Yesterday was the third evening of readings in a row for me and a handful of other attendees. A run that began at the People's Co-op Bookstore on Thursday night, followed by the Western Front on Friday night, before concluding at Massey Arts last night for the launch of Annishinaabe poet Marie Annharte Baker's Miskwagoode, an event that opened with stand-up comedy by a very confident Savannah Erasmus, followed by some old and new storytelling by Madeline Terbasket, and then some thoughtful talking and reading by Marie on relations, loss, bodies and dogs.
Our host for the evening was Mercedes Eng who, in her self-confessed "enthusiasm," apologized at the end of the evening for forgetting to introduce the book's publisher, Rolf Mauer of New Star Books, who, once introduced, thanked members of the Kootenay School of Writing for bringing Marie to his attention all those years ago. Mercedes's enthusiasm was no doubt also responsible for her forgetting to offer a land acknowledgement, which is tradition now at cultural events and something you notice as much for its absence as its presence.
Here is the first line in the last poem ("Just Another Dog Tale") from Miskwagoode:
"Back when dogs spoke at meetings and polite enough they hung up"
