A photograph with Amy Smoke and Bangishimo standing beside the fire pit where teh sacred fire burned during the O:se Kenhionhata:tie land back camp. They stand on green grass with trees and a picnic shelter in the background. Amy and Bangishimo are wearing jeans and dark jackets. Amy has a hat on and where her long dark hair flows from beneath it. Bangishimo is rocking blue hair and matching spectacles.

CKMS News -2025-01-15- Exploring Indigenous futurisms at WPL’s Indigenous reading circle

CKMS News -2025-01-15- Exploring Indigenous futurisms at WPL’s first Indigenous reading circle.

dan kellar
Waterloo – 
A new Indigenous reading circle at the Waterloo public library will explore a variety of short stories, essays, and poetry by Indigenous writers.  Amy Smoke, a co-facilitator of the reading circle, told CKMS News “people think we are stuck in the past and only write about ceremony or history”, however, she noted “we write sci-fi, we write all kinds of things”.  Smoke added “we are so much more than our trauma”.

The first book to be discussed is Love After the End, an  anthology of queer Indigenous speculative fiction edited by Joshua Whitehead.

The casual reading circle at the WPL’s main branch is a collaboration with the Willow River Centre.

This show features an interview with self-described “book fanatic” Amy Smoke, an IndigiQueer, two-spirit parent, teacher, and community organizer, and a co-director of the Willow River centre. 

Two dates are booked, January 16th and February 13th from 7-8pm, register at wpl.ca.

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