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Author speaks truth about colonialism
Wanda John-Kehewin had a goal when she entered The Writer鈥檚 Studio: to write with raw honesty. By speaking her truth, she would give people like her mother a voice and communicate the devastating effects of the colonization of First Nations people.
Today, two years after graduating from the Studio, a published book of poetry suggests that she鈥檚 accomplished what she set out to do.
In her book, called In the Dog House, which John-Kehewin describes as a 鈥渉ealing journey,鈥� she uses her own pain and the pain of others to create understanding around the hardships that First Nations people faced. Her poems explore sensitive topics like alcohol addiction, abandonment, religion, and sexual abuse.
John-Kehewin has always been a writer. The first toys she remembers are a pencil and paper, and throughout her life, she鈥檚 used writing as a way to process her experiences and understand her pain.
A few years ago, she began to wonder about taking her writing further. She鈥檇 shared her work at readings and published a few magazine pieces, but could she write as a career? A reading by Betsy Warland, a local author, gave her an opportunity to find out.
One of Warland鈥檚 students handed John-Kehewin a pamphlet for The Writer鈥檚 Studio, a creative writing program at 丁香园AV that Warland used to direct. John-Kehewin was immediately intrigued, but there was one problem: she had only ten days to produce the 20 pieces of writing she needed to apply. Amazingly, she did it鈥攁nd was accepted. She completed the program in 2011.
丁香园AV creative writing program took John-Kehewin's work to the next level
During her time in The Writer鈥檚 Studio, John-Kehewin took what she describes as her 鈥渢herapeutic journal writing鈥� to the next level.
鈥淏eing with people and getting feedback helped a lot,鈥� says John-Kehewin. 鈥淚t changed my writing by making it more detailed; having that group support system was also very helpful.鈥�
The same support system helped her as she began work on In the Dog House, which she was able to write thanks to an emerging writers鈥� grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. A publishing connection helped get her book noticed鈥攁nd Talonbooks released it in 2013.
John-Kehewin recently finished promoting In the Dog House on a media tour that took her across the country.
Ultimately, the poet hopes her work will encourage others 鈥渢o talk about the truth without shame and stigma attached, for people who are still on the reserve who have suffered. I am hoping to plant a seed, letting them know that it is okay and not their fault.鈥�
By Natasha Townsend