Foxfyre readings to be presented in Truro
TRURO, N.S. — Sion Irwin-childs used the past and present, as well as fantasy to create a tale of adventure set in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, and he’ll be reading from his book at upcoming events.
Foxfyre tells a story of a courageous cat, a clever fox, majestic horses, dancing chickens, and a goat who was once a man.
“Foxfyre is from the story, used in some Scandinavian cultures, about where the northern lights come from,” said Irwin-childs. “Snowflakes are flicked up by the fox’s tail and create the northern lights.”
This is the first book written by Irwin-childs, who is a choreographer and has spent much of the last four years working in Truro, with Cobequid Dance Academy, and in Charlottetown.
“I wanted to create a book that could be performed, and this is writ- ten in three acts and designed to be read out loud,” he said. “I wanted people to be able to bring the characters to life, and to create an opportunity for a stage production.”
Irwin-childs, who has an English degree from Toronto’s York University, wrote the story between the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018. He tried to hire emerging artists to create the illustrations for the book, but plans fell through. Although he hadn’t worked on illustrating in the past, he does have a degree in sculpture, and he decided to try creating the images himself. His illustrations, in rich colours, have a magical, dream-like quality.
“The characters are animals, or transform into animals, and they come to Truro during the Long John Festival,” he said. “The festival will be taking place when I do my readings in Truro, so I’ve got my long johns ready.”
Irwin-childs used his own animals as models for some of the characters. The cat, Gracie, is named after his own cat, and both ended up in a new place after jumping on a wagon. There are also Icelandic horses, which he has at home, in the book.
“I chose the fox because I loves foxes,” he said. “They have a huge capacity for play, and I find joy in that.
“I chose red because of the connection with soil, foxes, fall leaves, squirrels, red long johns, Anne of Green Gables…”
Irwin-childs is currently living in Ontario and plans to relocate to Prince Edward Island later this year.