“Zoe Oopik Elverum. Pond Inlet. I’ve been here my whole life, attended school, never lived anywhere else. I love to be called a nerd, to me nerd stands for Not Even Remotely Dorky. I’m also the Vice President of Nasivvik Student Council, so that’s pretty awesome. I write songs of what I feel, and I…
The north has shown me so many different ways to family – enough that yes, I just made family a verb. What you see here is a portrait of love, certainly, but also of support, acceptance, and diversity. Within this circle, a unique vision of family is practiced. Children have many role models to turn…
Happy Father’s Day to Iceland and Norway! Two Arctic countries celebrate their dads today, and we are joining in with our appreciation for father figures of all kinds. During spring in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Carey Elverum walks his daughter Naya home from school. As you can see, it’s getting warm enough to walk without mittens….
Remembrance. The birds they sang / at the break of day / Start again / I heard them say / Don’t dwell on what / has passed away / or what is yet to be. / Ah the wars / they will / be fought again The holy dove / She will be caught again…
Post 1 of 2. Immersed in my North American context today and writing from Canada, where decisions south of the border loom as large as ever. I’m thinking about passion and patriotism, which take many forms. Here, Danish guide Kasper Jæger sits outside at his beloved Myggbukta, an old radio station in Northeast Greenland. “For…
Post 2 of 2. Danish guide Kasper Jæger reflects on his dream to be part of the patrol that travels East Greenland by dog team: “I’m very proud of my friends who are able to do this as a patrolman. What they are getting up here is an experience for life. My little part of…
An idea persists that we’re standing at the edge of something, dipping our toes in the water, looking out into the river and wondering how far in we should wade. Look around. This is it: mid-stream, mid-current, mid-flow. This is the river. When we fixate on the future, we escape the now. And when it…
Spring ahead, fall back. Daylight savings time ended last night, so you may have woken up to the joyful feeling of an early morning or an extra hour. You might not feel the same way tonight when it gets dark so damn early. So here’s a photo to get you in the mood. Embrace the…
Saturday night at the pub. Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Note the mining theme for a mining town. One of those nights you might look back on later and realize it marked the beginning of a new friendship. Those first moments with a new buddy are easily forgotten until weeks later when the initial nervous exchanges are over…
I’ve been thinking about a particular phrase this week: going underground. For some, it connotes secrecy, subversion, and exploring alternatives. For others, it’s simply another day at work. Going underground. In the stairwell between the miner’s lockers and the supervisor’s office at Mine 7, Svalbard, there’s a photograph of a sign that reads “Most important…