Carman was the first town of many to see what Siteseeing is all about.
At its core, Siteseeing is a collection of poetry that delves into the topic of climate change. The collaborative effort of two writers from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, this book presents a unique perspective on the issue.
Ariel Gordon and Brenda Schmidt first crossed paths two decades ago at a writing retreat in Schmidt’s home province of Saskatchewan. Since then, they have remained in touch and recently co-authored a book.
“It was one of those midnight ideas,” Gordon said, recounting the moment she and Schmidt decided to partner on the project. “I can’t believe she said yes.”
Gordon said she believes writers should always work with writers better than themselves to elevate their writing. That’s why she chose Schmidt to co-author with.
Over the course of a year, the two women went back and forth over email every day, sharing ideas, writing, and everything else. Gordon said they were sometimes writing two poems a day.
“I never write a poem a day, let alone two,” she said.
Each piece of poetry in Siteseeing is a response to the previous poem. Gordon would write something and Schmidt would answer back and vice versa.
Gordon focused on trees and climate change in her poems, whereas Schmidt chose to address birds and climate change, both drawing from their individual passions.
“We wanted to explicitly write about climate change because it’s something unavoidable,” said Gordon. “We wanted to write something that both helped people to notice the natural world but also to help people notice the changes that were coming because of climate change.”
The prairies are expected to experience a faster rate of warming compared to other regions worldwide. As a result, the effects of climate change will be felt earlier, more rapidly, and with greater severity by those living in the area.
Gordon herself feels extremely connected to the natural world. When she goes outside for a walk to clear her head, she returns home feeling happy, soothed and connected, she said.
Gordon’s boulevard was home to a beautiful elm tree that she had grown fond of. Unfortunately, one day she noticed signs of Dutch Elm Disease on its branches, a fatal illness transmitted by the elm bark beetle. Concerned for the tree’s well-being, she contacted the City of Winnipeg and it was later removed. While awaiting the diagnosis for her beloved tree, Gordon was also waiting for her own diagnosis, and the connection she felt then sparked a string of poems for Siteseeing.
In addition, she also wrote about the wild turkeys in her nighbourhood, owl watching and everything she saw on her walks. When she couldn’t go out herself, Gordon took to writing about what she saw through her friends’ eyes on social media.
While Gordon focused on urban nature, Schmidt’s writing centered around the rural landscape. In her book Siteseeing, readers are given a glimpse into life on a farm in Saskatchewan through Schmidt’s personal experiences. From coyotes howling in the night to moose taking up residence in her rose bushes, her poems capture the essence of living in rural Canada during the pandemic.
Siteseeing is longer than a typical poetry book, with 159 pages of poems. The book is launching this fall — and Carman was the first town to see it at the Nook & Cranny Writing Retreat.
The retreat was hosted by Gordon and writer Lauren Carter from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5 at Bell Aura Bed & Breakfast. The retreat had writers chatting about all things words, stories and writing in the scenic and cozy local bed and breakfast. One of the tasks attendees had, Gordon said, was going to the local thrift shop, buying something and writing about it.
On Nov. 8, Gordon is doing a hybrid launch event at McNally Robinson in Grant Park with Mitchell Toews, author of Pinching Zwieback. On Nov. 9, the two will be doing another hybrid launch event at The Listening Room in Lac du Bonnet. Anyone looking to grab a copy of Siteseeing can pick it up at one of the upcoming launch events or any bookstore.
Gordon is the author of five books, four of them collections of poetry. Her first two collections of poetry won the Lansdowne Prize for Poetry, Manitoba’s largest poetry prize. Her book TreeTalk was nominated for three Manitoba Book Awards.
