Northwords is a cross-platform project that takes urban Canadian writers Joseph Boyden, Sarah Leavitt, Rabindranth Maharaj, Noah Richler, and Alissa York to some of the world's most extreme environments, to join the conversation about the north.
Introduced by award-winning journalist and radio personality Shelagh Rogers, Northwords is a collection of stories written by acclaimed Canadian authors as they experienced one of Canada's most awe-inspiring northern national parks Torngat Mountains National Park, the country's newest national park, and a place steeped in geological and human history. The cross-platform project, which includes a documentary film that follows the authors as they explored the harsh and stunning terrain, had adventures, and created these new works, adds to the continuing story of the North. The stories explore the idea of the North, and what happens when the country's best writers tackle its most overwhelmingly beautiful places.
Taking advantage of opportunities presented by transmedia integration, users can experience the stories in the writers' own words through Anansi Digital, as well as learn more about their processes and what inspired them through interactive content. Users will have access to film and audio content, and together, these related media will create a larger story web, allowing the audience to truly immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, and stories of the North.
Joseph Boyden is the Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author of Three Day Road and Through Black Spruce.
Noah Richler is the acclaimed author of This is My Country, What's Yours? and What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
Sarah Leavitt is a writer and cartoonist who received wide acclaim for her graphic memoir, Tangles, about her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
Rabindranath Maharaj is a Trinidad-born author whose latest novel The Amazing Absorbing Boy won the Trillium Book Award.