As the Ice Melts is a project that takes the form of two videos which present stories and poetry on the theme of our changing environment. The work has been put together by Bielawski, Lilley and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations storyteller, Ron Chambers.
I know computers and have taught school students the miracles of manipulating music and noise with software. I could turn my stories into podcasts!
A favorite story by Johnnie Johns pf being trapped inside a moose and nearly freezing to death, told often at the Caribou Hotel in Caccross.
The story you tell in a restaurant is going to be different than the story one tells on a bus. It is nice to get unconventional storytellers into the Pivot Festival and into unusual venues for performances.
The Walk Between Worlds monthly storytelling event provides Yukoners a chance to hone their craft We’re all tellers of stories. Some are one-liners. Maybe you’re with your siblings, and one of you says, “remember the time Grandpa sneezed so hard his false teeth fell in the soup bowl” and you all laugh hysterically. That works …
I was fortunate enough to sit with Joe Jack, the grandson on Copper Chief, son of Billie Jack and Agnes Boss. Through stories, Jack traces his roots all the way back to Alaska. His great grandfather Taicho came to Canada in 1885. He has family in the Yukon and Alaska. Jack is taking the big …
I was up in the Yukon last week working with Gwaandak Theatre on a series of radio plays based on legends from Old Crow. It was great to see all my Vuntut Gwich’in relatives and meet the famed Paul Kennedy from the CBC radio program, Ideas. He looks nothing like he sounds on radio. Is that …
Denis McCrae saw an advertisement asking for volunteers at the Thomson Centre, about two years ago, and thought to himself, I have some time to spare, I can do that. He wasn’t quite certain what he was getting into, but McCrae is glad he did. It has turned out to be one of the best …
What’s it like to share the heart and soul of something you’ve written? Peter Jickling, the new host of Brave New Words, said, “It’s right in the title of the event. It’s brave.” Jickling’s goal is to take what can be intimidating—the “pouring out of your soul” and “to create a venue where people where …
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a great victory for Canada, but it came at a price. In this battle, there were more than 10,500 casualties and about 3,600 killed. To our knowledge, Herbert Lawless was the only known Yukoner to fall in this battle.
Ulrike Levins (left) and others celebrate completing the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition’s Voices Influencing Change program PHOTO: Courtesy of Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition Life isn’t always kind and rosy. Each of us experiences things we would rather not and, as a result, have a story to tell. These challenges sometimes leave deep hurts, wounds and scars that …
The widespread use of coal was one of the major factors in fueling the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s and early 1800s. In recent decades, however, coal has received a bad reputation as a major source of acid rain and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Then there has always been the proverbial threat of …
Mikka and others with type 1 diabetes are sharing their stories at the event My Failed Pancreas: Life with Type 1 Diabetes,
I don’t recall how long ago or what time, exactly, that I met Cor Guimond, but the moment I met him I knew he was going to be a lifelong friend.
When Coralie Ullyett first saw him at the bar a few years ago, she thought he was cute. Ullyett and some friends were visiting Atlin, B.C., for a girls’ weekend, and before settling into their rental cabin, they stopped at the recreation centre lounge for a drink. “I hadn’t heard about Bob before, and I was …
Al Oster plays in Hougens in 1961 – PHOTOS: courtesy of Rolf Hougen This article uses information and content shared by Rolf Hougen from the HougenGroup.com website to commemorate Al Oster.Our Yukon heritage is a mix of different traditions and different eras, including First Nations history, gold rush stories, the construction of the Alaska Highway …
Growing up, Kathy Jessup was always “the yakky little sister.” In Fort Nelson, where she was raised, she’s still known as “Kathy who likes to talk.” Her family still teases her about finding a way to turn her gift for gab into a career as a professional storyteller. When her current show starts in Canada …
When Leonard Linklater was growing up in Inuvik, NWT, there was one radio station on the dial. The CBC. Through the airwaves, Indigenous voices carried messages and music. “Louis Goose, Les Carpentier, they were all on the air! I was used to hearing Indigenous voices. Not a lot of them – the main broadcasters were …
Until fairly recently, I had no interest whatever in the idea of writing a book of memoirs. Like most people, I assumed nobody would care to read about the life journey of a nobody-in-particular. After all, autobiography is the purview of politicians, movie stars, generals and other colourful scoundrels. If I ever had the hubris …
