Originally written for hobby blog on 27 April 2018 If you have been a part of the London Ontario poetry scene for a long enough time, you’re sure to come in contact with one of the many lovely people who are a part of the local publishers. Brick Books is one such publisher. Why would …
Ugh, I know. This was the part of English class that was always the most frustrating and annoying. You’re reading a novel you were forced to read and aren’t connecting with, and a well-meaning teacher asks you to the dissect a moment within it. It’s a quiet moment away from the action of the story, …
Nature as Symbol: When a Tree is More Than a Tree Read More »
Originally written for hobby blog on 16 March 2018 When reading the “about the author” section, I was struck by how Nora Gould mentions very little of her writing. This is because I see my love more clearly from a distance was her debut collection, and she chooses instead to talk about her life as a rancher …
Poetry: Nora Gould’s I see my love more clearly from a distance Read More »
I’ve talked loosely on the advantages and disadvantages to using personification while trying to relate to nature while writing. To iterate, describing plants, animals, and places through a human frame makes them instantly relatable and understandable to readers. If we can imagine a solitary black bear on the hunt for berries in the woods, we …
Personifying Nature: Should You or Shouldn’t You? Read More »
Originally published on hobby blog on 18 May 2018 Spoilers be ahead When you are known as a bookworm in the family, you can generally expect well-meaning family members to buy you books, even if they don’t know what books you actually like. As was the case when my aunt when she went out east …
Prose: Richard G. Eagles Sr.’s Terror in the Highlands Read More »
The term “nature writing” is a pretty nebulous one. As we saw here, we can barely give a concise definition to what nature itself is, let alone how we go writing about it. Barry Lopez acknowledges the difficulty to refine a definition, but suggests that its most significant traits are threefold: “1) an assumption that …
Originally written for hobby blog on 27 July 2018 If my review of Nora Gould‘s work was any indication, there is a special place in my heart for regional poets. Like the Albertan plains, I have never visited the Lake of Two Mountains region, but by putting a name to a place and discussing not only its …
Originally written for hobby blog on 20 April 2018 Spoilers be ahead I was initially excited about this film with the opening scene with characters Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jenn (Missy Peregrym) driving down the highway because I actually recognized the landscape passing by. Upon a quick google search I found that the movie is …
Let’s go back to the scene I painted in Packing for Writing, except now you have all the writing utensils, potable water and granola bars you could ask for and you used your vital common sense to inform at least one other person as to your whereabouts. Maybe you’re sitting on a downed log near …
Nature Writing and Finding Motivation and Inspiration Read More »
Imagine this: you’ve walked 15 km over multiple hours with a pack that is at least 50 pounds, you took the time to scan your site, pick the perfect place to pitch your tent or hammock, got some lake water boiling, freshened up, and finally, you excitedly pull out your notebook, set your only pencil …