Table Talk with Dee Lysak

Denise Lysak

This podcast, Table Talk with Dee Lysak, invites you to the eastern shores of Lake of the Woods with miles and miles of shoreline, ancient rock…aka the Canadian Shield, old-growth glens, crystal clear blue waters, and 14,522 Islands. Imagine yourself here, sitting with friends and family, around a kitchen table: listening. What happens when the podcast is over? I hope the podcast conjures up the wilds of Northwestern Ontario. And, perhaps more importantly that doors are kicked wide open to listen and to talk, as you embark on paths of new discoveries seeking out truths and wonders, all the while caring for and about this planet we call Earth.

  1. Porcupines & Ponies

    2021-12-07

    Porcupines & Ponies

    The other night I said out loud, to no one in particular. You are a very cute platypus.  To which Mary Anne replied.  What platypus?  I said, “the one hanging on my laptop”.  She looked at me, perplexed and said: That is a parrot. Look at the beak.  “Oh, well the feet – they look like a platypus”.  Either way – parrot or platypus.  It is still hangin’ on my laptop and there it will stay. So here we go from Parrot or Platypus to PORCUPINES AND PONIES… The place I call home is…Black Lake and it is north of Sioux Narrows. Some of the lakes that surround our waters include Mac Lake, Bug Lake, and Lost Lake. And, the dirt roads take you to much loved places: jumping off points for adventures of all sorts.  This natural corridor, a winding, scenic stretch of waterways, islands, peninsulas and more… we call this place the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls.  Dotting the landscape are fly-in fishing camps, outposts, working mines, logging operations, mills, brewhouses, specialty shoppes and so, much more.  If you have always called rural and remote northwestern ON – your home: you have a lived experience that is curated by the great outdoors.  Your ancestors may have been loggers or miners or fishing guides.  Did they work on the steamships that carried passengers and cargo up from the mid-west to destinations on Lake of the Woods?  Were your aunts and cousins, cooks and cleaners – seasonal workers who came to be summertime friends as holidaymakers came to stay and play, right here on the eastern shores of Lake of the Woods? Are your family camps down old logging roads, standing as sentinels in the timber of tall pines?  When you are canoeing, camping or cooking over an open fire, do you ever wonder – who is watching?  Who else walks with us?  Well, porcupines and ponies…of course.  This episode is inspired by wild things and for those who know me, that is truly where my heart lies.  And, I wish to give a shout-out to Possums & Allsorts who kindly and generously gave me permission to share one of their poems on this episode. You can find “Possums & Allsorts” on Facebook.

    19 min
  2. Creative Residencies in Northwestern Ontario

    2021-11-19

    Creative Residencies in Northwestern Ontario

    In the wilds of northwestern Ontario, creative residencies dot the landscape with hundreds of miles in betwixt and between. Rural and remote places are creating new pathways for discovery and exploration as artists travel from near and far away to take deep dives into their artistic practices. Old logging roads are now being used by nemophilists and in these deep, dark woods – artists are finding themselves inspired by the great outdoors: Surrounded by lakes, canopied forests, and rocks that have been here for millions of years. In 2016, the Bridge & Falls Creative Residency (BFCR) set down new roots in the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls. Since its inception, more than 20 artists have explored their artistic disciplines with time and space away from their usual environment and everyday life. Kindred spirits and soul friends best describe the artist-in-residency (AIR) programs that form a loop, a point of convergence with Whiteshell Provincial Park bordering the west, Quetico Provincial Park marking the southern border, Lake Superior demarcating the eastern end, and the programs in between are the AIRs in the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, the City of Kenora, and the Experimental Lakes Area.  These artist-in-residencies provide a time for reflection, research, presentation and, when possible - production and community engagement.  AIR programs are not cookie cutter in nature.  Some of the residencies are housed within larger institutions, others are part of museums, while some [like the Bridge & Falls Creative Residency] are hosted by municipalities.  What the programs all have in common is that they exist in rural spaces, remote villages and small cities – deep in the heart of our natural environs.  To learn more, I encourage you to visit these sites: Bridge & Falls Creative Residency https://www.clls.ca/programs/artist-in-residence Quetico Foundation

    15 min

About

This podcast, Table Talk with Dee Lysak, invites you to the eastern shores of Lake of the Woods with miles and miles of shoreline, ancient rock…aka the Canadian Shield, old-growth glens, crystal clear blue waters, and 14,522 Islands. Imagine yourself here, sitting with friends and family, around a kitchen table: listening. What happens when the podcast is over? I hope the podcast conjures up the wilds of Northwestern Ontario. And, perhaps more importantly that doors are kicked wide open to listen and to talk, as you embark on paths of new discoveries seeking out truths and wonders, all the while caring for and about this planet we call Earth.