Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Bill Arnott visits a Nanaimo BC bookshop and purchases a copy of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, which he reviews here.
Indigenous
The Rick Revelle Interview 2.0*
Rick was born in Smith Falls Ontario. He belongs to the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. His books include, I Am Algonquin (2013), Algonquin Spring (2015), Algonquin Sunset (2017) and the final and fourth book in the series, Algonquin Legacy, which is now available.
Introducing: Mercedez Tate, Indigenous Poet
Tansi, my name is Mercedez Tate and I’m a 17-year-old Plains Cree woman from Poundmaker Cree Nation, Sask, on Treaty 6 territory.
I’ve always had a strong bond with words, especially writing and singing.
Iskotew Iskwew Poetry of a Northern Rez Girl by Francine Merasty
Iskotew Iskwew/Fire Woman is a poetry collection written during a period of trauma while the author was working as a Counsel to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2017.
Little Wolf by Teoni Spathelfer
ittle Wolf by Teoni Spathelfer, is an uplifting story of an Indigenous girl living in a big city, and how she stays connected to her heritage.
Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island by Julie Pellissier-Lush
Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island by Julie Pellissier-Lush is a lovely compilation of short stories, each offering both entertainment and education for young listeners.
Flash Reviews of Four Recent Indigenous Titles by Alison Manley
Four of Alison Manley's Instagram reviews are collected here for National Truth and Reconciliation Day, September 30, 2021.
All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac
Brian Isaac's powerful debut novel All the Quiet Places is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy, told through the young narrator's wide-eyed observations of the world around him. It's 1956, and six-year-old Eddie Toma lives with his mother, Grace, and his little brother, Lewis, near the Salmon River on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the British Columbia Southern Interior.
Undoing Hours by Selina Boan
Selina Boan’s Undoing Hours foregrounds play with linguistics and poetics to explore liminalities of identity and family in the context of a half-Cree, half-white settler speaker.
The John Brady McDonald interview
John McDonald is a multidisciplinary writer and artist originally from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. A sixth-generation direct descendant of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, private and permanent collections and galleries around the world. John is one of the founding members of the P.A. Lowbrow art movement and is the Vice President of the Indigenous Peoples Artists Collective.
Creeland by Dallas Hunt
Creeland is a poetry collection concerned with notions of home and the quotidian attachments we feel to those notions, even across great distances.
Northern Light: Power, Land, and Memory of Water By Kazim Ali
Kazim Ali’s earliest memories are of Jenpeg, a temporary town in the forests of northern Manitoba where his immigrant father worked on the construction of a hydroelectric dam.
The Narrows of Fear by Carol Rose GoldenEagle
The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) weaves the stories of a group of women committed to helping one another. Despite abuse experienced by some, both in their own community and in residential schools, these women learn to celebrate their culture, its stories, its dancing, its drums, and its elders.
My Indian by Mi’sel Joe and Sheila O’Neill
In 1822, William Epps Cormack sought the expertise of a guide who could lead him across Newfoundland in search of the last remaining Beothuk camps on the island. In his journals, Cormack refers to his guide only as “My Indian.”
What Was Said to Me: The Life of Sti’tum’atul’wut, a Cowichan Woman by Ruby Peter in collaboration with Helene Demers
A narrative of resistance and resilience spanning seven decades in the life of a tireless advocate for Indigenous language preservation.