Lawrence Nault – Page 2 – Essays, observations, and ideas from Canadian author and filmmaker Lawrence Nault — on writing, ecology, technology, and the natural world.s Blog

alternative history | authoritarianism | climate crisis | dystopia | fiction meets reality | geopolitical analysis | sci-fi politics | social commentary | worldbuilding | writing exercise

The Stratification of Earth: A World-Building Exercise That Cuts Too Close to Reality
ByLawrence Nault July 5, 2025July 12, 2026

I wrote this piece as a world-building exercise for a work-in-progress—a speculative fiction project in which an outside intelligence studies Earth from afar, categorizing the planet’s political systems during its age of crisis. What began as a fictional exercise quickly took on a sharper edge. It was supposed to be a background document for myself,…

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blog poem | burnout | chameleon metaphor | emotional truth | hidden pain | identity | imposter syndrome | mental health | never enough | personal growth | Poetry | quiet struggle | self-worth | success and emptiness

Frost and Fire – Episode 10 – Chameleon Skin
ByLawrence Nault June 30, 2025July 13, 2026

There are some truths too quiet to say out loud. They live beneath the surface, dressed in competence and success, hidden behind the applause, the promotions, the practiced smile. This poem speaks to one of those truths—the relentless, invisible weight of never feeling good enough. Not because of failure, but in spite of achievement. It’s…

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activism | climate crisis | collective responsibility | complicity | generative AI | hard decisions | modern dilemmas | moral choices | Poetry | political extremism | resistance | social justice | spoken word | the narrow path | witnessing

Fragments of Frost and Fire – Episode 8 – The Narrow Path
ByLawrence Nault June 25, 2025July 12, 2026

There are moments in life when the choices before us aren’t clear-cut—when we’re not deciding between right and wrong, but between two difficult, uncertain paths. Some are quiet, personal crossroads: whether to stay or leave, speak or stay silent, act or wait. Others are much larger, woven into the world’s violence and velocity—choices that ask…

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Atlantic Canada | belonging | Bras d'Or Lake | Canadian landscape | Cape Breton | fall colors | homesickness | maritime poetry | nature poetry | nostalgia | seasonal poetry | travel reflections

Fragments Of Frost And Fire – Episode 7 – The Home That Wasn’t
ByLawrence Nault June 24, 2025July 12, 2026

The Home That Wasn’t I never lived on Cape Breton— just came when I could, chasing the quiet like a man chasing warmth in the smoke of another’s fire. Still, the land spoke. Not in words, but in wind through tamarack and loon-call twilight over Bras d’Or’s patient blue. Derek Hatfield, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>,…

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arts in canada | canadian indie | canadian music | cbc | cross-medium storytelling | cultural programming | indie books | indie creators | indie film | podcast proposal

Indie Thread: A Proposal for a New CBC Program Celebrating Canadian Indie Creators
ByLawrence Nault June 17, 2025July 12, 2026

Indie Thread: A Proposal for a New CBC Program Celebrating Canadian Indie Creators For decades, CBC has been a powerful champion of Canadian culture. From spotlighting homegrown musicians to amplifying the voices of independent filmmakers, it has helped carve out space for creators who might otherwise go unheard. But there’s one group that consistently slips…

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clear vision | climate action | generational change | Poetry | social justice | valedictorian speech | Youth activism

Fragments of Frost and Fire – Episode 6 – UNCLOUDED
ByLawrence Nault June 17, 2025July 13, 2026

The world around me shapes my words and thoughts. Today, it was the story of a young woman—the valedictorian of an Ottawa high school—being punished for speaking out about the evils of this world. The same education system that taught her to think critically, to speak with conviction, is now trying to silence her. Unclouded…

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Creative Writing | dark poetry | dogs | free verse | healing | hope | isolation | loyalty | Poetry | purpose

Fragments of Frost And Fire -Episode 5- WALKING THE EDGE OF SILENCE
ByLawrence Nault June 16, 2025July 13, 2026

Walking the Edge Of Silence He walks the edge of things, not for thrill, but because the center holds no welcome. What was once a life now drags like loose thread— unraveling in silence, no protest, no plea. Friends became ghosts long before they left. Family: a word too large for the absence it…

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attachments | family | friends | hermit life | identity | introspection | original writing | Poetry | reflection | writer life

Fragments Of Frost And Fire – Episode 4 – STRINGS
ByLawrence Nault June 10, 2025

Strings We enter this world as fallen puppets, limbs sprawled across the stage of existence— no strings to lift us skyward, no master’s hand to guide our dance. Born frail and feeble, we draw strength from those around us, grasping at invisible threads that promise to pull us upright, to steady us as we move…

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