Author and artist Leo Yerxa, a former local resident, will be signing copies of his Governor General’s Award-winning book, “Ancient Thunder,” tomorrow (Nov. 20) at Northwoods Gallery & Gifts here.
The signing will take place from 1-3 p.m., with a second session slated for 6-8 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Earlier this month, the Ottawa-based author and artist who originally hails from Couchiching First Nation (and still has family there) was awarded the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature—Illustration for “Ancient Thunder.”
Yerxa said he excited to be able to come here for the signing, especially after receiving that special honour.
“It was something that I wanted to do. So I jumped on the idea when I was asked,” he remarked.
“I’m thrilled to help him promote his book. He was just in the store [Monday],” Northwoods owner Connie Cuthbertson said yesterday.
“It’s a real thrill to have someone writing and illustrating at that level,” she added. “It’s exciting. It’s not every day you meet somebody who’s been published, period.
“And he seems to be quite pleased to be back in his hometown to talk to people about his book,” Cuthbertson noted. “He’s very interested in sharing any of the ideas he has.”
A description of “Ancient Thunder” on publisher’s Groundwood Books website describes it—and Yerxa’s unique art style—as follows:
“A beautiful and visionary book, ‘Ancient Thunder’ celebrates wild horses and the natural world of the Prairies. Using an extraordinary technique, Yerxa, an artist of Ojibway ancestry, makes paper look like leather, so that his illustrations seem to be painted on leather shirts.
“Each shirt is accompanied by a rich song of praise for the wild horses that came to play such an important role in the lives of the First Peoples.
“Years in the making, the book is truly a work of art—one that reflects Yerxa’s sense of nature and the place of native people within it.”
Copies of the hardcover book, which is meant for children of all ages, will be available for sale at Northwoods.
Yerxa’s other published works include the highly-acclaimed picture book, “A Fish Tale,” and his first book, “Last Leaf, First Snowflake to Fall,” which was nominated for a Governor General’s Award.
It won the Amelia Frances-Gibbon Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award.
For more information, visit www.groundwoodbooks.com
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