About Me

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I live and write out of Victoria, Canada. I've been writing consistently since 2018, mostly dark humour, autobiographical or speculative short fiction, after working many years as the teacher at a Forensic Psychiatric Hospital. Over eighty stories have been published in literary and other magazines and webzines, mostly in the U.K., U. S. A., and Canada. Links to my music videos are included on the blog.

Literary and Online Magazine Publications 2024

 1. "On The Advice of the Bicycle Man," short story published in "Dreamers' Creative Writing Magazine," (Canada) Feb. 04, 2024.

https://www.dreamerswriting.com/on-the-advice-of-the-bicycle-man/

2. "Connor Walks The Musqueam," short story published in "Literally Stories Magazine," (U.K.) Feb. 05, 2024.

https://literallystories2014.com/2024/02/05/connor-walks-the-musqueam-by-harrison-kim/

3. "Sunday Whoever," a short fun interview with Harrison Kim, published in "Literally Stories Magazine," (U.K.)  Feb. 11, 2024.

https://literallystories2014.com/2024/02/11/sunday-whoever-12/

4.  "In The Presence of Aramanius," short horror story published in "Pen of the Damned,"  (U. S. A.) March 20, 2024.

https://penofthedamned.com/2024/03/20/in-the-presence-of-aramanius/

5.  "The King of The Walk," short story published in the April/May edition of "Spank The Carp" literary magazine out of the U. S. A.  

https://www.spankthecarp.com/issue80_kim.html






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Literary Magazine and Webzine Publications 2023

 1.  "The Squirrel Faced Man," a poem published in "Bewildering Stories Magazine," Issue 979, January 3, 2023. 

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue979/squirrel-faced_man.html

2.  "The Toxic Ones,"short story published in "Hotch Potch Literary Magazine," Volume 1 Issue 2,  pages 85-95, January 16, 2023.

https://issuu.com/hotchpotchjournal/docs/hotch_potch_volume_one_issue_two

3.  "Above Renniker Falls," short story published at "Fiction on The Web U. K.,"  January 27, 2023.

https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2023/01/above-renniker-falls-by-harrison-kim.html

4.  "The Squid Man," short piece published in "Pen of the Damned"  Damned Words 52, Feb. 08, 2023.

https://penofthedamned.com/2023/02/08/damned-words-52-2/

5.  "The Entrepreneur of Chaos,"short story published by "Literally Stories U. K.," Feb. 22, 2023.

https://literallystories2014.com/2023/02/22/the-entrepreneur-of-chaos-by-harrison-kim/

6.  "West of Alberta," Fiction, First Place Winner, Word on The Lake Writers' Festival Contest, published in the Word On The Lake Anthology, "The Howling of Memory," May 2023.

7.  "Beyond The Tunnel of Light," short story published in "The Horror Zine, April 2023 edition." 

https://www.thehorrorzine.com/Fiction/April2023/HarrisonKim/HarrisonKim.html

8.  "In The Land of The Salamander," short story published by "Literally Stories U. K.,"  May 2, 2023.

https://literallystories2014.com/2023/05/02/in-the-land-of-the-salamander-by-harrison-kim/

9.  "Stairwell of the Liquid Souls," short piece published in "Pen of the Damned, Damned Words 54," May 3, 2023.

https://penofthedamned.com/2023/05/03/damned-words-54/

10.  "Chess With Al and Ray," Fiction, Honourable Mention Winner, Royal City Writers' "Write-On" Contest.  Published in the Royal City Writers' Summer 2023 E-Zine. https://rclasonline.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/summer-2023-ezine-issue-99-1.pdf

11. "What Cody Remembers," short fiction long listed for the 2023 Hummingbird Flash Fiction Prize, July 5, 2023.

12.  "By The Beautiful Pond," short story published in "Literally Stories Magazine, U.K.," July 14, 2023. 

https://literallystories2014.com/2023/07/14/by-the-beautiful-pond-by-harrison-kim/

13.  "I Could Have Done Anything," short poem published in "Bewildering Stories Issue 1005," July 17, 2023.

