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Emily Urquhart

Author bio

Emily Urquhart is a national-magazine-award-winning writer and has a PhD in folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is the author of Beyond the Pale: Folklore, Family and the Mystery of our Hidden Genes (2015). Her articles have appeared in Azure, Flare, and The Walrus. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband and their two children, who were born on opposite coasts of Canada.

Emily Urquhart’s Contributions:

Mummers disguise every aspect of themselves—their faces, ears, hair, hands, gait, body shape, and, often, their gender. Photo courtesy of the Mummers Festival

Return of the Mummers

The people of Newfoundland and Labrador revive an eccentric tradition that’s part Christmas, part Halloween, to celebrate the holidays.

Dec 6, 2016 | 2,900 words, about 15 minutes

Isolated villages, a rich oral history, and a strong connection to the natural environment have contrived to create a rich lexicon of coastal words in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Photo by 145/Aluma Images/Ocean/Corbis

The Unique Language of Newfoundland

Isolated in the North Atlantic, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador developed a subtle and beautiful lexicon to describe their environment.

Dec 2, 2015 | 2,500 words, about 12 minutes