I grew up in rural Alberta. Growing up on the farm we didn’t have a TV, thus most of our entertainment came from reading, singing, storytelling and getting in to a lot of trouble. Sigh, my poor Grandmother. I don’t know how she put up with us.
Even from a young age I was always enthralled by my families stories. Tales of the lifes of our grandparents and our great grandparents and their journey west in a wild untouched land. I was particularly fascinated by Indigenous and Metis folklore told by my Uncles and Grandfather.
Years ago, after my Father passed away, I began writing down the old stories so they wouldn’t be lost. I soon began actively telling them, at first just to friends and the next generation. I then began writing my own stories based on the adventures and misadventures I had growing up on the farm. This as it turned out became very popular.
Encouraged by others, and inspired by my family’s tradition and other great Canadian storytellers such as Stuart McLean and David Bouchard, I expanded these stories and created the “tales from the farm” series. Set at the turn of the century they are stories about life growing up on a farm, the chaos and adventures that seemed completely normal to a child viewed now through the eyes of age and experience. Written and told in a way that allows a person to connect with that youthful innocence.
Telling these traditional stories passed on through generations, along with new stories allows me to educate and entertain listeners in a way that inspires them to laugh and learn.
Storytelling is a gift and an art, and it is one I am happy to share.
-Ellias Cote