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue1005/done_anything.html

14.  "The Coming of the Anthrops," short story published in "Bewildering Stories Issue 1012," September 4, 2023, also reprinted in the Third Quarterly Review, Bewildering Stories, Editors Choice.

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue1012/anthrops1.html

15.  "Days of The Pink Pills," First Place Winner, Victoria Writers' Society Creative Non-Fiction Contest, September 6, 2023.  

16.  "Don't Mess With Me," short story published in "Literally Stories U. K.," September 14, 2023.

https://literallystories2014.com/2023/09/14/dont-mess-with-me-by-harrison-kim/

17.  "The Windega," short story published in "Commuter Lit Magazine," November 6, 2023

https://commuterlit.com/2023/11/monday-the-windega/

18.  "The Bicycle Man of Carlin Hill," short story published in "Literally Stories U. K.," November 28, 2023.

https://literallystories2014.com/2023/11/28/the-bicycle-man-of-carlin-hill-by-harrison-kim/comment-page-1/

19.  "Days of The Pink Pills," short story published in "Island Writer Magazine," Volume 22, Issue 2, Winter 2023.




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Literary Magazine and Webzine Publications 2022

 1.  Various Incidents of Synchronicity (Before and After the Vision of Zero Arms) published in "Fiction on the Web U. K.," on the cusp of the New Year.  Link below:

https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2021/12/various-incidents-of-synchronicity.html

2.  "Have Mercy On The Little Snakes",  published in "The Chamber Magazine," January 14, 2022 edition.

https://thechambermagazine.com/2022/01/14/no-mercy-for-the-little-snakes-dark-fiction-by-kim-harrison/

3.  "A Cult of Two," A Memoir of Mexico,  Chapters One through Eight,  published in "Bewildering Stories Magazine," Issue 934, 935, and 936, January 17, 2022 -  January 31, 2022.

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue934/cult_two1.html

4.  "The Girl By The Lake," republished in "Commuter Lit" magazine, January 19, 2022.


5.  "The Bones of Nirvana," published in "The Horror Zine," February 2022 online edition.


Paperback Version, Horror Zine Spring 2022 edition: (Kindle Version also available from Amazon) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1736637630/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1643513860&sr=8-21

6. "Deep Inside Woodwards," published in "Literally Stories" magazine, February 8, 2022.


7. "The Demon of Mt. Usakam," published in "Liquid Imagination" magazine, Issue 50, Spring Edition 2022.


8.  "Grocery Store," published in "Ariel Chart International" magazine, March 16, 2022.  


9.  "Road Blockade Part One," published at "X R A Y Literary Magazine," March 28, 2021.


10.  "Not Criminally Responsible," and "A Tour In My Wilderness," published in "Siren's Call Magazine,"
Spring Edition Issue 57 on March 29, 2022.


11.  "I'm Talking To You," published at "Pen of The Damned," Damned Words 50, April 27, 2022

"Incel Dreams," published at "Pen of the Damned," Damned Words, 51, June 22, 2022.

"The Ball of Hell," published at "Pen of the Damned," Damned Words 52, September 7, 2022.




12.  "In The Presence of The Bird," published at "Coffin Bell Journal, Volume 5, Issue No. 2, Hidden Realms," May 2022.  

Nominated by editor Tamara Grisanti for the 2023 "Best of the Net Anthology" in the fiction category. (Sundress Press).


13.  "Crisis Line," re-published at "Literally Stories" Magazine with a short author interview, May 8, 2022.   


14.  "I Love You More," published at "Literally Stories" magazine (U. K.), May 31, 2022.


15. "A Blast With The Barclays," republished at "Commuter Lit" magazine, June 15, 2022.


16.  "The Meth Monster," published in "Siren's Call Magazine," Summer Edition, Issue 58, Pages 11-13.
 

17.  "The Rock Swimmers," published in "Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine, vol. vi issue 2, August 2022 Edition.  


18.  "The Rabbit Man of Munyayka," published in "Literally Stories" magazine, September 30, 2022. 


