Emily Carr’s B.C.
August 19th, 2019
After tracing Emily Carr’s historic travels throughout the province, Laurie Carter is set to launch the final book in her trilogy, Emily Carr’s BC: South Coast to the Interior (Little White 2019).
The launch will be held on Sept. 14 at Emily Carr House, Victoria, from 2-4 pm.
Carter spent four years driving around B.C. exploring the landscapes, historical environment and First Nations traditions that Emily Carr wrote about and depicted in her paintings.
The third book covers Carr’s life from her return from studying in England in 1904 to her final expedition up what is now the Sea to Sky route to Lillooet in 1933. Carter made stops in the Shuswap, Selkirk and Purcell mountains; forays to the Okanagan Valley, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Canyon, and Cariboo region; and parts of Vancouver (for the years Carr lived, worked, and exhibited there).
Carter says in her publicity materials that she encountered a variety of experiences. “Sometimes Emily was doing purely touristy stuff like drinking ‘pre-historic fluid’ in a glacial ice cave,” says Carter. “Another time the hotel room ceiling fell on her head. Not surprisingly, given her legendary love of animals, creatures often played a prominent role. On one excursion, she acquired a baby vulture, on another she asked a policeman to shoot her dog.”
Throughout it all, Carter searched for the origins of Carr’s travel stories, the locations of certain paintings and other historical facts. One of her most rewarding moments was discovering the actual dates of Carr’s visit to the Okanagan Valley, as Carter was living in Kelowna at the time.
“Other little mysteries, like the location of her story ‘Century Time’ kept me digging. The results aren’t necessarily definitive, but I feel that I’ve added something to the conversation,” says Carter.
Complete BC Book Tour: Sep 14-Oct 19, 2019
Sept 14: Victoria: Emily Carr House ~ 2-4 pm
Sept 24: Sicamous Public Library ~ 11 am
Sept 24: Kelowna Public Library, Mission Branch ~ 6:30 pm
Sept 25: Osoyoos Public Library ~ 2 pm
Sept 26: Revelstoke Public Library ~ 12 noon
Sept 27: Golden Public Library ~ 2 pm
Sept 28: Vernon Public Library ~ 10 am
Sept 28: Summerland Public Library ~ 3 pm
Sept 30: Sechelt Public Library ~ 3 pm
Oct 3: Squamish Public Library ~ 6:30 pm
Oct 17: Pemberton Museum ~ 2 pm
Oct 19: Whistler Writers Festival @ Audain Art Museum ~ TBA
About Laurie Carter
In addition to the other two books in her trilogy, Emily Carr’s B.C.: Vancouver Island (Little White Publishing 2015) and Emily Carr’s B.C.: Northern B.C. & Haida Gwaii (Little White 2016), Laurie Carter is also the author of Grandma Wears Hiking Books: A Personal Guide to the Okanagan Valley and co-author of Gifts of the Okanagan. Her interest in travel extends to fiction in her Taylor Kerrick mystery novels. Carter’s stories and photographs have appeared in publications ranging from airline magazines to Sunday papers. Her work has been recognized with many travel media awards including finalist for the NATJA 2015 Travel Book of the Year for Emily Carr’s BC: Vancouver Island. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where she majored in Canadian history. Carter lived in the Okanagan Valley for more than 25 years.
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