Ernest Blair Experiment

On Monday, we went to Wolfville. The town was crowded. There were protestors, faculty and students, responding to the strike at Acadia University. At the same time, there was a drive-in pick up of COVID test kits at the sports arena parking lot.

We went to EOS, to pick up some yoghurt starter and coffee filters. Next door is the Odd Book store.

We treated ourselves. I found two books of interest. In the section for Gaspereau Press, there was a copy of Donna Smyth’s play, Running TO Paradise, about the life of Elizabeth Bishop. I was attracted by the title. In this case, I think Paradise likely refers to her time with Lota Soares in Brazil. It ends with her award of an honorary degree from Dalhousie University in 1979.

” I know what I’ll tell them – Dear Class of 1979, go forth and be not afraid. Think of Darwin on his lonely voyages. Writing down all the details …….. writing what he saw, (Pause). Some of the giant tortoises on the Galapagos are hundreds of years old. Buried deep in turtle memory is the beginning of this land.” p.65.

This book returned me to my graduate studies in Biogeography. It also links back to the work of Alfred Wallace, Island Life (1880).

Back to ’Running to Paradise’, the concept set up a chain of thinking ’Walking from Paradise’. The obvious choices are the 110 km Harvest Moon Trailway to Annapolis Royal or back to Wolfville.

… or on South Mountain, from West Inglisville to Roxbury, or south to Paradise Lake and Trout Lake. These trails are open for skiing, hiking or bicycling. Although on South Mountain, we see the continuous loss of habitat, through the current forestry practices.

Acknowledgements

Sandra Barry provided additional details on the play. Edward added the graphics. Heather shared the Wolfville experience.

References

Donna E. Smyth, 1999, Running to Paradise: A play about Elizabeth Bishop, Gaspereau Press.

Jonathan D. Sauer, 1967, Plants and Man on the Seychelles Coast: A Study in Historical Biogeography, University of Wisconsin Press.

’This is a story about two stories and the authors’ travels through the written record. Peter Sanger uncovered two manuscripts among the Rand holdings at Acadia.’

‘Both are among the earliest examples of indigenous Canadian literature recorded in their original language.’

Sanger contributes two essays.
I. Looking for Someone who sees.
II. Riding the Stone Canoe.

Alan Syliboy provided the artwork.

Elizabeth Paul provided the translation. Of course, the book produced by Andrew Steeves is also a work of art. It is an example of the role of the printer in society.

I would heartily recommend two other books by Peter Sanger: White Salt Mountain: Words in Time (2005) and Spar: Words in Place (2002). both published by Gaspereau Press.

Postscript

The sticker on the cover says ’one of the 150 books of influence’ Libraries150. (150booksns.ca)

Acknowledgements

Andrew Steeves for their excellent work at Gaspereau Press. Edward Wedler for his collaborative research. Heather shares the outdoor travel: canoeing and snowshoeing.

References

Elizabeth Paul, Peter Sanger, Alan Syliboy, 2007, The Stone Canoe: Two lost Mi’kmaq texts, Gaspereau Press.

Peter Sanger, 2005, White Salt Mountain: Words in Time, Gaspereau Press.

Peter Sanger, 2002, Spar: Words in Place, Gaspereau Press.

From biographer, Claude Bissell:

‘This book will come as a surprise to Buckler readers.’

‘But we must not identify him completely with Ernest Buckler, the writer, who lives in an old farmhouse, on the highway to Annapolis, just outside of Bridgetown.’ p.7.

‘The narrator has less respect for his literary work than Buckler for his; he tends to agree with his neighbour that a man who neglects the duties of the farm to write fancy stories doesn’t really count for much’. p.8

Another example.
Tenure be Damned p.56.
Some colleges are largely staffed
With moldy Ph.D’s
But if the students win the day
They’ll lose their faculties.’

In response to my previous blog post, I received a number of updates.

From Heather Leblanc … she reminded me of the new material on the mapannapolis.ca website. Besides the StoryMaps, it includes the Youtube channel created by Andrew Tolson.

From David Colville … he pointed out the link to the Interactive Nova Scotia Science Atlas, featuring the work of Ian Manning, and others.

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Today, I had reason to go to Kentville. I stopped at Chisholm’s bookstore and picked up Meditation for Makers (for Heather Stewart) and Wild Green Light: Poetry by David Adams Richards and Margo Wheaton.

Afterward, up the hill to Gaspereau Press, I discovered two more finds:

Soren Bondrup-Nielsen’s Voles, not Moles: A personal journey connecting with nature and Bren Simmers’, if, when (poetry)

And a T-shirt!

“Quit your unjust gaslighting of circumspect whelps with unverified reports of zippy brown foxes.
Fake News!”

Gaspereau Press. Printers and Publishers. Literary Outfitters and Cultural Wilderness Guides The typeface is Rod McDonald’s Laurentian.

Postscript

Acknowledgements

Heather LeBlanc and David Colville provided feedback. Edward Wedler added the graphics and links.

References

Ernest Buckler, 1977, Whirligig: Selected prose and verse, McLelland and Stewart.
Deanne Fitzpatrick, 2022, Meditation for Makers, Nimbus Publishing.
David Adams Richards and Margo Wheaton, 2021, Wild Green Light, Pottersfield Press.
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen, 2021, voles, not moles, Gaspereau Press.
Bren Simmers, 2021, if, when, Gaspereau Press.
Alan Syliboy, 2015, The Thundermaker, Nimbus Press (Translated by Lindsay R. Marshall) (Mi’kmaq)

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