Our Blog — The Literary Type

Theresa Kishkan's essay, "Arbutus menziesii," won TNQ's first annual Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest in 2010. The essay was subsequently republished in a memoir/personal essay collection called Mnemonic: A Book of Trees, which has just been nominated for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize (a BC Book Prize).

As with "Arbutus menziesii," the complete collection "intertwines the mysteries of trees with the defining moments" in Kishkan's life.

Naming each chapter for a particular tree, [Kishkan] draws on Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, John Evelyn’s Sylva, and strands of mythology from other classical and contemporary sources to blend scientific fact with natural history and the artifacts of human culture. Mnemonic reveals how all of us have roots that intertwine with the broader world, tapping deep into the rich well of universal themes.

The print edition of Issue #116, in which Kishkan's winning essay was first published, is sold out, but you can purchase the digital edition on tnq.ca. If you'd like to enter this year's Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest, the deadline is March 28.