By Sarah Wallace

Northern writer nominated for Sask. Book Award

Feb 26, 2017 | 3:00 PM

A northern Saskatchewan writer has been nominated for a 2017 Saskatchewan Book Award.

Miriam Körner was nominated for the Young Adult Literature Award for her debut novel Yellow Dog.

Originally from Germany, Körner moved to the province in 2003 and now lives in a small cabin near La Ronge with her husband and their sled dogs.

Körner said the idea for the novel stemmed from the many times she and her husband were stopped and asked questions about their dogs.

“[They would] say quite often ‘I used to have dogs when I was young’ and tell us these stories of growing up on the trap line with dogs, so I got kind of fascinated with the topic,” she said.

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Körner said she began by looking through historical archives for information on what life was like with sled dogs in the North. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much for her to find, so she then began looking for sled dog owners who had lived in the North.

“Eventually I had all of these little stories but I didn’t have any plans to do anything with it because it was just my own personal interest,” Körner explained.

A few years later, Körner said she worked with a sled dog program for children exposed to violence, which pointed her in the right direction.

“It was really fascinating to see the redemptive power the dogs had on these kids, and then I remembered all the connections to these stories and I thought I should do something for these kids,” she said.

Körner said that’s when she decided to write a novel.

Yellow Dog is a fictional story set in a remote community in northern Saskatchewan. Körner said the book is about a 13-year-old boy whose life is changed following a cruel prank. The boy ends up creating a friendship with the owner of a sled dog team who introduces the boy to the sport.

Körner said the boy is shown what life was like with sled dogs, which brings the young protagonist closer to his own heritage. The book, Körner said, allowed her to use the knowledge she gained about sled dogs through all of her research.

“This book wouldn’t have been possible without the experience that I’ve had, all the little details about the dogs and the connection to the past,” she said.  

Körner said her novel has resonated with several groups of young people in the North.

“It’s been really wonderful because kids in the North have picked it up,” Körner said. “[Readers] have asked when I’ll write the next one. They’re connecting with the story, and I think that’s been a wonderful experience and it’s all worth doing it for those little moments.”

Körner said she would like to see her book encourage young people to talk with their grandparents and elders in the community about what life was like when they were young, sled dogs or no sled dogs.

“I think that’s the most important valuable lesson that they can learn,” Körner said.

The 2017 Saskatchewan Book Awards will be handed out April 29 at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina.

swallace@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahthesquid