Procession: descendants and future ancestors

Join Massy Books, House of Anansi Press, Talking Stick Festival, Katherena Vermette, Samantha Nock, Cassandra Blanchard & Molly Cross-Blanchard for the launch of, "procession: descendants and future ancestors" on Oct 15th at 7pm at Massy Books!

Registration is free but required. We anticipate this event will see high registration with a waitlist, so if at any point you're unable to make it, please cancel so that others can join - thank you!

Venue:

The event will be hosted at Massy Books, 229. E. Georgia St., Vancouver, BC.

The venue has a gender neutral bathroom.

Please refrain from wearing scents or heavy perfumes.

Covid Protocols: Masks keep our community safe and are recommended. We ask if you are showing symptoms, that you stay home. Thank you kindly.

Books will be for sale at the event!

About procession:

procession: a line of people moving in the same direction; a formal ceremony or celebration, as in a wedding, a funeral, a religious parade. Bestselling novelist and Governor General's Award-winning poet katherena vermette's third collection presents a series of poems reaching into what it means to be (at once) a descendant and a future ancestor, exploring the connections we have with one another and ourselves, amongst friends, and within families and Nations.

In frank, heartfelt poems that move through body sovereignty and ancestral dreams, and from '80s childhood nostalgia to welcoming one's own babies, vermette unreels the story of a child, a parent, and soon, an elder, living in a prairie place that has always existed, though it looks much different to her now. This book is about being one small part of a large genealogy. A lineage is a line, and the procession, whether in celebration or in mourning, is ongoing.

About Katherena Vermette:

katherena vermette (she/her/hers) is a Michif (Red River Métis) writer from Treaty 1 territory, the heart of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Born in Winnipeg, her Michif roots on her paternal side run deep in St. Boniface, St. Norbert and beyond. Her maternal side is Mennonite from the Altona and Rosenfeld area (Treaty 1). She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia, and an honourary Doctor of Letters from the University of Manitoba. katherena lives with her family in a cranky old house within skipping distance of the temperamental Red River.

About Molly Cross-Blanchard:

Molly Cross-Blanchard (she/her) is a white and Métis writer, editor, and teacher born in Treaty 3 (Fort Frances, ON), raised in Treaty 6 (Prince Albert, SK), and currently living in Treaty 1 (Winnipeg, MB) where she teaches Indigenous Studies at the University of Winnipeg. Molly's book of poetry is Exhibitionist (Coach House Books, 2021).

About Cassandra Blanchard:

Cassandra Blanchard was born in the Yukon and is part of the Selkirk First Nation. Her book of poetry "Fresh Pack of Smokes" won the Relit award for 2020. She resides in Duncan on Vancouver Island

About Samantha Nock:

Samantha Nock is a Cree-Métis writer and poet originally from Treaty 8 Territory in the Peace Region of northeast British Columbia. Her family is originally from sâkitawâhk ᓵᑭᑕᐚᕽ (Île-à-la-Crosse), Saskatchewan. She released her debut book of poetry A Family of Dreamers in fall 2024 with Talonbooks. Samantha was shortlisted for the 2024 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and long-listed for the 2024 Pat Lowther Memorial Award. She currently resides on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Lands in so-called Vancouver. Samantha has had works published in Maisonneuve, Vice, Prism International, and Best Canadian Poetry, among others. You can find her on Blue Sky
@samnock.bsky.social and Instagram @2broke4bingo.

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