Homing: Vancouver Launch

Join us on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. to launch , Alice Irene Whittaker’s powerful debut memoir that captures her profound journey from a commuter-lifestyle to a refuge in the woods.

Overwhelmed by obsessive productivity and environmental anxiety, recovering perfectionist Alice Irene Whittaker and her family decide to retreat to a cabin in the woods. Surrounded by creek, forest, and woodland animals, Alice Irene begins a lifelong journey of repairing her fractured relationship with both herself and the natural world. She asks herself, “How can I take care of the Earth if I don’t know how to take care of myself?”

Her quest takes her to meet a renowned economist-rancher in Colorado, to stand at the side of a runway at a sustainable fashion show in Portland, and to witness firsthand rewilding of wolves in Yellowstone. She interviews and learns from dozens of people who are building homes, growing food, making clothes, raising families, and living their lives in regenerative ways.

Searching for the spaces between the sorrow of wildfires and the beauty of wildflowers, Homing is a lyrical memoir about moving from a life of despair to a life of care.

This event is free, but please register here to let us know you're coming!

About the author:

Alice Irene Whittaker is an author and environmental communications leader. Her debut book Homing is forthcoming in Fall 2024 from Freehand Books.

Alice Irene is the creator and host of the podcast. She has been published in national and international publications. She was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2021 and the CBC Poetry Prize in 2022.

Alice Irene has spent over a decade in leadership and executive roles, with a focus on gender and environment. She co-founded, and was Executive Director of, Mother Nature Partnership. Alice Irene is a member of Nature Canada’s Women for Nature and sits on the Board of Directors of Régénération Canada. Awards include the Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel Award, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Innovation Award.

Alice Irene is the mother of three young children. With her family of five and brood of chickens, three cats, and a dog, she lives in a cabin in the woods on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe land in Québec.

More about Upstart & Crow:

Located on Granville Island, Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit literary arts studio for curious readers and creative storytellers alike. We are international in our outlook, and local in our sensibilities. We create opportunities to surface new talent and champion bold ideas through events, workshops, literary launches, unique partnerships — and yes, we also sell books!

Health precautions:

We want this event to be safe for all. Masks are welcome, though we won’t enforce them. We hope that folks who come will be vaccinated and boosted and will stay home if they feel ill.

Accessibility:

The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees. The bar will be stationed in our loft mezzanine, though we will have runners available to bring down drinks.

Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.

Host or Publisher Upstart & Crow