Five Questions for Jean E. Pendziwol
Northwestern Ontario Writer Wins 2024 Governor General Award
As told to Michael Sobota, Photo by Ryan Wilkie
On November 13, Jean E. Pendziwol’s book Skating Wild on an Inland Sea, co-created with Montreal-based illustrator Todd Stewart, won the 2024 Governor General Award for Young People’s Literature in the illustrated books category. We chatted with Pendziwol about her book and winning the award.
The Walleye:Skating Wild on an Inland Sea was launched almost exactly one year ago. Tell us about how it came to be, and your process of writing it.
Jean E. Pendziwol: The Harbourfront Centre in Toronto approached me in November of 2020 about creating an audio installation for an outdoor exhibit highlighting northern Ontario. Like many folks during that first year of COVID, my family and I had been seeking activities we could do outdoors, and I thought it would be great to tap into the sights, sounds, and feelings of Lake Superior in winter. I was inspired initially by the sound. Anyone who has skated on wild ice will know that it’s living, shifting, and breathing—and, by extension, cracking, snapping, and groaning. It was that haunting song and the thrill of skating on the inland sea that I wanted to capture, to draw listeners to the shores of the largest freshwater lake in the world and allow them to experience the magic of wild ice skating. After that audio exhibition, I reworked the piece and submitted it to my publisher, Groundwater Books, as a picture book text.
TW: Your story is enhanced by Todd Stewart’s full-colour illustrations. How did this collaboration come about and how did Stewart capture so accurately the locale you are writing about?
JEP: Because this story is firmly rooted in place, I extended an invitation through my editor to whoever was selected to illustrate the story, offering to host them in the Thunder Bay area so they could experience Lake Superior in winter. I’m so grateful that Todd Stewart accepted that invitation. He arrived in February of 2022 and spent a week in the loft above the garage of my dad and stepmom’s place at Mink Mountain. I took him snowshoeing and skating and he spent time wandering the woods, sitting on the shore, and hiking the trails in the area, sketching trees and taking photographs.
TW: The book has had an incredible journey over the past year, winning numerous accolades and awards, with huge sales and reprintings, while you simultaneously celebrated the 25th anniversary of one of your other books, No Dragons for Tea. What has this year been like for you as a writer?
JEP: It has been quite a year! What a privilege it is for me to write stories for kids, especially stories that bring this place I love to life. Not only has it been an honour to co-create books that allow readers in Northwestern Ontario to experience stories set in their own backyard, but it’s been exceptionally fulfilling to see those stories resonate with readers from far away who are transported to the shores of Lake Superior. This is my 12th book for kids, and it’s receiving recognition on the anniversary of my first published book No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) which came out in 1999.
TW: And how did you react when word came about the Governor General Award?
JEP: It really is such an honour to have the book I co-created with Todd Stewart recognized with this award. Because where I live inspires me and informs so much of my writing, it’s a thrill to know that it is being received and appreciated in this way. It’s a privilege to have my art act as an emissary for Lake Superior and Northwestern Ontario.
TW: How important are stories?
JEP: Stories connect us. They engage us in a way that encourages us to reflect on our planet and our place on the planet. They act as mirrors, windows, and doors that allow us to see ourselves on the page and gain a better understanding of others by getting a glimpse into their lives or walking into their world. They entertain us and provide escape. Stories make us human—especially good stories for our young humans. If someone were to ask me what the key difference is between stories for adults and stories for kids, I would have to say that stories for kids almost universally contain a message of hope. Stories for kids champion good over evil where the metaphorical dragon is slayed. We need that kind of hope now more than ever. For me, my art—writing—is quiet activism and resistance. Stop. Look around. Breathe. See…? The lake is breathing too. Maybe more adults should be reading books written for kids.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.