Reading and discussing stories can help us further our collective understanding of the harms of colonization and inform the actions we can all take together to lead us toward reconciliation.
Selkirk Reads! invites you to join a mini book club and take part in a guided discussion. Each club has its own schedule, and most will meet once or twice between now and September 30.
Watch the book champions share their insights at the wrap-up event!
Selkirk Reads! Event Livestream
Choose a Book and Join a Club!
Moon of the Crusted Snow
By Waubgeshig Rice
Fiction
Moon of the Crusted Snow turns the genre of "apocalypse fiction" on its head and challenges us to reconsider colonization as a form of cultural apocalypse. An Anishinaabe First Nation community in northern Ontario faces the consequences of an unknown event that leaves the community isolated, without power or phone service, and limited food sources as winter sets in and outsiders begin arriving from the south.
Meet the champion
I hold multiple roles within the Selkirk Library, the Writing Centre and the Mir Centre for Peace.
I am drawn toward literary and other creative expressions that explore the Anthropocene/Capitalocene, climate change and the EcoGothic.
Join the book club
This book club will meet one to two times in person.
Please reach out to Sarah James with your name and contact information, and she will be in touch to discuss a meeting time.
Buffalo Is the New Buffalo
By Chelsea Vowel
Fiction
Buffalo Is the New Buffalo is a collection of eight short stories exploring Indigenous existence and resistance to colonialism through science fiction tropes and a Métis lens. The collection includes a radioactive bison that imbues super strength, foxes that take human form and meditations on the potentialities of virtual reality for teaching transformation.
Meet the champions
Leesa Dean lived on unceded Sinixt Territory in Krestova, BC, and is the author of Waiting for the Cyclone (2016) and The Filling Station (2022) as well as two poetry chapbooks, The Desert of Itabira and Apogee/Perigee.
She teaches English and Creative Writing at Selkirk College, where she is also co-founder and faculty advisor for the Black Bear Review.
Renée Harper is a writer and artist who lives on the unceded territories of the Sinixt people in Nelson, BC. She is a faculty member in the English and Creative Writing departments at Selkirk College, where she is a co-founder and faculty advisor on the Black Bear Review.
Join the book club
This book club will meet for two hours on Thursday, September 14.
To join, please email Leesa Dean and Renée Harper.
Moccasin Square Gardens
By Richard Van Camp
Fiction
Moccasin Square Gardens: Short Stories is the summer book we all need.
I selected the book because Van Camp is a great author, and his short stories are light, fun and meaningful all at the same time!
Meet the champion
I work on Selkirk College’s Student Success team with an amazing group of individuals that help create an engaged, dynamic and supportive environment for students to learn and meet their goals.
Join the book club
Join the discussion Wednesday, September 13, from 5–7 pm on Zoom!
Connect with Brier Albano for more information about the book club and to get an invite to the discussion.
On/Me
By Francine Cunningham
Poetry
I read so many serious non-fiction books and articles. Yet I love poetry. Would you like to join me in reading some poems to each other and writing some in response to this book too?
Francine Cunningham is an award-winning Indigenous writer who hails from Calgary and lives in Vancouver.
Meet the champion
I am an author and researcher who runs the Teaching & Learning Centre at Selkirk College.
What people don't know about me is that I got my first diploma at the College in creative writing with a focus on poetry.
Join the book club
I'd like to meet on Zoom for three Thursday evenings this summer. In the first two meetups we will read to each other from the book and in the last we will read one poem or reflection of our own on the book.
I'm offering to compile these poems and reflections and send them to Francine Cunningham!
7:30–8:30 pm, Thursday, July 13
7:30–8:30 pm, Thursday, July 20
7:30–8:30 pm, Thursday, August 17
To join the club, please contact Theresa Southam.
Indigenous Writes
By Chelsea Vowel
Non-Fiction
This book is a great, easy, sometimes entertaining read about the realities and truths of Indigenous Peoples.
Pretty much anything you ever wanted to know, or thought you knew, is in this book. It’s also used as a textbook at many colleges and universities.
Meet the champion
Jodi Bremner
Taanishi,
I’m Jodi Bremner and am not part of the Selkirk College community but I love books!
I am Métis and Dutch/Polish Ukrainian; starting work on my MSW; a mother to two girls, a dog, and two cats; and live in the Ymir area. I am growing plants from seed this year for the first time!
Join the club
I am excited to discuss the book Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel. Chelsea is a strong Métis woman and a professor at the University of Alberta (among many other things).
To join the club, please contact Jodi Bremner.
Seven Fallen Feathers
By Tanya Talaga
Non-Fiction
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City is an emotional read.
It reveals the continued harm of unequal educational opportunities within Canada and the continued systemic racism many Indigenous youth face.
Meet the champion
I am incredibly passionate about health care and education.
I genuinely believe that knowledge will help heal the world and I consider myself a lifelong learner.
Join the book club
This mini book club will meet bi-weekly (two times) starting in September, either in person and/or via Zoom.
To join the club, please contact Chantal Lortie.
Making Love with the Land
By Joshua Whitehead
Non-Fiction
Joshua Whitehead’s book is a collection of beautiful and provocative essays that will prompt you to think about how we connect to the land and may even challenge you in unexpected ways.
Whitehead is an Indigiqueer writer/scholar and topics and themes related to two-spirit identities are throughout this work.
Meet the champion
Danica Weager is of mixed ancestry. She is a member of Peguis First Nation on her mother’s side and settler ancestry on her father’s side.
She works at Selkirk College as the counsellor for Indigenous students.
Join the book club
This club will have one meeting in the last week of August, hopefully in person, we can choose the date/time based on group availability.
Contact Danica Weager for details.
Children & Youth Literature Round Table
Various authors
Various genres
This club will be a learning circle in which we share ways of finding age-appropriate books for children and youth and ways to ensure that money is going to the Indigenous creators.
The books and outlets we find will be collated and shared in a reading list.
Meet the champions
Lisa Gates is an instructor in the Education Assistant & Community Support Worker Program.
Maggie Keczan is the director of communications & public engagement.
Join the club
The first meeting will set intentions, establish a framework for book selection and set up the online aggregation space.
We will meet again in September to review the process and share stories.
Potential meeting dates are Monday, July 17 at 10 am, and Wednesday, July 19 at 1 pm. To join the club, please contact Lisa Gates and Maggie Keczan with your preferred date.
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act
By Bob Joseph
Non-Fiction
As a new Canadian, I didn't grow up learning anything about the Indian Act, so this book was a very important education for me.
It's written in accessible language with lots of examples to help us better understand how this document has impacted people historically and continues to impact individuals, communities and society.
Meet the champion
Marta is the people, culture and organizational development advisor at Selkirk College working within the Human Resources team.
Join the club
This club will meet once or twice, virtually, in July.
If you want to join me, please email Marta Abel and put "21 Things" in the subject line.
Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player
By Fred Sasakamoose
Non-Fiction
Fred Sasakamoose was an amazing individual who was the “first Canadian Indigenous player in the National Hockey League,” but there is so much more to his story because of his numerous contributions to the sport on and off the ice.
He was inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and also became a member of the Order of Canada (2018) for his involvement in Indigenous affairs. I am excited to learn more and share his journey.
Meet the champion
Kim Verigin has been involved with athletics and recreation at Selkirk College for the past 19 years.
Hockey was a prominent varsity sport for many years and there is a natural connection to the importance of influential figures like Fred Sasakamoose.
Join the book club
To join the club, please contact Kim Verigin.