Alone in the Arctic (on the Dirtbag Diaries)
This is a story of caribou, poop, and a little notion called biophilia, all wrapped up within a seven-week solo canoe expedition in the Arctic. This was my third canoe expedition in the Barren Lands…
These posts relate to Tim Irvin’s writing projects
This is a story of caribou, poop, and a little notion called biophilia, all wrapped up within a seven-week solo canoe expedition in the Arctic. This was my third canoe expedition in the Barren Lands…
I was out jogging in the Ottawa arboretum this afternoon, when I spotted a green heron standing on a log in a small pond trying to eat a frog. I don’t see green herons very frequently, and this one was much more concerned with the frog than with me, so I was able to watch the action at close range. It was a nice surprise since my legs were feeling quite heavy and I was happy for a break from running.
While I stood there a couple dogs came by followed by a guy with his arm in a sling. I pointed out the heron and we fell into conversation. As it turned out, this guy was Max Finkelstein noted canoeist and writer…
I have a feature story in the February/March 2012 issue of Photo Life magazine. This is the second story I’ve published that sprouted from a seven-week solo canoe trip in Nunavut.
I was working on a story recently about the explosion in running’s popularity in the past 30 years. The participation in running events in Canada and beyond is soaring. For example, the number of people running in the Ottawa Race Weekend increased by a whopping 337% between 2000 and 2010. Many races across North America are selling out months in advance of race day. You might say that running has hit a Tipping Point…
Ah shucks.
My story, Nowhere but North: a Case for Cornbread and Wolverines, took first prize in this years’ contest, hosted by the Northwords Writing Festival. The story was inspired by a fierce appetite and some unexpected events during a seven-week solo canoe trip in Nunavut…
Colin Harris is the cover-boy in the current issue of iRun magazine. Written by yours truly, I hope this story helps to spread Colin’s important message across Canada. Read on to find a link to the story…
Recently my old friend Leeyann, whom I had not seen for 10 years, got in touch with me through my website. Besides being a wonderful person, she is a mom these days. It turns out that her two year old son, Thomas, was quite taken with some of the photos on my website, and Leeyann asked if I could send her some prints to hang in his bedroom. I was tickled happy by this idea…
Today’s surprise is that some images and a story I submitted to Photo Life magazine have been accepted for publication. The story is based on a seven week solo canoe trip I did in Nunavut…
I’ve only read one third of Elizabeth’s Gilbert’s blockbusting book Eat, Pray, Love and I’ve never read anything else she has written. But I have watched her Ted Talk, which contains some wonderful gems of…
Whether you’re a foreign aid or nature conservation organization, the stories you tell are critical in creating the social change you want. Marketers are the masters of this, and in a 2009 article in Outside…
Over the past months I have been encountering J.B. MacKinnon’s engaging writing on natural history and historical ecology in Explore, The Walrus and on his blog. It has been refreshing and mentally invigorating to discover…
The Globe published a story today that I wrote about my grandma. You can find it here. If my nearly deaf, blind, toothless and century-old grandmother can make major positive changes in her life, then…
I saw a wolverine once. Once. I will count myself lucky if I see another one. Ever. I also had the pleasure of meeting Doug Chadwick a couple times. And I will count myself lucky if…
Jenny Kingsley, my friend and arctic travel companion, has recently been publihed in artica magazine. In part, her beautifully written story grapples with some of the questions that have troubled me over the years in…
Occasionally, when I read a book that I really like I write to the author and tell them so. This has led to some great interactions with authors that I admire.
So after reading Farley Mowat’s most recent book, Otherwise, I jotted down a few words to express my gratitude for the book and explain how and why the stories in the book moved me. Then I got ready to put the letter in the mail. Except this time I did things a little differently.