19.  "How I Met Charmaine," published in "Bewildering Stories" magazine,  Edition 968, October 3, 2022. 


20.  "The Tarantula Cure," re-published in "Commuter Lit" magazine, "Hallowe'en Week," October 28, 2022


21. "The Music of Lana Jardine," published at "Literally Stories" magazine, December 6, 2022.






Ye Olde Cabin

Zero Arms

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Literary Magazine and Webzine Publications 2021

 1.  "Not Criminally Responsible," published in "Literally Stories U. K.," January 4. 2021 https://literallystories2014.com/2021/01/04/not-criminally-responsible-by-harrison-kim

2. "The Tale of Yacaa and Chenoo," published in "The Cabinet of Heed," January 2021 Edition https://cabinetofheed.com/2021/01/02/the-tale-of-yacaa-and-chenoo-harrison-kim/

3. "The Girl By The Lake," published in "Adelaide Literary Magazine," January 2021 Edition https://adelaidemagazine.org/2021/01/09/the-girl-by-the-lake-by-kim-harrison/

4.  "Steffiology," published in "Commuter Lit Magazine," January 20, 2021 http://commuterlit.com/2021/01/wednesday-steffiology/

5.  "A Tour In My Wilderness," published in "Bewildering Stories, Issue 890, February 8, 2021. http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue890/tour_wilderness.html

6.  "The Voice of Souris," published in "The Horror Zine Magazine," Spring Edition 2021 (Print Edition). https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Zine-Magazine-Spring-2021/dp/1736637606/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+horror+zine+spring+2021&qid=1612961522&sr=8-1

"The Voice of Souris," published in "The Horror Zine Online Magazine," March 2021  https://www.thehorrorzine.com/Fiction/March2021/HarrisonKim/HarrisonKim.html

7.  "My Plea for Solitude," published in "Literally Stories" Magazine, March 3, 2021 https://literallystories2014.com/2021/03/03/my-plea-for-solitude-by-harrison-kim/

8.  A short interview for "Literally Stories" magazine, (U. K.), and the re-publication of the story "Hills of the Okanagan," published March 21, 2021.  https://literallystories2014.com/2021/03/21/literally-reruns-in-the-hills-of-okanagan-by-harrison-kim/

9.  "The Conscience Test" published in "Literary Stories" magazine, (U. K.) April 21, 2021. https://literallystories2014.com/2021/04/21/the-conscience-test-by-harrison-kim/

10.  "The MacKenzie Days," a memoir published at "Bewildering Stories" magazine, Issue 901, May 3, 2021.  http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue901/mackenzie_days1.html

11.  "Telling The Truth," published in "Commuter Lit" Magazine, May 12, 2021 https://commuterlit.com/2021/05/wednesday-telling-the-truth/11 

12.  "Notes From Highway 55," published in "CafeLit Magazine U. K."  May 13, 2021 https://www.cafelitmag61-6azine.uk/2021/05/notes-from-highway-55.html

13. "Grandmother's Rings" published in "Island Writer" magazine, Volume 19, Issue 1, Summer 2021, (Print Edition).

14. "A Midnight In August," published in "October Hill" magazine, Volume 5, Issue 2, Summer 2021, pages 61-64  https://www.octoberhillmagazine.com/archives

15.  "Six Months In A Hammock," First Place for Non-Fiction, Victoria Writers' Society Contest 2021.

       "Kids Of The Free Range," Honourable Mention for Fiction, Victoria Writers' Society Contest 2021.

Both published in "Island Writer" Magazine,  Volume 19, Issue 2, Winter 2021.

16. "In The Land of The Wooden Molar," published in "Spank The Carp" magazine, Issue 65, October 2021.  http://www.spankthecarp.com/issue65_hkim.html

17. "To Thine Own Self Be True," published in "The Blue Lake Review," November 2021 edition. https://bluelakereview.weebly.com/to-thine-own-self-be-true.html

18.  "The Sater Wars," published at "Fiction On The Web U. K.," November 5, 2021. https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2021/11/the-sater-wars-by-harrison-kim.html

19. "Open Tuning," published in "The Chamber Magazine,"  December 17, 2021.

https://thechambermagazine.com/2021/12/17/open-tuning-horror-by-harrison-kim/



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Literary Magazine and Webzine Publications 2020


1.  "For Saxon (And Josh)" published in "Spadina Literary Review," February 2020 edition. https://www.spadinaliteraryreview.com/SR35-Fic-11.html

2.  "An Investigation Into The Disappearance of Kyle Amito," published in "Literally Stories Magazine," January 27, 2020 https://literallystories2014.com/2020/01/27/my-investigation-into-the-disappearance-of-kyle-amito-by-harrison-kim/

3.  "In The World of Edges," published at "Fiction on the Web U. K."  January 30, 2020.
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2020/01/in-world-of-edges-by-harrison-kim.html

4. "Anxiety Attack," published in Hobart Pulp Magazine February 20th edition
http://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/anxiety-attack

5.  "Under The Burning Nebula," published at "The Horror Zine," March 2020 print edition.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999402471/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+horror+zine+magazine+spring+2020&qid=1580991672&sr=8-1
"Under The Burning Nebula," published at "The Horror Zine" March 2020 online edition.
http://www.thehorrorzine.com/Fiction/March2020/HarrisonKim/HarrisonKim.html

6.  "In The Land of The Gauls," published at "Bewildering Stories Magazine" March 9th 2020 Issue 847
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue847/land_gauls_mem.html

7.  "Under The Plum Tree," published in "Piker Press," March 9-16 2020 edition
http://pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=7933

8.  "Her Father's Ghost," published in "Literally Stories Magazine," March 12, 2020
https://literallystories2014.com/2020/03/12/her-fathers-ghost-by-harrison-kim/

9.  "In The Cypress Hills," published at "Dreamers' Creative Writing Magazine," March 17, 2020
https://www.dreamerswriting.com/harrison-kim/

10.  "Encouragement," published in "Storgy Magazine U. K.," March 23, 2020
https://storgy.com/2020/03/23/encouragement-by-harrison-kim/

11.  "Steffiology," published in "Fiction on the Web U. K." March 27, 2020
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2020/03/steffiology-by-harrison-kim.html

12.  "A Walk With Ron," published in "Blue Lake Review," April 2020 edition.
http://bluelakereview.weebly.com/a-walk-with-ron.html

13.  "In The Hills of The Okanagan," published in "Literally Stories Magazine U. K.," April 8, 2020
https://literallystories2014.com/2020/04/08/in-the-hills-of-the-okanagan-by-harrison-kim/

14.  "A Blast With The Barclays," published in "The Piker Press 18th Birthday Edition," April 20, 2020.
http://www.pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=7949

15.  "The Soul Lift Blues," published in "Commuter Lit Magazine,"  April 28, 2020
http://commuterlit.com/2020/04/tuesday-the-soul-lift-blues/

16.  "The Straight Road South," published by "Literally Stories U. K.," May 4, 2020
https://literallystories2014.com/2020/05/04/the-straight-road-south-by-harrison-kim/

17.  "The Face On The Cliff" published by "Every Day Fiction," May 8, 2020
https://everydayfiction.com/the-face-on-the-cliff-by-harrison-kim/

18.  "The Spiral Tunnel," published by "Fiction On The Web U. K.," May 25, 2020
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2020/05/the-spiral-tunnel-by-harrison-kim.html

19.  "The Boy With The Keys," published in "Storgy Magazine," June 1, 2020
https://storgy.com/2020/06/01/the-boy-with-the-keys-by-harrison-kim/

20.  "In The Black Rock Canyon" published in "Island Writer," Volume 18, Issue 1, Summer 2020.
(Print Copy Only).

21.  "Crisis Line" published in "Literally Stories U. K.," June 12, 2020.
https://literallystories2014.com/2020/06/12/crisis-line-by-harrison-kim/#more-19989

22.  "A Fantasy Life" published in "The Blue Nib" literary magazine, June 13, 2020
https://thebluenib.com/a-fantasy-life-short-fiction-by-harrison-kim

23.  "Just Inside The Frame," published in "Bewildering Stories #860,  June 15, 2020.
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue860/inside_frame1.html

24.  "Rocking In The Meaning of The World," published at "Literally Stories U. K.,"  June 18, 2020
https://literallystories2014.com/2020/06/18/rocking-in-the-meaning-of-the-world-by-harrison-kim/

25.  "The Vengeance of His Evil," published in "Siren's Call Ezine," July 2020 edition, Pages 234-236.
http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/pdfs/SirensCallEZine_June2020.pdf

26.  "The Line Man's Last Drive," published at "Literally Stories U. K." short story magazine, July 22, 2020.
https://literallystories2014.com/2020/07/22/the-line-mans-last-drive-by-harrison-kim/

27.  "Above Renniker Falls," published at "The Blue Nib" literary magazine, July 26, 2020.
https://thebluenib.com/above-renniker-falls-fiction-by-harrison-kim/

28.  "Bobby Doesn't Like Me," published in "Piker Press," July 27, 2020
http://www.pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=8077

29.  "By Lake Lacustrine," published at "The Blue Lake Review," August 2020 edition.

30.  Short author interview in "Literally Stories" magazine re: "Breakfast at the Hospital For the Criminally Insane" and other stories, August 9th, 2020. 

31.  "Limits," published at "Every Day Fiction" magazine  August 13, 2020.

32.  "Astral Sex," published at "Fiction On The Web U. K."  August 14, 2020

33.  "Child At The Edge of the Wilderness," published at "Literally Stories Magazine," August 20, 2020

34.  "Tell Us About Lynda," published at "Spadina Literary Review," September 2020 edition
Story nominated by The Spadina Literary Review for the "Pushcart Prize," October 21, 2020.

35.  "In The Land of The Rain Gnomes," published at "Fiction On The Web U. K.," September 11, 2020

36.  "This One's For Munro," published at "Ariel Chart International," September 13, 2020 

37.  "The Ghosts Behind Me," published at "The Horror Zine," Editor's choice, October Edition, 2020


38.  "East of Durango," published in "Me First Magazine," October 7, 2020.

39.  "The Purpose of Screaming," published at "Literally Stories Magazine," U. K., October 8, 2020.

40. "Days of Santeria," published at "Storgy Literary Magazine," U. K.  November 9, 2020  

41.  "Good Hair Days," published at "Bewildering Stories Magazine, Issue 879,"  November 9, 2020

42. "Drinkin' and Hurtin', a Tale of The Northern Rhythm Band, published in "The Piker Press," December 7, 2020

43. "Solstice In The City," published in "Bewildering Stories Magazine," Issue 884, December 14, 2020.




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Hell Don't Seem So Bad (When You're In Love)

Hell Don't Seem So Bad (When You're In Love)  by Harrison Kim and the Jack Bird Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbnnfEtcNLs   




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Literary Magazine and Webzine Publications 2019

1.  "The Screaming Pool" in Bewildering Stories"  April 2019 http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue809/screaming_pool.html

2.  "The Ancient Science of Soul Travel" in Fiction on the Web U. K. April 2019 https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2019/04/the-ancient-science-of-soul-travel-by.html

3.  "The Soul Lift Blues" in Freedom Fiction May 2019 https://www.freedomfiction.com/2019/05/the-soul-lift-blues-by-harrison-kim/

4.  "A Major Error In Judgement" in Literally Stories June 13,2019 https://literallystories2014.com/2019/06/13/a-major-error-in-judgement-by-harrison-kim/

5.  "What I Did Not Become" in Freedom Fiction July 2019 https://www.freedomfiction.com/2019/07/what-i-did-not-become-by-harrison-kim/ 

6. "Chess With Al" in Literally Stories July 11, 2019 
7.  "The Boys On The Bridge" in The Writers' Magazine August 2019  (Print Edition)

8.  "The Tarantula Cure" in Bewildering Stories August 2019
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue821/tarantula_cure.html

9.  "Telling The Truth" in Fiction on the Web U. K. August 30, 2019
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2019/08/telling-truth-by-harrison-kim.html

10.  "When Normal Becomes Real" in Literally Stories September 5, 2019
https://literallystories2014.com/2019/09/05/when-normal-becomes-real-by-harrison-kim/

11.  "This Is What I Own" in Gone Lawn Literary Magazine September 21, 2019

https://gonelawn.net/journal/issue34/Kim.php

12.  "East of Durango" in The Writers' Magazine September 2019  (Print Edition)

13.  "The Windega" in Aphelion Science Fiction and Fantasy Webzine October 2019
http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/shorts/2019/10/TheWindega.html

14.  "Dichotomies" in "The Writers' Magazine" October 2019 (Print Edition)

15.  "The Upside Down Push  Up Busker in "Literally Stories" October 18, 2019
https://literallystories2014.com/2019/10/18/the-upside-down-push-up-busker-by-harrison-kim/

 16.  "The Street Charity League" at "Piker Press" October 21, 2019
http://www.pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=7699

17.  "The Future Vault" at "Freedom Fiction"  October 25, 2019 http://www.freedomfiction.com/2019/10/the-future-vault-by-harrison-kim/

18.  "Beware the Owl Serpent" at "Terror House Magazine" October 31, 2019
https://terrorhousemag.com/owl-serpent/

19.  "Someone Is Staring At Me" at "The Writers' Magazine" November 2019 issue (Print Edition)

20.  "The Eater" at "The Piker Press"  November 11, 2019
http://www.pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=7723

21.  "Breakfast At The Hospital For The Criminally Insane," at "Literally Stories"  November 15, 2019.
https://literallystories2014.com/2019/11/15/breakfast-at-the-hospital-for-the-criminally-insane-by-harrison-kim/

22. "Cabron's Coup," at "Bewildering Stories,"  November 17, 2019 http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue833/cabrons_coup.html

23. "Caught," at "Terror House Magazine"  November 21, 2019
https://terrorhousemag.com/caught/

24.  "The Betrayal of the Quilquen" at "Liquid Imagination"  November 29, 2019.
http://liquidimagination.silverpen.org/article/the-betrayal-of-the-quilquen-by-harrison-kim/

25.  "Wisikewena" at "Aphelion Science Fiction and Fantasy Webzine," December 1, 2019.
http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/shorts/2019/12/Wisikewena.html

26.  "Deep Is The River" in "Island Writer," Volume 17, Issue 2, Winter 2019 (Print Edition).

27.  "The Unwanted Bond" in "Horla Horror Magazine" December 10, 2019
(Magazine now discontinued as of 2022)

28.  "The Caiman Hide Boots" in "Literally Stories,"  December 11, 2019
https://literallystories2014.com/2019/12/11/the-caiman-hide-boots-by-harrison-kim/

29. "A Writer's Stay In Victoria's Spectral Autumn," article published December 2019 in "Horla Horror Magazine."
(magazine now discontinued as of 2022)

30.  "The Problem With Adam," story in "The Piker Press," December 30, 2019
http://pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=7811






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Harrison Kim's Music Videos


https://youtu.be/6N5dRf2mpuk  Just Because He Is So Grim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtUQqQ6zeFY  The Monkey Boy Beat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbnnfEtcNLs  Hell Don't Seem So Bad (When You're In Love)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqup-W-8xkc  The Way of The Orchard Man



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Mystic Saturna Island

Mystic Saturna Island    by Harrison Kim  

In Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” Prospero, the Wizard, and his daughter Miranda are stranded on an island paradise.  Saturna Island would be a perfect place to present the play, high up on Mt. Warburton Pike, the 337-meter mountain rising straight up from the sea.  It is easy to imagine Prospero casting his spells out to the waters. This is a truly mystic place, much of it part of the new Gulf Islands National Park.

