Event Posting-Fall Feast @First Nations House October 9, 2015

Review: Ghost Sick by Emily Pohl-Weary

Ghost Sick

Emily Pohl-Weary

Tightrope Books

Reviewed By: Christine Smith (McFarlane)

Violence and crime do not just affect a victim and their family; it also affects a whole community. This is evident in the poetry of Emily Pohl-Weary in her book Ghost Sick, where she writes about violence and its impact not only on herself but on her community as a whole.

Pohl-Weary’s poetry in Ghost Sick are deep and poignant, I especially empathize with the poem World of Sorrow where Pohl-Weary writes about a Christmas Eve shooting and says

“Before that night

I had no way of comprehending

It only takes a second to tear

The spirit from a young body

Bullets

A .22 aimed behind parked cars

Five blocks from our childhood home

Business as usual ended a boy’s life

Nearly ripped a brother from mine”

Ghost Sick makes you look deep inside yourself, takes your breathe away and leaves you with wanting more. A great collection of poetry overall.

Ghost Sick is published by Tightrope Books and is 105 pages

Event Posting: Talking Circle: Preparing Your Bundle- Come on Out on Wednesday September 30, 2015 from 3:30pm until 4:30pm

Review: HeartBeat of A Warrior

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Review: Heartbeat of A Warrior: Aboriginal Men’s Writing, Art & Culture

BY: Christine Smith (McFarlane)

“Heartbeat of A Warrior: Aboriginal Men’s Writing, Art & Culture” is a small collection of poetry, photography and art that was borne out of a few years work at “Sagatay” a Native men’s program through a Native Men’s Residence- Na-Me-Res based in Toronto.

Emily Pohl Weary, a local Toronto writer and the men in the Sagatay Progam developed two volumes of writings called Broken Arrow. Lee Maracle, a renowned author, and grandmother of Aboriginal Literature then became a guest teacher for Pohl-Weary during the course of her creative writing courses with the men. Maracle says, “Some of the men who participated in this project had been writing for some time. Others were new to the experience, but all were eager to put their hearts and minds to the task.”

The poetry within this book is heartfelt, moving, and courageous. The theme, according to guest teacher, Lee Maracle of this book “was for the men to come to understand themselves as modern Warriors and to respect the journey’s their lives have been on.”

Many of the poems that resonated with me speak of roads to recovery whether its from drugs, alcohol or violence. In one poem “Untitled”, the writer Windwolf writes

“Today you’re making a change in your life

Even when its too little to notice the change

You’ve changed more than anyone could have dreamed

Be happy and never let another person’s opinion about you

Bring you down

You are worth more than you think”

The poems within Heartbeat of A Warrior are tinged with a wide range of emotions, and a great read if you need a quick pick me up to remind yourself of where you are in your journey in life. The poems remind you most of all that you are not alone, and that there are others out there too who may be fighting the same battle as you.

 Na-Me-Res is selling the book to fund the Na-Me-Res/ Sagatay Apaenmowineen Life Skills Program. The book sells at $15 a book, $12 for multiple copies and $10 for 100 plus copies. The contact person for this book is Marshall Schuhert, and he can be reached at mschuchert@nameres.org

Heartbeat of A Warrior: Aboriginal Men’s Writing, Art & Culture is 102 pages long. ISBN: 978-0-9918291-0-1

Please note this is a cross post with this review soon being published in Anishinabek News

Fashions for Passions Hosts its 3rd Annual Gathering-Honouring Our Stolen Sisters

 Fashions for Passions hosts its third annual gala, Honouring Our Stolen Sisters 

Toronto, ON (September 3, 2015)- Fashions for Passions (www.fashionsforpassions.ca), founded by VWAT Family Services, will be hosting its third annual gala, on Wednesday, September 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at the Liberty Grand (Governor's Room). The gala will include a four-course dinner, a live auction hosted by Gordon Cressy, as well as a silent auction. Five designers from |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week will be featured in the show, and Andrea Menard and Kaitlin Kozell will be providing entertainment for the evening. This year’s gala aims to raise awareness against   the violence and trafficking of  women and girls, thus entitled “Honouring Our Stolen Sisters.” This year, the gala will be honouring Ms. Winnie Ng, Ms. Loly Rico and Ms. Susan Langdon with the Icons of Empowerment award in recognition of their passion and dedication in furthering the status of women and girls.

“We intend to impact more people than ever before,” says Thien LE “Every year, our level of impact has increased. It’s encouraged us to push for more so we can continue to break down the stigma around violence towards and the trafficking of women and girls.”

The gala aims to help educate people on the factors that contribute to perpetuating the violence and trafficking of women, with particular focus on the missing Aboriginal women. By initiating a conversation, Fashions for Passions aims to engage Torontonians to stand in solidarity with the Board of Directors of VWAT to help improve the status of all women. The proceeds from the gala go directly to VWAT’s domestic violence services and two other local agencies with anti-violence and anti-trafficking services, equally.

In the past, Fashions for Passions Gala has had 4.2 million social media impressions. Those impressions were people who read and gained awareness about intimate violence and trafficking in Canada, and the necessity of coming together as a community to put an end to these injustices. By inviting community leaders and prominent Torontonians to Fashions for Passions each year, the conversation continues to grow through the sharing of information and encouraging individual, organizational and systemic efforts to challenge the violence against and trafficking of women and girls.

Media are invited to attend the event on Wednesday September 23 at the Liberty Grand (Governor's Room) at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP to jessica@glocommunications.ca.

Fashions for Passions was created to raise awareness and funds for local organizations that work towards anti-violence and anti-human trafficking initiatives. It was established in 2013, when the VWAT Board of Directors, after 33 years of supporting immigrant and newcomer communities, decided to create a program targeting the lack of awareness and support for these issues stemming from the stigma surrounding them. The gala features socially conscious and ethical local designers while offering a space to discuss modern day slavery and different forms of violence that happen both in Canada and globally, as well as ways to contribute to solving these issues. The VWAT’s vision is to raise enough awareness and funds to sustain the growth of programs and services available to victims of violence and trafficking to ultimately help them regain self-esteem and empower them to live free.

About the VWAT Family Services:
For 33 years, VWAT Family Services has been integral in the adaptation of Vietnamese newcomers and immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area. VWAT is the first point of contact for those who seek community supports to achieve their goal of integration and belonging in Canada, while preserving their Vietnamese culture. Since 2002, we have worked with over 24,000 people through VWAT’s dedicated campaigns to raising awareness and direct supports for victims of intimate violence by walking with them, every step of the way, until they gain confidence and self-esteem to reclaim control of their lives. VWAT provides a safe place for anyone who seeks support, referral services and educational workshops to assist in their success. We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable community that empowers women and girls to live free.

For further inquiries, or media accreditation please contact:
Jessica Glover, GLO Communications at jessica@glocommunications.ca – 416.892.4833 or
Chrissy Newton, VOCAB Communications at chrissy@vocabcommunications.com – 416.705.9523

 

Diamonds in the Snow