Book Club

ILSA and our partners at ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᐣᐃᐢᑫᐧᐊᐧᐠ ~ masinahikan iskwêwak ~ Book Women Podcast are thrilled to announce our 2021 Indigenous book club! We invite you to read along with us in the months leading up to our virtual gathering at Congress this spring.

Inspired by this year’s theme, “Northern Relations,” Tanya, Kayla, and Sheila have chosen a variety of contemporary NDN texts that we will read together, discuss together, and love together in a way that connects us all, no matter how far apart and isolated we might be right now. We are covering texts from many genres, so please encourage your friends, family, and even your little ones to join in on these readings! 

Of course, while promoting the awesome literature being produced by Indigenous Peoples right now is our jam, our goal is also to create a sense of online community so that YOU readers can engage in the conversations throughout the coming months. We will frequently be updating our websites and social media pages so that anyone and everyone who wants to participate can throw questions, comments, emojis, marriage proposals, steamy gifs, and NDN memes our way throughout the process.

If you feel like jumping on this cedar canoe with us, the dates to have these books read are:

1. (Novel Week) February 2nd: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq (difficult content warning)

2. (Picture Books) February 23rd: What’s My Superpower? by Aviaq Johnston, Elisapee and Her Baby Seagull by Nancy Mike, and The Walrus Who Escaped by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley

3. (Graphic Novel) March 23rd: Dakwäkãda Warriors by Cole Pauls and A Girl Called Echo Vol. 1 by Katherena Vermette

4. (Poetry) April 23rd: it was never going to be okay by jaye simpson

5. (YA Novel) May 23rd: Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline