“It’s Almost Valentine’s Day” in Panorama

December 4 | 2025

I take great pleasure in sharing the link to my essay “It’s Almost Valentine’s Day,” just published in the UK journal Panorama. The emphasis of the journal is on “travel, place and nature,” all of which feature prominently in my story about a vivid encounter with a snow bunting. 

From the Archives of Ontario, the illustration shown here is a wash on paper by Elizabeth Simcoe (1762-1850), author, artist, and wife of the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. Elizabeth travelled extensively in “the Canadas,” including to Quebec, where she produced this image in December 1791, titling it “A Snow Bird.” She’s one among several authors whose historical writings about the snow bunting appear in “It’s Almost Valentine’s Day.” Nonetheless, the encounter central to the essay—and its lasting impression—are my own. 

https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-16-encounters/encounters-its-almost-valentines-day

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