Join us for a special poetry workshop led by Anna Marie Sewell to support Indigenous Language Revitalization.
Writing RE:Connection
As survivors of language loss, how can poetry help us reconnect with our Indigenous languages? Nothing replaces immersion in language in community, but let's explore how we might deploy our language skills to reach toward the beauty and meaning in Indigenous languages, to get comfortable using them even early on in a journey to learn them. Let's also look at how poetry can portray the hybrid, globalized reality of this time and place in our history. Bring your pens, keyboards, apps and questions. Bring your love for language and let's (re)discover together.
Details
Saturday, July 20, 2024, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Room 366, Education Centre South, University of Alberta
Art supplies, snacks, and beverages provided
Maximum 18 participants. Limited spots available at the door, so please RSVP in advance by filling out this form or emailing thepolyglotmagazine@gmail.com.
Participants in the workshop will also be considered for publication in The Polyglot's Issue 14, dedicated to Indigenous language revitalization through the arts, in partnership with SILR.
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is for you if you are interested in exploring, strengthening, or revitalizing your Indigenous language(s) through creative writing and being in community. If you do not consider yourself fluent in your Indigenous language(s), do not worry. We understand Canada’s painful history of linguicide, and look forward to your insights on Indigenous language and culture revitalization or any other related ideas you would like to explore through your art.
Who is Anna Marie Sewell?
Anna Marie Sewell is an award-winning multi-genre writer and performer of Mi’gmaq/Anishinaabe/Polish descent living in Edmonton, Canada. Her artistic practice centres collaborative projects at the intersections of culture, language, and modality, including Ancestors & Elders, Reconciling Edmonton (which featured the first ever Round Dance at Edmonton's City Hall), Braidings, Honour Songs, Heart of the Flower, Big Sky Theatre (theatre with urban Indigenous youth), and The PoemCatcher public art installation. A founding member of the Stroll of Poets, she has served as Edmonton's 4th Poet Laureate (2011-2013) and MacEwan University's 2019/20 Writer in Residence. Connect to Anna Marie Sewell’s written work through prairiepomes.com, via her poetry collections Fifth World Drum (Frontenac House, 2009) and For the Changing Moon: Poems & Songs (Thistledown Press, 2018), via her debut novel, Humane (Stonehouse Publising, 2020), or the sequel, Urbane (Stonehouse Publishing, 2023). Anna Marie was published in The Polyglot’s Issue 3, CanLit: Curating our Canons, and Issue 6: nimitêyaniy.
This workshop is organized by The Polyglot, in partnership with Supporting Indigenous Language Revitalization (SILR) and the University of Alberta.
What is SILR?
In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, the Supporting Indigenous Language Revitalization (SILR) project aims to support Indigenous language sovereignty through community-led initiatives that protect, preserve, promote, revitalize, transfer, strengthen, and sustain languages.
SILR envisions a future where Indigenous languages in Canada are healthy, vibrant, and widely used across generations and in various domains such as homes, schools, workplaces, and on the land. This vision is supported by integrating appropriate language revitalization approaches and tools into community and educational policies and practices.
What is The Polyglot?
The Polyglot is a community, magazine, and publisher that was created out of an overwhelming urge to respect, promote, and celebrate heritage and Indigenous languages that are often ignored or neglected in the literary, art, and publishing worlds.
We envision a world where languages are an inspiring catalyst for experimenting & creating together. Our mission is to be a hub for multilingual creativity. We advocate for multilingual voices to be heard through projects that harness the power of art, words and technology. Discover more on our website.
Questions?
Email thepolyglotmagazine@gmail.com, or reach out to us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter!