Mark is a winner of Canada’s National Newspaper Award and a double recipient of the Mark Harrison Prize for excellence in journalism. On this page you’ll find links to a few of his writings that have not appeared in book form. Happy browsing!
A 2013 interview with Mark, in which he talks about creative non-fiction, literary contests and his favourite childhood book, can be found at http://malahatreview.ca/interviews/mark_abley_interview.html
His contribution to Beau Beausoleil’s landmark anthology of writings honouring al-Mutanabbi, the ruined street of booksellers in Baghdad, appears here: http://www.al-mutanabbistreetstartshere-boston.com/uploads/9/4/3/0/9430258/mark_abley_1..pdf
Mark writes a column about words and language every two weeks in the books pages of the Montreal Gazette. To read a few of his columns, please go to: http://montrealgazette.com/author/mark-abley-special-to-the-montreal-gazette
His travel article about the fragile, ecologically unique landscape south of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan appeared in Canadian Geographic Travel. Here’s the online version: http://canadiangeographic.ca/travel/travel_magazine/mar09/athabasca_sand_dunes.asp
For his wry and surprising look at Jack Kerouac as a French-Canadian writer manqué, read this article from The Walrus: http://thewalrus.ca/jean-louis-kerouac
To read Mark’s take on Quebec City as written for a largely British audience, go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/jun/09/canada.quebec
His feature article about the death of Marie Smith Jones, the last native speaker of the Eyak language, also appeared in the English newspaper The Guardian. Here is the link: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/28/usa.features11
Mark had the honour of reading his poem “Glasburyon” at the United Nations. You can read it, and much else of interest, at: http://citylore.dreamhosters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/UN_Program_Book_For_Web1.pdf
In 2006 the novelist Ian McGillis, an editor of Montreal Review of Books, interviewed Mark about his work. You can find the interview here: http://aelaq.org/mrb-archives/feature.php?issue=18&article=537&cat=1
Mark’s article about the extraordinary manuscripts and ancient books in the library of Notre Dame College, located in the small town of Wilcox, Saskatchewan, appeared in The Walrus. You can read it by going to:
http://thewalrus.ca/the-wilcox-manuscripts/.php”>
Many years ago Mark inaugurated the series of “virtual chapbooks” on the website of Véhicule Press, an excellent literary publisher in Montreal. This link will take you to his essay “In a Cloud Forest”: www.vehiculepress.com/chapbook/abley/cover.html
