Peg Fong is a journalist and an educator. She is the Vancouver writer for The Economist Magazine, a journalism instructor at Langara College and a business communications lecturer at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The former western bureau chief of The Toronto Star, Peg was also a staff reporter at The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun and the CBC. In 2020, she was the creator and host of the podcast Alone Together: A Curious Exploration of Loneliness and the author of the young adult book of the same title published in March 2024 by Orca Books. The Spanish version of the show Juntos en Soledad reached the top 10 of the podcast charts in Mexico in 2023. Japanese and Korean versions of the show will launch in 2024.
Her writing has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, The Sydney Morning Herald, New Zealand Herald, the South China Morning Post and The New Quarterly.
Speaking topics
Loneliness and Curiosity
We are living in lonely times. Loneliness is now a global epidemic. The health risks associated with it have cost billions and have factored in everything from cardiovascular diseases to dementia to depression and anxiety. Our sense of isolation is universally recognized, yet it is an intensely private feeling. We all experience loneliness differently. Still, are there things we can share from being alone together? The biggest lessons we can learn about loneliness are found through curiosity and understanding the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
Students and Resilience
Students today face challenges and distractions that previous generations never did. An increasing number of competing demands on their time and attention can hinder their academic performance. We can’t blame it all on social media. First-generation students have even more unique obstacles and often can’t relate to other students who share the same classroom. Innovative communication and learning techniques can help create communities in the educational environment and bring students together.
Building Social Connections Anywhere at Anytime Through Storytelling
From boardrooms to classrooms, around family dinner tables, and around the world, the communities created by shared experiences bind us to each other. We can all learn to be better business leaders, colleagues and educators when we listen and become a community through the gift we can all give and receive: storytelling. This talk is a workshop with writing prompts and brainstorming ideas to use stories to solve problems, find solutions and build confidence.
Journalism, Communications and Public Interest
Imagine a world without journalism. Ethical journalism and communications have never been more critical in today’s world. We live in a time when truth and objectivity are considered untrustworthy and unattainable. How can we trump cynicism about how journalists and communicators inform and engage with the public? This talk is an interactive and hands-on workshop where small groups break down how trust is earned and maintained.
Selected Media
CBC TV News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Sam Sullivan’s Salon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Apostrophe podcast: https://apostrophepodcasts.ca/
To book Peg Fong, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.