ONLINE TICKET SALES ARE NOW CLOSED FOR TODAY'S STORYFEST. THERE WILL STILL BE A FEW TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.
This year, 2025, marks the 50th year in a row that writer and explorer James Raffan will have spent at least part of the year travelling, researching and learning in the Arctic. To celebrate this milestone in his career, James has decided to create a special musical Storyfest presentation he’s calling The Accidental Canadian, referring to the fact that his British parents flipped a coin after WWII to decide whether to emigrate to South Africa or Canada. That coin toss made James and his three sisters “accidental Canadians” and, since he was old enough to venture out on his own, Seeley’s Bay’s own storyteller and raconteur has been travelling to the most remote corners of the Arctic by every conceivable means—canoe, dogsled, icebreaker, floatplane, snowmobile and on foot—returning with stories that have found their way into books, films, radio documentaries, magazine articles and, yes, a series of Storyfest presentations since 2010 that have raised thousands of dollars for the Seeley’s Bay and Area Residents Association.
The Accidental Canadian is a light-hearted yet thought-provoking show for all ages with stories, images and songs animated with James’ trademark mix of humour and erudition. Adding to his usual mix of sounds and images, this presentation will feature a number of stories written into original songs that will be sprinkled throughout the show and performed live in the Seeley’s Bay Community Hall. As with the previous eighteen Storyfests, this show will take you to incredible places you’ll likely never see and introduce audiences to people and voices they would likely never hear—all part of the incredible country that The Accidental Canadian has discovered in half a century of rambling and writing in the Great White North. James will charm you, inform you, make you laugh and cry, and perhaps help you get a new appreciation of Canada through his reflections on a lifetime of Arctic experience.
Dr. James Raffan is a cultural geographer and writer who has produced more than twenty books, including bestsellers like Fire in the Bones, Circling the Midnight Sun, Deep Waters, Bark, Skin & Cedar, Emperor of the North and Ice Walker. He has created documentaries on a variety of northern subjects and has written for film, radio and media outlets including National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, UpHere, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail as well as for CBC and The Discovery Channel. This work has been recognized with nominations and awards including the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals and Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal for his foundational work in bringing the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario onto the national stage. James and his wife, Gail Simmons, moved to Seeley’s Bay in 1984 where they raised two daughters and continue to be active in as community volunteers. The Accidental Canadian will be James’ 19th Storyfest fundraiser for SBARA since 2010.
This year, 2025, marks the 50th year in a row that writer and explorer James Raffan will have spent at least part of the year travelling, researching and learning in the Arctic. To celebrate this milestone in his career, James has decided to create a special musical Storyfest presentation he’s calling The Accidental Canadian, referring to the fact that his British parents flipped a coin after WWII to decide whether to emigrate to South Africa or Canada. That coin toss made James and his three sisters “accidental Canadians” and, since he was old enough to venture out on his own, Seeley’s Bay’s own storyteller and raconteur has been travelling to the most remote corners of the Arctic by every conceivable means—canoe, dogsled, icebreaker, floatplane, snowmobile and on foot—returning with stories that have found their way into books, films, radio documentaries, magazine articles and, yes, a series of Storyfest presentations since 2010 that have raised thousands of dollars for the Seeley’s Bay and Area Residents Association.
The Accidental Canadian is a light-hearted yet thought-provoking show for all ages with stories, images and songs animated with James’ trademark mix of humour and erudition. Adding to his usual mix of sounds and images, this presentation will feature a number of stories written into original songs that will be sprinkled throughout the show and performed live in the Seeley’s Bay Community Hall. As with the previous eighteen Storyfests, this show will take you to incredible places you’ll likely never see and introduce audiences to people and voices they would likely never hear—all part of the incredible country that The Accidental Canadian has discovered in half a century of rambling and writing in the Great White North. James will charm you, inform you, make you laugh and cry, and perhaps help you get a new appreciation of Canada through his reflections on a lifetime of Arctic experience.
Dr. James Raffan is a cultural geographer and writer who has produced more than twenty books, including bestsellers like Fire in the Bones, Circling the Midnight Sun, Deep Waters, Bark, Skin & Cedar, Emperor of the North and Ice Walker. He has created documentaries on a variety of northern subjects and has written for film, radio and media outlets including National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, UpHere, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail as well as for CBC and The Discovery Channel. This work has been recognized with nominations and awards including the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals and Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal for his foundational work in bringing the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario onto the national stage. James and his wife, Gail Simmons, moved to Seeley’s Bay in 1984 where they raised two daughters and continue to be active in as community volunteers. The Accidental Canadian will be James’ 19th Storyfest fundraiser for SBARA since 2010.