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Stalking the Wild Heart
November 24, 2009
By SUSAN DUNCAN
Daily News City Editor
She lives in Celista in an old farmhouse with a big, cozy kitchen. A wood stove provides much of the heat. Homemade cookies cool on a rack.
Lulu, a black lab, snoozes on the floor. A black steer outside the window grazes contentedly on grass.
The location is not as remote as where Deanna Barnhardt Kawatski wrote her popular book, Wilderness Mother, but it still has enough of the back country atmosphere to inspire creativity.
Not that Kawatski needs much motivation to put pen to paper - and she does that literally. Writing, as her partner, Eric Procunier, told her, "is so much who you are. You write every day.";
That conversation occurred recently when Kawatski walked outside to where Procunier was working and announced, "That's it. I'm done. I'm not going to write again.";
Procunier said he momentarily felt concerned, but then realized that was not possible for her.
Reflecting back on her comments, Kawatski couldn't recall what exactly made her come to that conclusion. However, she does know, that writing is tough.
"Everybody secretly thinks they can write a book. They have no idea,"; she said and then she laughs.
Acclaimed author Philip Roth would agree. He once noted there are a few things in life that are too hard and writing is one of them.
Yet, Kawatski said, many people are flooding the literary scene with inferior works because they don't realize what is needed to produce a quality book. While she admitted her comment might not be popular, she wishes those would-be authors would spend more time acquiring writing skills before attempting to publish their material.
"Professional editing - I think it's a must. Get another view. Often when we write for a long time, we can't see the forest for the trees.";
Kawatski has been writing for more than 30 years. She wrote her first book in Paris when she was 23 years old.
"I just read it over the other day, " she said, letting loose another peal of laughter at her youthful writing.
"Here I was in Paris and I was actually writing about Shuswap Lake, instead of Paris.";
Kawataski, then Deanna Barnhardt, grew up in Kamloops but spent as much time at the Shuswap Lake where her grandmother still owned the family property in Magna Bay.
A chance encounter with W. O. Mitchell helped Kawatski realize the need to develop her own literary skills. She was on a plane in 1974, when the man sitting beside her noticed her scribbling in her journal - something she continues to do daily.
Are you a writer? he asked. She replied that she loved to write, never daring to call herself an actual writer. He introduced himself and during the following four-hour conversation, Mitchell convinced her to attend the Banff School of Fine Arts in the next year where he would be teaching a session.
When she talks about writing being exhausting, she knows of what she speaks. She spends years on one book. Although she has a computer, she first writes her manuscripts by hand, sometimes more than one draft.
She has written five books, four of them published and the fifth waiting for a decision on whether she will self-publish or let her agent look for a publishing house.
Published through the Gracesprings Collective, her latest book, Stalking The Wild Heart, is a novel that again draws on her life experiences.
She is most happy with the reaction from the North Shuswap community. She launched it in September at the Celista hall with a night of music and readings from the book. She expected 25 or 30 people. She got more than 100.
"(Last weekend) I was at the local craft fair and I sold 27 books. I was so thrilled,"; she said. "They are really avid readers out here.";
Writing a popular book should not be new to her. Wilderness Mother
is described in writing circles as a classic, and Clara and Me touches the heart of anyone who reads it. But she still delights in knowing people appreciate her stories.
"When people buy your book, it's so important. I'm constantly struck by people's lack of reality about writers. They think once you have published a book, you are rich. That is such a myth. There are so few writers who are rich.";
When a book is published professionally, the author gets $2.50 if the book sells for $25. That's one of the advantages of self publishing, although the author also has all the costs of printing.
Fortunately, she said, she has always lived frugally so she's doing OK.
And is she really done with writing? Procunier can relax. He's right. It's who she is.
"I have a lot of stories left to tell,"; she confessed.
But, for the moment, Kawatski will concentrate on publicizing Stalking The Wild Heart.
"I need to fill my creative well for awhile. Once you take the plunge, once I commit myself, there is no turning back. Even if I'm not at my desk writing, part of my mind is always occupied with the book.";
ALSO:
When she is not writing, Deanna Barnhardt Kawatski is engaged in other literary pursuits. She gives writing workshops, makes presentations at workshops, attends writers' retreats and festivals, and gives readings. Since Wilderness Mother was published in 1994, she has given 65 readings. Her next reading featuring passages of Stalking The Wild Heart is Nov. 28 at Vertigo Gallery in Vernon from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Kawatski's books are available in Kamloops at Chapter's, Bookland and Second Glance for $28.
In her early days of writing, she focused on magazine articles and in 1994-95, she wrote a series of articles for Mother Earth News called the Shuswap Diaries. She also wrote for Country Journal and it was a cover story there that attracted the attention of two American publishing companies encouraging her to write a book, which led to Wilderness Mother.
Her books include:
Literary non-fiction:
Wilderness Mother
Clara and Me
Poetry:
Bird, Bubble and Stream
Contemporary fiction:
Stalking The Wild Heart
In progress:
A travel memoir, Burning Man, Slaying Dragon, which includes the story of how she and her twin sister, Donna, ended up travelling to Berlin at age 20, along with Donna's new baby.
