Description
First published in 2000, Angel Wing Splash Pattern is where Richard Van Camp’s love of the short story began. In these stories he demonstrates the range of his talent and the pursuit of excellence in his craft as a writer and storyteller. Richard Van Camp is a proud Tlicho Dene from Fort Smith, NWT. In Angel Wing Splash Pattern Richard Van Camp celebrates life in northern Canada where the stories are playful, moving, and starkly honest in their portrayal of contemporary Indigenous life. There is pain in these stories and there is loss. There is death, but there is also rebirth, and there is always the search from each of the narrators for personal truth. Readers will recognize Larry Sole from The Lesser Blessed in his story “How I Saved Christmas,” along with several other characters from Van Camp’s later works. There are other voices and characters here, too, other secrets and stories from communities across the north and the south. They are all linked by themes of hope, the spirit of friendship, and hunger. This special edition includes a new introduction by the author and two new stories in illustrated format. "Mermaids," which is the first prose story in the collection, also appears in graphic format, illustrated by Eisner-nomiated artist Scott Henderson. "Hickey Gone Wrong" is illustrated by filmmaker and artist Christopher Auchter. This special 20th anniversary edition of an Indigenous classic will immerse a new generation of readers in the world of a master storyteller.