Skip to content

Art Borups Corners

Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario

cropped-1.jpg
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • About Art Borups Corners
    • Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario
      • Local Services Board of Melgund
      • Borups Corners, Northwestern Ontario
      • Dyment, Northwestern Ontario
      • Neighbouring Communities
    • Reports
      • 2023-2024 Report
      • 2021-2022 Report
      • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Tracker
  • Library
    • Northwestern Ontario Stories
      • Borups Corners Adventures
    • France
      • Fnac
      • Furet du nord
    • Germany and Austria
      • eBook.de
      • Hugendubel
      • Lehmanns Media
      • Morawa
      • Osiander
      • Thalia Books
    • Italy
      • LaFeltrinelli Internet Bookshop
    • Japan
      • 楽天グループ
    • Netherlands
      • Standaard Boekhandel
      • Boekholt Boekhandels
    • Switzerland
      • Ex Libris
      • Orell Füssli
    • USA
      • Barnes and Noble
      • Palace Marketplace
      • Overdrive
  • News
    • Melgund Township News
    • Events and Activities
      • 2025-2026 Melgund Township Music Series
    • Local Services Board of Melgund Meeting Minutes
    • News Archive
    • Photos and Short Stories
  • Arts and Culture
    • Melgund Township Spring and Summer Arts Incubator Program
    • Art Borups Corners
    • Artists, Researchers and Collaborators
    • Creative Arts & Community Recreation Programs
    • Living Land Lab
    • Storytelling Club
    • The Arts Incubator
  • Recreation
    • Framework for Recreation in Canada
    • Music and Entertainment
    • Recreation for an Aging Population
    • Youth Engagement
    • Arts and Recreation Facilities
      • Dyment Cookshack
      • Dyment Recreation Hall
      • Melgund Lake Boat Launch
      • Dyment Ice Shack
      • Melgund Lake Conservation Reserve
      • The Pavilion
  • Resources
    • Adaptive Phased Management
    • Melgund Township Oral History Project
    • Funding Programs and Sources
    • Guide for Local Services Boards
    • Northern Services Boards Act
    • Workshops
  • Contact
  • Arts Incubator
  • Home
  • Library
  • The Weeds and Walls
  • Library

The Weeds and Walls

A new kid finds old messages in a forgotten garden. Can he reseed community where only weeds now grow?
Art Borups Corners October 2, 2025

Where Dignity Grows: Short Stories and Storytelling from Art Borups Corners, Global Dignity Canada and The Arts Incubator Winnipeg Storytelling Clubs

The Art Borups Corners collective is pleased to announce the release of "The Weeds and Walls," a new short story for youth and young adults by author Jamie Bell. This engaging narrative centers on the vital theme of dignity in community, offering readers a thoughtful look at how connections can be rekindled, even in unexpected places. The story brings a fresh perspective to what it means to belong and to care for one another. "The Weeds and Walls" introduces Tony, a new kid in town who discovers forgotten messages in an overgrown garden. These messages become keys to helping his neighbors remember the importance of working together. This project is a prime example of the collective's commitment to arts-focused skill development, encouraging young writers and readers to engage deeply with storytelling. It also highlights the growing importance of digital literacy in sharing these powerful narratives with a wider audience. This story is a significant output from the broader Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba storytelling program, an initiative dedicated to nurturing new voices and strengthening community ties through narrative. The program prioritizes diverse perspectives, including those rooted in Indigenous storytelling traditions, ensuring a rich and varied landscape of local narratives. Jamie Bell's work aligns perfectly with this mission, reminding us that every community has stories waiting to be heard and valued. By focusing on themes like connection and belonging, "The Weeds and Walls" offers more than just an entertaining read; it provides a gentle call to action for young people to look closer at their own neighborhoods and the people within them. We encourage readers of all ages to discover this moving story and support the ongoing efforts of the Art Borups Corners collective to foster a vibrant storytelling culture across the region.

Starting over in a new town is never easy, especially for ten-year-old Tony, who feels small and adrift in a sea of unfamiliar faces. On his perfectly tidy new street, neighbors keep to themselves, their faces quiet and closed off. But at the very end, a neglected garden—wild with weeds and whispers of the past—beckons Tony with its tangle of mystery.

