Just another spring weekend in Yellowknife

Gotta love Yellowknife - there's always so much to do. Yesterday morning I attended a workshop by award-winning poet Randall Maggs. This afternoon Pierre and I climbed to the top of Bush Pilots' Monument . . . watched a dog team return to town . . . saw a bush plane land . . . visited the Snow King's Castle, last day before closing . . . went for a walk around the Old Town. Why live any place else?

Reading at the public library on Thursday

I will be reading at the Yellowknife Public Library this Thursday with visiting poet Randall Maggs, and local writers Jamie Bastedo and Bren Kolson.

Thursday, March 25, 2010
Yellowknife Public Library Meeting Room
7:00 p.m.

In anticipation of spring (spring is on its way, isn't it?) I will be reading an excerpt from my short story "Fireweed."

The event is organized by the NorthWords Writers Festival.

See you there!

Caribou Carnival = cold, cold, cold!

Caribou Carnival weekend is now over, and Yellowknife is back in the deep-freeze.

There's a bizarre phenomenon in this town - it doesn't matter how nice the weather may be in early March (and it was great this year), the temperature always drops for Caribou Carnival. I went out to Frame Lake on Saturday and Sunday to take photos of the start of the Diavik 150 Canadian Championship Dog Derby, and the cold temperatures combined with a sharp little wind meant frosty fingers and toes. Many years ago, I was working a fund-raising bingo in a tent at Caribou Carnival and the dabbers froze - had to warm them up in front of the Herman Nelson heater before play could continue. Had the chills for days after that episode. I swear, if they held Caribou Carnival in June, the temperature would still drop to minus 30.

The carnival seemed a bit subdued this year. The two main attractions were the dog race and the French association's much-loved cabane à sucre (nothing like gooey maple toffee to keep you warm). No Ugly Truck and Dog Contest this year, which was a disappointment for me. Maybe next year.

Here's a photo I took during yesterday's race - one of the dog teams took a detour off the course, right in front of us. Oddly, another dog team did same thing in pretty much the same place a couple of minutes later. Wonder what they were after.

Now a member of The Writers Union of Canada

I am pleased to advise that I have recently been accepted as a member of The Writers Union of Canada. The union is a national organization that represents people who write books. And that's the key to membership - you have to have had a book published by a trade or university press to join. The publication of my short story collection The Ugly Truck and Dog Contest and Other Tales of Northern Life by Borealis Press means that I am now eligible. The union offers a variety of support services and information to its members. Needless to say, I'm happy to be accepted into an organization that will help me develop as a writer.

You can access my TWUC member page here.