Ninety year-old author, speaker & activist Ward Kaiser kicks off his Book Tour for How Maps Change Things. Last week he spoke at two locations in his home province of Ontario: at a local Rotary club meeting and at the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. This week, on Thursday October 24th he'll be at A Different Booklist, an alternative bookstore, at 746 Bathurst Street, Toronto Ontario, Canada M5S 2R6 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM. For details and directions contact the store at 416.538.0889 or Email: info@adifferentbooklist.com (Web: www.adifferentbooklist.com )

Elaine Kelly, president of the local Rotary in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada says, "It was a pleasure to have Ward Kaiser present to our Rotary@ Noon Club. He demonstrated how current issues, such as Israel/Palestinian strife, relate to the maps we have seen and used. His message connects to the Rotary Foundation's mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. The visual aspects of maps presented are powerful - a picture says a thousand words! You would never guess he was 90-years old when you hear him talk with passion about social justice issues, and the way maps can change our view of world. He made the issues relevant and local when he spoke about Native Land Claims in the Caledonia / Grand River area…near where our club meets…Everyone could relate to the message he shared."

Born in Ontario, lived for a time in France, passed exams in five languages, Ward Kaiser still has trouble understanding one common word in English. That word is retire. See his Dirty Dozen Surprises from the writing of How Maps Change Things at http://www.openbookontario.com/news/dirty_dozen_ward_kaiser

Kaiser was featured in an article published by NIAGARA THIS WEEK  See: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/4030066-when-the-map-is-not-the-territory/

The online journal EXCHANGE featured a story about the Waterloo Seminary event to launch Kaiser's book on how maps change the world and our perceptions of it. That event was hosted by Mark W. Harris, Director, Leadership in Ministry at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. Harris, an Assistant Professor of Functional Theology and Director of Leadership in Ministry says, "Kaiser is an excellent story-teller….his book launch event featured interesting and accessible real life examples of how perceptions created by maps help or hinder our prejudgements about the world. It was eye-opening to learn how maps can reflect theologies or political agendas that are not always obvious…Kaiser brought along an interesting variety of maps, demonstrated their underlying assumptions, and how they in turn shape our perceptions of the world we live in. He provided a helpful and valuable perspective, and one that is not readily available…even to those well-versed in geography."

After these three Canadian events Kaiser, who holds dual USA and Canadian citizenship, heads to Florida with his wife, Lorraine, and is planning a series of events while based in the Orlando area.

Kaiser will have some help getting the word out about his new book, which was first published as an ebook by New Internationalist Magazine in 2012 for $9.99. The paperback edition (9"x12", 160 pages) was published by Wood Lake Press of British Columbia in June of 2013 and is being distributed in the USA by ODTmaps for $31.95. Distributing the paperback to the faith-based market in the USA is Westminster John Knox. ODTmaps has a cadre of "map ambassadors" to help reach areas of North America that might not otherwise have an opportunity to see the maps, and hear the message of how maps can change the world we live in. Contact odtstore@odt.org to arrange local events for bookstores, colleges, community centers, or places of worship.

Media can contact ODT to interview the author or to receive an ebook or hardcopy of How Maps Change Things  1-800-736-1293, 413-549-1293, odtstore@odt.org, or SKYPE at ODTinc

Ward Kaiser on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLm-hU0qd3k

Ward's colleague, Art Bauer, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9tEI55GxY0 Discussing the faith-based origins of the Peters World Map

Sample chapters of the book are available for free download at: http://www.odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_howmapschangethings_A_Contents=TAB4

Reviews are at: http://www.odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_howmapschangethings_A_Contents=TAB2

Table of Contents: http://www.odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_howmapschangethings_A_Contents=TAB3

An excerpt showing maps of Israel/Palestine is at: http://pointlomadem.org/2013/06/11/mapping-for-peace-without-a-map/

And more detail on the book is at: http://www.expertclick.com/NRWire/Releasedetails.aspx?id=45967

Background on the Peters Map, which Kaiser published, is at this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osQN7aSQV9w