Hihowareyou? Iamfine
Have you ever had an American say to you, “Say, ‘eh’ for me”? They think it’s funny when we Canadians say, “eh”, and, being the […]
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Dear Mister Ed
I aint too sure whats goin’ on, but fer some reason the past few weeks I been startin’ to feel a fair bit older than
Mr Ed
I aint herd if yer still traypsin’ around whilst some one else does all yer dirty work. If you made it back to yer job
Dear Mister Ed
Darroll, theres a roomer goin’ round that some womman is camped out fer a few weeks in yer big stuffy Mister Ed chair. The same
A Hare in the Mountains
One alert touch of a singular energy tingles the collar of my boot as tough pad flat back feet startle my wakeful doze, golden fatigue
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Ode to ‘Of’
How do I love thee, Of … There are so many ways … gee, let me count them I love thee about as deep and
Mr Ed
Dont know how you been spendin’ yer weekends, Darrol. If I did I wud’nt say. I had a diffrent one from normal this past long
Take My Encyclopedia. Please!
Sometimes I wish I didn’t know how to read. No. That’s not true at all. I am endlessly grateful that I can read, and I
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World of Words: Ynklude writes books for all abilities
Writing is a challenge. Raw, chaotic emotions demand to be shaped into a coherent story. It’s even more challenging when the writer has to overcome
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From Dryland to Northland: One Musher’s Tale
According to John Firth’s book One Mush, Jamaicans hate dogs. So what was Caribbean musher Newton Marshall doing on the Yukon Quest in 2009?
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Yukon Yearbook, Yukon Author showcase 2010
Yukon writers are prolific, offering a new book every month or so. From John Firth to Clea Roberts, a showcase of Yukon books from 2010.
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Dear Mister Ed
If yer like most folks Darrol, you probly spent the past while or two glued to yer TV waitin’ to see how much hardwear gets
Writers, Go Outside
Connections made at writer’s conferences can be career-changing, said Chris Vogler. The writer who worked on I am Legend, Hancock and 10,000 BC, told San
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Dear Mister Ed
The Olympicks finely got under way with all the hoop-law and hullaballoons, and Evas been vibratin’ like a joy buzzer fer days. This past Sunday
Writing from the Junction
Thirty-three years ago, Haines Junction English teacher Elayne Hurlburt and a friend started the St. Elias Echo. It’s still published today and Hurlburt is still
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Briefly Speaking
If history starts as soon as the minute you’re in passes by, then anyone who writes or makes art can make a history piece, right?
Tales from the heart
Karen Keeley’s first book, TeLLing TaLes, is a collection of short stories that “are not solely Yukon, mystery, romance, coming of age, or any of
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Festival Poets Disembark
Rhea Tregebov has loved poetry from an early age. “It wasn’t until university that I realized what a central place it would take in my
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Creativity and Commitment
The common thread that links the stories and columns in What’s Up Yukon each week boils down to two words – creativity and commitment. From
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World of Words: From Auction to Awesome
Whatever happened to that English guy in Australia who sold his life on eBay? He moved to the Yukon and wrote a book about it.
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Yukon Bloggers Unite!
We all feel the cold, we all see the change in the seasons, and we all appreciate the vast Yukon landscape.” Darren, who writes in
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Early Adventures in Yukon Tourism
Watching visitors to town wander about taking pictures of things that seem quite ordinary to those of us who live here is a reminder that
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The Myth of the Young Writer
Writers lament, “Ohmigod, I’m 25 years old and I haven’t published a book yet!” Rubbish! says Antanas Sileika, artistic director of the Humber School for
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I Can See Slowly Now
Perfect hangover activity: deleting old emails from 2004 (gmail) or 2007 (when I first joined Facebook) or 2006 (start of my Yahoo account for Air
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Telling Tales
As he wraps up teaching a kids’ drama class, the Family Literacy Centre’s Brendan Wiklund switches gears to talk about Tales to be Told, a
Writing Circumpolar Space
Temperature and light extremes are similar across circumpolar countries, but comparing the waterfronts of Whitehorse and Reykjavák might reveal interesting contrasts in what “North” means.
