Luanne Armstrong – författare

At the age of five, Luanne Armstrong fell in love with the beauty of the land -- the late afternoon sun on a field of emerald-green grass, the clucking of hungry chickens as she spread seed for their meals. Her growing years were spent subsistence farming with her family, living closely with the animals of the farm and immersing herself in the surrounding wilderness. Now, at seventy-two, she continues to garden -- albeit a bit more slowly and on a much smaller scale -- and to observe the world around her, both human and animal. GOING TO GROUND is a deeply intimate and meditative collection of personal essays exploring the intersections of chronic pain, the myths and stories that make us human, and the unexpected magic of finding your rage and joy reflected back to you by nature. Through these brave and vulnerable vignettes brimming with a lifetime's worth of wisdom and filled with astonishing prose, Luanne Armstrong gets deeply personal about what it means to recover from traumatic brain injuries, grow older when you have fallen in love with being needed, and slow down enough to listen to nature, even when the message isnt what you were expecting to hear. In this mix of self-reflection, nature-inspired philosophy, and social critique, Armstrong helps us make sense of the complicated relationships between aging parents and their adult children, the changes brought about by climate change and technology, and the slow, surprising process of getting older when you belong to the generation that lived by the motto, Never trust anyone over 30.

Nestled among pristine lakes, powerful rivers and awe-inducing mountain ranges, the Kootenay region of British Columbia has always drawn a distinctly adventurous crowd. The dramatic and somewhat isolated landscape has long been a fertile ground for artists, musicians, back-to-the-landers, hippies, environmentalists, free thinkers, and those seeking to escape the confines of big cities to the east and west and the political dynamics to the south. Others have called the area home for millennia -- the Sinixt Nation, which spans the interior plateau of BC and extends beyond the areas now known as the Kootenay region, and the Ktunaxa Nation, which have long resided on the lands and waters of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and beyond the confines of our colonial borders. Today, the Kootenay region is a hub of farming, arts, culture and counterculture in British Columbia. DANCING ON MOUNTAINS is a collection of inspiring and eclectic stories written by women from across geography and time, each of whom has been drawn to take root in the mystic, beautiful Kootenays. In their own words, these women -- teachers, artists, musicians, writers, entrepreneurs and environmentalists -- share stories that embody the spirit of the Kootenays. From fleeing the US draft alongside the men of the 60s and pushing against traditional gender roles and sexism, to reclaiming Indigenous identities, calling out environmental threats and fighting for our climate today, these stories span the spectrum of human experience. Thoughtful, heart-warming and delightfully entertaining, DANCING ON MOUNTAINS is a celebration of the brilliant, radical essence of the women of the Kootenays.

This is a remarkable and deeply wise reflection on land, farming, a sense of place, connecting with nature and what it means to live on this earth. As a third-generation farmer, the author's roots go deep into the land but her work also captures her thoughts on such current issues as the environment, environmental identity, and animal ethics. Her writing is poetic, lyrical, and engaging. Part farmer, part poet, part activist, Armstrong engages her readers through her fascination and close involvement with both the natural and the human worlds.