Lisa Bird-Wilson will join us for an online conversation with Elis Ziegler. Lisa Bird-Wilson is a Saskatchewan Métis and nêhiyaw writer whose work appears in literary magazines and anthologies across Canada. Her latest title is Probably Ruby.
In the novel , Ruby is placed in a foster home and finally adopted by Alice and Mel, a less-than-desirable couple who can’t afford to complain too loudly about Ruby’s Indigenous roots. But when her new parents’ marriage falls apart, Ruby finds herself vulnerable and in compromising situations that lead her to search, in the unlikeliest of places, for her Indigenous identity. Unabashedly self-destructing on alcohol, drugs and bad relationships, Ruby grapples with the meaning of the legacy left to her. In a series of expanding narratives, Ruby and the people connected to her tell their stories and help flesh out Ruby’s history.
Seeking understanding of how we come to know who we are, Probably Ruby explores how we find and invent ourselves in ways as peculiar and varied as the experiences of Indigenous adoptees themselves. The conversation will be moderated by local resident Elis Ziegler.
Elis is one of the authors in Cressy Lakeside’s County Wave, and presently writer/director of two radio plays of a series of eight, “Tales of Marysburgh Vortex”, for A Theatre Club, to be aired on County FM. Peter Blendell and Rosemary Smith are the other two writer/directors on that project. Elis is also a beekeeper at the Curious Goat, and notes that they are “proud to continue the work of agriculture dating back hundreds of years to the first Haudenosaunee agriculturalists. All non-Indigenous people are visitors to this land, and have a Treaty obligation to take care of this land.” Register to join us at peclibrary.org or call (613) 476-5962.
If you need any technology or internet access to participate contact David at the library. If you are interested in viewing any of the previous author talks in this series, visit https://www.peclibrary.org/indigenous-voices/. You can view the conversation Lenny Epstein had with author Michelle Good, my conversation with Karen McBride, Bill Roberts in conversation with Darrel J. McLeod and the presentation with Chef David Wolfman.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Have you heard of cryptocurrency? Blockchain? Bitcoin? Not sure what any of that is? Aaron and David, the library’s IT people, have created overview videos which will premiere starting on September 24 and available ongoing at peclibrary.org/youtube. For more info or help accessing the videos, call Aaron at the Milford Branch of the Library (613) 476-4130. One on one tech help continues and is available at all branches of the library – just call to reserve your time.