Class Acts
A Room in the Forest, my MFA thesis, has been published by Caitlin Press. It is a story set on "the islands of the people" better known as Haida Gwaii. Lily's story, in some ways, mirrors my own awakening to the injustices around land and land use practices on Indigenous land. To the different ways people approach their lives. To living a life based on alternate priorities than societal expectations. To the compromises people make between what they believe and the choices life provides. All these lessons come without a straightforward path. The learning is complicated by interpersonal relations, family, world events, dreams, hardships, and mistakes.
I lived on Haida Gwaii for ten years (2004-2014) and mostly worked as a reporter for the local newspaper. Many important shifts happened in that time: the Islands' Spirit Rising movement, Protocol Agreement signings with all the non-Haida communities, and the opening of the Haida Heritage Centre at Kay'llnagaay, to name a few. As a participant in and observer of island life, I also wrote or worked for various magazines, the Haida Gwaii Museum, and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. In all roles, I learned valuable stories and perspectives and witnessed the great diversity of individuals who call the place home.
"Heather Ramsay invites readers on a profound journey of self-discovery set against the breathtaking backdrop of Haida Gwaii's ancient landscapes... Prepare to be captivated by a tale that is as much about finding one's place in the world as it is about the transformative power of the wilderness."
-Huux Percy Crosby, Haida Gwaii Natural Resource District
"A poetic, personal and powerful story set in BC's never-ending-always-fascinating War in the Woods."
Mark Leiren-Young, Author of Never Shoot a Stampede Queen (winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour)
