A local Creston author will be celebrating the completion of her new novel with a literary soiree.
On Saturday, April 23, Luanne Armstrong will launch her latest work - “Going to Ground: Essays on Aging, Chronic Pain and the Healing Power of Nature”.
Armstrong holds a Ph.D in Education and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.
She has spent most of her life in the Kootenays, where she toiled as a third-generation farmer. This led to her deep connection to the land and nature. In a previous novel from 2012, “A Light Through the Trees”, Armstrong reflected on her time as a farmer and explored issues such as the environment and animal ethics.
To date, Armstrong has written 25 books, with co-writer and editor credits on many other publications. Her works include novels, children’s books, memoirs, essay collections, and poetry.
She has won and been nominated for many awards, including the Chocolate Lily Award, the BC Hubert Evans Award, the Moonbeam Award, the Red Cedar Award, Surrey Schools Book of the Year Award, the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Award, and the Silver Birch Award.
“Going to Ground”, published by Caitlin Press in 2022, returns to Armstrong’s connection to nature. It is a deeply intimate collection of personal essays exploring chronic pain, the stories that make us human, and the unexpected magic of finding your emotions reflected back by nature.
Through these vulnerable vignettes brimming with wisdom, Armstrong gets personal about what it means to recover from traumatic brain injuries, grow older after a lifetime of being needed, and slow down enough to listen to nature.
On April 23, the book launch will be held at Frisky Whisky Cocktails and Kitchen, located on Canyon Street, starting at 6:30 p.m.
It promises to be a great party, with live music from The Morris Brothers as well as appetizers and cocktails available on order.
Other writers will also be in attendance, with readings from Margaret Miller, Mary Jayne Blackmore, Ellie Raynolds, and Tanya Poznikoff.
For more information and to register, Frisky Whisky’s event page on Facebook at fb.me/e/3IyUj7XnL.