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Sal
“That’s all for today Matthew,” Sal told him. “Do you still want two pounds of hard candy in separate bags?” he asked. “I almost forgot.
Lively Gathering
In 2008, artist Val Hodgson wanted to paint something familiar to her: women over 50 years of age, and the links that exist among Yukon
The Reader Writer Reads
Writers, philosophers, activists for social justice, Germans – Whitehorse has plenty. So it was no surprise we filled the Old Fire Hall on May 10
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World of Words: Home truths About eBooks
The publishing industry is in some kind of spring flurry. In February this year, Amazon announced that, for the first month ever, their eBook sales
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World of Words: Concierge at a wilderness dog camp
I haven’t seen a Yukon Quest or Arctic Ultra race start in seven years now because, along with my husband Mike, I’m usually deep in
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The One-Space, Two-Space Shuffle
My first job as a professional writer began in January of 2011 when I was appointed to a one-year term as the Yukon-based associate editor
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A Literary Study
When Bob Hayes was in grade school, he was nearly accused of plagiarism for his story “The Flickering Flame.” The author Hayes emulated? Jack London.
World of Words: Science Is the best story going
Many Yukon book-lovers are familiar with Claire Eamer’s science series for children, Super Crocs and Monster Wings, Spike Scorpions and Walking Whales, and the latest
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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
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World of Words: On assignment with Luke Dittrich
If you’ve flipped through a copy of Esquire Magazine in the past four years, there’s a 50 percent chance you’ve read a story by Whitehorse
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Over 5,000 Miles for a Hot Cuppa
The Yukon is stunningly beautiful in all seasons. However, as winter sets in, some seek heat and sunshine. I happen to be one of those
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A Skier’s Guide to the White Pass
It’s a familiar story – a cliché, really. Come to Yukon for a holiday, get hooked on the place and decide to move here. That’s
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Pre-Christmas Signing
Over a dozen Yukon authors published books this year, and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, readers can meet seven of
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Exploring E-publishing
It’s unusual for a writing conference to produce immediate results, but just one month after Northern Writes staged the Yukon Writer’s Conference, delegates were already
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MOM’s the Word
It was only logical for Debbie Peters to do what a Mom would do – pitch in and help. At the time, her sons Jesse
My Best Story Ever
It was September 10, 2001. The British Airways agent at Vancouver Airport explained that the flight was overbooked, but if we could travel tomorrow, she
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A Warm Green Glow and Welcoming Hugs
I was not sad being in Bangkok knowing I was leaving, it was time for me to go. I was done with the travel. I
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Caribou and Cassava
Earlier this spring, I was invited to the Robert Service School (RSS) to observe a unique exchange program between Grade 5 and 6 students in
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The Fiction File: A Place for Everyone
There are many reasons for tourists to visit exotic locations and travel on insanely long flights to experience a new part of the world. Europe
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Hooking Kids on History
“Today’s kids are so fragmented by media, sports, school and hobbies that history is a tough sell,” says Whitehorse author Keith Halliday. Halliday recently discussed
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Writing from Old Crow
Old Crow poet and cartoonist Allan Benjamin caught himself when he said he carries a pen and paper in his pocket 24 hours a day.
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Promise and Journey
In 1949, writer Joseph Campbell launched the idea of the monomyth, or Hero’s Journey, as the most appealing way to tell a story to mass
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Yukon Writers’ Conference: Encore!
