Canadian Geographic magazine
magazine / oct09

October 2009 issue


FEATURE
Northern Peninsula: Culture Vulture

A new generation is making their own opportunities on The Rock by trying their hand at creating music, films and books. Below we’ve rounded up of some of the best examples of Newfoundland’s new culture.
• Music
• Films, Movies
• Books
Photo: hey rosetta! fan
Feature story
Route 430 revisited
Sidebar: Fiords and fortunes
                 Making the Tablelands
Photo Gallery: Cryptic coast
Map: Cow Head to Cape Onion
More …
Mountain bikes & nomads
Explore the peninsula’s parks and communities
Culture Vulture
Check out the Rock’s best new music, films & books
Photo Club: Field Report
Faces of Newfoundland
MUSIC  
Hey Rosetta!
Genres: Alt Rock, Rock, Singer Songwriter

A mainstay on Newfoundland’s indie rock scene for a few years now, Hey Rosetta! crafts complex pop that will get you singing and stomping your feet. Good for break ups and road trips.


Bottled Beats
Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental

A duo hailing from St. John’s, Bottled Beats are responsible for some very original music: they mix hip hop with traditional island instruments, key among them the accordian. A good precursor to a Friday night.


Duane Andrews
Genres: Swing / Big Band, Folk, Jazz

Educated in jazz guitar the Conservatoire de Paris, Duane Andrews has rooted himself firmly in his genre. However, like many things hailing from Newfoundland, he gives his music a twist by melding cool jazz with the upbeat tempo of Newfie folk. Best listened to late at night or over cups of coffee with friends.


The Novaks
Genres: Alt Rock

No better description of this band can be found than on CBC’s Radio 3 website, but we will endeavor to add a few words of our own. The Novaks have a dynamic, driving sound that’s infectious and easy to get into. Perfect melodies for trips to the beach.

FILMS, MOVIES  
Bill Crane Moves Away
Filmed in the late 1960s, this short documentary zeros in on Billy Crane, a fisherman forced to leave Newfoundland for a job in Toronto. He speaks frankly about the state of inshore fisheries and how a lack of government support contributed to the industry’s downfall.

Director: Colin Low


Crackie
Debuting at the Toronto Film Festival this fall, then travelling onto festivals in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, Crackie tells the story of Mitsy, a young Newfoundlander raised by her grandmother. When her real mother shows up one day Mitsy’s life unravels and she’s forced to make life changing choices about whom she can trust.

Writer and Director: Sherry White


Cranky: Fogo Island Punt Race
The Great Fogo Island Punt Race is a grueling 16-kilometer race out in the open ocean around the Fogo and Change Islands near Lewisporte, Newfoundland. Cranky tells the story of three teams as they prepare for and struggle through the trip. Who will come out on top?

Henge Production and Consulting in association with the Shorefast Foundation

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BOOKS  
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
A novel
by Wayne Johnston

The New York Times calls Newfoundland the star of Wayne Johnston’s Colony of Unrequited Dreams, so it’s no surprise the book’s turning point is April Fools’ Day 1949 when Newfoundland lost its national status and was incorporated into Canada. This fictionalized account of Newfoundland’s history, follows Joe Smallwood as he endures the challenges of becoming the province’s first premier.
Latitudes of Melt
A novel
by Joan Clark

Soon after the sinking of the Titanic a baby is found on an ice floe off the coast of Newfoundland where she’s brought up by a family of fishers and salvagers in Drook, a hamlet on the province’s southern tip. Latitudes of Melt is a dramatic historical fiction chronicling the child’s journey from into to old age. It is a tale of family dynamics, disappearing communities, and life in the Maritimes at the turn of the 20th century.

