Writer in Residence

Audio: A Walk Around Niven Lake with Craig Davidson

Submitted by Teva Harrison

Submitted by Teva Harrison on June 28, 2016 - 8:11pm

In Yellowknife, in June, the sun is glorious. The light is sharp and clear and even when it fades to twilight, it never goes away. Days are long and sprawling and full. 

I had the pleasure of being a guest of the NorthWords Festival, touching in on the marvelous northern writers and readers community. There's an amazing bookstore The Book Cellar that feels like the hub. There are parties that start at midnight on houseboats on The Great Slave Lake. You can learn line dancing from locals at The Gold Range.

Craig Davidson was also a guest, with his new memoir, Precious Cargo. He and I took a walk around Niven Lake and I recorded the conversation on my iPhone. The loon calls give way to construction noise as we meandered in and out of civilization.

We talk about sense of place in memoir and fiction, about colouring and about coming, as we both do, from small towns.

To listen, click on the play button above the text. If no play button appears, you might be on an iPhone, or a browser with no flash. Click here to listen to the conversation on Clyp.

Lake Niven

The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book.


Teva Harrison is a writer and graphic artist. She is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic memoir, In-Between Days, which is based on her graphic series about living with cancer published in The Walrus. It was named one of the most anticipated books of 2016 by the Globe and Mail, which also named the author one of 16 Torontonians to Watch. She has commented on CBC Radio and in the Globe and Mail about her experience. Numerous health organizations have invited her to speak publicly on behalf of the metastatic cancer community. She lives in Toronto.