Spirits of the Coast
Orcas in Science, Art and History
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Spirits of the Coast brings together the work of marine biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, artists, and storytellers, united by their enchantment with the orca.
Long feared in settler cultures as "killer whales," and respected and honored by Indigenous cultures as friends, family, or benefactors, orcas are complex social beings with culture and language of their own. With contributors ranging from Briony Penn to David Suzuki, Gary Geddes and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, this collection brings together diverse voices, young and old, to explore the magic, myths, and ecology of orcas.
A richly illustrated literary and visual journey through past and possibility, Spirits of the Coast illustrates how these enigmatic animals have shaped us as much as our actions have impacted them, and provokes the reader to imagine the shape of our shared future.
Briony Penn
Briony Penn is an award-winning writer, naturalist and environmental activist. She holds a PhD in Geography from Edinburgh University and a BA from the University of British Columbia. Her creative non-fiction includes Following the Good River: The Life and Times of Wa'xaid (Rocky Mountain Books, 2020), winner of the Victoria Butler Book Prize and shortlisted for a BC Book Prize, and Stories from the Magic Canoe (Rocky Mountain Books, 2019), which won the Jeanne Clarke Book Award. Her book The Real Thing: Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan (Rocky Mountain Books, 2015) won the BC Book Prize and the Hamilton Mack Laing Award for Environmental History. A former columnist for Focus Magazine and Monday Magazine, Briony has also written for numerous publications, including Canadian Geographic and Explore Magazine. She lives on Salt Spring Island, BC.
More by Briony Penn
Mark Leiren-Young
Mark Leiren-Young is an award-winning writer, documentary filmmaker, podcaster and orca activist. His book, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World, won the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada general audience book award. He wrote, directed and produced an award-winning documentary called The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, and his documentary about Moby Doll is being produced by Middle Child Films. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
More by Mark Leiren-Young
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