What do puppet tickle torture, freeze dried chicken, and youth culture have in common? They were all topics of conversation during of our 21st annual One Book, One Community event with Eden Robinson, critically acclaimed, best-selling novelist and short story writer from the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations.
In a conversation with Dr. Savage Bear, Robinson explored her humorous coming of age novel ”Son of a Trickster”, which was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and is the first novel in the Trickster trilogy.
A self-proclaimed super goth girl, Robinson, who may have the most infectious laugh in the world, shared stories of her love indoor activities, the awkwardness of colonoscopies and gratitude for a career that has led her to develop deeper understanding and appreciation of culture by seeking out origin stories.
While writing "Son of a Trickster", Robinson was challenged by the necessity of respecting agency over who tells which stories and how oral histories are put into fiction without the writing becoming onerous on the reader to navigate – she tries her best to avoid a Game of Thrones situation.
During the event Robinson and Bear share a witty game of ping-pong, exploring the differences between potlatch and band culture, how awkward it can be to be on a panel discussion with more than one ex, the impacts of the Anthropocene adaptation on Indigenous practices, futurism, toilet paper hoarding and the importance of comfort pie.
Missed the event? Watch our recording and catch up on the laughs with Eden Robinson and Dr. Savage Bear.
Each year, Canada’s oldest and longest community reading program, One Book, One Community, supports reading, celebrates books and writing, promotes Canadian writers, and builds a sense of community through the shared experience of reading. OBOC encourages people in Waterloo Region to read the same book, discuss it, attend an event, and meet the author.