Storykeepers Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

This month Thunder Bay-based journalist Willow Fiddler appears on Storykeepers to talk about Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga. The book is a thorough examination of the deaths of seven Indigenous youth in Thunder Bay over the span of eleven years, and the human rights violations of Indigenous peoples in Canada that can lead to tragic outcomes. It has won numerous prestigious awards, including the RBC Taylor Prize and the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
More on Seven Fallen Feathers:
https://houseofanansi.com/products/seven-fallen-feathers
Willow Fiddler's bio:
Willow Fiddler is a national news reporter for The Globe and Mail, covering northern Ontario and Manitoba. Prior to joining The Globe, she was a video journalist for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network National News reporting in Thunder Bay. She is a three-time finalist for the Canadian Association of Journalists awards and the recipient of the 2017 Emerging Indigenous Journalist award. Ms. Fiddler is passionate about stories and issues that impact Indigenous people and communities, particularly in the North.

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead Sep 04, 2021

Show notes

Cree poet and broadcaster Rosanna Deerchild joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig this month to talk about Jonny Appleseed, the award-winning novel by Joshua Whitehead. Originally published in 2018, it quickly garnered praise and was long listed for the Giller Prize. In 2021, it won CBC's Canada Reads competition.
More on Jonny Appleseed:
https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/J/Jonny-Appleseed
More on Rosanna Deerchild:
https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/bio/rosanna-deerchild

Burning in this Midnight Dream by Louise Bernice Halfe Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

This month renowned Mohawk/Tuscarora poet and artist Janet Rogers joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to dive into Louise Bernice Halfe's award-winning poetry collection Burning in this Midnight Dream. Throughout the book, Halfe profoundly recounts her life before, during, and after residential school, and many of the poems were written in response to the Truth and Reconciliation process. The collection received numerous accolades, including the Saskatchewan Arts Board Poetry Award and the League of Canadian Poets’ Raymond Souster Award.
More on Burning in this Midnight Dream:
https://www.brickbooks.ca/books/burning-in-this-midnight-dream/
More on Janet Rogers:
Janet Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora writer from Six Nations of the Grand River. She was born in Vancouver British Columbia in 1963 and raised in southern Ontario. Janet traveled throughout 2017-2019 working within numerous residencies in Vancouver BC, Santa Fe NM and Edmonton AB. Janet is based on the Six Nations territory of the Grand River where she operates the Ojistoh Publishing label. Janet works in page poetry, spoken word performance poetry, video poetry and recorded poetry with music. She is a radio broadcaster, documentary producer and media and sound artist.

Her literary titles include; Splitting the Heart, Ekstasis Editions 2007, Red Erotic, Ojistah Publishing 2010, Unearthed, Leaf Press 2011 “Peace in Duress” Talonbooks 2014 and Totem Poles and Railroads ARP Books 2016, “As Long As the Sun Shines” (English edition), Bookland Press 2018 with a Mohawk language edition released in 2019. “Ego of a Nation” is Janet’s 7th poetry title which she independently produced on the Ojistoh Publishing label 2020.

Jackson Twobears and Janet collaborate as 2Ro Media. They combined their individual talents and skills along with National Screen Institute training to produce two short documentaries; NDNs on the Airwaves about Six Nations radio (APTN 2016), Moving Voice, a Telus STORYHIVE sponsored digital broadcast 2019 featuring the travels of literary trailblazer and Mohawk poetess E. Pauline Johnson, and The Spirit of Rage a short experimental video poem about anti-racism. Janet won the 45th Annual American Indian Film Festival 2020, BEST MUSIC VIDEO award for her video Ego of a Nation produced with Wes Day of Fresh Shift Productions.

Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Award-winning filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig from her home in Iqaluit to talk about Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq. The debut novel by the renowned musician was published in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim, including being longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/534654/split-tooth-by-tanya-tagaq/9780143198055
More on Alethea Arnaquq-Baril:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alethea_Arnaquq-Baril

Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Esteemed journalist and author Duncan McCue appears on Storykeepers this month to talk about Richard Wagamese's highly acclaimed novel Medicine Walk. Duncan, Jennifer, and Waubgeshig explore the book's many themes, from living on the land to parenthood, and the powerful legacy of Wagamese and his work.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/226075/medicine-walk-by-richard-wagamese/9780771089213
More on Duncan McCue:
https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/bio/duncan-mccue

Return of the Trickster by Eden Robinson May 04, 2021

Show notes

Award-winning author Cherie Dimaline joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to discuss Return of the Trickster by Eden Robinson. Published in 2021, the novel is the third and final instalment in Robinson's highly acclaimed Trickster series.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/557407/return-of-the-trickster-by-eden-robinson/9780735273467
More on Cherie:
Cherie Dimaline's 2017 book, The Marrow Thieves, won the Governor General’s Award and the prestigious Kirkus Prize for Young Readers, was a finalist for the White Pine Award, and was the fan favourite for CBC’s 2018 Canada Reads. It was named a Book of the Year on numerous lists including the National Public Radio, the School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, the Globe and Mail, Quill & Quire and the CBC, has been translated into several languages, and continues to be a national bestseller over 3 years later. Her newest novel Empire of Wild (Random House Canada, William Morrow US, Weiden and Nicolson UK) became an instant Canadian bestseller and was named Indigo's #1 Best Book of 2019. It was featured in The New York Times, the New Yorker, GOOP, the Chicago Review of Books and others. Cherie spent many years working in and for Indigenous communities and now lives in her home territory where she is an enrolled and active member of the Georgian Bay Metis Community. She is currently writing for television, working on a new novel and the anticipated follow-up to The Marrow Thieves, as well as adapting Empire of Wild for the stage and screen.

Halfbreed by Maria Campbell Apr 04, 2021

Show notes

Poet and scholar Gregory Scofield joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to talk about Halfbreed by Maria Campbell. Originally published in 1973 and widely considered a classic of Indigenous literature, Campbell's memoir about her life as a Métis woman in Canada was restored and re-released in 2019.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/610927/halfbreed-by-maria-campbell/9780771024092
More on Gregory:
Gregory Scofield is Michif of Cree, Scottish and European-Immigrant descent who’s ancestry can be traced to the Métis community of Kinosota, Manitoba. He has taught Creative Writing and First Nations and Métis Literature at Laurentian University, Brandon University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and the Alberta University of the Arts. He currently holds the position of Associate professor in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria. Scofield won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize in 1994 for his debut collection, The Gathering: Stones for the Medicine Wheel, and has since published seven further volumes of poetry including, Witness, I am. He has served as writer-in residence at the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and most recently the Writers’ Trust of Canada Latner Poetry Prize (2016) that is awarded to a mid-career poet in recognition of a remarkable body of work. Further to writing and teaching, Scofield is also a skilled bead-worker, and he creates in the medium of traditional Métis arts. He continues to assemble a collection of mid to late 19th century Cree-Métis artifacts, which are used as learning and teaching pieces. Scofield’s first memoir Thunder Through My Veins (Doubleday Canada/Anchor Books)was re-published Fall 2019.

Why Indigenous Literatures Matter Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to Storykeepers: Let's Talk Indigenous Books! Hosts Jennifer David and Waubgeshig Rice are thrilled to welcome you to our monthly book club podcast. In our inaugural episode, we talk about what literature means to us, why we wanted to launch this podcast, and of course, why Indigenous literatures matter to everyone.
To kick off our podcast, we discuss Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice. Read more about this important book and order it here:
https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/W/Why-Indigenous-Literatures-Matter

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