ABOUT NOSE MOUNTAIN February 16, 2007
Posted by viviandemuth in Uncategorized.trackback
Nose Mountain has been the site of an annual summer Poetry on the Peak reading since 2002, the U.N.’s International Year of Mountains. Nose Mountain lies in the foothills of northwestern Alberta, Canada, south of Grande Prairie. The historic Peace River Trail, which runs from Hinton into the northern Peace country, winds along the 5000-foot-high Nose Mountain. For many centuries, First Nations people and European settlers used the trail and, before that, it was used by migrating buffalo herds. Endangered species of wildlife such as woodland caribou and grizzly bear still survive along the ridges of Nose Mountain. Logging and oil exploration occur in this area as do tree planting and a growing tourist industry. The Alberta Forestry Department has operated a Fire Tower on Nose Mountain since the mid 1900’s. To the southwest of Nose Mountain, the snow-capped peaks of the great Rocky Mountain Divide can be seen.
Past Readings on Nose Mountain
Organized by Vivian Demuth and Grande Prairie writers Catherine McLaughlin, Dymphny Dronyk, Elroy Deimert, and Diane McDonald, the Poetry on the Peak readings begin with a different featured poem each year and then an open reading by Alberta poets, musicians, and other artists. The featured poems from 2002-2005 have included works by Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, Muriel Rukeyser, Pablo Neruda, and Margaret Atwood. Performing musicians have included Arjun Roy, Kjetil Landsgaard, Susan Pickard, and Angie Maksymetz. The ridges of Nose Mountain have also provided a beautiful background for visual artists and children interested in coming up to draw or paint.
The 2006 Poetry on the Peak Reading
The 2006 reading will take place on Sunday, July 23rd at noon at the end of the Nose Mountain Road. (If the weather is too challenging on July 23rd, the reading will take place on Sunday, Aug. 6th.) The featured poem for 2006 will be “Rocks” by Jeannette C. Armstrong, coeditor of Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology. For more information and directions, email NoseMtn@yahoo.com.
