This book discusses how small communities can survive and flourish. Edited by Laurie Brinklow and Ryan Gibson, it celebrates and critiques the dynamics of innovation, governance, and culture in place. Case studies from both sides of the North Atlantic illustrate episodes of "turning around": the evolution, transformation, and visionary strategy that breathe new life into the term "think global, act local."

The book's chapters focus on the strength of local initiatives, the impacts of collective power, and re-envisioning local assets. They explore how various "black horses"--including minorities, small towns, peripheries, Aboriginal communities, those with little money, status, voice, or political leverage--can rise to the occasion and chart livable futures.

Laurie Brinklow founded Acorn Press in 1993 and was its longtime publisher. She sold it in 2010 to pursue her PhD in Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Tasmania. Her PhD research explores people’s attachment to islands by examining “islandness” in Tasmanian and Newfoundland artistic expression. Laurie moved out to northern British Columbia with her family when she was five. They spent the next decade traipsing all over BC, Ontario, and points in between, following her construction-worker dad. After graduating from high school in Prince George, she lived in Victoria, she ended up on Prince Edward Island quite by accident, but when she got off the ferry, she said, “This is home.” Laurie’s poems have been published in various journals in Canada and Tasmania and in the chapbook Scars in the Saturday Morning Chapbook series. They have also been broadcast on CBC Radio. 

Laurie Brinklow's profile page

Dr. Ryan Gibson is the Libro Professor in Regional Economic Development in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph. Ryan's research and community engagement focus on rural and regional development, governance, philanthropy, and public policy. In 2015, Ryan was elected President of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, a national organization committed to strengthening communities by creating economic opportunities that enhance social and environmental conditions.

Ryan Gibson's profile page