Galore
A novel
by Michael Crummey

Michael Crummey’s third book set in Newfoundland, Galore blows his earlier efforts out of the Atlantic, says the Globe and Mail. The book opens with members of a fictional port town butchering a beached whale with a man is trapped inside. The man turns out to be alive and is named Judah, and the rest of the novel follows two families as they shape rural Newfoundland. Crummey captures the province’s idiosyncrasies and weaves in folklore, reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, says one review.
Bay of Spirits
A Love Story
by Farley Mowat

The beauty of the Newfoundland coast wasn’t the only thing that caught Farley Mowat’s eye during his travels in 1957. As he tells it in his newest book, Bay of Spirits, it was also the trip where he met the love of his life – a woman, and not a landscape. Claire Wheeler changed both their lives when she hopped aboard Mowat’s schooner at a port in St. Pierre. The book describes the adventurous lifestyle of coastal Newfoundland as the couple decides to start a life there, even while Mowat was married to another woman at the time.


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Comments on this articleLeave a comment

As a person who grew up on the Great Northern Peninsula and have seen the place go through many ups and downs. I can say that it is a very desolate place since the cod moratorium. I don't know why some people, who obviously live inside the overpass of St. John's, think that this province is booming when others are living hand to mouth. This is once again a great demonstration of the arrogance of the "big city" towards rural NL. And thanks to that attitude of our present government, thinks are not likely to change anytime soon! I don't have to priviledge of moving back home because there are no jobs, so before you make such asinine comments, why don't you do your research first! I am proud of this article and it lays out the facts very well! Good job and lovely pics of the coast.

Submitted by Vanessa on Friday, November 20, 2009


Check your facts, the northern cod fishery was closed in 1992 with a complete moratoriam in 1993 of the Gulf (of St Lawerence) which the northern penninsula borders. You only missed by 10-11 years. I would expect better from your magazine.

Submitted by Mel on Friday, November 06, 2009


We own and operate two bed and breakfasts in Dilod, NL and we certainly acknowledge the transportation issues that we face each season for the traveling public. However, we find living on Trinity Bay in a rural outport to be one of the best kept secrets and best places to live in Canada.

Submitted by Dale Cameron on Monday, October 26, 2009


Jim, I must say, I totally agree with your comment. When my husband and I read this article, we thought, wow, this guy didn't do his research (and we can't believe Canadian Geographic published it). The article is like a tired, lazy attempt to write a story, which draws on old, tired stereotypes of NL. There is a more accurate article in the National Post, which states, "One would have to be living under a rather large rock - the size of the province itself - not to be aware of the current economic boom Newfoundland is experiencing". Well, I guess the author of this article is living under a rather LARGE rock. He paints NL as a desolate, dying province, and barely makes mention of the current economic boom it's experiencing (and yes, it's effects are felt on the West coast too). And anyone who knows anything about NL, knows it is no longer the poor, desolate province it once was. I mean really, if you're going to publish a story, do your research first!

Submitted by Rae-lyn on Monday, October 26, 2009


Much of the information in this article is outdated and incorrect. Some of the photos are several years old. I would have expected better from both Russell and Canadian Geographic.

Submitted by Anita on Monday, October 26, 2009


It is a truely wonderful area to visit. Sadly, there is little bus transportation available, cars are nearly impossible to rent during tourist season, and the railroad was decommissioned. Until Newfoundland addresses its transportation issues, this region will only receive a small portion of its potential visitors.

Submitted by Andrew on Wednesday, October 21, 2009


Wow, your take is quite cynical., not to mention inaccurate. Gros Morne and the Northern Peninsula are wonderful places to visit,and live.

Submitted by Jenn on Friday, October 09, 2009


Got to say some of your take on the economics of the area are a bit tired and out of touch. Working in western Canada has been around for ever. A jewel of an area ,you really need to go back and dig a little deeper in your reporting. Not sure what you mean by depleted resources?

Submitted by Jim Boiduk on Thursday, October 08, 2009


I climbed Gros Morne for the first time this July. The views are spectacular. Newfoundland's West coast is a jewel — and the provincial park in Pistolet Bay is superb for camping (but bring a sweater).

Submitted by Lydia on Friday, October 02, 2009


My wife and I just returned from a week long adventure in to L'anse aux meadows. it was a great trip. Highly recommend it to anyone. However, the season is very short and the sites are mostly closed now, so book early and head out there next summer!

Submitted by Steve on Tuesday, September 29, 2009




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