THIS BOOK IS A TRIBUTE to the longstanding work Reingard Nischik has done in Canadian and in Comparative North American Studies. It is published on the occasion of her retirement from the university— although she will continue to publish and be a voice in Canadian and Comparative Studies—and to take stock of recent work by Canadianists around the world. The focus is deliberately broad. Most pieces compare American and Canadian artifacts and range from literature to opera to visual culture. Reingard's exceptional endeavors in making Canadian literature known beyond Canada are honored by two prominent Canadian writers and academics, Margaret Atwood and Aritha van Herk, in their creative pieces in the coda to this book. Included in the coda are also a few photographs as visual testimony to a long academic journey. Both editors are former students of Reingard, and this book is also a token of their gratitude for decades of academic support and friendship. Throughout her career, Reingard Nischik has put enormous efforts into successfully promoting promising young scholars. We speak for all of them today in saying: thank you, Reingard!

Books are made of great ideas and contributions but also of thorough editing, proofreading, and attention to a plethora of details. We would like to thank Florian Wagner, Caroline Bündgen, and Amanda Halter for their conscientious and efficient proofreading and formatting of this volume. Last but not least, we would like to thank Jim Walker from Camden House who, as always, has been incredibly supportive, level-headed, and competent. This book was supported by funding from the Office for Equal Opportunity, Family Affairs, and Diversity at the University of Konstanz and the German Association of Canadian Studies in German-Speaking Countries.