A Literary Harvest
We’re lucky to have some exceptional writers contributing their talents to In The Hills, and this year four of them have published books.
We’re feeling pretty proud here at the magazine this fall. We know we’re lucky to have some exceptional writers contributing their talents to In The Hills, and this year four of them have published books.
Our Historic Hills columnist and puzzle-meister Ken Weber has published a collection of the best of more than 80 columns on local history he has written for In The Hills over the years. Ken insists the work he does for us is the most fun he’s had over his long and celebrated career as an author and educator, and we choose to believe him. Certainly he has a loyal following among our readers. Beautifully designed by our art director Kim van Oosterom, Ken Weber’s Historic Hills is a substantial book guaranteed to provide many an entertaining afternoon read.
And talk of being lucky. We were thrilled when Dan Needles, author of the beloved Wingfield Farm plays, agreed to contribute a regular column to In The Hills. He had written the back page column for Harrowsmith for 15 years, but its demise was our gain. Now Dan, too, has collected the best of his columns from Harrowsmith and In The Hills into True Confessions from the Ninth Concession. We recommend Ken for afternoon, Dan for warm bedtime reading.
Like Ken, Nicola Ross has been writing for In The Hills for more than 20 years. Along with her Good Sport column, she has contributed dozens of features, focused primarily on environmental matters. This fall she is publishing Dufferin Hikes: Loops & Lattes, the third in her series of thoughtful hiking guides that also includes Caledon and Halton versions. (See our summer 2015 issue for an excerpt of Caledon Hikes: Loops & Lattes).
And we have already introduced you to Cecily Ross’s remarkable novel The Lost Diaries of Susanna Moodie in which she channels the voice and spirit of Ontario’s famed pioneer. If you missed the excerpt in our summer issue, you can find it online at inthehills.ca. Cecily (Nicola’s sister) put aside journalism a few years ago to focus on novel writing, but not before we had benefited from her considerable skills as a writer and editor.
Finally, we must also give a nod to Ruth Ann Pearce who did the illustration in this issue for Tralee Pearce’s (no relation) feature on the opioid crisis. With author Rina Barone, Ruth Ann published A Bird Chronicle this year. Her stunning illustrations for this charming ABC of birds are sure to delight kids and parents alike.
All excellent reasons to feel proud of our contributors, we think.
(Watch for the full roundup of new books by local authors and illustrators in our winter issue.)