It’s been two years since the last Yukon Writers’ Conference, which launched several local authors. This Thanksgiving is another, thanks to Northern Writes, the partnership
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Going Slightly Batty
My wariness of bats – I won’t say abject terror, that’s far too strong – dates back to the Eisenhower era. I can even trace
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Process of Imagination
One thing his early journalism career taught author Lawrence Hill was to pursue the adventure of his stories. Alongside working on final drafts of his
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Tuning in to Poetry
On the advice of writing mentor John Reed (www.writerswelcome.com), the Year of the Dragon is the year I face the dragon and stop being afraid
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CanCon in CanLit
Much attention has been paid recently to the topic of Canadian content and national pride in literature. It seems we’re writing about everywhere except Canada.
Hate to say I told you so
In September of 2008, I was working construction in Edmonton when the bottom fell out of the economy. There were a few workers on my
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As We Say in the Biz: That’s “30” from Here
Back in 1971, Canadian sportswriter nonpareil Jim Coleman published a book whose title alone deserves a place in history. He called it A Hoofprint on
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The story of bones
Being in Dawson City for a residence at the Berton House is a dream come true for Winnipeg writer Joan Thomas. This is not the
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A Tale of Grit & Determination
When Yvonne Harris taught at Nunavut Arctic College, or Silattuqsarvik as it’s called in Pangnirtung, an elder guest lecturer told her students a remarkable story
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That Wily Trickster
Ravens flying over my head is one of my favourite things. You can hear the swooping of the wings and feel the gust of air
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A Fiction File: Squatters
Along the Alaska Highway, lost in the clouds, is a quaint and quiet hamlet on the edge of the 21st century. It is the spitting
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A debut Yukon novel
Enthusiasts of outdoor stories, adventure and romance will find all three at the preview of Roy Ness’s first novel, Rutting Season, at the Parking Lot
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A Mountain of Books
No matter how much rain we get, young readers can climb the Chilkoot Trail at Well-Read Books this summer. The free project, called “Reading over
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In Pursuit of Silver and Gold
Tim Falconer began his residency at Pierre Berton House in Dawson City in March. But, if you were looking to find the writer during his
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The Fiction File: Gone: a Review
If you enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Gone by Michael Grant is the book for you. How would you survive without parents, older
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The Fiction File: Red Tentacles
I remember the wall of smoke surrounding us. I struggled to inhale as the hot air filled my lungs. “Will it hurt us?” I asked.
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Journeys Then & Now
Dalton’s Gold Rush Trail is a story of journeys; the 10-year journey of Jack Dalton to blaze a trail to the Klondike gold fields, and
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Library Views
My first exposure to the Yukon came last December, when I arrived in Dawson City for a stint as writer-in-residence at Berton House. Like many
World of Words: Guerrilla editing: Get what you want
If you sat down to write the Great Canadian Novel, would it come out in a gush of first draft? Or are you one of
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A life on the edge
Ione Christensen, Yukon writer, mother, pioneer and politician, is writing an autobiography spanning three generations. The daughter of RCMP corporal G. I. Cameron and lay
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Sunshine sketches of a northern town
Ask David Thompson what he’s read, and you’ll get a varied list: George Orwell, J.D. Salinger and the adventures of Antarctic explorers. Doesn’t sound like
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World of Words: Readings in parking lot country
With the simple tools of a canopy, lectern and public announcement system, six authors have banded together to create a Friday night reading program where
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Hearing the Click
Brian Brett was 17 when the “click” happened. His life was in chaos at the time, especially in the classroom. During that period, he recalls,
World of Words: Be enchanted at the Yukon’s magic bookstore
Literature abounds with magic bookstores such as J.K. Rowling’s Obscurus Books where Hogwarts buy their texts, and Mr. Koreander’s shop where Michael Ende’s Bastian Bux
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World of Words: No longer restricted reading
When graphic novelist and Grade 7 teacher Rebecca Hicks was in school, reading “comics” under the desk would have earned her a trip to the
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World of Words: Clea Roberts shows Yukoners the nature of ourselves
Clea Roberts’ first collection of poetry, Here Is Where We Disembark, features every Yukoner she’s ever met. Roberts, a nature poet, shows us the nature
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Begin, then begin again!
