After three seasons, we have come to our final episode! It's a bittersweet moment, but a celebratory one nonetheless. Thank you all very much for joining us since we launched in early 2021! For our last Storykeepers show, Jennifer suggested talking to Waubgeshig a bit about his most recent and forthcoming novels, Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves. After that, we wanted to recap our three seasons and talk about some highlights. We had fun reminiscing and revisiting some...

This month's episode is a big one! As usual, we have a in-depth discussion about a great book, but we also have a big announcement. This will be our second-last episode! You'll hear why in the first few minutes, and we'll be back next month to continue that conversation and wrap everything up. In the meantime, please enjoy our chat about The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. It's a wonderful novel about an Indigenous-owned bookstore in Minneapolis and the vibrant and complex Indigenous community...

We've got another novel for you this month! We read Probably Ruby by Lisa Bird-Wilson and asked acclaimed author and storyteller Michelle Good to join us to talk about it. Published in 2021, Probably Ruby tells the story of an Indigenous woman who was adopted out as an infant on her journey to find family and identity. The novel won the 2022 Saskatchewan Book Awards Book of the Year, and was shortlist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. More...

This month we're putting the spotlight on books for kids by Indigenous authors, so we invited award-winning author David A. Robertson to join us. He's received several accolades for his books for kids and young adults and his literacy advocacy, and was recently appointed Editorial Director at the Tundra Book Group. In this episode David shares his journey as a writer, his creative process, his thoughts on the growing list of kids' books by Indigenous authors, and why he wants to hear from...

This month scholar and writer Geraldine King joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to talk about Islands of Decolonial Love by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Originally published in 2013, the collection of short stories, poems, and songs is widely heralded in Indigenous storytelling circles. Simpson brilliantly explores the modern lives and realities of Indigenous peoples in cities and communities as they assert their rights and identities in the face of ongoing colonialism. More on Islands of...

Welcome to Season 3! To kick off 2023, we decided to talk about three books by Indigenous authors that made the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize long list: All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac, A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt, and Avenue of Champions by Conor Kerr. We also discussed our plans for the new season, which will be a bit different than the first two. Big thanks for joining us on Storykeepers!

That's a wrap on Season 2! To cap off 2022, Jennifer and Waubgeshig are joined by author, poet, and professor Joshua Whitehead to talk about NISHGA by Jordan Abel. NISHGA is a powerful autobiographical exploration of Indigenous identity and self-awareness in the ongoing devastation of intergenerational trauma. This collection of reflections, poems, artwork, and more is eclectic, candid, and heartfelt, and we felt honoured and privileged to be able to read and discuss it at the end of this...

We are honoured this month to feature one of the integral publishing houses supporting Indigenous stories and voices for decades: Kegedonce Press. Founder Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to talk about the origins of Kegedonce Press, its books and authors, the importance of Indigenous publishers, and her own body of work as an author and poet. She also recommends some great recent Kegedonce titles to read. For more on Kegedonce Press, visit www.kegedonce.com

We're taking a different approach to this month's episode and releasing it a day early to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. We've informally curated a list of books that focus on the residential school experience and the resilience of survivors. We encourage listeners to seek out novels, memoirs, poetry, plays, and more beyond what we've discussed in this episode, and to support survivors however possible. Miigwech/thanks for listening. Some of the books and works...

Waubgeshig is back in the regular co-host chair this month after his Giller Prize jury duties to join Jennifer and poet/playwright Shalan Joudry as they feature Gregory Scofield's poetry collection Witness, I Am. The award-winning poet's 2016 book is divided into three compelling sections that deftly explore contemporary Indigenous themes, from identity to ceremony to the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered women and girls. More on Witness, I...

This month Jennifer discusses the graphic novel anthology This Place: 150 Years Retold with one of its contributors, writer and artist Brandon Mitchell. Published in 2017 by Portage & Main Press, the anthology explores the history of what is now called Canada through the eyes of Indigenous creators. This Place has received numerous awards for its profound imagery and storytelling that highlights the stories of Indigenous people and communities often neglected and ignored. More on This...

This month Jennifer and Waubgeshig are joined by Ry Moran, the Associate University Librarian – Reconciliation at the University of Victoria to talk about Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. Published in 2020, the novel follows five residential school survivors from their detention in the institutions into their adulthood, as they embark to heal from the trauma of their experiences. The book has won several awards, including the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction and CBC's Canada...

We're very pleased to welcome journalist Lenny Carpenter to the show this month to talk about Duncan McCue's The Shoe Boy: A Trapline Memoir. Lenny chatted with Jennifer about his journalism background and upbringing in the James Bay region and how he related with McCue's book. The Shoe Boy is a coming-of-age memoir that documents the renowned journalist's time as a teen on the east side of James Bay. More on The Shoe Boy: https://www.ubcpress.ca/the-shoe-boy More on Lenny...

Six Nations of the Grand River is in the spotlight this month with a compelling discussion about Alicia Elliott's highly acclaimed essay collection A Mind Spread Out on the Ground. Writer, researcher, and policy expert Courtney Skye of Six Nations joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to discuss the book's poignant themes and exploration of contemporary Indigenous realities. Elliott's collection garnered several accolades when it was first published in 2019. More on A Mind Spread Out on the...

For April's episode, Jennifer is joined by the multi-talented stage and literary artist Reneltta Arluk to talk about the award-winning short story collection Tainna: The Unseen Ones by Norma Dunning. Published in 2021, the book's six stories focus on contemporary Inuk characters, drawn from lived experience and cultural memory. The collection won the Governor General's Award for English-language Fiction in 2021. More on Tainna: https://douglas-mcintyre.com/products/9781771622714 More on...

Métis scholar Celiese Lypka joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig this month to explore Cherie Dimaline's bestselling novel Empire of Wild. Published in 2019, the story follows a Métis woman in search of her missing husband in the face of mysterious and oppressive forces. Dimaline has received numerous accolades for her writing, and the New York Times has named her one of the "Indigenous novelists reshaping North American science fiction, horror and fantasy." More on Empire of...

This month Ojibway playwright, author, and television host Drew Hayden Taylor joins Jennifer to talk about Tomson Highway's classic play Dry Lips Oughta Move To Kapuskasing. First staged in 1989, the award-winning drama is widely considered one of the most influential theatrical works in history.  Also in this episode, Waubgeshig explains his role on the jury for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize, which will take him away from Storykeepers occasionally this year. More on Dry...

Season 2 kicks off with Jennifer and Waub discussing Katherena Vermette's award-winning new novel The Strangers with artist and curator Jaime Morse. Published in 2021, The Strangers is a companion novel to Vermette's breakthrough novel The Break. It explores the intergenerational saga of a Métis family in Winnipeg, told from the perspectives of its women. The Strangers won the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize in the fall of 2021, and was long listed for the Scotiabank Giller...

This month we're taking a break from our usual book discussion to honour the life and legacy of the great Lee Maracle. The iconic Sto:lo writer and storyteller died in November at the age of 71. She leaves behind a revolutionary catalogue of published works, along with an abundance of tremendous stories and other artworks that have inspired and influenced generations of Indigenous storytellers. To honour Lee and her work, we invited writers Tanya Talaga and Armand Garnet Ruffo to join us to...

This month singer/songwriter Leela Gilda joins Jennifer and Waubgeshig to talk about The Lesser Blessed by Richard Van Camp. Originally published in 1996, the coming-of-age story set in the north became a bestseller and garnered international acclaim. It has since been adapted to a film (released in 2012) and long-listed for Canada Reads. Van Camp has published more than two dozen books since. More on The Lesser...

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...

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

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...

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