Four writers and a room full of stories

There was a little bit of everything in the room at Peace Gallery North on Oct. 22, from children’s books and poetry to northern ranch stories, mysteries and plenty of conversation in between.

Emily Fehr, Valerie Ross, Sylvia Lloyd and Ronnie Roberts were featured during An Evening With Authors, guest hosted by Colleen Brown, each bringing a different background, style and reason for putting words on a page.

That variety is part of what makes nights like this work.

Fehr is a retired School District 60 teacher who has lived in Fort St. John for 35 years. Her book, I Like to Sing, follows a young girl who uses her love of singing to entertain and comfort others while showing the importance of the arts as a form of self-expression.

“I am fond of the relationship that reading and storytelling build,” Fehr says in an author profile provided by Peace Gallery North.

Ross grew up on a remote ranch at Pink Mountain, about 120 miles from the nearest town, where she and her siblings were homeschooled and became avid readers.

Her first poem was published when she was 10, while painting would also become a lifelong passion. Her book Skipping and Tripping brings those creative sides together through poetry and art.

Lloyd also grew up on a cattle ranch in northern B.C., in a childhood that came with few modern conveniences.

“We lived about as off-the-grid as you can get: no electricity, running water, telephone, T.V. or near neighbours,” Lloyd says in her Peace Gallery North author profile.

Much of that childhood was spent on horseback, herding cattle and exploring the forest, hills and ravines around her.

Her novel, The Web of Horatio, moves in a very different direction, following three strangers drawn into a mysterious con and a game they cannot afford to lose.

Roberts was also featured with her cozy mystery work, alongside a lineup that stretched from children’s writing and poetry to art and fiction. There is something worthwhile about putting all of that in the same room.

Events like this are not only for people who already call themselves writers. They create a place where writers, readers, artists, neighbours and people who may have quietly thought about creating something of their own can all end up together.

Fort St. John spends plenty of time talking about growth, industry and what comes next for the North Peace, but there should always be some room left for the people writing, painting, making music and telling stories too.

The Alaska Highway News would like to thank Peace Gallery North and the North Peace Cultural Centre for continuing to make room for evenings like this.

We can’t wait for the next one.