By SUSAN DUNCAN
Daily News City Editor
She lives in Celista in an old farmhouse with a big, cozy kitchen. A wood stove provides much of the heat. Homemade cookies cool on a rack.
Lulu, a black lab, snoozes on the floor. A black steer outside the window grazes contentedly on grass.
The location is not as remote as where Deanna Barnhardt Kawatski wrote her popular book, Wilderness Mother, but it still has enough of the back country atmosphere to inspire creativity.
Not that Kawatski needs much motivation to put pen to paper - and she does that literally. Writing, as her partner, Eric Procunier, told her, "is so much who you are. You write every day.";
That conversation occurred recently when Kawatski walked outside to where Procunier was working and announced, "That's it. I'm done. I'm not going to write again.";
Procunier said he momentarily felt concerned, but then realized that was not possible for her.
Reflecting back on her comments, Kawatski couldn't recall what exactly made her come to that conclusion. However, she does know, that writing is tough.
"Everybody secretly thinks they can write a book. They have no idea,"; she said and then she laughs.
Acclaimed author Philip Roth would agree. He once noted there are a few things in life that are too hard and writing is one of them.
Yet, Kawatski said, many people are flooding the literary scene with inferior works because they don't realize what is needed to produce a quality book. While she admitted her comment might not be popular, she wishes those would-be authors would spend more time acquiring writing skills before attempting to publish their material.
"Professional editing - I think it's a must. Get another view. Often when we write for a long time, we can't see the forest for the trees.";
Kawatski has been writing for more than 30 years. She wrote her first book in Paris when she was 23 years old.
"I just read it over the other day, " she said, letting loose another peal of laughter at her youthful writing.
"Here I was in Paris and I was actually writing about Shuswap Lake, instead of Paris.";
Kawataski, then Deanna Barnhardt, grew up in Kamloops but spent as much time at the Shuswap Lake where her grandmother still owned the family property in Magna Bay.
A chance encounter with W. O. Mitchell helped Kawatski realize the need to develop her own literary skills. She was on a plane in 1974, when the man sitting beside her noticed her scribbling in her journal - something she continues to do daily.
Are you a writer? he asked. She replied that she loved to write, never daring to call herself an actual writer. He introduced himself and during the following four-hour conversation, Mitchell convinced her to attend the Banff School of Fine Arts in the next year where he would be teaching a session.
When she talks about writing being exhausting, she knows of what she speaks. She spends years on one book. Although she has a computer, she first writes her manuscripts by hand, sometimes more than one draft.
She has written five books, four of them published and the fifth waiting for a decision on whether she will self-publish or let her agent look for a publishing house.
Published through the Gracesprings Collective, her latest book, Stalking The Wild Heart, is a novel that again draws on her life experiences.
She is most happy with the reaction from the North Shuswap community. She launched it in September at the Celista hall with a night of music and readings from the book. She expected 25 or 30 people. She got more than 100.
"(Last weekend) I was at the local craft fair and I sold 27 books. I was so thrilled,"; she said. "They are really avid readers out here.";
Writing a popular book should not be new to her. Wilderness Mother
is described in writing circles as a classic, and Clara and Me touches the heart of anyone who reads it. But she still delights in knowing people appreciate her stories.
"When people buy your book, it's so important. I'm constantly struck by people's lack of reality about writers. They think once you have published a book, you are rich. That is such a myth. There are so few writers who are rich.";
When a book is published professionally, the author gets $2.50 if the book sells for $25. That's one of the advantages of self publishing, although the author also has all the costs of printing.
Fortunately, she said, she has always lived frugally so she's doing OK.
And is she really done with writing? Procunier can relax. He's right. It's who she is.
"I have a lot of stories left to tell,"; she confessed.
But, for the moment, Kawatski will concentrate on publicizing Stalking The Wild Heart.
"I need to fill my creative well for awhile. Once you take the plunge, once I commit myself, there is no turning back. Even if I'm not at my desk writing, part of my mind is always occupied with the book.";
ALSO:
When she is not writing, Deanna Barnhardt Kawatski is engaged in other literary pursuits. She gives writing workshops, makes presentations at workshops, attends writers' retreats and festivals, and gives readings. Since Wilderness Mother was published in 1994, she has given 65 readings. Her next reading featuring passages of Stalking The Wild Heart is Nov. 28 at Vertigo Gallery in Vernon from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Kawatski's books are available in Kamloops at Chapter's, Bookland and Second Glance for $28.
In her early days of writing, she focused on magazine articles and in 1994-95, she wrote a series of articles for Mother Earth News called the Shuswap Diaries. She also wrote for Country Journal and it was a cover story there that attracted the attention of two American publishing companies encouraging her to write a book, which led to Wilderness Mother.
Her books include:
Literary non-fiction:
Wilderness Mother
Clara and Me
Poetry:
Bird, Bubble and Stream
Contemporary fiction:
Stalking The Wild Heart
In progress:
A travel memoir, Burning Man, Slaying Dragon, which includes the story of how she and her twin sister, Donna, ended up travelling to Berlin at age 20, along with Donna's new baby.
Submitted on November 25, 2009 in By David.