“To come here is to travel into a past that still intrudes the present.” –an excerpt from A Walk With the Rainy Sisters: In Praise of British Columbia’s Places, by Stephen Hume Our environment says much to those who will listen, and author Stephen Hume is all ears. Distilled from curiosity and personal ruminations, Hume …
“What would I say my style is? It depends on what project I’m working on… I liked to say ‘contemporary aboriginal dancer’ for a long time, but that’s pretty broad – there are so many kinds of aboriginal dance and it’s all different… If you were writing a poem, you’d use whatever words and meters …
“Artists show the world unseen,” says Tahltan First Nation artist Rhoda Merkel. “Teachers show students a better form of themselves.” Merkel, who was raised in Whitehorse but lives in Atlin, combines both talents in her newest project, the Sam Johnston Storytelling Festival, which takes place Tuesday, March 7 in Teslin. The festival is a collaboration, …
The event’s honoured figure, Sam Johnston, is a venerated elder within the Teslin Community. He has been a politician, athlete and former chief of the Teslin Tlingit Council, as well as a celebrated community figure. “The goal of this day is to share some stories with (Johnston), make him feel special and thank him for …
Butterflies, Ravens and Tlingit Princesses – Oh My! Read More »
Faye Ferguson understands the value of documenting one’s life stories, for both the writer and the eventual reader. Ferguson is a personal historian based in Victoria, B.C. who helps people fashion their life stories into print or digital forms, either as full-length memoirs or as scrapbook-type snippets that highlight specific remembered moments or stages of …
Toronto-based poet Claire Caldwell’s role as writer-in-residence at the Berton House in Dawson City ends this month. Caldwell is no stranger to the Yukon. She lived in Whitehorse from ages three to nine. These years had a deep impact on Caldwell. That’s where she found her fascination for nature and the outdoors, she says. “Certain …
This is a story from many years ago, about the day I was followed by four bears – a close-call bear encounter kind of story. I was on a solstice hike up Kelvin Mountain with Allison Morham and Jane Vincent. Jane and I see each other regularly, but I only run into Allison every few …
Gabriola Islander Bob Bossin brings his one-man musical Davy the Punk to The Old Fire Hall next Thursday, Sept. 22 and to Dawson City the following week. The show is based on Bossin’s 2014 book of the same title. They tell the story of his father’s life in Canada’s gambling underworld of the 1930s. Both …
When Charles Ketchabauw and Lisa Marie DiLiberto rolled into Whitehorse late last month, they weren’t your typical rubber-tire tourists. Sure, they had two small kids and a teardrop trailer in tow, which made their eight-day journey from Toronto what DiLiberto terms “epic and absurd.” But they weren’t here to drink in the sights and sample …
On June 21st the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Society will be hosting National Aboriginal Day at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. The festivities are open to the public and will include games, music, food, kids activities and cultural displays. Krista Reid, the cultural programing coordinator for the society, says they are excited about this year’s event, …
For years I have heard the name Voltaire and have not had a chance to locate any of his works. Then the fateful day came when I went into Well Read Books and came across Candide. As I flew through the first couple of chapters at the Gold Pan, I found the charm of …
The Folk Society of Whitehorse has been hosting the famous Yukon-Alaska Coffee House for more than 25 years. This event features two coffee house evenings, back-to-back, in Skagway and Whitehorse. The Yukon evening of talent, which takes place on Saturday, will also serve as the finale to a series of Whitehorse coffee houses that happen …
This week shaped up to be a culturally ambitious one in Dawson City. The centerpiece of the week has been the Myth and Medium conference organized by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in’s Heritage Department and focusing on the performing arts. It’s not too late to take in some of the culture. The week’s performance workshops continue on …
Myth and Medium Focuses on Stories and Performance Read More »
There are extroverts and there are introverts—equals in life, just with different ways of having their “batteries” recharged. The extrovert is energized in social gatherings of larger groups and may mistakenly be thought of as “the life of the party.” Well, they may indeed be, but no less than the introvert who is energized in …
Ice is important. It allows people and wildlife to use or cross lakes, ponds and rivers. Ice also provides access to what’s below: fish, muskrats and water, for example. Unfortunately, the mild fall temperatures in many parts of Yukon have again delayed ice formation. This isn’t new. Recorded observations of Yukon River freeze-up in Whitehorse …
In the past two years the herd of Porcupine Caribou in Old Crow herd has gradually changed its natural migration route.
