Meet the Blogger – Curtis Leblanc

Another edition of the Meet the Blogger series, today we talk to someone I only started reading recently, Curtis Leblanc. Curtis writes at his own site called Oil! The Blog, and he does good work there, he’s and advanced stats writer but does a great job of simplifying his views into something that is easy to read for a simpleton like me. So without further ado let’s see what Curtis has to say.

When did you start writing about hockey? What got you into it?

I’ve been writing in some form or another for a long time now—I have my BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and am currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate there as well. I always played hockey growing and I’ve always loved my Oilers. When I started really dipping into the Oilogosphere, reading the staple sites like Oilers Nation and Copper & Blue and Lowetide, I thought to myself: Hey, this is something I want to do. So I applied in February of 2013 to write for the Bleacher Report, covered the Oilers there for a brief stint, and then opted to start my own blog, Oil!. In doing so, I had complete control over the content and the aesthetic. That was, and still is, important to me.

Are there any writers that you look up to? If so, who are they and why?

I really admire Allan Mitchell (Lowetide). He’s an incredibly clever and prolific writer, and he’s constantly looking to put a creative spin on his work. I appreciate that, as well as his approachability. Jonathan Willis is another bright mind with a strong voice. I always loved reading Dellow’s stuff, too.

If you could give any advice to people interested in getting into writing about sports…what would it be?

I would tell them to just go out and do it. There are so many platforms for self-publishing on the internet these days, and if there is anything I’ve learnt from the “Summer of Analytics” it’s that if you’re out there doing good work, the right people are bound to notice eventually.

Do you specialize in types of writing (analytical, post/pre game blogs, prospects, opinion pieces…all of the above)?

There was a bit of a learning curve when I started the site in that I wasn’t really sure what kind of writing I wanted to do. I put out some narrative-driven pieces and I did a little bit of analysis as well. I seem to have boiled my philosophy down to this: If I have a question I can’t find the answer to in the blogosphere, then I’ll do the digging and write it down myself. For me, good sportswriting achieves a balance between being entertaining and being educational/informative, and one probably shouldn’t be privileged at the expense of the other. I’m no doubt guilty of breaking that rule now and again, but I try.

Do you have a favorite article that you’ve written or one that got a lot of positive feedback or criticism? Tell me a bit about it.

My post titled Man Games Lost and Major Penalties (http://oiltheblog.com/2013/09/22/man-games-lost-and-major-penalties/) got a little bit of attention when I published it last year. Bruce McCurdy was gracious enough to link to it at Cult of Hockey, Rob Vollman did the same at Bleacher Report, and so did Sean Gentille at Sporting News. That was exactly the kind of boost I needed to keep going at that point in time I think.

What sites do you currently write for? Favorite team(s)?

Right now I’m writing about the Oilers at my site, Oil! (www.oiltheblog.com). I’m always writing fiction and poetry, and doing my best to publish online and in print. I’ve been a musician for a long time, and have a full length album coming out next month on a new Vancouver-based label called The Weingartner Phonogram Co.

Where can we find you on social media? Twitter/Facebook etc

My twitter handle is @soupfromthecan. I tweet about hockey mostly, but you might catch me drooling over a Karen Solie poem or a Raymond Carver story every now and then.

Once again thanks to Curtis for doing this, he’s very well versed in his writing and as you can see from his education he’s more than qualified to do so. A newer blogger in the Oilers realm, make sure you check out all of his articles at OilTheBlog. He’s another on the huge list of don’t miss Oilers Bloggers.

Thanks for Reading.