Northern Latitudes - Trina Moyles: Black Bear

Trina Moyles: Black Bear

In Episode 45 of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault sits down with award-winning author and journalist Trina Moyles to explore her deeply moving new book Black Bear — a powerful blend of memoir, ecology, and family history rooted in the rugged landscapes of northern Alberta.

Moyles, known for her wildfire memoir Lookout, turns her lens inward in this new work, tracing the story of her brother’s struggle with mental health and addiction, her family’s resilience, and the quiet, watchful presence of black bears that shaped her life. In this intimate conversation, she reflects on grief, survival, and the complicated ways people and landscapes carry one another through crisis.

In This Episode

• The origins of Black Bear and why this was the hardest book Trina has ever written
• How the rhythms and behaviours of black bears became metaphors for family, healing, and endurance
• A sister’s perspective on love, loss, and the long shadows of addiction
• What writing about deeply personal subjects can teach us about empathy, courage, and connection
• How Trina’s journalism, fieldwork, and years as a fire tower lookout continue to influence her storytelling

About Trina Moyles

Trina Moyles is a writer, journalist, photographer, and environmental advocate from Peace River, Alberta. Her previous book, Lookout, was a national bestseller and won acclaim for its clear-eyed portrayal of wildfire seasons and life alone in a remote fire tower. Her essays and reporting have appeared in The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Passage, Hakai Magazine, and more.

Learn more: https://www.trinamoyles.com

Selected recent articles:

• “How We Remember the North” — The Walrus
• “The Last Lookouts” — Hakai Magazine
• “On Grief, Wildfire, and Bearing Witness” — Passage Magazine

Episode Link

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