Temperatures were in the mid-30s while we were in Munich. Many of the people spoke English, but many others did not. Neither Joanne nor I speak German. We did experience moments of frustration because of miscommunications, but some of that kind of thing was to be expected. In the late afternoons we would retreat to …
Museum On Nov. 19 Yukoners can grab a drink and a snack at the Yukon Transportation Museum and hunker down for a favourite Yukon pastime: telling stories of backwoods adventures. The event, called Tales of the Trails, will feature Yukon storytellers Sharon Shorty, Ruth Carroll and David Neufeld among others, as well as music by …
Yukon First Nations are planning ways to offer authentic cultural experiences for visitors. The plan to bolster cultural tourism among the Yukon First Nations has been in the works for a while, but this week people from across the Yukon Territory are getting together for a conference in Whitehorse to discuss ways to strengthen this …
Claude Turcotte was the father of my two younger kids, Josh and Sophie Turcotte, also Dad to then-toddlers Geordie MacInnis and Lee Robitaille. He was my partner, lover and frenemy from 1979 to 1988, when his shenanigans became too much for me. Claude came to Yukon in 1973 to work in Clinton Creek, and stayed …
Wherever your travels take you, there is bound to be a place that has a ghost living in the shadows. England has the ghastly Tower of London, Romania has the mysterious Hoia Baciu forest, Japan has the eerie Hanging Ruins… Just over the border in Alaksa, our American neighbours have their fair share of haunting. …
Sharon Shorty and I first met back in 2005 when I worked at the Yukon College Library with her awesome husband, Derek Yap. Sharon was born and raised in Whitehorse and is a member of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation. She is a storyteller, beader, regalia maker, wife, playwright, mom, and actor. But what I …
They didn’t know the Caribou Hotel in Carcross was haunted when they bought it. “We’re pretty aware of it now, though,”
My favourite childhood memories are when Mom would take us to Fish Lake, just a few miles out of Whitehorse. We spent our summers there along with several other families during the 1950s. Though the summers at Fish Lake were my favourite times, there were always chores to do before playtime. Our mother, Carrie, was …
One day in 2011, Todd Pilgrim was returning from a hike when he saw something grey and silverish by the road. As he went closer, he discovered that it was a young tundra swan. It had a drooping wing and couldn’t fly away. That’s how real-life tale behind Pilgrim’s children’s book, Angie, the Tundra Swan, …
“ One hundred writers from around the world in 86 events”, was the motto of the 2014 Vancouver Writers Festival. It kicked off with an author many were looking forward to hearing from: Karl Ove Knausgaard, a literary sensation from Norway, who has published an autobiographical six-book-series called My Struggle. He writes about big issues …
Anyone who reads What’s up Yukon regularly will have come across the comic strip, Didee & Didoo. The comic was created by Old Crow resident, Allan Benjamin. It depicts a humourous take on the life of two Gwitchin elders. Along with his poetry, Didee & Didoo has been a fixture in WUY for the last …
Rude? Normally, yes. Eavesdropping is never in vogue, unless, of course, you’re a writer. Eavesdropping involves observing, listening and perhaps inhaling details, without being obnoxious. In public buildings, on buses, on the street … any venue could provide inspiration. It may be a conversation you’re in or one you’re listening to … What’s he saying? …
The muse is a mysterious woman, pursued then waited for, enticed then pleaded with; until she is loosed in our imagination. She is sometimes elusive and sometimes bold, declaring her presence. She is in what we see and hear and smell, and in what we taste and touch. The muse is our inspiration. She is …
At about that time, Jack was learning that a stitch in time, saves nine. Although it’s an extreme example, the above sentence will no doubt leave readers scratching their heads in confusion: At about what time? And, what was he learning (poor Jack)? When decoding a sentence becomes labour-intensive, the ghost of fresh-brewed goodness rises …
At What’s Up Yukon, it’s as easy as one, two, three. That’s right, this one’s about numbers. And … it gets complicated. Again, this is where your publication’s House Style trumps everything else. Most Canadian newspapers and magazines follow The Canadian Press Stylebook (CP Style), and that includes What’s Up Yukon. Numbers one to nine …
There’s a new folksinger passing through the Yukon … and he’s prepared. He may never have been North before, but Cort Delano’s “got my tin pan and gunny sack.” This Albertan roots musician, like many who make their first journey north, has a friend he grew up with, Darren Van Langen, a friend who has …
Why is it that some people have an insane amount of money while others have very little? This question popped into my head when I heard about a man who paid millions for the elite privilege of being a space tourist. There are no pat answers to questions like this. But, if I were to …
“Jesus wept.” That is the shortest verse in the Bible and one of the most powerful. It has a subject and a verb, and that’s enough. If this were the only verse you ever read, you would know something about the subject: He was human. He felt things deeply. He cried. What you wouldn’t know …
Before your vocal chords burst into the chorus from Julie Andrews’ “My Favorite Things” (dash it all, I hate to spoil your fun), I’m not talking about those kinds of things Something better. Some wonderful resources for writing and editing, which include books and websites. Now, wait a minute … I saw those fingers over …
With six books and three CDs to her credit, Ivan E. Coyote may be Yukon’s most prolific storyteller since the triumvirate of Service, London and Berton. Next month, Coyote will take the stage at the Atlin Arts and Music Festival, to deliver some of the “good old-fashioned kitchen table stories” that are her stock in …
It’s a challenge trying to engage an audience in a meaningful celebration of all of Canada’s national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas in 40 minutes or less. But the award-winning Mountain WIT Theatre Troupe has proven that it is possible. Mountain WIT is a professional theatre troupe based in Banff National …
That’s right; the beginning (where else to start?). Let’s look at some creative, perhaps unconventional ways to begin sentences:
Our neighbourhood has speed bumps (and more than a few potholes) that make slow driving an easy choice. As annoying as they may be, at times, they are important to keep us all safe. The comma is not vital to our survival, but it is vital to our success as writers. Commas can have a …
The heart continues to inspire us: it is the cornerstone of religious thought, the muse for artistic expression and the stuff—practical and otherwise—from which love stories are born.
