Blowdown

Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Blowdown by Craig Spence, Craig Spence
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Craig Spence ISBN: 9781301855711
Publisher: Craig Spence Publication: August 13, 2013
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Craig Spence
ISBN: 9781301855711
Publisher: Craig Spence
Publication: August 13, 2013
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

I wrote Blowdown shortly after a violent storm in December 2006 that flattened large sections of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Like most everyone, I was shocked by the scale of the carnage and inclined to anthropomorphize the event – attributing it to a malevolent force in Nature.
It’s not surprising people reacted that way. The sacredness of Stanley Park has been recognized for centuries… millennia. To see its giant Douglas firs scattered about like pick-up sticks sent shockwaves through many communities that revere what is perhaps the most precious 405 hectares of vestigial wilderness on the West Coast.
But rather than pin the images I was seeing to my memory board with a vague sense of anger, I wanted to understand the disaster from a spiritual perspective: yes, the aftermath was ugly; yes, it would take years for the park to recover; but storms are a natural catastrophe; it would be a mistake to characterize the devastation as an act of cosmic vandalism.
The process of adjusting my reaction has resulted in a book that’s hard for me to classify. On the one hand it scans like children’s literature, which I delight in both reading and writing; on the other, the themes and language may be challenging even for adults.
For some of the chapters I drew from the legends of the Squamish people as chronicled by Pauline Johnson in her conversations with Chief Joe Capilano at the turn of the last century. But any interpretations of First Nations’ legend, culture or spirituality you encounter here must be understood strictly as an adaptation through the eyes of a European child, trying to understand his place in family, society and nature.
It has taken six years for me to understand this distinction and overcome my deep concerns around issues of cultural appropriation. So even as I acknowledge the First Nations whose legends are part of the fabric of Stanley Park, I have to say emphatically that this story is written from the only perspective I know – that of a European child growing up in a multicultural land, whose first peoples still struggle to gain the rights and respect they deserve.
I have learned much about my world by witnessing and participating in First Nations events and ceremonies. I hope they and any other readers of Blowdown will enjoy this little book in the spirit it has been written.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

I wrote Blowdown shortly after a violent storm in December 2006 that flattened large sections of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Like most everyone, I was shocked by the scale of the carnage and inclined to anthropomorphize the event – attributing it to a malevolent force in Nature.
It’s not surprising people reacted that way. The sacredness of Stanley Park has been recognized for centuries… millennia. To see its giant Douglas firs scattered about like pick-up sticks sent shockwaves through many communities that revere what is perhaps the most precious 405 hectares of vestigial wilderness on the West Coast.
But rather than pin the images I was seeing to my memory board with a vague sense of anger, I wanted to understand the disaster from a spiritual perspective: yes, the aftermath was ugly; yes, it would take years for the park to recover; but storms are a natural catastrophe; it would be a mistake to characterize the devastation as an act of cosmic vandalism.
The process of adjusting my reaction has resulted in a book that’s hard for me to classify. On the one hand it scans like children’s literature, which I delight in both reading and writing; on the other, the themes and language may be challenging even for adults.
For some of the chapters I drew from the legends of the Squamish people as chronicled by Pauline Johnson in her conversations with Chief Joe Capilano at the turn of the last century. But any interpretations of First Nations’ legend, culture or spirituality you encounter here must be understood strictly as an adaptation through the eyes of a European child, trying to understand his place in family, society and nature.
It has taken six years for me to understand this distinction and overcome my deep concerns around issues of cultural appropriation. So even as I acknowledge the First Nations whose legends are part of the fabric of Stanley Park, I have to say emphatically that this story is written from the only perspective I know – that of a European child growing up in a multicultural land, whose first peoples still struggle to gain the rights and respect they deserve.
I have learned much about my world by witnessing and participating in First Nations events and ceremonies. I hope they and any other readers of Blowdown will enjoy this little book in the spirit it has been written.

More books from Fiction & Literature

Cover of the book Best of Books by the Bed #1: What Writers Are Reading Before Lights Out by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Cazadores de sombras. Princesa mecánica. Los orígenes 3. (Edición mexicana) by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Unheil by Craig Spence
Cover of the book O gozo do louva deus by Craig Spence
Cover of the book La resaca by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Crazed by Love; Cured by Revenge by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Ginx's Baby, o enjeitado by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Dick Hamilton's Fortune The Stirring Doings of a Millionaire's Son by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Pray for the Dying (Bob Skinner series, Book 23) by Craig Spence
Cover of the book An Introduction to the English Novel - Volume One: Defoe to George Eliot by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Infernal Revolutions by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Я хочу рассказать вам by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Marguerite Verne by Craig Spence
Cover of the book La prometida del duque by Craig Spence
Cover of the book Le lac du Lou by Craig Spence
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy