The Mechanics of Dreaming

By Trish Nichol

The diversity of skills and experiences of the people of Ymir community never stops to amaze us. Trish, who joined us for the Winter season, just published her first book. ‘The Mechanics of Dreaming’ is a wonderful read and we are excited to be able to offer her book of poetry here at our Lodge.
Trish wrote below introduction of herself and her process writing the book for us, just the way we got to know and like her; try new things and just enjoy whichever way they go, such is life. In March new adventures call Trish once again, we wish you all the best with this next exciting step!
Annelies - Co-founder and owner Logden Lodge

My love affair with the written word started when I was very young. Always an avid reader, I took to emulating those writers and poets I loved most as soon as I could hold a pen. It might seem strange, but in all the years I've been scribbling on paper, rambling in blog form on the internet, I never really considered that I would write a book. This might be because the words that show up feel so fluid to me, they come and I let them spill from my lips and fingers onto page or screen, and am done, moving on to whatever needs to be written next. To write a book takes planning and strategy and a commitment to see the project through. A world I'd never really given much thought to dwelling in, given my comfort zone is one of transience.

This book came about when a friend mentioned that the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance awards grants for projects created by artists in the Columbia Basin and I should apply. I applied mostly out of a desire to show that there was interest in them continuing to fund artist in our region, but with a very casual interest in the outcome, thinking it highly unlikely I would get it.

I got it.
And suddenly, I had to write a book.

I spent a silly amount of time overthinking the process, trying to give myself a crash course on how to properly write, edit, self publish a book. It had to be perfect! I spent months putting it together, coming up against my deadline with the feeling that it just wasn't right, feeling panicked and trapped by my inexperience. 5 days before it was scheduled to go to print, I freaked out and deleted the whole thing. I started from scratch, staying up late into the night typing it from the very beginning, and letting the poems work out the order they wanted to be in. I was relieved when it came together within hours of when it was due to be printed.

In hindsight, I shouldn't have been surprised that the words would show up exactly as they pleased, they always do. I outsourced the cover art from a most talented friend, Autumn Toennis (https://autumntoennis.com/), who had done a series of watercolours of the muses I'd been inspired by. As soon as I saw them, I knew she would be able to help realize my Mechanic. I wrote her a short blurb of who I thought she was, and she came back with what you see on the cover, exactly how I'd envisioned her.

The Mechanics of Dreaming can be found exclusively at trishnichol.com
or the mountain hideaway paradise that is Logden Lodge.