Neill McKee
Author Interview - Neill McKee
Author of My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Maker
Neill McKee takes us on an entertaining journey through the developing world from 1970 to 2012. The story starts when he becomes a “one-man film crew,” documenting the lives of Canadian CUSO volunteers working in Asia and Africa as teachers, medical doctors, nurses, engineers, agriculturalists, foresters, and a biologist. He learns the craft of filmmaking and meets and marries Elizabeth “on the hoof.” The story is enlivened throughout by their challenges and adventures together, and Elizabeth’s growing artistic talent and creations.
Beginning in 1975, the young couple settles in Ottawa and starts a family, while Neill roams the world for Canada’s International Development Research Centre. His award-winning films depict the agency’s philosophy and search for solutions to problems in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, education, health, water and sanitation, and more. Then in 1990, McKee joins UNICEF in Bangladesh, and later in Africa, where he initiates long-lasting multimedia programs for child health, with a focus on empowering girls. In 2001, he moves to Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, and then to Moscow, Russia, where he oversees similar initiatives. That experience leads him to a memorable last post in Washington, D.C. as director of a large global communication project.
Throughout the short chapters and in a brief epilogue, McKee reflects on the long-term impact of the projects he documented and of his media creations. His memoir is filled with compelling dialog, humorous and poignant incidents, thoughts on world development, vivid descriptions of people and places he visited, and many images, all of which bring readers into his “University of the World.”
Author Interview - Neill McKee
Author I draw inspiration from:
This book is the fourth and final personal memoir I have written. They all connect in a way but are otherwise stand-alone stories of different periods of my life. For each of my other memoirs (see list below), I read many other books as background to learning how to write creative non-fiction/memoirs, so that built up my skill to tackle this one about my career, marriage, and family life. (Kid on the Go! Memoir of My Childhood and Youth; Finding Myself in Borneo: Sojourns in Sabah; Guns and Gods in My Genes: A 15,000-mile North American Search Through Four Centuries of History, to the Mayflower)
Author Interview - Neill McKee | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I like listening to audiobooks while walking every morning and evening for exercise.
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Previously I became an author of more technical books on the use of communication for behavior and social change, but I never thought I'd become a creative writer. When I retired from my long international career in 2013, I started to work as a consultant in my field. But my heart wasn't in it. I wanted a change. I had all these entertaining stories in my head from my experiences around the world, so I started learning to write creative nonfiction.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I don't like reading ebooks because I find it hard to stare at the screen when I want to relax. I love walking and listening to audiobooks. I order paperbacks and sometimes hardbacks if I want to refer to them for later reference, but I usually find the font too small for my eyes. I often have to wear a second pair of magnifying glasses. I often underline books and mark them up.
The last book I read:
Sparks: China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future by Ian Johnson. I found it to be a revealing read into the growing resistance I knew little about and how China's leaders continually try to rewrite history, creating near total fantasy to control their grip on power. It reminded me about how certain political elements and writers have always done the same in the US and how they are still doing it today.
Author Interview - Neill McKee | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I read/listen to many memoirs in the genre and period I am writing about and make notes on all the reference documents I can lay my hands on. I sketch out the basic outline/sequence and then I start writing. I build story upon story, chapter upon chapter, often changing the order or place of paragraphs, sticking to an overall theme and sub-themes. I read and revise the final manuscript about 50 times, both before and after my editor goes through it. .
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I had my dream career as a filmmaker and media producer, and now have written about it.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The late 60s and early 70s hip culture with bellbottom pants and flowery shirts.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Nowhere, actually. I have lived overseas in Asia, Africa, and Russia for 18 years and traveled to about 80 countries on short-term assignments or vacations. My travels are over, except for short trips in New Mexico, to Canada, and within the US to see my family and old friends.
My signature drink:
Pinot Grigio wine
Favorite artist:
My life-partners' great calligraphic creations. https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/
Number one on my bucket list:
Traveling around New Mexico to explore, meet people, photograph, and record history and stories to create another book.
Find more from the author:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/neill-mckee-b9971b65/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/McKeeNeill/
About Neill McKee:
Neill McKee is a creative nonfiction writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My University of the World: Memoir of an International Film & Media Maker is a stand-alone sequel to his first travel memoir, Finding Myself in Borneo: Sojourns in Sabah, which has won three awards. McKee holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree in Communication from Florida State University. He worked internationally for 45 years, becoming an expert in the field of communication for behavior and social change. He directed and produced a number of award-winning documentary films/videos, popular multimedia initiatives, and has written numerous articles and three books in the field of development communication. During his international career, McKee was employed by Canadian University Service Overseas (now CUSO International); the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada; UNICEF in Asia and Africa; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; the Academy for Educational Development and FHI 360, Washington, D.C. He worked and lived in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, and Russia for a total of 18 years and traveled to over 80 countries on short-term assignments. In 2015, he settled in New Mexico, where he uses his varied experiences, memories, and imagination in creative writing.
