A writer is someone who uses written words to communicate ideas.
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Writer
Issue: 2018-12-05, PHOTO: Pixabay
Like porcupine courtship, timing is everything
Every now and then, a fella happens to hit the sweet spot, even if it is more by good luck than good management. I rest my case on a recent example. Early in the week, I casually mentioned to “Herself” that it was time to consider remounting the... Read more
Issue: 2018-10-17, PHOTO: Danny Macdonald
Let be whatever may befall
To be, or not to be. For advocates of plain writing, Shakespeare’s most famous monologue is a touchstone. Its opening sentence consists of nine one-syllable words in a row, followed by one containing just two (depending on whether one reads... Read more
Issue: 2018-10-10, PHOTO: courtesy of Sebastian Fricke
The Northern Seduction
Having completed our undergraduate degrees, Rose and I were very eager to break free of the bureaucracy and daily grind of city life. We followed our inner compasses north, to Alaska and the Yukon, writing all along the way and compiling it into a... Read more
Issue: 2018-07-18, Cartoon: Allan Benjamin
’Cause Writer’s block
Sometimes I can’t think And I can’t write in ink. When my mind is not bright I have nothing to write. Read more
Issue: 2018-07-11, PHOTO: Dan Davidson
Authors on Eighth celebrates Klondike literature
Each summer the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA), working with the Dawson Community Library and the Writers’ Trust of Canada, honours the memory of four writers who have meant a great deal to the public profile and history of Dawson City and... Read more
Issue: 2018-07-04, PHOTO: Lily Gontard
Atlin Lit Up! lights up the Yukon writing scene
The Atlin writers’ festival not only offers music but also offers literature, readings and workshops. Yukon author Lily Gontard organizes the festival in cooperation with Yukon Writers` Collective Ink. They receive funding and sponsoring from... Read more
Issue: 2017-12-06, PHOTO: Lisa Martin
Art is in the eyes of the beholder
Art can be in the form of a pencil, paintbrush, or even a scroll saw. My husband and local artist, Murray Martin has been both an outdoor and political columnist for over half a century and his creations just keep getting bigger... Read more
Issue: 2017-08-16, PHOTO: Dan Davidson
Celebrating the Klondike's Literary Legends
During the week that leads to the Discovery Days weekend, the Klondike Visitors Association, Parks Canada and the Writers’ Trust of Canada celebrate the writers who have made Dawson City world famous. Read more
Issue: 2017-05-10, PHOTO: Dave Brosha
Good Advice
Jamie Bastedo is not new to the Yukon. He first came to the territory 35 years ago as a biology graduate student. “Think Never Cry Wolf,” he says. “My head full of book knowledge about northern landscapes and cultures.” Read more
Issue: 2017-05-03, PHOTO: A. Smith
Writing as a Full Time Profession
James Bernard MacKinnon, commonly bylined as J.B. MacKinnon, will be coming to the Yukon from Vancouver to be the Yukon Public Libraries’ choice as a travelling writer to visit a number of communities during the Yukon Writers’ Festival taking... Read more
Issue: 2017-04-19, PHOTO: Roger Lemoyne
A Mentor for Yukon Young Writers
Born in England, but transplanted to Newfoundland when she was very young, Kathleen Winter credits libraries with kick starting her interest in writing. “We moved around a bit and in one village the only library was ‘the bookmobile,’ a van filled... Read more
Issue: 2017-03-08, PHOTO: Nellie Dale
Looking for the Next Margaret Atwood
Krystal McKenna, a Grade 1 teacher at Jack Hulland Elementary School, sets young authors off on a great writing adventure. At the beginning of the year, students draw pictures in their journals. McKenna talks to the student about the drawing and... Read more
Issue: 2016-09-29, PHOTO: courtesy of Claire Caldwell
Rooted in the Yukon
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... Read more
Issue: 2016-07-21, PHOTO: Dan Davidson
Stories for Gold
Each year the Klondike Visitors Association works with the Writers’ Trust of Canada, Parks Canada, and the Dawson Community Library to put on the Authors on Eighth Walking Tour during the week before Discovery Days. Read more
Issue: 2016-06-16, PHOTO: courtesy of Shauntay Grant
Fresh Words and Deep Roots
Writing poetry since she was a child, Nova Scotia based author Shauntay Grant says she has always loved creative writing. “The oldest poem I’ve kept is from fourth grade,” she says. The vocalist, poet and author began a residency at the Berton... Read more
Issue: 2016-06-09, PHOTO: Dan Davidson
Mark Zuehlke and the Remittance Men
Mark Zuehlke grew up in the Okanagan, hearing tales of Remittance Men – those eccentric British immigrants sent here in the late 19th century by their families who didn't know what else to do with them. They were called Remittance Men because of... Read more
Jessica Simon
Literature in the Kluane Country
Kluane Country has long inspired writers. Three such writers will be doing readings in Haines Junction and Whitehorse on May 17 to 19. Whitehorse writer David Thompson set his adventure novel Haines Junction in the community; Haines Junction author Read more
Issue: 2016-04-21, PHOTO: courtesy of Sandy Bonny
Nurturing Good Writing
Unlike many a published author, Saskatoon writer Sandy Bonny didn’t study to become one. It just happened. “I haven’t got an English degree,” she says, “and didn’t train or apprentice purposefully with literary mentors before my first... Read more
Issue: 2016-04-14, PHOTO: Rob Smith
Converting Adventure into Books and Film
Dianne Whelan is an award winning filmmaker, photographer and author who lived, until fairly recently, in Vancouver. At the time of this interview she was in New Brunswick, in the midst of a project she calls “500 Days in the Wild.” “It’s what I... Read more
Issue: 2016-04-14, Photo: Julia C. Vona
Heather O’Neill: Writing is an All-Consuming Passion
Heather O’Neill grew up loving books and really can’t imagine a life without writing. “I love words. I adore books. When I was little, I slept with them in my bed. All I wanted were books, books, books. I asked for them for my birthday and... Read more