It’s here, amidst crumbling stone and overgrown vines, that he uncovers cryptic messages. Single words like “Remember” and “Bloom,” tucked away like forgotten treasures, hint at a secret history and a deeper reason for the street’s quiet isolation. Tony soon realizes these aren’t just old notes; they’re clues to a puzzle that seems to explain the invisible walls between his neighbors.

Armed with curiosity and a growing sense of purpose, Tony embarks on a quest to decipher the garden’s secrets. Can one new kid help an entire community rediscover the profound dignity found in connection, reminding everyone that even the smallest hands can cultivate a vibrant neighborhood, one forgotten message at a time?

Support our Program and Order Your Books and Short Stories Today

Short stories, books and publications are available in bookstores across North America and globally at:

Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Chapters Indigo, Decitre, Fable, Librarie E. Leclerc, Palace Marketplace, Rakuten Kobo, Smashwords, Vivlio

ISBN: 9798232596996

About the Author

Jamie Bell is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and a passionate believer in the power of shared stories. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, his work explores community and connection through creative projects and participatory research. When he’s not behind a pen or a camera, you can find him in the garden, a space where he finds inspiration in the quiet dignity of growth.

Supporting Storytelling and the Arts in Northwestern Ontario

The Art Borups Corners Storytelling Club library celebrates the incredible creativity and talent of our local Northern Ontario community. This special interdisciplinary arts and capacity building program ran in the summer of 2025, supported by the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program, The Arts Incubator Winnipeg Hub, Ottawa-based Global Dignity Canada, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Creative Entrepreneurship Program. We extend heartfelt thanks to the Local Services Board of Melgund and the many community members, artists, and creators who made this program possible.

About the Author

Art Borups Corners

Art Borups Corners

Administrator

Art Borup’s Corners is a northern arts incubator based in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario, where community-led creativity, land-based practice, and digital innovation come together. Rooted in the cultural rhythms of the boreal forest and shaped by years of grassroots organizing across Ontario, Manitoba, Nunavut, and Minnesota, Borup’s Corners supports artists, youth, and community members through participatory storytelling, climate-focused projects, and creative entrepreneurship. From wild blueberry walks to immersive AI-powered exhibitions, our seasonal programs and artist residencies foster connection, skill-building, and self-determined expression—all grounded in place, culture, and care.

Author's website Author's posts
Tags: Kids Books online storybooks Ontario Arts Council ontario publishing Ontario Stories SDG 10 SDG 2 SDG 3 SDG 4

Continue Reading

Previous: Where Dignity Grows
Next: Terry’s Big Creek Clean Up

Related News

the-chat-that-broke-global-dignity
  • Library

The Chat That Broke

Art Borups Corners October 16, 2025
Lena-Strong-Game-Cover
  • Library

Lena’s Strong Game

Art Borups Corners October 15, 2025
Monas Secret Songs (1)
  • Library

Mona’s Secret Songs

Art Borups Corners October 15, 2025

Recent Posts

  • The Chat That Broke
  • The System as Curriculum
  • Lena’s Strong Game
  • Mona’s Secret Songs
  • From StartUP to SustainUP
Ontario projects and programming for The Arts Incubator have been made possible with funding and support from the Ontario Arts Council.

You may have missed

the-chat-that-broke-global-dignity
  • Library

The Chat That Broke

Art Borups Corners October 16, 2025
Interdisciplinary capacity is the new creative skill—artists learning systems, not just mediums, through hands-on creation.
  • Borups Corners
  • Recreation

The System as Curriculum

Art Borups Corners October 16, 2025
Lena-Strong-Game-Cover
  • Library

Lena’s Strong Game

Art Borups Corners October 15, 2025
Monas Secret Songs (1)
  • Library

Mona’s Secret Songs

Art Borups Corners October 15, 2025

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO ARTS PROGRAMS

This platform, our Northwestern Ontario hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Arts Incubator and Art Borups Corners Collective was seeded with strategic arts innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse and the Local Services Board of Melgund. We thank them for their investment, support and bringing the arts to life.

Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse Logo

SUPPORTING ARTS AND RECREATION

Borups Corners Arts and Recreation supports arts and recreation in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario as volunteer-driven Arts Collective.

Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program
Copyright © Art Borups Corners in partnership with The Arts Incubator. All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.