Alison McCreesh is on the Russian leg of a circumpolar journey, family in tow, when she discovers a lump in her breast. Worried about the possibilities and concerned about navigating an unfamiliar healthcare system, McCreesh turns to Google for reassurance, but finds none. Reluctantly, she embarks on a new excursion — to find a doctor and a diagnosis in the town she's visiting. As a local guide escorts her from place to place with only the sparsest of explanations, McCreesh's anxiety mounts.

Petrozavodsk is an intimate look at what it's like to be vulnerable in a place where you don't know the language or the protocols — tinged with McCreesh's trademark humour and heart. (From Conundrum Press)

Petrozavodsk is available in October 2021.

Alison McCreesh has travelled around the Arctic and sub-Arctic. The theme of contemporary day-to-day life in the north carries through her creative work. She currently lives in Yellowknife where she creates comics and illustrations surrounded by dogs and small children.