Drawn to Quebec: an illustrated newspaper column

I’m delighted to announce that my illustrated column, Drawn to Quebec, has been nominated for a provincial ‘Best Column Writing’ award! Scroll to the bottom for links to all the articles in the series, or keep reading to see what the nomination, from the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph‘s editorial team, says:

“Bethann’s illustrated column, Drawn to Quebec, has been a breath of fresh air for the editorial team and our readership. Specifically, she raised our awareness of issues that we didn’t know. Her extensive knowledge of the natural world, combined with years’ of teaching experience, enable her to write in a conversational fashion, including the readers in her articles by using “we” and “our”. This approach has helped not just our readers, but our staff, feel as though they’re being spoken with (not at), and they’re actively participating in discovery and exploration of Quebec City’s nature/culture overlap. One of our journalists put it well when she said of Bethann’s column, “I’m not a sciencey type, but I can totally understand, and appreciate, what she writes about.” Another said, of her article explaining why leaves change colour in the fall, said, “I was so excited to go to a dinner party after reading that article! I wanted to tell everyone about leaf colour changes, because I finally understood how it happens.”

We are particularly delighted to run this column because sketching and journal keeping are becoming trendy, more and more publications are running illustrated columns, and we are quite pleased to be at the forefront of that interest in our region. Additionally, she maintains a companion website/blog that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the column (

www.drawntoquebec.com).

As an example of the reader appreciation for Bethann’s innovative column, here are three letters to the editor we received regarding Drawn to Quebec:

1. “Just a quick note to tell Bethann [Merkle] that I really love the artwork [in the new Drawn to Quebec column]. What a wonderful idea to boost a real good article and make it excellent.” -Lise Lafond

2. “I simply wanted to say that I find Bethann Merkle’s articles on our animal kingdom most enjoyable. Her illustrations are wonderful – ducklings, birds, fish, etc. We are so lucky to have this talent here in our community.” – Isabel Sullivan Barry

3. “Thank you, Bethann Merkle, for your article “Something fishy” in the August 13, 2014, edition. We need to be reminded how fragile our oceans and the fish therein are. It is helpful to know what kind of fish to eat in order to help preserve some of the inhabitants of the sea. The estimate that in 35 years there may not be any more commercial fishing is a wakeup call.” -Mary Jean Martin”

ARTICLES IN THE ON-GOING COLUMN Click images to view full articles. See behind-the-scenes at www.drawntoquebec.com.