Charles Wilkins was born in Toronto, grew up in a number of Ontario towns and cities,
including Deep River and Cornwall, and studied biology and physics at the University of
Toronto. He has lived, among other places, in Israel and the Bahamas, and has been a
full-time writer since 1976. Wilkins has written a dozen books, numerous magazine stories,
and a number of CBC and stage scripts.
His books include The Circus at the Edge of the Earth, about his travels with the Great
Wallenda Circus; A Wilderness Called Home, about Canadians and their connections to the
wilds; and, most recently, Walk to New York: A Journey Out of the Wilds of Canada, about his
2002 walk from Thunder Bay to New York City. He is also the author of several books on
sport, as well as a children's book entitled Old Mrs. Schmatterbung & Other Friends, and is
co-author of the 1987 bestseller, Paddle to the Amazon.
Wilkins has three children and lives in Thunder Bay, on the north shore of Lake Superior.
PUBLICATIONS:
Walk to New York: A Journey Out of the Wilds of Canada. Penguin, 2004.
A Wilderness Called Home: Dispatches from the Wild Heart of Canada. Penguin, 2001.
The Circus at the Edge of the Earth: Travels with the Great Wallenda Circus. McClelland & Stewart, 1998.
Breakfast at the Hoito: And Other Adventures in the Boreal Heartland. Natural Heritage, 1997.
Breakaway. McClelland & Stewart, 1996.
AWARDS:
Listed, Globe and Mail 100 Best Books for Walk to New York, 2004.
Finalist, Writers' Trust of Canada Non-Fiction Prize for The Circus at the Edge of the Earth, 1998.
Listed, Globe and Mail 100 Best Books for The Circus at the Edge of the Earth, 1998.
Elizabeth Kouhi Award for a career contribution to the literature of northern Ontario.
