Knowing your roots means understanding the world around you, according to Friday night’s IDEAS speaker.
Fred Stenson, a local award-winning author of Western Alberta-themed novels, spoke to an audience of nearly 100 Cochranites Jan. 12 on “uncovering Alberta’s history through popular fiction.”
When it comes to writing novels, Stenson has aimed to entertain his readers, but over the years he found it equally as important to narrate a fictional tale among the “pillars” of history.
“There’s richness to life in places where people know their history,” Stenson said. “I always think, people say, ‘Well what’s intelligence?’ I would say it is how much do you understand about what you see around you.”
The author said too often people forget or don’t care to learn their backgrounds, and it seems to be more of a Canadian problem compared to elsewhere.
“It’s a funny thing that it’s even an argument or point of discussion in this country. You never have to tell the French that they need to know their history – they simply do,” Stenson said, adding that smaller towns may have a better awareness of this value. “In that sense, some of the most cultured places in our country tend to be the smaller places. People really know where they are and where they come from, they still have those connections to the past.”
But, by incorporating Alberta’s past into his novels, he not only is sharing the history to readers in an entertaining way, but adding a measure of believability to his stories which Stenson believes is what makes a novel worthwhile.
Stenson, who was born and raised on a farm in Pincher Creek, began writing as a teen. He has since been nominated for many awards and is a two-time recipient of the Grant MacEwan Author’s Prize.
“I definitely am a citizen of Cochrane now and this is one of the great cultural events of this town, is this series with all it’s devotees. I admire the people that put it on,” Stenson said.
Peggy MacLeod, who has lived in Cochrane for the last five years and has attended a number of IDEAS meeting, said she appreciates the local aspect each IDEAS speaker brings to the meeting along with the conversations that are generated after.
“The ideas are stimulating and so varied. Their topics over the whole year are just unbelievable. They try and hit everybody’s interest,” MacLeod said.
“One of the best ones I came to was when they were trying to enact the legislation on ending life and the right to die sort of thing. They get the best speakers so you do go away and think about it,” she said. “And if anybody else is here we often continue the conversation, even days later.”
Stenson’s discussion on Alberta history from a creative standpoint is an idea MacLeod said she would be following up on – including purchasing one of Stenson’s books, which he was selling and signing after the meeting.
