Category: Uncategorized

  • The Fire Inside

    In her characteristic weaving of old and new texts from a wide variety of sources, Maria Popova of The Marginalian first brought this quote from Vincent van Gogh to light, framing a discussion of the myth of normalcy from Alain de Botton’s book. Here’s her quote: “Does what goes on inside show on the outside?”…

  • Public Poetry on a Friday Night

    Join us Friday, April 21, 7:30pm at The Public in Steinbch for some poetry! I’m excited to hear words from some incredible local poets, including Sarah Ens and Luann Hiebert and others! I’m also honoured to be able to share some words of my own. We’ll be bringing back the Beer Haiku challenge for big…

  • Barkman Marathons

    If the ultrarunning world’s annual obsession with the Barkley Marathons shows us anything, it’s that people love running around with their friends while looking for books. On Saturday, April 15, 2023, in the spirit of Barkley, a new comunity- and book-loving event is being hosted in the most unlikely of locations, Steinbach MB. Organized by…

  • Wolves Don’t Want to Eat You

    Last week we went on a Wolf Howl Hike in the Whiteshell and learned a bunch of things about wolves, including how they can’t huff or puff, nor can they blow your house down. I also wrote about our experience on the same hike last year (and made a zine about it, we didn’t actually…

  • The Blank Slate

    It’s January 1. Happy new year. This morning I skied in the Sandilands with friends. Beneath the low gray sky, the world was white. Thick snow from a couple weeks back still caked to tree branches and needles and a thick layer of hoar frost made for a beautiful scene to take in as we…

  • Longest Night Run 2022 Recap

    For five years we’ve spent the winter solstice running through the night. In our community, the calendar has become marked by the Longest Night Run overnight relay, each of the 16 hours of darkness a reminder of past hours and miles spent together in the cold dark. We’ve remembered the joys as well as the…

  • The Week in Between

    Last night my wife turned to me, “Today was Tuesday, right?” We talked about this weird week between Christmas and New Year. The frenzy of choir concerts and family gatherings is over, nearly all the Christmas baking has mysteriously disappeared. But the next thing has yet to begin. I’m not sure what day it is.…

  • Molting

    “Don’t talk to me now, I’m molting” – Andrew Bird, Inside Problems I spent six weeks without running. As a self-proclaimed “Runner”, and writer of daily running poems, this time off, forced by a minor foot injury, represented a shift in identity. If a runner doesn’t run, are they still a “runner”? Can I write…

  • Longest Night Run 2022

    The Longest Night Run 2022 is now ready for sign-up. Register here. Get all the info on our website here. As I wrote to past participants today, even as the days shorten, an anticipation grows as we approach Dec 21, and the longest night of the year. The longest night of the year has now…

  • Bashō

    In my view a good poem is one in which the form of the verse, and the joining of its two parts, seem light as a shallow river flowing over its sandy bed. – Matsuo Bashō When my book Morning Rounds was coming into shape, I was introduced to the form of poetry known as…