Name: Author-In-Store: Shirley Martin
Start: 2025-08-23T11:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-08-23T13:00:00-07:00
Location: 149 Kenneth St, Duncan, BC, Canada, British Columbia V9L1N5

It is a pleasure to have Ucluelet author and historian Shirley Martin visit the store on Saturday August 23rd. She has just published Calm Harbour, Turbulent Seas ~ This historic account of Ucluelet begins with stories shared by local Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet) and t̓uk̓ʷaaʔatḥ (Toquaht) people about life before European contact. The arrival of fur traders, whalers and missionaries brought cataclysmic changes. She tells the compelling personal stories of the settlers and the pre-emptionists who followed and includes dramatic depictions of shipwrecks, lifeboat rescues and much more.
This is a free event, Shirley will be chatting with attendees and signing copies.
Book Review:
“What makes this comprehensive history of Ucluelet so absorbing is the clear and compelling voice of historian and author Shirley Martin. Her inclusion of First Nations’ history and contemporary cultural and language preservation achievements are integrated meaningfully from start to finish. Martin’s history of Ucluelet is based on decades of research and interviews, along with her own fourth-generation experiences, often delivered with a delightful sense of humour. Her abiding sense of justice and respect for all members of her community shines through this major contribution to West Coast history, often turbulent, like the seas that pound its shores.” -Caroline Woodward, author of Light Years: Memoir of a Modern Lighthouse Keeper
About the author:
SHIRLEY MARTIN is a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada and the Federation of BC Writers. A lifelong resident of Ucluelet, she draws on her deep connections to local history and is a longtime director of the Ucluelet and Area Historical Society. She was the author of “Shoreline Column,” a regular feature in the Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News, and several books, including A is for Amphitrite: A Walk on Ucluelet’s Wild Pacific Trail. She is also a passionate public speaker, and is often asked to present her insights into the region’s rich past.