One might say, it’s the year of Margaret Atwood. Not onlyhas her
home country of Canada turned 150, she also hasa hit show, “The
Handmaid’s Tale,” on Hulu which is basedon her book - with the same
name—that was written morethan 30 years ago. Alas, with overtures
of fundamentalist theocraticdictatorships creeping up all over
theworld from the Americas, to Europe andAsia, Atwood has a vantage
point likeno other.
But even so, for Atwood, thisresurgence in interest in her
dystopiannovel and its real-world emulations,fortunately hasn’t
startled her. “Nothingmuch surprises me—I'm too old,” shesays.
A place that Atwood has used toescape this thronged world, in
order tocreate her own fictional worlds, hasbeen a little island
hidden away: PeleeIsland, Ontario, right in Lake Erie inCanada’s
most southern point. With apopulation of roughly 170, there is
asmall ferry that runs from the mainlandand delivers you on this
vineyard filledisland. The biggest noise here comesfrom its bird
population, for which Atwood has a particular passion.This island
is part of two major migratory bird routes, the AtlanticFlyway and
the Mississippi flyway. And if you’re a birder, you’llunderstand
the significance as Atwood does.
“I have written on Pelee Island since 1987, so any book that
hascome out since then has been at least partly written on Pelee,”
saysAtwood, who has a cottage on the island. “It offers ‘time
out’—timeout of the usual appointments and activities—and also time
out ofinternet connection, if you so desire.” And there is a larger
communityof creative minds – like Atwood – seeking exactly that:
time out. Theirvery own version of a quiet, creative place where
moments with birds
are valued more than any kind of awards, or even fans or
admirers.In more recent years, she’s also helped open Pelee Island
up to a
few more temporary residents in the form of an intensive
writer’sretreat. The Pelee Island Book House accepts just a handful
of writersevery year for its six annual workshops—where you can
stay on the
water and just write. Besides evasion of theinternet, the island
is known for these avianresidents who then become the most
idealwriting companions.
So this important stop for migratorybirds is reason enough for
Atwood to hostan annual fundraiser for Pelee’s BirdObservatory.
Atwood and her partner, writerGraeme Gibson, are, needless to say,
also onthe board of the Pelee Island BirdObservatory. She has
written at length aboutthe need to preserve her sanctuary along
thislake, comparing her beloved Lake Erie toactor Robert Mitchum’s
eyes.
In fact, her careful attention to her birdfriends and their
interactions is absolutelyevident in her work, most recently in
theinstallments of Atwood’s graphic novel“Angel Catbird”—the third
volume, “TheCatbird Roars” was released over the
summer. And even though she won’t talk about her next project,
shedid spend a lot of time of Pelee Island as of late.
So as an ornithology semi-expert, Atwood is, in fact, always
readyto chat about her winged friends who, if we pay close
attention, areteaching us lessons every day. “Birds are key to a
number of otherspecies—they plant trees, devour decaying animal
life that wouldotherwise give rise to outbreaks of rats, wild dogs,
rabies and otherdiseases, help break down plant materials so their
nutrients can re-enter the ecosystem, and that's just for
starters,” says Atwood. “Weshould pay attention to the birds
because they are the messengers. Ifit's killing birds, it will
ultimately kill you, too.”
The literary island of Margaret Atwood
A remote island off Canada’s southernmost point has become a
beacon for writers, and the ultimate in offline living.
BY DANIEL SCHEFFLER
96 BAL HARBOUR
COUR
TESY
OF
PELE
E IS
LANDMargaret Atwood has been
writing books on the remotePelee Island since 1987.
