Our DIVERSE VOICES
Everyone deserves a voice and a safe place to use it. BASA has been developing voices and providing a safe space to explore them for over 30 years, but it is clear that more is needed. Especially in a time when we can not collaborate and congregate to share our voices and our strength, we need a place to be able to share our hopes, our fear and our frustrations. We hope this will be that space. This is a space for sharing our written work as well as a platform for our voices, promoting the exploration and expression of what makes us come together and what can make us feel alone. This is a place to celebrate our diversity and build strength in the exploration of voice and identity.
We will use this space to share, celebrate, and reflect on works by under-represented voices in literature. These voices will include, and are not limited to, those of Asian, Black, and Indigenous descent, as well as those from LGBTQ2S+ communities. As we celebrate the diversity of our BASA community, it is important to acknowledge the diversity of those in our greater community, and this space is meant to do just that.
This is how it works: read the written piece below. Then, we invite you to share your thoughts in a written response using the form at the bottom of this page. We will publish a small number of responses, and there will be a brand-new prompt every week.
This week, let’s explore:
When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson
David A. Robertson is a Swampy Cree author who won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award for his book When We Were Alone, illustrated by Julie Flett. The book tenderly tells the story of a young girl asking her kókom (Grandmother) about many of the traditions she holds. She learns of her kókom's time spent in a Residential school as a child, and the way that she now shares her culture and traditions with great pride.
Write a response about the kind of traditions you share with your grandparent(s) or parent(s). What makes those values and traditions special to you?
Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell
Nicola I. Campbell is a Nłeʔkepmx, Syilx, and Métis author who writes about healing, nature, respect, and understanding. Her book, Shi-shi-etko is about a young girl who is leaving for a residential school in four days. We journey through the girl's questions, fears, and hopes, and watch her package memories of her family and home to bring with her to the school.
Writing Prompt: What special memories do you have of your family or your home? Write a memoir entry about them, and remember to include the five senses to make it more interesting.
The Second Time by Rosanna Deerchild
This poem deals head-on with Residential Schools. Rosanna Deerchild is a Canadian Cree writer, poet and radio host. She is best known as host of the radio program Unreserved on CBC Radio One, a show that shares the music, cultures, and stories from indigenous people across Canada, from 2014 to 2020. She is the co-founder and remains a member of the Aboriginal Writers Collective established in 1999. The collective, a group of Manitoba writers, has released two collections in print, urban kool and Bone Memory, and a live spoken word CD, Red City. Rosanna has also performed live comedy and has written book reviews for the Winnipeg Free Press. Her first book, This is a Small Northern Town, is a full-length collection of poems that looks at a small northern town that is heavily divided along colour lines and holds long family secrets.
Deerchild's second book, Calling Down the Sky, is a deeply personal piece about Canada's Indigenous Residential Schools. This book is, in part, the product of a multi-year healing journey and tells the story of Deerchild's own mother and her struggles as a generational survivor of residential schools. This book also won the Lowther Memorial award in 2016. Deerchild and her mother Edna Ferguson wrote a poetry book about her residential school experience together.
Deerchild originates from South Indian Lake, Manitoba (Now called O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation). She now lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2018 she was able to accomplish one of her dreams, which was to be an emcee in a powwow.
Write with empathy in response to the continuing discovery of the atrocities that was a result of the Residential Schools program.
The Edward Curtis Project by Marie Clements
In the early 20th century, the photographer Edward Curtis published "The North American Indian"—a photographic catalogue of indigenous people from across the continent. It was much celebrated in the past for capturing what was deemed a "vanishing race". Métis playwright, performer and director Marie Clements contests and critiques Curtis' legacy in her compelling and challenging piece of multimedia theatre, exposing the fraught colonial attitudes and destructive perspectives propagated by his work, including the attempted silencing and erasure of a people that never vanished at all.
Photography is a powerful medium that can move us deeply. Choose a famous historical photograph and write a description of it. What makes the photo so powerful? What feelings does it invoke in you?
Past Prompts