Jill Wilson wrote about an urban forest walk I led for the Winnipeg International Writers Festival for the Literary Review of Canada.

Jill's article, entitled The Grass Is Greener: A walk through Winnipeg’s urban forest is beautifully written. Here's a excerpt:

"If you were a tree, what kind would you be? Ask the Winnipeg poet and essayist Ariel Gordon that question, and she’ll hesitate for only a moment. “A trembling aspen,” she might say. “I like how their leaves all turn at once, because they’re so closely linked. They live in community.”

Others might call her an oak. She is very tall, with long, pale brown hair. When reading aloud, she doesn’t sway, but plants her legs solidly, like roots. Indeed, while she’s athletic, stalwart, and sturdy, she’s aspen-hearted—easily moved to both laughter and tears, deeply connected with her environment."

More here: The Grass is Greener

The walk and the article both drew on my latest book, Treed: Walking in Canada's Urban Forests.

After a fall spent leading walks in Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, and Victoria, I'm going to start leading my women-only walks in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Forest soon. Join me!