That’s right; the beginning (where else to start?). Let’s look at some creative, perhaps unconventional ways to begin sentences:
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Speed bumps 101
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
Artist’s Amusing Alliterations
Visitors to the Yukon are seeing and feeling the territory for themselves. I don’t need to describe the landscape or the friendly Northern-way because these
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Knowing when to begin again
If you were to write about the northern hairy-nosed wombat, each paragraph would reveal something new about it. A paragraph contains one facet of a
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Verb Tents
(and why the spellchecker is not always your friend) How do you count butterflies? There are an estimated 20,000 species worldwide. And can you fathom
Storytelling Festival Is Finally Here
Maybe you thought you’d missed it but, actually, it hasn’t happened yet. The annual Yukon International Storytelling Festival is taking place later than usual this
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SOS
…—… Sure of Sinking! Save Our Ship! (and our souls!): the international distress symbol was thought to mean any of these, but its meaning, in
What Are You Afraid of?
Most writers would probably admit they want their work to end up on the printed page. But two local projects are giving those who enjoy
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Midnight Sun is Storytelling Most Unique
Ben Towle’s Midnight Sun takes a reader by surprise. What could be a convoluted, expansive story of a balloon crash in the Arctic, finds instead
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Hot Off the Press: A Cold Tale
Talking at the Woodpile This story won first prize for fiction at this year’s Authors on Eighth. See the story on this page. In the
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Quantity Can Lead to Quality
“You know, we still don’t have to do this,” says Marcelle Dubé just after the digital voice recorder had been switched on. Dubé is a
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It’s not just a part of it; it’s the heart of it
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.
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Harbour Offers Shelter to Yukon Writers
With some 140 Canadian book publishers to choose from, let alone those in other countries, it can be a challenge for a writer to decide
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Klondike Korner: Wake-up Call
BY DAN DAVIDSON Who visits the neighbours at five a.m., exciting the watchers in the lane? They pass the word from house to house, so
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This Publisher is Willing to Wait
Budding writers are often advised to put their writing away in a drawer and leave it there for anything between three days and three years
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Only One Way Out
BY KELLY BOWERS Seventeen-year old Blayne walked slowly up the trail. He scuffed the roots and sticks on the dirt trail as he walked and
; (No, I’m not winking at you.)
The semicolon has three major functions: to link thematically related thoughts, to introduce conjunctions or transitional phrases and to avoid confusion in lists.
; (No, I’m not winking at you.) Read More »
Kelly Bowers Has Found the Words
Kelly Bowers recently shared her writing with the public for the first time. Bowers, 16, has always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but she is
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Science Writers Gather Under the Midnight Sun
If you like writing about science, whether science fiction or science fact, you might want to keep May 24 to 27 free. This is when
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The First Time I Wrote on a Wall
BY SHAUNA LOEWEN I wrote my name on the wall yesterday. Gosh, I hope Mom’s not upset with me. I heard Daddy trying to convince
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Father of Poet Sees Struggle Put to Words
A poem by Whitehorse resident Laurel Parry is to be aired on CBC Radio One during National Poetry Month. Parry is the winner of a
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The Language of Shakespeare Sucks
The English language sucks! I hate it! I hate it so much! Consider the word vacuum: Why isn’t it vacyoom with a “y” and an
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At Home with Maurice Asquith
British writer Maurice Asquith has taken up temporary residence in the Yukon in order, he says, to escape the hubbub of the literary world. “I
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Let Your Words Take Flight
Do you keep the poems and stories you write safely inside small yellow folders on your computer? Do you treat those folders like incubators, opening
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The colon: Abracadabra!
Rising just above the horizon, the moon appears larger than it actually is, much larger than when it’s overhead. The colon is like that—abracadabra!—appearing in a way that has a sometimes-magical affect.
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The Best Remembrance
There is service at the battlefront, a Calling to be sure, though not for God and Glory, that old lie from days of yore. Those
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