Alison McCreesh explores the magic and nuance of life in the North in her graphic novel
The Yellowknife-based illustrator discussed Degrees of Separation on Bookends with Mattea Roach
When Alison McCreesh was 21 years old, she followed her sense of adventure by hitchhiking from Chicoutimi, Que., to Yukon to find work for the summer.
That first summer spent living in a tent and experiencing Northern sensibilities sparked many trips around the Arctic and sub-Arctic, making contemporary day-to-day life in the North a major thread in her creative work.
The Canadian author and illustrator's latest graphic novel Degrees of Separation tells the story of 10 years of travelling, working and living north of the 60th parallel, from days stranded in the High Arctic to raising a baby in a small cabin with no running water.
Blending stories, drawings and sketches, Degrees of Separation is a coming-of-age novel all about the vast diversity of the North and the transformations that happen over ten years.
The premise veers into memoir — but McCreesh explained that she's only just beginning to see it as such.
"I think now I've come to terms with the graphic memoir designation for the book, but it took me a while to warm up to that," she said on Bookends with Mattea Roach, CBC's new author interview show.
In fact, in the introduction of the book, she specifically writes about her initial hesitance to call it a memoir and the creative liberties she took while telling her stories.
On Bookends, she also explained that it's because she associated memoir with traditional prose without images on the pages.
"It would never in 1,000 years have occurred to me at like 32, or however old I was when I started writing this book to think, 'Oh, I'll sit down and I'll write a memoir.'"
"It's funny how different it feels to me when it's in comic format," she said.
Getting into comics
The graphic novel format is not new to McCreesh, whose previous books include Ramshackle: A Yellowknife Story, Norths: Two Suitcases and a Stroller and Petrozavodsk, all illustrated personal narratives relaying daily life in the North.
Growing up in Chicoutimi, Que., McCreesh was privy to comics in the Franco-Belgian tradition like Tintin and Astérix et Obélix, but she never considered making her own until she was studying fine arts and visual arts in university.
"People would see my style of drawing and they sort of comment on how it seemed suited to comics and did I draw comics?," said McCreesh. "And I always thought, no, like it just wasn't really my thing."
"Through friends, people started lending me some graphic novels that were more of personal narratives or autobio or journal style — and like this is what was being done in Quebec at the time — comic blogs and sort of documenting the day-to-day and finding humour in that. And that sort of started me on my own journey of then wanting to do that as well."
The importance of adding context
Degrees of Separation was originally motivated by McCreesh wanting to have a travelogue of all the places she's been to.
"These were places that I had the opportunity to go to for different reasons, and I felt lucky that I had that opportunity," she said.
As time progressed, however, her perspective changed a bit. "It also became more and more important for me to share about things that were outside of just me and my life and my stories."
This is why, throughout the book, there are references to historical events and other reading material to learn more and contextualize the stories she's telling — paying special attention to Indigenous communities who have been impacted by capitalism and commerce in the areas she writes about.
"I just needed to make it really clear to readers these are complicated topics that had implications, very personal implications for a lot of people."
An intriguing title
McCreesh also shows how multifaceted and diverse northern experiences are with the book's title and subtitle, Degrees of Separation: A Decade North of 60, which has multiple meanings.
The first is a play on the notion that there are six degrees of separation between all people on the planet, but in this case, showing these degrees of separation between places that are north of 60 degrees.
"Earlier on, years ago, especially before we went on our big circumpolar travels, I thought that I would find lots of things that were part of a northern identity," said McCreesh.
As she visited more places, both urban and rural, below the tree line or above it, and learned more of the different histories, she realized that there wasn't going to be one direct degree of connection between northern locations.
"But when you start digging, there are definitely lots of commonalities and even if they're not shared by everywhere, things that come up again and again. It's that idea that we're connected, but different at the same time."
McCreesh also sees Degrees of Separation as representing the "disconnect or a lack of knowledge" of the South about the North and the increasing impact of climate change on northern communities, another play on the word "degrees."
Capturing the magic of the North
Degrees of Separation is a love-letter to the North, with all its quirks and challenges, that explores what makes it so magical and why it's held McCreesh's creative attention.
"There's just something special. It's so hard to pinpoint or put your finger on," she said. "Just the light is different. You're just situated in a different place on the globe."
She also fell in love with the vast and varied landscapes. But what made her stay was the sense of community she felt when she moved there.
"I think people just often feel welcome and it feels right."
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Produced by Ashly July.
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