An afternoon of coffee and fresh ideas
On Sunday, December 10, you are invited to come out to the roastery at Bean North Café and listen to readings by several poets and writers.
Jessica Simon
Freelance Writer and What’s Up Yukon columnist Jessica Simon was a frequent contributor to What’s Up Yukon who wrote columns on books, mining and a variety of other topics. She will be sadly missed, she had so many more stories to share with us all.
Fresh poetic summer reads
Auguries, by Clea Roberts Whitehorse author Clea Roberts newest book, Auguries, is published by Brick Books. The title “Auguries” refers to an ancient practice of The Romans: reading the future from the sky considering the birds in the air and their style of flying. It is her second collection of poems and deals with the …
Bringing Yukon literature to the world stage
Each October, the city of Frankfurt in Germany plays host to the second largest literary trade fair in the world, with 7,153 exhibitors representing 106 countries present in 2016. The Frankfurt Book Fair (known as the Frankfurter Buchmesse (FBM), in German,) is a tradition spanning more than 500 years, with the first book fair being …
Experiencing creative writing in Namibia
I am sitting in the Lemon Tree Restaurant in Windhoek, Namibia, waiting for my fellow writers to show up. It is raining, and everybody is happy about that. We write in 10 minute sections to a prompt and then we share what we have written. We only give positive feedback to encourage each other; this …
A week full of poetry
It was a rainy and windy afternoon in LePage Park on Friday, July 11, when author Jessica Simon started reading her poem, “A Spot to Watch the Fireworks”. She was followed by Whitehorse-based writers Joanna Lilley, Jerome Stueart, Christine Hakim, and Lorri Garris. It was the first event organized by the new society: The Yukon …
Simon says, Put your writing first
If you asked your spouse if you could take five years off work in order to devote your time to writing, what would they say? Jessica Simon’s husband not only said yes, he threw in another two years and gave her seven. His faith in her has paid off. It’s only Year 5 and she’s …
From Ice to Ashes
An excerpt from Jessica Simon’s New Book Chapter One … Under the skiff of snow that blew across the parking lot, a row of footprints trailed from Fanger’s truck – a pile of rust so old it said Datsun on the tailgate – to a line of nearby trees. He opened the door and empties …
This is your paper
I shall, from time to time, give to the readers of What’s Up Yukon information about the state of this arts and recreation paper. This lead paragraph was ripped off from Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution because I feel such an examination of the stories we bring to readers is just as noble …
Reviewers under review
Like mushrooms after rain, interesting mini-discussions pop up spontaneously from time to time on the ArtsNet list serve. A recent one that caught my eye concerned the age-old topic of arts reviews/critiques: what are they, what purpose do they serve, what’s the difference, and “Hey, who decides who gets to write them, anyway?” No doubt …
Writing from Watson
Tor Forsberg writes from Watson Lake. Her publishing credits include “Me Yukon”, which won the 2009 LUSH short story competition sponsored by subTerrain magazine, a story anthologized in Polar Express and numerous profiles and features for the Yukon News. In March 2010 her first book, North of Iskut, was published by Caitlin Press. Below is …
This toughest race in the world is not for the dogs
“Sleep?” Jessica Simon asks incredulously. “Hardly ever!” This is, after all, the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a race that follows the trail of the world’s toughest sled dog race … without benefit of a dog team. Running as much as 300 miles in five to eight days, these competitors will spend about three to six hours …
This toughest race in the world is not for the dogs Read More »