Tamar Glouberman is a graduate of the Creative Writing MFA program at UBC. Tamar has spent much of her life working as an outdoor guide. That career has given her opportunities to work and travel in exotic places such as the Galapagos, Zambia and Peru, but she’s most grateful that it’s allowed her to enjoy many adventures in remote areas of Canada, among wild rivers and grizzly bears. When she’s not off exploring the wilderness, she can often be found in Tofino and Whistler, BC, or Montreal, QC.
Which ’hood are you in?
I never know quite how to answer that. The building is on Cote-des Neiges, but it’s closer to downtown than the Cote-des-Neiges neighbourhood, although it’s not really in either. What it is conveniently close to is Mount Royal Park (aka the Mountain), where I love spending time both summer and winter. To be fair, though, I don’t live full-time in Montreal. I work at remote lodges in BC during the
summer (I used to say I “work remotely” but that’s taken on a whole different meaning in recent years) and I work in Whistler during the winter. But as my parents get older I find myself spending quite a lot of time back in my home town.
What do you do?
I write a lot, which technically makes me a writer, but outside of this context, when people ask me what I do, I generally tell them I’m a wilderness guide, which is how I make a living.
What are you currently working on?
Well, my first book is coming out soon, so while I keep saying that it’s now out of my hands, in reality, there are still publicity-related things I need to work on if I want anyone to actually hear about the book. Aside from that, I’ve been going back and forth between two projects: a story that involves some of the grizzly bears I’ve gotten to know while guiding in their ’hood over the past few years; and a novel that takes place in rural Saskatchewan and Montreal during the early 20 th century.
Where can we find your work?
You can check out the free sample of Chasing Rivers: A Whitewater Life on the Chapters/Indigo or Amazon websites. And the book will be available online or from your local bookseller on October 15.
