Here is Meet the North’s next National Geographic story. With each new border and political shift, the indigenous women of Chukotka, Russia adjust to maintain their heritage and survive. Read about how they survive through my words and Eric’s photos. “We were eating more than I thought possible, including jellied whale casserole and fresh apricot buns,…
I was invited to talk with filmmaker/photographer Austin Meyer on his storytelling podcast. We spoke about Meet the North and finding stories. “In this conversation, Jennifer and I talk about how she developed a love for both writing and exploration, her fascinating 3-year project called Meet the North in which she attempted to make authentic…
In preparation for a return to the Russian Far East this summer with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic, photographer Erika Larsen and I answered a few questions. Erika: It is hard to say how this region will change travelers because I believe the way we interact with new landscapes and cultures is so individual. Jennifer:…
Lindblad Expeditions has been my main sponsor since 2015. Sometimes they ask Eric Guth and me to share some stories and images from our field work, and I wanted to share some samples with you. I’ve written about the Russian Far East: “The flight only took an hour; it’s hard to believe that two different…
I talked with Rob Rosenthal of Howsound about my CBC documentary “Meet the North.” We chatted about searching out people in the Arctic for their stories in “You Won’t Know If You Don’t Ask.” “In the doc, Jennifer travels the Arctic with no plan other than to interview people. That’s it. She interviews someone and…
I have the honour of being part of National Geographic’s Educator-Explorer Exchange this year. My educator partner is Kelly Koller from Washington Middle School in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin. A couple of weeks ago I got a packet of letters (real letters!) from her students. They had SO MANY questions for me, and Kelly and I…
I enjoyed working with the team at Hakai magazine on this story “Frozen Ocean: A photographic primer on the dynamics of marine ice.” It was a refreshing reminder that some media organizations still dig deep into every story with structural edits, fact checking, and copy editing. The editors went through every detail of this story…
“Meet the Elverums,” a documentary that I made for CBC’s the Sunday Edition, has won first place in the Radio Documentary, National Release category at the Gabriel Awards. It’s about a family in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, and I worked with documentary maker Dick Miller and the show’s documentary producer, Karen Levine, to create it….
The title says it all! This June, a new chapter of my cultural storytelling begins in French Polynesia (insert endless exclamation marks here). I’ll focus on the Marquesas, the most distant island group in this part of the Pacific, and a robust cultural network. I’m calling the project South Pacific Stories, I’m still pinching myself, and…
For the last year, I’ve been supported by the Canada Council to work on my next book, which will be based on my latest project, Meet the North. Read a description of the new work here.
These are my lessons on listening from meeting new people all over the Arctic in the last 18 months.
A colleague recently asked for “any thoughts, ideas, or pointers” from my experience. Here’s what I came up with.
Photographer Eric Guth and I have been working with the BBC to showcase some of the stories from Meet the North and our travels. We’re happy to present these features from BBC Travel.
My story “Beyond the Honeybee,” which was published in Cottage Life magazine, won an award at the International Regional Magazine Awards.
Congratulations to illustrator Byron Eggenschwiler, whose art work for my story “Lake Awake” received an Award of Merit from the International Regional Magazine Association.
Our polar bear video is now out on National Geographic. Rare footage of a male chasing, killing, and eating a cub. It’s life in the Arctic, as Wade Davis says here, but viewer discretion is advised.