I was invited to a literary festival in Woody Point, N.L. [surrounded by Gros Morne National Park], in 2010. I took my wife and children and we fell in love with the place. We kept going back. Finally, we were so smitten, we bought a house there.
When I want to really feel a place in my bones, in my psyche, I need to feel the geography. I like to move through it physically. Woody Point is ideal for hiking, biking or kayaking. The biking is particularly fantastic; you see bays and mountains, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and traffic is quiet.
Newfoundland, we’re discovering, has a special tone of activity, especially with artists, painters and sculptors. Every block seems to have a writer. I’m not so much inspired by the geography to write, but it gives me licence to write because it gives me time and space. There are not a lot of distractions, except during the week of the writers’ festival.
And that’s one of the things we love most about the village — this fabulous literary festival called Writers at Woody Point. People come from hours away to take part. It brings in fantastic writers and attracts passionate, devoted audiences. It’s quickly turning into one of the most attractive and sought-after literary festivals.
The place makes me feel quieter, calmer and much more focused on what’s really important: writing, taking time with my family, slowing down to read. It makes me feel like seizing the best parts of life.