Few Christmas traditions are as culturally sacred to Canada’s ethnic Icelanders – nor as touchy, for that matter – as the baking of a 150-year-old fruitcake. Vinarterta is a hefty, layered torte customarily served in rectangular slices, usually with coffee, and ideally by a doting Amma (grandmother). In thousands of kitchens across the continent this … Continue...read more

“What could lost Vikings possibly have to do with your career?” This question quickly arises in the discussion around what this book is about. And it appears to be a question that resonates with many people called upon to define themselves and their work. In this article in Ideas@Beedie (the new digital magazine from the … Continue...read more

In May 2014 Vikings on a Prairie Ocean was launched at the iconic McNally Robinson bookstore in Winnipeg. Completing this labor of love – lots of both – for over a decade was punctuated with 13 weeks on the nonfiction bestseller list in Winnipeg. There have been several articles and reviews, most recently in Canada’s … Continue...read more

Dear friends, I write to thank all of you who have shared with me your reflections after having read the book, by email, letter and in conversations. Let me share some “behind the scenes” activity that has been underway. I also write to ask whether I might use your note (or a future note) on … Continue...read more

Thank you McNally-Robinson for helping us become the #3 best-seller in Winnipeg for 2014!  

A mini-series sequel to Vikings on a Prairie Ocean As I was writing Vikings on a Prairie Ocean, several pieces that I had written as fictionalized accounts based on historical facts did not find their way into the final manuscript. I now intend to periodically share these in the months ahead on this web site. … Continue...read more

“Every Canadian should read .” Phil Fontaine Is there a Canadian on your Christmas list this year? 🙂 We are pleased to be featured in Canada’s History’s annual list of holiday books and genuinely think Vikings on a Prairie Ocean would make a really great gift for many.

My aunt Solveig and Canada’s History magazine have partnered to make Vikings on a Prairie Ocean available to over 300 schools in Manitoba to make this important piece of the country’s history known. We hope to engage with the students at these schools on this platform (you can register here) and encourage them to tell … Continue...read more

Manitoban Glenn Sigurdson brings the history of New Iceland to life in his memoir about growing up along Lake Winnipeg. As mediator, I work in the space where big problems meet big organizations with many diverse players, all of them connected in one way or another to a problem. Interests, values, and power collide, often … Continue...read more

The self-styled “King of the Icelanders” as recalled and described by Doctor Thompson, Captain Ed Nelson, and in the Gimli Saga (an extract reproduced Hnausa Reflections: A History of the Breiðavík District) “Doc Thompson was our hero, and we shared him the surrounding area. He had a special relationship with the people of Hecla.” –a … Continue...read more