How much of THIRST is real? by Katherine Prairie
I’m often asked how much of Thirst is real, and each time I’m delighted with the question because it means I’ve done my job! My story id eas are inspired by newspaper headlines, real life events over which I overlay a simple question of “what if”. For Thirst , it was the Columbia River Treaty, a remarkable agreement between Canada and the United States signed in the sixties, that stirred my imagination. The treaty is an exemplary model of international co-operation, and so are the more recent agreements on joint U.S.-Canada security that arose in large part because of 9/11. However, times have changed and with less than ten years left in the treaty’s term, people on both sides of the border want the treaty renegotiated with environmentalists, Native American Tribes, Canadian First Nations and residents of the Columbia River Valley pushing to have their voices heard. So far, the peaceful process has barely made a blip on the newsworthiness radar, but what if it change