Welcome to the White Mountain Publications Newsletter
March 27, 2020
So much for my resolution for the year to try to do these Newsletters every other month. We're working on it.
Life has definitely been a challenge, and the COVID-19 pandemic has put the world in a tailspin. The government deemed our business as non-essential, so the store is closed to walk-in traffic. I deem it to be essential to our continuance, and have taken the quiet time to catch up on a lot of accounting, cleaning and typesetting. We are re-arranging things in the store, and if the weather warms up a bit, we can tackle things like new shelving and re-painting the floor.
No one told me that spring cleaning had come early, as in late February, so there are another 20 boxes of books to sort through. Believe me, we are not bored. But hopefully ready when the severest of these restrictions is lifted.
Hope you are all well and safe. Please stay that way.
Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar 2020 going strong
While you presumably have time, your writing goals for 2020 may be more attainable. Time moves pretty fast; please don't wait. Get those words out into the world.
This is our 18th year compiling this resource for writers and there are always many changes each year. The ebook formats are available as well. If you're choosing the Kindle version, please read the additional instructions here.
Northern Ontario Poetry Competition
Curtain Call: Our 25th and final annual poetry competition is cancelled.
The Launch this year was to be held at the Golden Age Club, 22 Argentite Street, Cobalt on Saturday September 12th, 2020. and our last competition deadline was to be May 31st, 2020.
Twenty-four years was enough. The gala envisioned was predicated on people being able to travel, and this is by no means a certainty. The store takes more time as it becomes more popular; the publishing takes time as well. And I'm not getting younger.
Over the last 24 years we've published 943 poems from 151 different poets in the Northern Ontario communities of Alban, Baysville, Blind River, Charlton, Cobalt, Coleman Township, Connaught, Corbeil, Dryden, Earlton, Elk Lake, Elliot Lake, Englehart, Haileybury, Hanmer, Hearst, Hilton Beach, Huntsville, Iron Bridge, Jellicoe, Kapuskasing, Kenabeek, Kirkland Lake, Larder Lake, Little Current, Longlac, M'Chgeeng, Manitouwadge, Matheson, Mindemoya, Moose Factory, New Liskeard, North Bay, Parry Sound, Porquis Junction, Port Sydney, Powassan, Sault Ste. Marie, Sheguiandah, Shuniah, Sioux Lookout, Smoothrock Falls, South Porcupine, Spring Bay, St. Joseph Island, Sudbury, Swastika, Temagami, Terrace Bay, Thessalon, Thorne, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Warren, Webequie, Whitefish, and Worthington. I will post a list in the next while. Some of those poets have passed from this life, others have enlarged on their initial successes to publish their own books, and other writing. We like to think we've helped, or at least inspired some thinking and writing.
Thank you all for your past support.
The Store continues--even though it's closed for now.
Heading into our sixth year here in Cobalt. The word is out, the visitors keep returning. We keep hearing about our brief appearance in the CBC show Still Standing on the town of Cobalt and on the History channel's Salvage Kings episode. People have been kind. Once it's safe, please stop in if you're in the area. Love to meet you.
New Offerings:
No Poverty Between The Sheets by Pauline Kiely Her Irish father is the fourth of ten children, and her French Canadian mother the baby of twelve. Lively stories bounce back and forth between the two cultures in this conversational memoir full of gems. Spanning four generations, readers are treated to this witty family saga. The book documents the strong ties that bind generations together. Honest, captivating fresh new voice like no other. Available in print and ebook formats.
Into the Artistic Heart of Europe: On the Canals of the Netherlands and Belgium, April 2019 by Tom Roach and Lucie Edwards. The beginning of April marks the arrival of spring in the Netherlands and in Belgium. Tulips in the cities and in the fields are already in bloom and, most marvellous of all, the trees are producing baby leaves that quickly grow and turn the two countries a bright green. Both the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium (Northern Belgium, the part they visited) have a lot in common having, at one time, been part and parcel of the Spanish Empire. This book chronicles their trip. Available as ebooks only.
Trailmix by Mike Camp. His life's work in writing, painting, sculptures, and teaching combined in this limited edition volume of 240 pages containing 44 poems, 3 plays, 25 essays, 2 short stories and 87 colour photographs of the sculptures, paintings and selected articles published. Also included 1 DVD containing 2 short movies: Beaver Trapper and Vigrass Lake Adventures.
Cal Taylor~The War Years, an autobiographical account of Cal's WW II service with the RCAF.
Selected Chapters of Temiskaming Heritage~Chapter Two is now available. This is a collection of the Proceedings from the Cobalt Historical Society's 2019 symposium.
Stephen Lafricain
Grand Old Man of the River
by Bruce W. Taylor
Stephen Lafricain was born in 1837, and in his 99 years witnessed much history in both Canada and the United States, including treaty signing, the decline of the fur trade, the opening of northeastern Ontario to great mineral wealth. Well worth the read, and the history. Short-listed for the Northern Ontario Lit Award, but sadly was not chosen. (Well they can only chose one...)
Steep Rock, The Men and the Mines also by Bruce W. Taylor is a comprehensive history of the very exciting development of the Steep Rock iron deposits near Atikokan, Ontario. This second edition of the original published in 1978, provides an enduring account of this massive enterprise.
Airy Somethings: The Extraordinary Life of the Aviation Pioneer Horatio Barber by Terry Grace and Maggie Wilson. Horatio Barber was involved in a variety of business ventures: farming, silver and gold mining, and then in the 1910s, aeroplane design, construction, and piloting. His businesses ranged from bona fide to unethical to outright scams. A fascinating story of an extraordinary man; an exceptional life from the pioneering days of heavier than air flight.
A Place Called Krugerdorf by Herb Kruger. A history of this once-thriving Northern Ontario community, lost to the passage of time.
Immigrant in Porcupine and His Later Journal by Magne E Stortroen combines his two autobiographies in this re-printed edition. Arriving in 1923 from Norway he describes with a wry sense of humour the conditions in the Porcupine logging camps and mines in the 1920s, 1930s.
And Favourites in the store...
Cobalt~The Cradle of Hard Rock Mining in Canada A colour pictorial with quotes about Cobalt from the people and places at the time when the whole world knew where Cobalt was on a map. Perfect and affordable souvenir honouring Cobalt's past.
Missing in Cobalt by Terry Cassidy is a murder mystery set in Cobalt 1949. A young woman's body is discovered in the ice in a Buffalo Mines adit, and from there, we have to discover who she is, how she got there, and of course, who did it. Have had rave reviews on this one. And yes, it is fiction.
Books are a great gift for any time of year. They stand the test of time, become part of your life. The good ones can change your life, your perception of the world. Consider a great book for your gift giving year round.
As a reminder to those who have said they would post a review on TripAdvisor, doing so would be a huge favour and show of support (and thank-you to those who did). At least five people came into the store last summer saying that is where they discovered our store. The link is here: TripAdvisor reviews for White Mountain Publications, aka White Mountain Books. We appreciate all your support.
We have compiled a list of the books we handle for the Little Claybelt Homesteaders Museum, similar to the one we have for the old Highway Book Shop books.
Yes, we continued to be busy. Hope all is well with you and yours. Take this unique opportunity for reflection and make this a great, if challenging, year.