Today in the ArtZany Radio studio Paula Granquist welcomes author Kurt Johnson to share the story of his debut novel The Barrens: A Novel of Love and Death in the Canadian Arctic. This is a book he wrote with the help of his daughter Ellie Johnson.
kurtjohnsonbooks.com
Events:
Father’s Day Book Reading and Signing
Sunday, June 19 @ 2PM
Next Chapter Booksellers in Saint Paul, MN
nextchapterbooksellers.com
Reading and Signing
Saturday, June 25 @ 11AM
Honest Dog Books in Bayfield, WI
honestdogbooks.com
Kurt Johnson grew up in Minneapolis and spent summers on a remote island near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, first with his parents, later with his wife, and then daughter, Ellie. Both Kurt and Ellie are graduates of the University of Minnesota, Ellie just recently. Both live in the Twin Cities.
The Barrens: A Novel of Love and Death in the Canadian Arctic is about two young women who take a 450-mile canoe trip on the Thelon River through the uninhabited Arctic tundra of the Barren Lands in northern Canada. Holly has done the trip before. A week into the trip Holly dies while taking a selfie too close to the edge of a cliff. Lee is tasked with canoeing for the next three weeks alone with the body. The two had established a ritual of telling stories about their pasts and imagined futures while camping at night. Lee continues to tell the stories even after Holly dies. Lee’s coming-of-age story is about growing up off-the-grid in Nebraska with her eco-anarchist father who eventually lands in prison. Holly’s coming-out story happens when Lee finally confronts Holly’s family after getting off the river.
Author Kurt Johnson wrote this novel with the help of his daughter, Ellie, who did the 450-mile journey. His daughter is also gay. The story is the product of the author working to understand her physical journey through the Barren Lands, and her journey as a gay woman coming of age. The novel is written with his Ellie’s insight and guidance.