Wild goats navigating spectacular bluffs, fog swirling round historic lighthouses, vistas of turquoise blue seas and shadowy islands in the sunset, as far as the eye can see…just a few of the dreamy sights on this small but naturally diverse island.  For a writer, it’s a great place to find quiet, view wildlife, let hours and days flow by while you write and hike and bicycle. There’s a restaurant, a store and several resorts, and only about three hundred and eighty full time residents.  They’re extremely friendly, during the “Tour des Isles,” a June Gulf Islands trip-a-thon, the tour guide showed my wife and I around Saturna.  This “Tour des Isles” is a must for a retreat, you meet locals, imbibe samples at wineries, take in musical events.  

East Point Park, at the far northeast of the island, is a great place for whale watching.  At Winter Cove, a peaceful boat harbour,  a walker can follow a trail to view and hear tidal currents roar between Saturna and Samuel Island, and at Narvaez Bay or the Pike a hiker can gaze out over the Gulf and San Juan islands system. There’s a good trail from the high point of the Pike right through to Narvaez Bay, through varied landscapes ranging from grasslands and firs to rainforest to marshy streams lined with ferns and skunk cabbage.

I camped on Saturna's high point, Warburton Pike, many times before it became part of Gulf Islands National Park. Now, you can’t camp up on the Pike, but you can meditate there as summer light follows the sun’s sky circle, dawn til dusk.  Narvaez Bay has a federal government campsite, for those who like to rough it.  There are also a number of good B and B’s on the island, such as Saturna Lodge and Breezy Bay, most open three seasons of the year.



There are pebble beaches at East Point, an area of eroded sandstone rock formations, and at Russell Reef on the north coastline many intertidal pools where little crabs and colorful sea anemones dwell. At Taylor Point you’ll find stands of old growth trees, and a historic quarry where sandstone was taken to build the Legislative Buildings in Victoria.  You’ll have to get there by kayak…. there’s much excellent kayaking around Saturna.  You can paddle out to Tumbo Island, an ecologically protected area with sandy, driftwood covered bays, a great place for beachcombers.  Seals, orcas, and other wildlife swim by.  The birdwatcher may see oyster catchers, pacific wrens, hooded mergansers, buffleheads, and more.

For the writer, the quiet of Saturna might be is the most inspiring thing.  When you’re in quiet, all sorts of sounds slowly become apparent, sounds that you did not hear before, birds calling, deer munching, the movement of a cricket in the grass.


When there is quiet, there is room to think, there are few distractions, and if you are by the sea at Saturna, there’s the rhythm of the waves to move you into reverie, and new perception.  And at night, of course, all the stars, casting sparkles over the dark sea and the shadowed, fir covered island. 


Ferries to Saturna Island leave Tsawassen Terminal on the Mainland once a day, and Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island at least twice per day, depending on the season.











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A WRITER'S STAY IN VICTORIA'S SPECTRAL AUTUMN by Harrison Kim




How about a writing stay in haunted Victoria, B. C.?  If you need inspiration for tales of the supernatural or the ghostly, this old town has a wealth of weird and eerie places to explore.  Immerse yourself in Victoria’s Samhain spirit to tickle up shivery influence for new story ideas.  Craigdarroch Castle, home of coal barons the Dunsmuirs, is a great place to start.  The most encountered family ghost there is that of Joan Dunsmuir, the patriarch’s wife.  

Apparently Joan’s been seen from time to time stepping down the main staircase in a ball gown.  That’s only one of the castle’s supernatural phenomena. If you smell candle wax, and there’s no candles burning, no worries.  It’s merely an odd gassy ghost waft experienced by many visitors.  Eerie piano music sometimes echoes through the halls, though the castle never had a piano.  Craigdarroch was built on the dark wealth from the Dunsmuirs’ coal mines.  It is now a National Historic Site, fully restored to its Victorian glory with gargoyles, turrets, exotic wood panelling and stained glass.  Lots of corners to peek around and catch a glimpse of the spectral Joan D.

Hatley Castle is the next haunted castle on the Victoria list.  It’s out in the suburb of Colwood, on the site of Royal Roads University, and was completed in 1908, again by the Dunsmuir Family, who apparently haunt all their creations.  My research finds that Hatley Castle phantoms have a weakness for banging pots and pans and pulling blankets off the beds of sleeping guests. 

