On Jan. 19, the 2020-21 Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series presented Indigenous author Carol Rose GoldenEagle reading from her book, Bone Black. York University Teaching Assistant Dana Patrascu-Kingsley sent the following report to YFile.
Indigenous writer Carol Rose GoldenEagle presented a reading from her book Bone Black (Nightwood Editions, 2019) during her presentation for the Canadian Writers in Person Series. Following the reading, GoldenEagle took part in a Q-and-A session with the audience.
GoldenEagle told those gathered for the reading that she has always wanted to be a writer and an artist, but as a child, she was discouraged from doing that as a career by her teachers and other adults. She ended up spending 32 years working in the media. She enjoyed her time travelling around the country and meeting new people as part of her work, which included learning all about plants. About 10 years ago, she decided to start writing full-time, and although it has been a difficult journey, she now has several books in print, including Bone Black.
“As a writer, I think it’s really important to stay honest and authentic, and if you have something you want to say, say it, and don’t filter it, don’t sanitize it,” said GoldenEagle as she spoke about finding her voice as a writer.
Bone Black is a novel about an Indigenous woman who, after the disappearance of her twin sister, which is met with police indifference, starts killing men who have abused women but escaped justice. “There has not been in fiction a serial killer who is an Indigenous woman so I wanted to create that character,” said GoldenEagle. “I also wanted to call attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. I was challenging myself as a writer to see if I could do this. I wanted to bring in elements of serenity and sacredness. I wanted to have people talking about the issue.”
GoldenEagle added that “In terms of reconciliation, we’re not going to get there unless we share with each other – and that includes sharing stories and inviting everyone to share traditions.”
On Feb. 23, writer Kaie Kellough will present a reading from his short story collection Dominoes at the Crossroads (Vehicule Press, 2020).
Readings are free and open to any member of the public. For more information, contact Professor Leslie Sanders at leslie@yorku.ca or Professor Gail Vanstone at gailv@yorku.ca. All readings are held Tuesdays from 7 to 8.30 p.m. on Zoom.