a degree in Economics and a PhD in Sociology. He has lived many lives—corporate manager, startup entrepreneur, journalist, photographer, and academic—and in many countries, including the Middle East, Albania, South Africa, Australia, and Canada. Today, all these experiences inform the stories he tells through words and images. He has been visiting Sestri Levante for 30 years and considers himself an “adopted Sestrino.” – www.stefanogulmanelli.com