For ghost touring author accommodation, an appropriately mysterious place to stay would be the Fairmont Empress Hotel, a huge hundred year old Gormenghast like structure looming over Victoria’s waterfront.  One of the restless ghosts is a maid who won’t stop cleaning, very useful for a hotel trying to make a profit.  The hotel’s architect, Francis Rattenbury, is supposed to walk the halls hitting his cane against the woodwork.  Not so good for light sleepers, but then, you’re here to see ghosts! When you hear the knocking, open your door and say hi to the architect. Some say Rattenbury also haunts the B. C. Legislature,  just across the street.  He’s seeking recognition for planning the edifice, according to phantom experts.  

Don’t miss the guided ghostly walks around Victoria.  These run from May 1st until October 31st, and often feature historian John Adams, who has vast expert knowledge of uncanny Victoria. He and his confederates pull on skull caps and ghost robes and lead groups of curious acolytes to various spectral sites around the downtown area.  Often, locals will listen in to tour guides talking about the screaming doppelgänger of Beacon Hill Park, or the long ago executed phantoms buried under the Maritime Museum of B. C. A conveniently located hanging tree grew here a hundred twenty years ago, when the place was B. C.’s Supreme Court.  After executions, the bodies were dropped into nearby graves.



Historian Adams sometimes leads tours with the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria.  Every Sunday at Two P. M. the Society meets at various graveyards around the city for interesting guided walks among the tombstones.  Ross Bay cemetery is the most well-known and scenic necropolis, designed in Victorian style with carriage ways bordered by oak trees and marble tombs.   Views of the Olympic Mountains appear in the distance. Herds of feral deer munch graveyard grass.  The bodies of artist Emily Carr and B. C.’s first Governor Douglas lie here under autumn’s red and orange leaves.  Emily is supposed to haunt several places in Victoria, including Room 115 of ye olde James Bay Inn, St. Anne’s Academy, which is a hundred year old former Catholic convent, and the soon to be rebuilt Customs House.  She’s a busy ghost.

Why so many specters, appearing sometimes in two places at once?  Apparently, rocky cracks, or “ley lines”, in the earth’s surface beneath Victoria give off powerful magnetic energy that encourages phantasms from the shadowlands, and enhances their influence and scope.  The historical range of the ghouls covers from ancient to modern times.  One story tells that around Laurel Point, in James Bay, indigenous people buried their dead in boxes in the trees.  After settlers chopped down the trees to build their houses and farms, upset ghosts screamed and set fires.  Who can blame them?

From October 20th to 30th the Old Cemetery Society schedules ghost bus tours past many haunted sites, very convenient for the writer who wants the complete fright experience without a lot of footwork. Reservations are recommended.

For a lighter change of pace, a visit to the various pumpkin farms around Victoria is fun.  In fact, the event is called Pumpkinfest.  Galey Farms features the festival of fear, featuring the cornfield of horror.  Sounds like a blast!

 Victoria immerses itself deeply into the spirit of scary October. On Oak Bay Avenue, dozens of pumpkin carvings of faces from TV personalities to Frankenstein and Prime Ministers can be seen at “Pumpkin Art on the Avenue.”  After you leave this exhibition, don’t go by the Oak Bay Golf course unless you like being single.  An apparition, believed to be a woman known as Doris Gravelin, might waft in front of you.  Folks that see her apparently never marry.

Downtown, there’s an event called “Wicked Victoria,” which features a car free zone on Government Street, with live Hallowe’en music and a market.  Many people dress up in their favorite costumes for this event.  Sometime each October, there’s also the “Zombie Walk.”  Better leave what that’s all about to the imagination.  Let’s just say, don’t take the kids. 


For a writer seeking inspiration for horror or ghostly tales, there’s a lot to recommend.  I’d urge prospective travelers to read the book “Victoria’s Most Haunted: Ghost Stories from B. C.” to get some background and help draw up an itinerary.  Have fun writing up your horror mysteries!


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Literary Magazine and Webzine Publications 2020

1.  "For Saxon (And Josh)" published in "Spadina Literary Review," February 2020 edition. https://www.spadinaliteraryrev...